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Step aboard this laugh-filled episode of Groove Talk as host Doug Hogan sits down with Groove Jones co-founder Dan Ferguson and longtime senior interactive producer Ethan Compton. What begins with friendly banter about webcams, gray hair, and questionable hairstyles quickly evolves into a fascinating journey through Ethan’s decade-plus career in immersive production and the wild stories behind Groove Jones’ most ambitious projects.

Ethan shares his path from teaching game design to joining Groove Jones’ founding crew, where he’s spent years crafting jaw-dropping interactive experiences. The team revisits the making of Swashbuckler, a full-room VR adventure built for Royal Caribbean that had Ethan taking six cruises during the height of COVID while fighting seasickness, dodging battery fires, and pulling off an award-worthy install. Along the way, they dive into tales of old-school Flash games, Jedi alter egos, and the secret to Groove Jones’ success: fearless creativity, radical candor, and a studio culture built on trust and curiosity.

This episode perfectly captures the spirit of Groove Jones, equal parts chaos, innovation, and camaraderie, and reminds you why great teams make even the wildest projects possible.

Who’s On the Mic

• Doug Hogan – Host and Creative Technologist guiding the conversation with humor and insight
• Dan Ferguson – Co-founder of Groove Jones and master of client experience and usability
• Ethan Compton – Senior Interactive Producer and storyteller behind some of the studio’s biggest VR hits

What They Cover

1. Ethan’s Journey – From game development and teaching to joining Groove Jones’ early team
2. The Swashbuckler Saga – Building a massive VR experience on cruise ships during COVID with skeleton monkeys and a Kraken
3. The Jedi Connection – How Dan snuck his name into a Star Wars game as Dando Ergason
4. Culture at Groove Jones – Radical candor, zero micromanagement, and a team-first philosophy
5. Legacy and Learning – Why so many teammates have worked together across multiple studios
6. Innovation Mindset – Tackling never-been-done projects with confidence and curiosity

Key Highlights

• Behind-the-scenes of installing Swashbuckler on Royal Caribbean during a pandemic
• Ethan’s tales of seasickness, de-stinkifiers, and nine-day installs
• Dan’s Star Wars Easter egg moment with his Jedi alter ego
• How Groove Jones keeps a long-tenured, high-performing team through open communication and shared problem solving
• A peek at the studio’s mix of R and D, rapid innovation, and fearless client collaboration

Why It’s Worth Watching

If you love hearing how high-stakes creativity meets pure chaos, and how teams turn impossible challenges into groundbreaking experiences, this episode is a must. You will laugh, you will learn, and you might even want to join the next cruise-bound VR install.

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Groove Jones is officially 10 years old, and in this milestone episode, host Doug Hogan sits down with the original co-founders—Dale Carman, Gary Banks, and Dan Ferguson—to look back at a decade of creativity, chaos, and unforgettable experiences. From the first sparks of inspiration that brought them together to the groundbreaking VR projects that helped define immersive storytelling, the trio shares how friendship, trust, and a shared love for the “wow” moment built one of the most innovative studios in the industry.

Expect stories of wild problem-solving, late-night breakthroughs, favorite projects that blended tech and magic (Smell-O-Vision, anyone?), and a candid look at what it really takes to sustain a creative company for 10 years. Whether you’re in tech, design, or love a good origin story, this episode offers both heart and behind-the-scenes grit.

What They Cover

• How Dale, Gary, and Dan first crossed paths and realized their complementary strengths
• The story behind naming Groove Jones and what “Groove Jones” really means
• Early breakthrough projects like the American Horror Story VR experience and multisensory campaigns
• Why solving client problems is always at the heart of adopting new tech
• Reflections on the culture of Groove Jones: no egos, no “that’s not my job,” just all-in teamwork

Key Highlights

• The hilarious (and hair-raising) origin stories of Groove’s earliest VR experiments
• Why Gary’s culinary background made him the perfect producer and even food stylist on set
• Dan’s “Elf Bowling” viral game days and what they taught him about keeping things simple and fun
• Dale’s philosophy of always chasing the “wow” factor and being fully present in each project
• Real stories of projects breaking down and the Apollo 13-style fixes that turned disaster into magic

Why It’s Worth Watching

If you’ve ever wondered how a small idea can grow into a decade-long journey, fueled by trust, hustle, and creativity, this episode is both a celebration and a masterclass. It’s not just about immersive tech—it’s about building something meaningful with people you’d want in the trenches with you.

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Step into the sonic world of Groove Jones with episode two of Groove Talk, where sound takes center stage. Host Doug Hogan sits down with co-founder Dale Carman and his son, Andrew Carman, the studio’s in-house composer and supervising sound designer. From touring musician to crafting immersive audio for AR and VR experiences, Andrew shares how he turned his lifelong love of music into a career creating unforgettable soundscapes. The conversation dives deep into the art of sound design, the “P channel” of passion that makes creative work resonate, and why the human touch will always matter, even in the age of AI.

Expect stories about pirate skeleton monkeys, leather crafting, restoring vintage gear, and yes, running a synth through an orange to nail the perfect track. It is a celebration of curiosity, craft, and the fearless leap into the unknown that fuels every Groove Jones project.

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Step inside the minds of the creative technologists behind Groove Jones in the premiere episode of their podcast series. In this candid conversation, Dale Carman, Doug Hogan, and Chris Crowell pull back the curtain behind the work at one of the most innovative studios in immersive tech. From the early days of VR and AR experimentation to today’s cutting-edge AI and interactive campaigns, the trio shares stories from the front lines, offering an inside look at the lessons, challenges, and future-shaping ideas that drive their work. Whether you’re a marketer, technologist, or creative thinker, this episode sets the stage for a deeper journey into the future of experiential storytelling. 

Who’s On the Mic

• Dale Carman – Founder of Groove Jones, industry veteran sharing insights from creative technology.

• Doug Hogan – Creative Technologist guiding the studio’s evolution.

• Chris Crowell – Tech innovator with a focus on interactive experiences.

What They Cover

1. Introduction to Groove Jones

• Doug outlines the studio’s mission and how they carved a niche in VR/AR and interactive campaigns.

2. Inside Stories & Case Studies

• The team swaps stories about standout client work, technical challenges, and client responses.

3. Tech Talk: Trends Ahead

• They dive into upcoming innovations, AR, VR, AI-driven media, and debate how brands can leverage them.

4. Lessons & Advice

• Each host shares a key takeaway: being iterative in prototyping, embracing failure, and structuring project teams for creativity.

Key Highlights

• The importance of rapid prototyping to uncover unexpected user behaviors.• How cross-disciplinary teams (creatives + engineers) spark the best solutions.

• Why staying agile and experimenting, even with prototype failures, is non-negotiable in innovation work.

Why It’s Worth Watching

f you’re curious about:

• How modern creative studios structure their teams and processes

• What emerging tech (like AR, VR, AI) means for corporate storytelling

• Real-world lessons from people working at the forefront of immersive experiences

This episode offers both big-picture context and granular, actionable advice.