Michaela A. Ternasky-Holland
Emmy Award-Winning XR Director | Speaker & Consultant | Creative Strategist & Impact Producer | Leading equity & social change in XR and the Metaverse
Michaela A. Ternasky-Holland is an Emmy and Webby award-winning director who specializes in creating socially impactful stories using immersive and interactive technology. As an XR/metaverse creator, consultant, and speaker, she has been recognized as one of the 100 Original Voices of XR by industry veteran Avi Bar-Zeev for her work. Michaela specializes in creative strategy and impact production. She has either worked with or had her work featured by top brands and organizations like Disney, TIME, Forbes, The Guardian, Cannes Film Festival, New York Public Library, Tribeca Film Festival, and more.
Michaela has been lauded as an eloquent and moving speaker at numerous international conferences, public institutions, and podcasts. She has been a finalist in the international VR Awards, known as the Oscars of the VR industry, for the past 3 years. She was also awarded Best VR Experience and Immersive Impact for the 2021 Social Impact Media Awards. Currently, she is a member of the Academy of International Extended Realities and a judge for the VR Awards.
Michaela has made it her life’s goal to be a part of purpose-driven creative projects that raise awareness about critical global issues such as the threat of nuclear weapons and gun violence, while also advocating for diversity in storytelling and championing the unheard. To that effect, she also works in tandem with decision-makers, committees, and boards of directors that financially support, mentor, and create opportunities for those of all backgrounds.
Some of the causes Michaela has explored and highlighted include privilege, neurodivergence, disparities in physical abilities, and social justice causes such as sexuality and race equality. Her breakthrough documentary project titled FACE TO FACE premiered at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2018 where it was also awarded the Alternate Realities: Virtual Reality Award. Her other award-winning project Lutaw has been called the “best cinematic content in VR today.”
Michaela’s impact-driven focus has led her to work with companies and institutions such as Games for Change, Governor’s Island, Museum of Ice Cream, Royal Caribbean, National Geographic, Ford Foundation, Creative Capital, Guild of Future Architects, Onassis Foundation, Mozilla, Museum of Other Realities, Amnesty International, the Anti-Eugenics Project, and more.
When she isn’t jumping through dimensions, you can find her obsessing over Star Wars, Avatar the Last Airbender, and hippopotamuses.
Michaela's Guiding Principles
To create
physical and digital experiences that have the power to transform
To connect
ideas to possibilities, intent to execution, and projects to key collaborators or funders.
To lead
whether internal teams or external stakeholders, everyone's time, energy, and opinions are treated with care and centered on trust.
To impact
the XR industry to value accessibility, inclusion, social impact, and safety.
Michaela's Foundation
Michaela coined the term -- compassionate storytelling.
Compassionate storytelling is the re-discovery of ethical storytelling through non-traditional mediums and honors the collaborators and the audience.
The first pillar of compassionate storytelling is to deeply collaborate with individuals that have lived or created their own powerful stories.
The second pillar of compassionate storytelling is to honor the essence of these stories.
The third pillar of compassionate storytelling is to take the audience members experiencing the story into deep consideration during the creative process.