ON the flatlands and farms of Kansas, a small town teeming with my large, bustling family, that’s where I grew up. As a kid, the idea of work was no stranger to me, I received my SAG card at the age of three while working as an actor in Los Angeles, before my mom opted to return to her childhood home in Kansas. No longer surrounded by the glitz of the city of angels, my dreams remained untouched, sparkling with the ambition of becoming an actress, surrounded by 100 children and numerous animals.

Today, while I am indeed an actress, my only child consists of a poodle mutt named Cowboy. While not quite the star I envisioned at age 5, I have learned that life rarely conforms to our initial expectations. It hurls countless curveballs our way, challenges to either embrace or dodge.

One such curveball is an exciting new tech company I am involved with: RealAF.

This venture is more than just another technology story; it’s a new-age production company, pioneering how creators will utilize 3D video content in VR, AR, and even the cutting-edge Apple goggles slated for release next year.

Simply put, RealAF offers creators a social profile online that can be experienced by fans in 3D. Imagine you are a singer, TikTok dancer, or fashion influencer, and you can now show your fans a new kind of 3D content that puts you right there in the room with them! We have accomplished this by creating holograms of individuals in a 360 volumetric studio, creating a new kind of social media content. Up until now, this technology was reserved for major movie studios creating VFX animations, but now we have democratized this technology by providing it to artists and creators of all kinds and delivering it on the web in a format that they can easily share.

This technological leap provides creators with a revolutionary way to distribute a new kind of media and consumers with a new experience in 2D, 3D, AR and VR. By enabling the ability to lock and sell each post, artists can offer their fans one-of-a-kind experiences. Imagine singers releasing songs from an upcoming album or comedians delivering private stand-up shows right in a fan’s living room. The future of content consumption is about to become a whole lot more personal.

But why am I doing this? The answer lies in a significant void I perceive in our digital media landscape. In a world where we often hide behind carefully curated images, I see a need for a space where authenticity is not just encouraged but celebrated. At RealAF, we take a stand against body alterations or face filters, presenting users with a chance to show their audience the real them; who they are in real life. Some may even say we’re flipping the catfishing game on its head.

Innovation knows no bounds, and with technology, the sky is truly the limit. Within the next three to five years, I anticipate RealAF becoming an integral part of our online presence, standing shoulder-toshoulder with other major social profiles. It holds the potential to redefine online interaction, fostering a full-fledged 3D social media outlet with advanced chatting capabilities, subscription platforms, and groundbreaking ways to connect and engage.

RealAF is more than a company or a product. It’s a vision, a bold step toward a world where we can be genuine, real, and unfiltered. A world where technology doesn’t just connect us but brings us closer to who we truly are. It’s a dream, and just like the little girl from Kansas who wanted to be an actress, it’s a dream I believe in. ARIELLE RAYCENE