Jake Zim

Jake Zim
Zim in 2008
NationalityAmerican
OccupationDigital media executive

Jake Zim is the Senior Vice President of Virtual Reality for Sony Pictures Entertainment. Zim oversees global virtual reality production and strategy for the motion picture group and he has produced a wide variety of interactive projects across the spectrum of distribution channels including location-based,[1] mobile and in-home. Zim has been instrumental in the development of virtual reality experiences such as the Emmy® nominated Spider-Man: Homecoming VR,[2] Ghostbusters: Dimensions, The Emoji Movie VR Experience, Can You Walk The Walk and Jumanji: The VR Adventure, and Hotel Transylvania Popstic VR.[2][3][4] The L.A. Times called Zim's appointment "the first VR czar at a major studio."[5] Jake Zim joined Sony Pictures Entertainment Worldwide Marketing and Distribution as Senior Vice President of Digital Marketing in 2011. Before joining Sony, he was vice president, Digital Marketing at Twentieth Century Fox.[6]

Education

Jake Zim graduated with a B.A. in history from the University of California at Berkeley where he was also a member of the 1998 MCLA National Championship Lacrosse Team. He received his MBA from the University of Southern California's Marshall School.

Career

Early in his career he was an actor, appearing in shows such as MTV's Undressed.

Lionsgate

In 2005 Zim was hired as Director of Digital Media Marketing at Lionsgate, the leading independent film studio. Zim directed the digital campaigns for such titles as the Academy Award winning Crash and box office successes such as Saw II, Hostel and Madea's Family Reunion.[7]

Fox Atomic

From 2006 to 2008 Jake ran the digital team at Fox Atomic. As Vice President of Online Marketing he developed digital theatrical marketing campaigns for 28 Weeks Later, The Comebacks, Turistas and The Hills Have Eyes 2.[8] During that time he joined the Fox team that partnered with NBC to launch Hulu.[9][10]

Safran Digital Group

In 2008 Zim served as Chief Operating Officer of Safran Digital Group (SDG), a digital media entertainment company that finances, develops and distributes entertainment programming and technologies for digital platforms. Safran Digital Group, headed by Peter Safran, the veteran Hollywood producer and talent manager, was hired by Microsoft to produce original content for the Xbox 360. At Safran Digital Group (SDG) Jake Zim executive produced programming such as Xbox's first-ever original series Horror Meets Comedy and Spike.com's "PGP".[11][12]

Twentieth Century Fox

Prior to joining Sony, Zim was vice president, Digital Marketing at Twentieth Century Fox. He led the digital marketing strategy for Avatar, including the record-breaking launch of the trailer on Apple Trailers, which received over 4 million streams in 24 hours.[13] He also led the strategies for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Date Night, The A-Team, Predators, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Unstoppable, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and, Rio.[14][15][16][17][18]

Sony Pictures Entertainment

Jake Zim joined Sony Pictures Entertainment Worldwide Marketing and Distribution as Senior Vice President of Digital Marketing in 2011. Projects undertaken during his tenure in this position include Angry Birds (film), The Walk, Chappie, No Good Deed, The Monuments Men, Captain Phillips, RoboCop, Skyfall,[19] Men in Black 3, Moneyball, 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street[6][17] Zim and his team received a 2014 Webby Award for Telekinetic Coffee Shop Surprise.[20][21]

Zim partnered with hyper-reality pioneers The Void[22] and Madame Tussauds New York to create a virtual reality experience called Ghostbusters: Dimension.[23] The experience was engineered by The Void in collaboration with the film's director Paul Feig and Ghostbusters creator Ivan Reitman.[24] Past VR experiences from Sony include theatrical promotions for "Goosebumps" and "The Walk" (with PlayStation VR), both of which were adapted as mobile VR experiences ahead of their respective home entertainment releases.[3] In 2015, Zim partnered with D-Box to debut the Goosebumps Virtual Reality Adventure.[25]

