OUR MANIFESTO

Taproot

Five years ago, I took a detour in my professional directing career to find something - more.

I fell in love with storytelling as a teenager and committed my life to learning the technical craft of filmmaking. Still, at some point, I realized the genuine limitations inherent in the business for anyone, let alone an African-American man. One night, I was introduced to virtual reality, which was an insanely unique way of extending the nature of storytelling. It challenged my thoughts and experiences with filmmaking. I went home that night and poured over this idea of 360 world-building. The technical modifications alone almost made my years of training obsolete. I decided then to stop everything and learn the craft. For three years, I studied and trained under top technicians in the field, and I became an immersive fellow with Oculus to hone my understanding of the technology. I shot numerous award-winning pieces in the Unreal engine, later partnering with the organization to dive deeper. The more skilled I became, the fewer faces like mine occupied the same space. I didn’t like that feeling. A game-changing technology like this that can shift careers and communities should be equalized. Shouldn’t it? 

Recently, I have been exploring my ancestry and learned more about the tree from which my own DNA was formed. It was both sad and empowering, given the history of this country. But my takeaway was this - we are all outgrowths of something. My roots and my heritage are but one extension of my expression. I was inspired to leverage that thinking into the work we do at GRX. The literal ecological reference to capture this feeling is beautifully expressed in the “taproot”. Defined as a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally, the taproot is a part of the source for continued growth and personal expression. 

I love that. Immersive and metaverse technology is a powerful expression of the continuation of my craft. GRX is committed to being a part of the taproot. Crafting education and experiential training for communities that may not normally have access is part of our focus. Pushing the lines of the evolving metaverse technology is our core.

We are storytellers. 

We are educators. 

We are technologists. 

We are a part of the greater system. 

We are taproot.