Michael Daut

President

Michael Daut Productions

Statement of Purpose

The world has changed, and with it, so has the giant screen industry. Giant screen theaters—and movie theaters in general—don’t have the same pull they once did. Back in 2018, research showed audience attendance was already declining, and when the pandemic hit in 2020, that decline accelerated. Unfortunately, our industry has yet to fully recover.

This is a pivotal moment for us—whether you’re a producer, distributor, vendor, or theater operator. We need to adapt and find fresh, innovative ways to bring audiences back into our theaters. The old methods just don’t work anymore. “Business as usual” is no longer an option, and we must embrace change.

There is good news. There’s huge potential for us to shape a bright future for the giant screen community. Exciting new venues like the MSG Sphere and COSM theaters are reigniting the public’s interest in immersive experiences—the very type of experiences our industry pioneered. We have an opportunity to reinvent ourselves and attract these reinvigorated audiences. Doing this will require fresh vision, experimentation, clever use of technology, and, of course, a lot of creativity.

I’ve been a proud GSCA member for 17 years, during which I’ve served on the Event Planning Committee, co-chaired the Innovations (formerly Technical) Committee, and served as a Board Member for eight years and as the Treasurer for two years. In these roles, I’ve had the privilege of working with incredibly talented and generous people to create Innovations Sessions and professional development opportunities, showcasing new technologies and innovative ways to use them.

It would be an honor to serve again as a GSCA Board Member, helping shape our collective future. Thank you so much for your consideration.

Bio

Michael Daut is an award-winning immersive media writer/producer/director in Los Angeles, CA. Michael brings a wealth of experience within the giant screen cinema, 4D attraction, and digital fulldome industries. Before establishing his own production company, he served at Mousetrappe, an experience design and production studio. For over 20 years at Evans & Sutherland, he was instrumental in developing a library of digital fulldome shows and helped create the first fulldome conversion of a 1570 film.

Michael’s current clients include K2 Studios, a giant screen film production and distribution company, Sotto Studios, an experiential solutions agency, and Moodswings, LLC, creators of the visual music show Mesmerica.

He adapted several giant screen films into 4D attraction films, including Animal Kingdom, Sea Lions: Life by a Whisker, Shark Kingdom, and Turtle Odyssey. He also created WorldFlight an 8K 60 fps immersive dome film for a flying ride attraction at Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin, now starting its third year in exhibition. He served as an associate producer for the incredibly successful fulldome music shows, Mesmerica and Beautifica, and consulted on the 3D conversion of Mesmerica for giant flat-screen theaters. During the pandemic in 2020, he produced the YouTube series, Mosaic Kids.

Michael is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America, the Themed Entertainment Association, a founding member of the Association of Fulldome Innovators, a former member of the Telly Awards’ Silver Council, an executive committee member of the Giant Screen Cinema Association, co-chair of the GSCA Innovations Committee, and a board member of IMERSA.org, the Immersive Media Entertainment, Research, Science and Arts organization dedicated to raising the visibility of immersive media across a variety of disciplines throughout the world.