Jody Malam - Creative Director, Outernet Global, London (UK) "the largest digital exhibition space in Europe" Forbes

Jody cut his teeth in the rock‘n’roll world of televised darts in the early naughties before stints at Virgin and MTV where he was the Creative Director of their London Studio for the best part of a decade. In 2019 he began creating, curating and commissioning immersive experiences for Outernet London, a brand new home for music, arts and culture in the heart of Soho that opened to much acclaim in late 2022.

About Outernet London

Outernet claims to be “the world’s most advanced public building” and the largest digital exhibition space in Europe and is a physical manifestation of the metaverse. Located next to Tottenham Court Road station in London it fully opened in 2022. This enviable location makes it subject to as many as 400,000 eyeballs every day (and over 100 million per year). A £1 billion development that was a decade in gestation it consists of multiple spaces including the Now Building, Now Arcade and the Now Trending space. Outernet claim that the NOW Building has the highest resolution screen in the world and could be the ‘world’s largest wraparound video display, with over 2,000 square metres of 16K LED screen’ combined with over 200 speakers.

Outernet has a business model that funds its creative program and experimentation by offering brands a new format to advertise and engage with consumers offering immersion and interaction through the fact that it utilises metaverse and Web3 technologies such as MR, VR, AI, NFTs and crypto. The screens utlised Unreal Engine’s gaming engine meaning they are able to host “everything from global livestreaming to Web3-intregated retail concepts, which basically means putting the metaverse right on Oxford Street” in central London according to Forbes. Brand partners include Burberry, Amazon and Netflix (other sign-ups include EA Sports, Tommy Hilfiger, NBC Universal, Shiseido and BMW)

The creative mission of Outernet encompasses public art, private events, mindful media, the showcasing of new creative talent. Creative partners include the British Phonographic Industry (the trade association behind the Brit Awards); digital media and design-based Ravensbourne University; London College of Fashion’s Fashion Innovation Agency (FIA); and Ridley Scott Creative Group