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Ryan Andal
President & Co-Founder of Secret Location | Partner at Illuminarium at the Distillery District | EntTech | Entrepreneur | Speaker | 2-Time Emmy Winner | I/O Board Member
Ryan Andal is a prominent entrepreneur and partner at Illuminarium at The Distillery District, which is a permanent immersive entertainment venue located in Toronto, Ontario. He has been in this role since August 2023, marking a significant step in his career focused on blending entertainment and technology.1
Professional Background
Andal's career spans over 20 years, during which he has worked extensively in the fields of entertainment and technology. Prior to his current position, he co-founded Secret Location, a company recognized for its innovative work in virtual reality (VR) and interactive storytelling. Under his leadership, Secret Location gained acclaim, including winning the first-ever VR Primetime Emmy Award in 2015 for Sleepy Hollow: VR Experience .2 He served in various roles within the company, including President and Executive Vice President at Entertainment One, where he expanded the business into immersive entertainment and digital preschool apps.1
Contributions and Roles
In addition to his role at Illuminarium, Ryan Andal is actively involved in the interactive and gaming industry as a board member of Interactive Ontario since October 2021. He also contributes to education as an advisor on program advisory committees at both Sheridan College and Seneca College.1
Vision and Impact
Andal emphasizes the importance of storytelling in immersive experiences, asserting that technology serves as a conduit for delivering compelling narratives. His work aims to push the boundaries of traditional media by integrating emerging technologies with creative storytelling.2
Through his various roles, Ryan Andal continues to shape the future of interactive entertainment, making significant contributions to both industry innovation and education.
Highlights
We're taking our shows to Los Angeles and looking for an experienced Operations Manager. If you live in the area and have worked in the entertainment or hospitality sector send me a message!
Over the course of my career I’ve been extremely lucky to have won and/or been nominated for hundreds of awards. But this was by far the most memorable, because of a choice I was offered: They asked if I wanted to bring my kids.
The organizers set up a green room, ordered pizza, and had a wonderful group of young adults there to babysit a handful of kids which included my son and daughter. They coordinated with my wife to bring out our kids when I was receiving the award. They sat us near a door so that we could check up on them periodically without disturbing other guests. They went completely above and beyond in every respect.
Thank you Hanna Cho, Barbara Lee, and the entire EXNW and RESO | Racial Equity Screen Office team for being so thoughtful and accommodating. A family often sacrifices a lot when one of its members is so career focussed that they are recognized by their peers for their work in the form of an award. Being able to share in these kinds of moments is an extremely meaningful recognition of that sacrifice. I am eternally grateful for this new core memory that EXNW has given my family. I hope the standard you've set is normalized for other parents at other award shows.
#EXNW24 #RESO #EXNWSummit
