Nonny de la Peña

Nonny de la Peña is regarded as one of the most influential pioneers in AI, virtual and augmented reality, immersive technologies, and journalism. In 2022, de la Peña received the prestigious Peabody Award, where she was introduced by the Oscar Award Winning Director Alejandro Inarritu. In 2022, she was also inducted into the SXSW Hall of Fame. Recently, de la Peña was named Wall Street Journal Technology Innovator of the Year, Wired Magazine’s #MakeTechHuman Agent of Change, and she has been called “The Godmother of Virtual Reality” by many, including Engadget and The Guardian. Fast Company named her “One of the People Who Made the World More Creative,” and she was one of CNET’s 20 Most Influential Latinos/Latinas in Tech for her pioneering work in immersive storytelling.

Her latest endeavor is as the Founding Director for Narrative and Emerging Media at Arizona State University. As a Harvard Graduate, a New America Fellow, Yale Poynter Media Fellow, and winner of the Knight Innovation Award, de la Peña is widely credited with creating the genre of immersive journalism. Currently a member of the BAFTA virtual reality board, she is a former correspondent for Newsweek, and her virtual reality work has been featured by the New York Times, BBC, Mashable, Vice, Wired, and many others. Showcases around the globe include the Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals, The World Economic Forum in Davos, The Victoria and Albert Museum, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, and Games For Change. She has more than 20 years of award-winning experience in print, film, and TV, and Her spatial narratives are consistently met with critical acclaim.