Cisco Helps Walt Disney Studios Establish New StudioLAB Location

Cisco announced that it has been selected by The Walt Disney Studios as a founding member and Innovation Partner of The Walt Disney Studios StudioLAB. StudioLAB will be based on The Walt Disney Studios Lot in Burbank, California.

The announcement was made on stage at the first annual “XR On the Bay” Conference hosted by the Advanced Imaging Society at Cisco corporate campus in San Jose, California.

The StudioLAB initiative is focused on using cutting-edge technologies to reimagine, design, and prototype the entertainment and production capabilities of the future. The 3,500 square foot StudioLAB facility will be located on the historic Disney studio lot in Burbank.

The Walt Disney Studios produces feature films from Disney, and includes Walt Disney Animation Studios; Pixar Animation Studios; Marvel Studios; and Lucasfilm. It also brings music and stage plays to consumers via The Disney Music Group and Disney Theatrical Group.

StudioLAB will feature Cisco hardware and software solutions extending to services spanning network, storage, orchestration, and collaboration. Initial areas of focus will include:

• Enhancing the remote collaboration experience for creatives and studio leadership
• Providing a more seamless and secure connectivity for filmmakers, the studio, and third parties
• Offering efficient and reliable ways to deliver production data and assets from set to the cloud

“We are aligning with best-of-breed technology companies to support our vision for StudioLAB. Our goal is to jointly innovate and apply emerging technologies to support our production capabilities and help build new entertainment experiences,” says Benjamin Havey, vice president, Technology Innovation Group, The Walt Disney Studios. “We are very pleased to welcome Cisco as a StudioLAB Innovation Partner, as we combine the best of Silicon Valley and Hollywood to help our storytellers tell their very best stories. Through this partnership, we can push the boundaries of how content can be created and consumed.”

“Cisco and Disney are helping to drive innovation in the entertainment industry, combining our expertise, skills, content, technology, and passion,” says David Ward, senior vice president, CTO and chief architect, Cisco. “This partnership is a game changer for the media industry, and we are excited for the opportunity to work closely with The Walt Disney Studios team to prototype, develop, and showcase new technology at StudioLAB. This will be the place where true innovation comes alive in media entertainment.”