About Flipside XR

 

Made by creators,
for creators, with heart

We're building a world where everyone can
access the tools to bring their imagination
to life, and share it with the world.

Flipside XR is a small team full of passionate creators, developers, and technologists who are empowering others to express themselves through content creation. 

Our vision is to give the world a voice through virtual and augmented reality. We're building the future of entertainment, a future where everyone has the tools to bring their imagination to life and to share it with the world.

Flipside XR started in 2014 as The Campfire Union by founders John, Les, and Rachael. We started developing Flipside in early 2016, evolving out of a series of experiments in virtual performances and social VR. Flipside has been used to connect creators and share creativity throughout the world, first being introduced through interactive VR performances including Pixels, Live From the 8th Dimension, and The Galaxicle Implosions.

Flipside was developed for creators, by creators. We’re connecting folks across the globe and developing technology to help you express yourself, monetize your creations, and share your passions!

Founding Leadership

'Lux' - Co-Founder and CEO

'Lux'

Co-Founder and CEO

John Luxford, aka Lux, is a Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Flipside XR.

Lux brings 25 years of industry experience to the Flipside XR team and has used his deep technical knowledge and product vision to oversee product development in his prior role as Chief Technology Officer. A serial entrepreneur, Lux ran two companies, Simian Systems and Dojo Learning, before co-founding Flipside XR.

Lux is also a seasoned public speaker and has presented on topics including VR, AI, tech, music, and personal identity at events such as Buffer Festival, Hyper Festival, and TEDxWinnipeg. He’s been a regular participant in hackathons and game jams throughout his career, as well as offering mentorship to students studying in multimedia fields.

When not working, Lux spends his free time on creative code-based projects, making and performing music, writing, and gardening.

'Les' - Co-Founder and Head of Creator Relations

'Les'

Co-Founder and Head of Creator Relations

Lesley Klassen is a Co-Founder and Head of Creator Relations at Flipside XR.

With his past experience in the film and television world, including working as a producer, director, technical director, and cinematographer, Lesley is the perfect person to focus on content strategy and creator relations at Flipside XR. He enjoys working closely with Flipside creators to keep pushing the boundaries of real-time immersive content creation.

Lesley has worked in virtual reality since 2013 and has co-created and produced over a dozen virtual reality apps and experiences.

Lesley serves on the AIRXR Advisory Board for Entertainment and Games. He’s spoken at events including Augmented World Expo (AWE), the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), PXR conference, AR/VR Association Global Summit, and Oculus Connect. Lesley also served as a judge for the VR Awards and previously mentored students, helping them write and develop virtual reality experiences.

Lesley’s current passion is exploring new immersive show formats and exploring VR for personal growth.

Rachael - Co-Founder and CPO

Rachael

Co-Founder and CPO

Rachael Hosein is a Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Flipside XR.

Having worked in interactive digital media production for almost two decades, she applies her UX and design experience to product development.

Rachael has been part of many creative collaborations, including with FANDCO where she was part of a five-episode VR-generated animated sci-fi improv comedy using Flipside Studio.

She’s passionate about the Interactive Digital Media community and focuses on endeavours that help support inclusiveness and diversity in the tech space.

Rachael serves on several advisory boards, has judged for Skills Manitoba for years, and mentors students. Rachael co-founded and co-organizes the Winnipeg Alternate Reality Club.

Our Team

Caity Curtis - QA Manager

Caity Curtis

QA Manager

As the QA Manager, nothing passes by Caity! She spends her work days playtesting to ensure Flipside Studio is bug-free. She’s well-versed in the app as this creative performer has toured worldwide playing festivals as ½ of an improv duo with their show Pixels

Chris Clarke - CFO

Chris Clarke

CFO

Our CFO Chris is involved in the business side of Flipside XR, serves on the executive team, and handles all the money. Chris ensures everyone gets paid and also inspires the team to dream big. When asked what he’d do in an alternative universe where he doesn’t work in tech, Chris’ answers ranged from being a race car driver to being a high-end travel agent and more.

