About

UME is a creative and technology company that is pioneering stories made in the game engine. These stories comprise of fantastical virtual worlds and human-esq virtual humans using innovative software and pipelines that bring audiences into the shoes of main characters to experience their journey first-handedly and be trasnformed through inspirational and empowering story. UME creates value by developing and producing original content as well as adaptable content based on internationally acclaimed material, including books, media stories, and scripts, with a franchiseable hook across all traditional, streaming, gaming, and web3.0 platforms.

Solution & Product

UME is positioned to fill the gap in the marketplace because of its expertise in combining gaming and cinema via the game engine and virtual production. Its experienced and comprehensive team with over 30 years of transferred “know-how” can deliver games, VR/AR experiences, cinematics shot in the Unreal Game Engine, the leading game engine. UME’s full team of contracted artist, programmers, and developers are currently developing content for distribution across platforms (i.e. Oculus, Steam, Console). This enables us to train and educate Greek artists using our team. UME also services other clients by creating 3D virtual worlds, digital humans, and digital assets for film and television shot inside LED stages via virtual production technology. UME created the Amazon series, called FATHEAD, gaining a first-mover advantage and hands-on expertise along the top players in the industry. By leveraging this experience, we also expanded our network bringing know-how and business to Greece.

Innovation & Scalability

UME is an innovative creative studio by the transferred knowledge of its team and its unique business model. We don’t just make games, we look to the future to develop powerful stories, fantastical worlds, and humanistic digital characters that can become video games, VR/AR/XR experiences, movies, films, NFT’s and in the Metaverse. First, UME’s experienced founder and team possess a deep expertise in the Unreal Game Engine, the most powerful game engine, delivering high quality content with innovative solutions. UME is creating unique plug-ins/tools to enhance content, production timeliness and customize characters for Metahuman software. It creates asset modularity, AI procedural assets and interoperability for multi-platforms use and the Metaverse. Second, UME has a unique business model scalable across gaming, film, and episodic tv series using exclusively the game engine. By creating the intellectual property, 3D digital assets, worlds, and digital humans, UME can use the same assets across industries in parallel productions (i.e. a game can be developed with a film because the assets are the same). This lowers production timelines, costs while reaching gaming and film audiences. The value proposition offered to the customers is the creation of virtual worlds and characters with a longer product life-cycle. The Web 3.0 and the Meta will allow digital assets for merchandising and sale as non-fungible tokens (i.e. NFT’s) on marketplaces as additional revenue streams.

Traction & achievements

UME is currently in production on STAY ALIVE MY SON, a virtual reality video game based on an acclaimed French book with a powerful and impressive cast. In 2020, the project was a Cannes Official Selection, in the Development Showcase and an official selection at VIFF, the largest volumetric film festival in the world. Currently, this high-profile VR film and game will be produced and completed in Greece, hiring Greek artists to support local growth. Chapter 1 was released and was an Official Selection at the Venice Film Festival 2022. UME created an augmented mobile application for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) graduation. We created a virtual world of MIT and personalized avatars of the students. This mobile app is available on Google Play and the Apple store. UME produced and created the virtual worlds for the Amazon series, FATHEAD. We created the main 3D world of a Junkyard Paradise junkyard where the story takes place.. UME presented FATHEAD at the Hollywood Production Association, the leading symposium for industry leaders.

Team & Why Us

-Victoria Bousis, Founder and Creative Director of UME Director, Producer, Screenwriter; MIT Alumna and 6 years experience in Unreal Engine (UE), 13 year in film production. -Jana Ladowski & Elina Nastos, Associate Producers - 5 years combined experience in UE. -Greg Shynkar, Lead Programmer - 7 years UE Developer (C++ and Blueprints), programming core gameplay mechanics and puzzles. -Mourad Ismail Hassan, Sr. 3D Artist - 4 years UE and Metahumans. -Mostafa Sobhi, 3D Artist -Ioannis Agouris PhD, PG Dip, B.Sc, Lead Motion Capture Specialist -Andreas Helmis, Visual Effects & Lead Animator -Alexandros Demetriades, Sr. Level Designer & Environmental Artist - 10 years UE experience -George Zekos, Jr. Level Designer - 4 years UE experience -Iris Iordachescu, Lead Concept Artist & UI/UX Designer -T.K. Broderick, Composer -Stavros Skouras, Neuroscience, Data Analytics, & Research Consultant - virtual reality studies 12 years Our growth strategy is to partner with Greek univesities and supporting the expansion of their curriculum in game-engine education, while offering internships and job opportunities to rising stars and graduates from these local institutions.

Funding Needs

UME needs funding to complete Chapter Two of Stay Alive My Son (VR experience). This requires the continual funding of the various team members outlined above to deliver and release the project in 2023. Production is currently underway. Additionally, funding is required for the creation of a film version of this project inside the game engine, releaseable and consumable via streamers and traditional film distribution. Something that has never been done before by any studio - UME will be the pioneering force behind this production. This will also require extensive R&D to dive into virtual human technology needed to mirror human movement and emotions. This involves the hiring of software programers, mocap specialists, mocap studios, special cameras, and actors. Pre-production is intended to begin on the film in Q1 of 2023. UME need funding to expand its employee base and education outreach to universtities to enable double productions envisioned in Q4 of 2023.