StoryFutures and StoryFutures Academy: The National Centre for Immersive Storytelling
We're all about placing innovative storytelling at the heart of next generation immersive technologies and experiences, to fuel the growth of the sector and ensure the UK is leading the way.
Both projects are closely linked: StoryFutures is focussed on R&D projects with businesses to the west of London, while StoryFutures Academy is focussed on delivering cutting edge training for the national screen industries.
StoryFutures is led by Royal Holloway, University of London and is part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s unprecedented Creative Industries Clusters Programme. Funded by the government’s industrial strategy challenge fund and based in the ‘Gateway Cluster’ immediately to the west of London it is focused on delivering game changing R&D projects.
StoryFutures Academy is the UK’s National Centre for Immersive Storytelling led by the National Film and Television School, and partnered by Royal Holloway, University of London and Brunel University. Funded by the government’s industrial strategy challenge fund and part of UK Research and Innovation’s Audience of the Future Challenge. The Academy will develop creative training and research programmes in immersive storytelling to ensure the UK creative workforce is the most skilled in the world in the use of VR, AR and MR.
Meet the team

Professor James Bennett
Director, StoryFutures & Co-Director, StoryFutures Academy

Dr Jon Wardle
Co-Director, StoryFutures Academy

Will Saunders
Chief Creative Officer, StoryFutures and StoryFutures Academy

Rebecca Gregory-Clarke
Head of Immersive, StoryFutures Academy

Amanda Murphy
Executive Producer, StoryFutures Academy

Professor Jen Parker-Starbuck
StoryLab R&D Lead, StoryFutures

Adam Ganz
Co-Investigator, StoryFutures & Head of Writers Room, StoryFutures Academy

Sarah Smyth
Immersive Programme Manager, StoryFutures Academy

Elaine Wong
Immersive Partnership Manager, StoryFutures Academy

Kylie Bryant
Producer, StoryFutures Creative Cluster

Professor Polly Dalton
Audience Insight R&D Lead, StoryFutures

Dr John Ellis
Creative Data R&D Lead, StoryFutures

Ian Ferris
Innovation R&D Lead, StoryFutures

Kristina Glushkova
Business Impact Lead, StoryFutures

Dr Claude Heath
Creative Data, Senior Research Fellow

Dr Niki Strange
Executive Producer, StoryFutures

Professor Mark Lycett
Business R&D Lead, StoryFutures

Jude Middleton
StoryFutures Administrator

Moira Noble
Head of Operations

Dr Chloe Preece
StoryLab Future Audience Researcher

Dr Laryssa Whittaker
StoryFutures Audience Insight, Research Fellow

Dr Andy Woods
StoryFutures Audience Insight, Senior Research Fellow

Isabelle Verhulst
Audience Insight Researcher

Olivia Hinkin
Network & Outreach Officer, StoryFutures

Chris Hogg
Digital Engagement Officer, StoryFutures Academy

Johnny Johnson
Senior Technician (NFTS), StoryFutures Academy

Roderick Morgan
StoryFutures Academy Technician

Neil Smith
Senior Technician

Dr Marianna Rolbina
Business Insights, Research Fellow

Jura McKay
Communications Assistant

Christos Dexiades
Doctoral Researcher in Creative Data Tools

Eirini Nikopoulou
Doctoral Researcher in Audiences, Personalisation, Data and Ethics

Jack Morton
Doctoral Researcher in Human Geography

Rich Hemming
Doctoral Researcher in Procedural Audio

Jack Lowe
Doctoral Researcher
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