Jeet Patel - 3D Artist

Jeet Patel

3D Artist

3D Artist Jeet spends his day modelling sets, props, and characters. His motivation to pursue 3D came from watching movies and if he wasn’t designing for Flipside XR, he may have taken up a career in automobile design. When he’s not creating, you’ll find Jeet picking up a new hobby or experience, likely with a cup of tea in hand.

Julio Cunha - VR Developer

Julio Cunha

VR Developer

Julio enjoys working in VR as it forces him to think outside the box and consider different ways actors can utilize virtual reality to perform and entertain. The VR Developer has roots in Brazil and is a big team player at Flipside XR. Julio appreciates the graphics in Half Life: Alyx and the quests in The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners.

Ryan G Hill - VR Developer

Ryan G Hill

VR Developer

Hailing from Regina, Ryan G loves diving deep into another world as a VR Developer. He was hooked on computer animation the moment he first saw it and for him, it’s been a dream to work on a project like Flipside Studio. Ryan enjoys completing songs in Beat Saber and feels Half Life: Alyx is a great example of high-end environmental, story, and mechanical design in VR.

Ryan R Hill - VR Developer

Ryan R Hill

VR Developer

Not to be confused with Ryan G, Ryan H is also a VR Developer on the Flipside XR team who makes all the things work within Flipside Studio. Ryan likes the VR world as it makes you think about you visually perceive things and interact with them. In his spare time, Ryan continues to create and he’d love to see his indie comics become popular

Swathi Rumale - VR Developer

Swathi Rumale

VR Developer

Swathi believes if you can dream it, VR can make it - and as a VR Developer, she would know! Swathi is passionate about tech and problem-solving, ensuring users have a joyful experience in Flipside Studio. Her chosen apps are sports and exercise games where she can move and groove without feeling like it’s a chore

Thomas Murphy - 3D Technical Artist

Thomas Murphy

3D Technical Artist

As a 3D Technical Artist, Thomas makes 3D models that become sets, characters, and props in VR and uses scripts and tools to create interactive experiences in Flipside Studio. Thomas’ little blue Budgie Tuki-bird gets his days started as his unofficial alarm clock so he can create all the things! When he’s not working, Thomas is using the CineVR app, turning his small living room into a huge theatre to watch with friends.

Our History

2015

Virtual reality was a catalyst for their creativity, and together, they launched two apps for the now-discontinued Oculus Gear VR: Lost Cities, the world's first VR board game, and Yana Virtual Relaxation. They also collaborated with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on a 360 video project showcasing stories of women's cooperatives in Guatemala.

2017-2019

The idea for Flipside Studio received pre-seed funding from Boost VC. The trio also won a major pitch competition which allowed them keep building it. At this time the political comedy “Earth From Up Here” launched and was arguably the first VR-produced animated show on YouTube. Flipside XR was proving out that fully realized content can be produced in virtual reality through Flipside Studio. We loved it. We wanted to see what creator would make and we released Flipside Studio on Steam Early Access and Oculus Early Access soon after.

2023

Flipside Studio launched! With valuable feedback from beta users we’re excited to bring Flipside Studio to market. We have a robust, creative, and hard-working team, plus incredible backers and the creator community, who carry forward the values and spirit of Flipside XR. We cannot wait to see the future of our company, the industry, and the creative community!

2014

Flipside XR started as Campfire Union, which was founded in 2014 by Rachael, John, and Les. They were leading the first VR project in Manitoba while working at an e-learning company. They discovered their strong connection as a team and decided to go out on their own to start the company they wanted work at. At first they made web application and games but the VR was on the horizon.

2016

Les, Lux, and Rachael wanted to make something meaningful to the creator community. As artists and performers, they continued to come back to creating a way for people to express themselves through VR. Developing a creator tool was an obvious fit and the seeds of Flipside Studio were planted.

2020

Flipside XR wrapped up a large project with Caffeine Studios where “Live From the 8th Dimension” used Flipside Studio to create 46 hours of live variety show content. The VR market showed signals of growth and the importance of stand alone VR became very obvious. We recognized the value of bringing Flipside Studio to headsets and with support through Prairies Can, we had additional funding to bring Flipside Studio to the Quest. The team grew significantly as we took learnings from the past few years and implemented them in the new Flipside Studio app for stand alone VR.