Jay Silvas Joins We Are Royale As Interactive Supervisor

Creative production company We Are Royale (WAR) has announced the hiring of Jay Silvas as interactive supervisor. A seasoned technology expert with a diverse skill set in UX, engineering, product development, video game design, VR, and cognitive science, Silvas will oversee WAR’s interactive team. His appointment demonstrates WAR's commitment to delivering novel experiences to its clients by pushing the boundaries of interactive and gamified marketing strategies through emerging technologies spanning augmented, virtual, and mixed reality (XR). 

“At WAR, we believe that the future lies in providing consumers with opportunities to interact and experiment with brands, so we're constantly seeking innovative ways to integrate technology into our marketing strategies,” remarks Brien Holman, co-founder and chief creative officer at WAR. “Meanwhile, returning and new clients are increasingly engaging us to create content and experiences with a holistic approach to their technology, so that it resonates across all channels. That’s where Jay comes in. He will be instrumental in boosting our client engagements at the intersection of technology and creativity. But most of all, he understands the creative sensibilities necessary to create interactive experiences beyond the technology, from design to storytelling to music and sound.”

Over the past six years, Silvas has built a wide network of VR and AI-focused relationships in the Seattle tech sector, which made him an outstanding fit for the role as WAR’s interactive supervisor. Working with a variety of tech companies, design agencies, and non-profits including Virtual World Society, Highspot, and Alchemical Minds, Silvas gained experience in building products, interactive content, and immersive experiences in 3D game engines like Unreal and Unity. He was also invited with a small indie team to create an experimental VR game for Meta’s 'Oculus Launchpad' competition.

“I’m interested in experiential and interactive design, especially the R&D and prototyping that goes into it,” says Silvas. “I love exploring the space within a novel solution or idea. WAR and I share a kinship in that respect. Not only do they do a lot of work that aligns with my passions and interests at the intersection of art, design, and emerging technology, but they also explore these mediums with a mind for discovery and new approaches rather than relying on the status quo.”

Silvas has lived many lives, professionally speaking. Most recently, he showed his hand as a sound designer, composing music and spatial audioscapes for an ambitious VR project with German XR Studio NUMENA. His education in Computer Game Design at George Mason University sparked his interest in the tech sector. Following an eclectic few years where he worked in roles as varied as culinary instructor and Los Angeles recording artist, Silvas then settled into a five-year role with the US Marine Corps as an Signals Intelligence Analyst. During this time, Silvas worked with Python and experimented with various machine learning data analysis tools. He used these tools to discover trends as well as identify transformative characteristics in information -- an approach he’ll bring into the fold in his new role at WAR.

With WAR continuing to push into game design and development for its marketing clients, Silvas brings with him invaluable expertise and connections in the VR space. “Many of my VR projects involve a lot of research and understanding how the technology can integrate with existing ones, as well as manifestations of emerging technologies like generative AI,” says Silvas.

Looking forward to his future at WAR, Silvas is excited to dive further into uncharted territory with immersive tech and to help brands explore what's possible by reimagining the consumer experience. He’s also keen on applying his gaming background at WAR, which has forged longstanding partnerships in the space with Apple, Activision Blizzard, Oculus, Pokémon, Riot Games, Square Enix, Epic Games, and the US Air Force (USAF).

For the latter, Silvas is currently working with WAR to evolve its work on 'Command the Stack', a mobile AR flight game for the U.S. Air Force that simulates real-life mission tactics. In addition to consumer-facing experiences, he will also apply his expertise to internal product development and developing applications for brands.

In his downtime, Silvas enjoys cooking, music composition, and traveling. Away from his liveaboard home in Seattle, his world travels most recently took him for an extended stay in Portugal and Thailand. 

“The ethos of the WAR team – their willingness to stretch in any direction, wading into spaces where other teams aren’t open or comfortable without a lot of guidance -- that’s what got me excited to work with them,” concludes Silvas.