Welcome to Ufront Media Insights;
Today, I had the opportunity to interview Miss Katie Aquino aka “Miss Metaverse” is a Futurist and fans and colleagues describe Katie as a “joyful, disruptive intellect” and “the queen of innovation.” But above all, Katie is a female futurist, the world’s first Futurista™, a techno-optimist, video producer, and host. Her background is in filmmaking, having produced and created original content for 11:11 Productions, AEG Productions, and Solaris Entertainment. Katie has collaborated on series for SPIKE, MTV, TruTV, Lifetime, Discovery, Nat Geo, and several others.
She created the Futurista agency which promotes her futurist speaking, foresight, and consulting business and she will be expanding with a network of fellow futurist professionals and think tank services in 2015. Her magnetic personality, passion for spreading the futurist ideology, and extensive technology and media experience led her to present at conferences and events including the Tree Media Conference, Wearable Tech Expo, Ufront Video 4 Cast , A3C Festival, and many more. So enjoy my interview with Miss Metaverse !!!!!!
Roger- When did you start falling in love with technology?
Katie- I’ve been fascinated with science and tech since as far back as I can remember and that’s reflected in the places I loved the most. I was born in Columbus, Ohio and although we moved to Long Island, New York when I was four, we would visit our extended family there every few months. Back then, my favorite places in the whole world were COSCI, a science museum in the heart of Columbus and Cedar Point, a large amusement park on Lake Erie.
When I was a little older, my father would take me and my best friend to Walt Disney World. My favorite spots were Tomorrowland and of course, Epcot! Back in my childhood days, COSCI was a state-of-the-art facility that allowed kids to explore all avenues of science and tech in fun ways. My cousins and I would have a blast pretending to be meteorologists on a green screen and there was a Van de Graaff generator (static electricity) that made our hair stand straight up when we touched it. Cedar Point, known as “America’s Rollercoast” sits on a peninsula, so to kids it looks like a massive magical roller coaster island. I’ve always loved rollercoasters, the way they sound, the designs, and the thrills. There was also an old (steam?) train inside the park that brought guests from one side of the park to the other, but this wasn’t just any train, guests were surprised as the train would roll past an old western ghost town where animatronic (robotic) skeletons would carry out various scenes. There’s something very special about animatronics.
In Tomorrowland, I loved the Carousel of Progress, Space Mountain, and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. EPCOT, which stands for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, was also a very special place. I remember when Spaceship Earth “brought us into the future” and AT&T had sponsored an exhibit which showed what a video call over the computer would be like with a friend. Back then, the idea of such technology was amazing!
Just last year, I visited EPCOT again with a fellow futurist who was presenting there. I have high hopes that new exhibits with today’s emerging technologies will continue to excite kids about the future. I do have some suggestions for EPCOT though.. 😉 Last, but not least, which 80’s kids didn’t love Bill Nye the Science Guy?
Roger- How did you come up with the name Miss Metaverse?
Katie- The word Metaverse has held a significant meaning in my heart for some time. My love for “the Metaverse” began when I read Ervin Laszlo’s books which described multiple universes as a Metaverse. Instead of saying “I love you.” I’d say that person is “my Metaverse.” It sorta just became my thing… I had to laugh when I found out that the universe in Second Life is known as the Metaverse. It’s very fitting and I love it.
Roger- How long have you worked in the media industry?
Katie. A long, long time ago, I knew I wanted some kind of role in the film industry either as a writer or an indie filmmaker. I started out writing and I also tried my hand at acting (which was awful). My media career began as one thing and evolved into another. Now, I mostly dedicate my time to my own projects. It’s a great feeling.
Roger- What platforms do you use to promote your brand?
Katie– Social media is always evolving and it can become overwhelming to try and promote yourself through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Ello?, and now Periscope. I would advise others to try a little bit of it all and see what works. Radio shows and podcasts have been very helpful as well.
Roger- What makes the future so exciting for you and why should others be excited too?
Katie- Since I could (sorta) understand how the world works, I couldn’t understand how humanity had gotten things so backwards. I could write about this all day…
Having remembered life with slow (or non-existing) internet and no cellphones, it’s been exciting to see how the web has changed everything. The web has connected us all, in some ways malevolent but mostly benevolent, and I believe our most exciting years are ahead of us.
There are many different outlooks on the future and let’s just say I haven’t always been such a techno-optimist. I’ve had dark periods in my life too. When you’re young and searching for truth on the web, it’s easy to stumble up on startling (dis)information that can convince you that the world is ending as we speak (and it might be).
What we know is that glaciers are melting, oil is finite, our grocery stores have Frankenfood, and our global economy is unstable. Although all of these truths are frightening for sure, we have somehow continued to connect with each other and work hard towards creating a brighter future.
I wholeheartedly believe that humanity will evolve and prevail thanks to new technologies that are just emerging right now. This is an exciting time to be alive! There are big questions to be answered and the answers are just around the corner.
Roger- What advice do you have for women that want to follow in your foot steps?
Katie- Futurism needs more badass women who dare to bring something different to the table. In the old words of Nike, Just Do It.
Roger– Thank you Katie and to get more information about Miss Metaverse go to
http://futuristmm.com and here is a look at an episode of her show AwesomeFuture.TV:
In Tomorrowland, I loved the Carousel of Progress, Space Mountain, and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. EPCOT, which stands for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, was also a very special place. I remember when Spaceship Earth “brought us into the future” and AT&T had sponsored an exhibit which showed what a video call over the computer would be like with a friend. Back then, the idea of such technology was amazing!
Roger- What makes the future so exciting for you and why should others be excited too?
UFRONT MEDIA INSIGHTS 