Step aboard this laugh-filled episode of Groove Talk as host Doug Hogan sits down with Groove Jones co-founder Dan Ferguson and longtime senior interactive producer Ethan Compton. What begins with friendly banter about webcams, gray hair, and questionable hairstyles quickly evolves into a fascinating journey through Ethan’s decade-plus career in immersive production and the wild stories behind Groove Jones’ most ambitious projects.
Ethan shares his path from teaching game design to joining Groove Jones’ founding crew, where he’s spent years crafting jaw-dropping interactive experiences. The team revisits the making of Swashbuckler, a full-room VR adventure built for Royal Caribbean that had Ethan taking six cruises during the height of COVID while fighting seasickness, dodging battery fires, and pulling off an award-worthy install. Along the way, they dive into tales of old-school Flash games, Jedi alter egos, and the secret to Groove Jones’ success: fearless creativity, radical candor, and a studio culture built on trust and curiosity.
This episode perfectly captures the spirit of Groove Jones, equal parts chaos, innovation, and camaraderie, and reminds you why great teams make even the wildest projects possible.
Who’s On the Mic
- Doug Hogan – Host and Creative Technologist guiding the conversation with humor and insight
- Dan Ferguson – Co-founder of Groove Jones and master of client experience and usability
- Ethan Compton – Senior Interactive Producer and storyteller behind some of the studio’s biggest VR hits
What They Cover
- Ethan’s Journey – From game development and teaching to joining Groove Jones’ early team
- The Swashbuckler Saga – Building a massive VR experience on cruise ships during COVID with skeleton monkeys and a Kraken
- The Jedi Connection – How Dan snuck his name into a Star Wars game as Dando Ergason
- Culture at Groove Jones – Radical candor, zero micromanagement, and a team-first philosophy
- Legacy and Learning – Why so many teammates have worked together across multiple studios
- Innovation Mindset – Tackling never-been-done projects with confidence and curiosity
Key Highlights
- Behind-the-scenes of installing Swashbuckler on Royal Caribbean during a pandemic
- Ethan’s tales of seasickness, de-stinkifiers, and nine-day installs
- Dan’s Star Wars Easter egg moment with his Jedi Knight alter ego
- How Groove Jones keeps a long-tenured, high-performing team through open communication and shared problem solving
- A peek at the studio’s mix of R&D, rapid innovation, and fearless client collaboration
Why It’s Worth Watching
If you love hearing how high-stakes creativity meets pure chaos, and how teams turn impossible challenges into groundbreaking experiences, this episode is a must. You will laugh, you will learn, and you might even want to join the next cruise-bound VR install.
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