Michaela Ternasky-Holland is an Emmy and Webby award-winning director who specialises in creating socially impactful stories using immersive and interactive technologies. A prolific producer, speaker, and communicator, she has been featured by TIME, Forbes, The Guardian, Cannes Film Festival, New York Public Library, Tribeca Film Festival, and many other publications. As an advocate for diversity in storytelling and a voice for the voiceless and marginalised, she has dedicated her life to working on purpose-driven creative projects that bring attention to pressing global issues like the threat of nuclear weapons and gun violence.
Although Ternasky-Holland doesn’t think of herself as a technologist, she is utilising cutting-edge technology to create captivating virtual world stories that she is using to impact underrepresented and marginalised communities in real life. She also collaborates with decision-makers, boards of directors, and committees that provide opportunities, financial support, and mentoring to people from various backgrounds.
In addition, Ternasky-Holland’s film MAHAL was nominated for a VR Award Finalist in the VR Film of the Year category. She was acknowledged as the first Queer Filipino American to be nominated for a major award at the Tribeca Film Festival. Ternasky-Holland is an XR/metaverse speaker, consultant, and creator. She was named one of the 100 Original Voices of XR. Her areas of expertise include impact creation and creative strategy.
Speaking about her work, Ternasky-Holland says: “I have always been fascinated by storytelling, particularly visual storytelling, and how it can impact a collective mindset. This led me to explore forms of XR (extended reality) as well as dance and movement. And now, with a background in journalism and film production, I act as a creative consultant, blending traditional media with VR, AR AI, motion capture, and 360-degree film. In other words, I help brands create moving experiences for their audiences which create a social impact.”