Digital Marketing Campaign History

References

  1. ^ Wong, Steven (2017-11-13). "Sony Pictures Grows VR Business While Promoting 'Jumanji' Movie". AListDaily. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  2. ^ a b "Spider-Man Homecoming VR Experience". The Emmys. 2018-07-12. Archived from the original on 2018-11-24. Retrieved 2018-11-24.
  3. ^ a b Doty, Meriah (2016-06-27). "Sony Carves Out New Virtual Reality Role for Jake Zim". Hollywood. The Wrap. Archived from the original on 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  4. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (2017-10-10). "'Jumanji,' 'Hotel Transylvania 3' Coming to Virtual Reality via New Sony Partnership". The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group. Archived from the original on 2017-10-10. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  5. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (2016-07-15). "Big Hollywood begins to place its chips on virtual reality — but is it a smart bet?". The Times. Los Angeles: Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2016-07-18. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  6. ^ a b Stewart, Andrew (2011-05-03). "Sony taps digital marketing exec". Variety. Reed Elsevier. Archived from the original on 2011-05-06. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
  7. ^ Snyder, Gabriel (March 30, 2006). "Atomic Blast Off: Exex, Slate Set for Fox Youth Unit". Variety. Archived from the original on 2007-08-22. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  8. ^ Gannes, Liz (2008-03-31). "Q&A: Safran Digital's Jake Zim". Gigaom. Archived from the original on 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
  9. ^ Cieply, Michael (2008-03-31). "Hollywood Producer Set to Make Shows for Xbox". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  10. ^ Learmonth, Michael (2008-03-30). "It's Not TV, It's Xbox: Microsoft Goes Hollywood, Buys Clips". Silicon Alley Insider, Inc. Archived from the original on 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  11. ^ Nellie, Andreeva; Matthew Belloni; Jay A. Fernandez; Carolyn Giardina; Gregg Goldstein; Borys Kit; Kimberly Nordyke; Ray Richmond; Leslie Simmons; Andrew Wallenstein; David Ward; Steven Zeitchik (2008-11-05). "Next Gen 2008: New Media". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2008-11-09. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  12. ^ Woodson, Alex (2008-03-30). "Safran bows digital offshoot". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2008-04-22. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  13. ^ Blair, Iain (2009-05-01). "Gurus in the new age of marketing". Variety. Archived from the original on 2010-03-02. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  14. ^ Takahash, Dean (2011-01-28). "New version of Angry Birds game will tie into animated movie Rio". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  15. ^ Lander, Sebastian (2011-02-01). "Angry Birds go to Rio". News Corporation. Archived from the original on 2024-05-25. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  16. ^ Lander, Sebastian (2011-02-02). "Taking flight in a digital marketing world". News Corporation. Archived from the original on 2024-05-25. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  17. ^ a b "Jake Zim Joins Sony Pictures Digital Marketing As Senior Vice President". Entertainment News Resource. 2011-05-12. Archived from the original on 2012-08-28. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  18. ^ McClintock, Pamela (2011-03-22). "'Angry Birds Rio' Is Most Downloaded Apple Game App". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2011-03-25. Retrieved 2011-03-24.
  19. ^ Symonds, Matt (2011-08-03). "Shaking the MBA Martini: Diversity Is the New Cocktail". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
  20. ^ Schillaci, Sophie (2013-10-07). "'Carrie'-Inspired Coffee Shop Prank Goes Viral (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2015-03-03. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
  21. ^ Schillaci, Sophie (2014-04-28). "2014 Webby Award Winner Telekinetic Coffee Shop Surprise". The Webby Awards. Archived from the original on 2015-01-29. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
  22. ^ Porges, Seth (2016-07-01). "A Review Of 'Ghostbusters: Dimension': The Crazy New Free-Roaming VR Installation". Forbes, Inc. Archived from the original on 2016-07-07. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  23. ^ Krol, Charlotte (2016-06-30). "Look inside the new Ghostbusters virtual reality exhibit at Madame Tussauds New York". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2016-08-09. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  24. ^ Gaudiosi, John (2016-05-09). "'Ghostbusters': Cross the Streams at Virtual Reality Experience News Video Music Politics TV Movies Sports Long Reads RS Country More TRENDING Matt Taibbi on How DNC Leak Shows Mechanics of a Slanted... Watch Michelle Obama's Powerful Speech at DNC Meet the Brooklyn Guy Who Beat 'Pokémon Go' 'Ghostbusters': Cross the Streams at Virtual Reality Experience". Culture. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2016-07-22. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  25. ^ Evry, Max (2015-09-22). "Goosebumps Virtual Reality Adventure Will Put You Inside the Movie". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline Media. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2015-09-23.