Invisible Universe is an internet-first animation studio based in El Segundo. The company develops and debuts animated characters on social media. Tricia Biggio, co-founder and chief executive of Invisible Universe, is not new to entertainment. She spent a decade and a half years working in the television industry as a producer, then took her storytelling skills to Snap’s original shows team.
The company is also weaving nonfungible tokens and entertainment through its community-driven project “The R3al Metaverse,” a parody of reality TV shows featuring animated characters inspired by recognizable NFT projects, and in which NFT holders can influence the storytelling of the animated series.
How long have you worked in the tech industry, and what did you do before Invisible Universe?
I started out in traditional media as a television producer and development executive, with previous roles at MGM and Viacom. I moved to the tech side after 15 years as a television executive and was a founding member of the original shows team at Snap, where I developed and produced over 50 series for the platform. This was where I saw the power of the frictionless distribution social media provides, and I also knew the value intellectual property can hold from my television studio days, so it was a natural fit for me to combine the two through incubating IP on social media at Invisible Universe.
Tell me about your role at Invisible Universe, and what are your main responsibilities?
I am the co-founder and chief executive of the compay. Since we’re still a small yet mighty startup, I have my hands on basically everything, from leading the creative strategy of our characters, to the day-to-day business operations of the company, to investor and partner relations – you name it.
How has the evolution of technology been reflected in the entertainment industry?
At Invisible, we’re constantly talking about meeting consumers where they already are. It’s too much to ask consumers to download a new app or pay for a new streaming service. Instead, we need to bring the content onto the timelines of the most popular apps – TikTok, Instagram and YouTube – so people can discover the content in a frictionless way. I also think a sense of community is a huge part of what consumers are demanding, and other platforms like Roblox are going to become more important for IP to establish itself.
What have been the biggest challenges in tailoring entertainment content for social media?
Storytelling on social media is fundamentally different from a television series or movie; you have to hook your audience right away and deliver a beginning, middle, and unexpected ending in as little as 15 seconds sometimes. I also think it’s important that your content moves at the speed of social media. If you want to remain relevant and successful on a platform like TikTok or Instagram, you need to respond to today’s trends in real time. We’ve built a global, virtual animation studio that allows our characters to participate in the latest dance trends and reply to the conversations currently circulating on social media in a matter of days. Unlike long-form shows, our fans never have to wait a week for the next episode to drop or months between seasons – we allow for daily, two-way dialogue.
NFTs and other cryptocurrencies are seen as a gamble, what makes you confident about this space?
I believe that IP needs to be everywhere consumers are, and whether we’re ready or not, that is going to include NFTs. Some of the most impressive communities built in the last year were on the backs of popular NFT projects. I believe that an engaged community is table stakes for franchises moving forward.
What is next for Invisible Universe?
We’re always working on expanding our brands to areas such as publishing, long-form series, movies, games, toys, and more, and have several of these opportunities in the works for Qai Qai (a character developed in partnership with Serena Williams) and our other characters in 2023 and beyond.
