MEET THE MEMBER: VRTICAL MEDIA

Jay Salois (he/him)

In your words… Tell us about your organization, business, initiative.

VRtical Media is a 360 VR Photography, Virtual Tour & Experience content creator.

Our objective is to connect people and businesses by creating inclusive content through virtual tours and experiences.

Tell us a bit about you and why you do what you do? Share your passions for your business, initiative, organization.

I’m an avid explorer of life. I love to travel, learn new technologies, and be an active member in the community. My business grew out of a passion for photography, travel, and technology.

In 2019, I quit my job, sold my home and belongings, and hit the road with my wife, rebuilding my mindset around what was important in life. From our travels around the UK, Ireland, and the Southeast US, my 360 business took shape. I created Virtual Tours of a Castle in Scotland overlooking the North Sea, a famous Game of Thrones location on the West Coast of Ireland, A cottage in the English Countryside and even the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina.

Throughout COVID I built my business. I sent my tours over to a friend in Japan who teaches English to kids, and they absolutely fell in love with the experience. I came back to Salem with the mission to connect people virtually through these experiences. People may never be able visit business/experiences in Salem/North Shore for any number of reasons: limited mobility, financial restrictions, agoraphobia, etc. Allowing them to visit/support a small business, enjoy a museum walkthrough or experience a historic home benefit not only them, but the establishment themselves through sales and engagement.

Data is now everywhere pointing to the effectiveness of virtual tours and experiences. It is impacting public servant response training (EMTs, firefighters, police officers), medical training, and PTSD therapy and real estate sales just as a few examples.

What role do you think your business plays in supporting a more creative community? OR your community in general. (Bonus! Why do you think a more creative community is important?)

VRtical Media provides access to the creative community to literally billions of people.

For example, the whole planet can land on a local artist’s pop-up art gallery website and take a Virtual Tour of their pieces without leaving their home from thousands of miles away. This could lead to commissioned work, sales, and inspiring others to do the same thing in their community. That’s the power of Virtual Experiences.

A more creative community is important because it satisfies a primal human need: to feel included and the resulting happiness a person experiences. When you engage in some form of art, whether from the artist’s perspective or the participant’s, the world opens the mind and you feel you’re a part of it.

Once that’s achieved, the community becomes a thriving, prosperous place where people from all over can enjoy, play and impact.

What was the last book you read or film you watched that made an impact on you?

Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning

As a psychologist who survived the atrocities of being a prisoner in Auschwitz, he and the few that made it out survived on the only thing that couldn’t be taken away from them: Their ability to choose their attitude despite their circumstances. When that’s all you have, it’s profoundly important.

We live in such abundance.

Any time things seem to not go the way my instincts want them to go, I think about those people, gain some perspective about how abundant my life is, give gratitude and give it back into the world.

What’s the one thing people would be surprised to learn about you our your business?

Before I started my business, I was a concert photographer. I got the opportunity to photograph one of my favorite bands on a private island in the Caribbean! Not too often you get that opportunity.

WANT TO LEARN MORE? GO TO THEIR WEBSITE:

VRTICAL MEDIA

INTERESTED IN HAVING YOUR BUSINESS FEATURED AND PARTNERING WITH THE COLLECTIVE TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS? #JOINCREATIVECOLLECTIVE TODAY!

Creative Collective’s #NonprofitNovember to highlight nonprofits, foundations, and community organizations North of Boston

This November, Creative Collective is launching #NonprofitNovember, a social media campaign geared towards bringing awareness to local nonprofits and encouraging the public to support. Nonprofit and community organizations foster civic engagement, leadership, and growth for cities, and the role they occupy as cultural touchstones and educational hubs in North Shore communities is difficult to miss. 

Learn more.