Throughout his life, David Nussbaum has been obsessed with broadcasting. Growing up, he and his friends would call their play-by-plays for his beloved Mets, pretending they were in the broadcast booth.
Nussbaum took that passion with him into adulthood, eventually moving to Los Angeles and working in radio. He went on to create one of the first celebrity interview podcasts on Apple iTunes, where he was eventually introduced to the early world of holographic technology.
At the time, the technology was being used to famously resurrect the dead. Holographic concerts were created featuring Tupac, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.
“I never really loved digitally resurrecting late legends to posthumously perform,” Nussbaum said. “I’m obsessed with connecting with people, communications. So I figured, instead of bringing back the dead, what if I used holograms to connect the living?”
In the latest episode of "LA Stories with Giselle Fernandez," Nussbaum takes us inside his hologram headquarters for his company Proto, operating out of a creative warehouse in Van Nuys.
After years of planning and perfecting his hologram, he created the world’s first and only holographic communications platform, which includes its own hardware, software and app ecosystem.
The holographic technology Nussbaum designed allows people to “beam” anywhere in the world, much like the concept of Captain Kirk from "Star Trek."
By using life-sized devices, Proto enriches the communication experience — and aims to give the feeling that the person is right there in the room with you.
“The vision is the feeling of real presence,” he said, “So if you’ve got a room full of people and you can’t be there, you can beam there.”
Nussbaum’s vision extends beyond entertainment. His holographic devices are used globally for purposes such as retail, art auctions, education and health care.
Using his technology, people can interact directly with each other in real time from thousands of miles away, as if they were in the same room.
Doctors have been using Proto for face-to-face consultations — and teachers are using it for “in-person” learning.
Nussbaum has a vision for his holograms to be as common as the iPhone.
His work transforms how people think about distance and interaction, making it possible to be anywhere without physically traveling.
“It’s going to be the way people not only communicate, but it’s the way that they engage and conduct their business,” he said. “It’s absolutely next level.”
