I am a creative technology executive with over 15 years of experience in leading creative teams across spatial computing, game development and commercial filmmaking. While I was leading Viacom NEXT as the Creative Director of Virtual Reality, my team incubated and developed over 20 award-winning VR/AR projects which exhibited at major film festivals including Sundance and South by Southwest. ‘Aeronaut VR’, a musical Virtual Reality experience featuring Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, clinched the coveted Cannes Lions Grand Prix in the Digital Craft category.
I believe that creativity is best when it’s cross-disciplinary, and have constantly pressed for diversity of thought and background across my teams. Perhaps this was inspired by my career – I am incredibly lucky to have worked in AAA and indie games, directed television and film productions, and led creative campaigns in the advertising world.
In 2012, I designed and produced Songbird, a location-based narrative experience featuring live actors, short films, and an iOS app which debuted at the Singapore Arts Festival. I was also represented in Australia by production studio KICK KICK PUNCH, where I directed music videos and created content for clients such as the BBC World Service, Ford Motors and SAP. A video I made featuring the kinetic type of Ira Glass went viral in 2011, hitting over 3 million views across Vimeo and YouTube.
I’ve lived in 5 countries across Asia, Oceania and North America, and have a global perspective that bridges across cultures. I’m fluent in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
Most recently I was the Head of Studios at BetterUp, where I worked with an incredible team to build new multi-modal experiences that help people find clarity, purpose and passion.
I am now on a break to spend some time with my family and to invest a little in myself.
Press
“David Liu: Virtual Realities, Virtual Futures”. filmink.com.au
“Singaporean Filmmaker Wins Cannes Lions Award” The Straits Times
“On The Market: Veterans of Etsy, Chariot and Lyft” The Information.
“Hot Sugar’s The Melody of Dust is the future of music” Nylon
“Viacom’s Take on Virtual Reality: Room-Scale, Original and Fun”. Variety
“Inside Viacom’s Gamechanging New VR Experience” Rolling Stone
“The Titmouse Smash Party was a Blur of VR and IRL Destruction”. Playboy
“Burning Down A House Has Never Been This Hard.” Kotaku
“Ira Glass On The Peculiar Experience Of Watching Himself Go Viral”. BuzzFeed
Speaking
Amplied Intelligence Podcast Episode 1 – Jan 2021
On The Under Presents: The Tempest – July 2020
5G and the Future of Music (New York, NY) – June 2020
No Proscenium, Episode 251 – May 2020
XR for Change (New York, NY) – May 2020
NY ARKit Meetup (New York, NY) – September 2019
SIGGRAPH Panel (Los Angeles, CA) – August 2019
AsiaVR Panel (Singapore) – August 2018
South by Southwest (Austin, TX) – April 2018
Creative Technology Week (New York, NY) – May 2017
Convergence 006 (Sydney, Australia) – May 2017
VRTL Summit (Los Angeles, CA) – April 2017
IGDA + NYU Game Center (New York, NY) – April 2017
Mars Magazine Podcast, Episode 34 – April 2017
SVVR Expo (San Jose, CA) – March 2017
Exploring Future Reality (New York, NY) – Nov 2016
Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA) – Nov 2014