Prof Pacheco Press

Professor Dan Pacheco's class at Newhouse had some fun before winter break by 3D scanning and printing "exact replicas" of their heads; a technology, according to Isaac Budmen, SU grad and co-author of "The Book on 3D Printing," that will permeate most every aspect of American homelife in the next two to three decades.

'For a couple of days in journalism circles, "Harvest of Change" was the hot trending topic. Never before had you been able to virtually step inside a story and be enveloped by 360-degree video and hyper-realistic 3D renderings of a landscape you could move inside of. And while the full effect was achieved through the Oculus headset, there were also 2D versions made for desktop computers, which let more people experience the story. You can find it at desmoinesregister.com/pages/interactives/harvest-of-change. The seeds of this "harvest" were planted when Dan Pacheco, chair of journalism innovation at the S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University, met with Mitch Gelman, vice president of product at Gannett Digital. '

SU alum Joe Infantino gives the back story on the award-winning Pan Am 103 project he worked on in Professor Pacheco and Professor Jon Glass's Web Journalism and Innovation class.

"Dan Pacheco, professor of journalism innovation at the S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University, served as a consultant with Gannett Digital and the Des Moines Register on Harvest of Change. He describes team-building as part two of a "three act" process. (Act one: Find the story and conduct preliminary research.) Pacheco hired a game designer to handle 3D rendering who enjoyed the experience so much that "he got the journalism bug" and stayed with Gannett. They also brought in a second intern who had experience with Unity, a multiplatform gaming engine. The team was rounded out with Total Cinema 360, a New York-based film company."

Two years ago, former journalist and media entrepreneur Dan Pacheco departed the tech startup hub of the Denver metro area to serve as the Chair of Journalism Innovation at the S.I. Newhouse School, Syracuse University. Since then, he and his students have been working to help bring together segments of the local tech-business ecosystem that's been spurring an economic renaissance around Syracuse -- and learning lessons that can apply elsewhere. "It's amazing to see how much has changed in Syracuse since I got there. The whole community has galvanized," said Pacheco.

"Dan Pacheco, who is chair of journalism innovation at Syracuse University and who consulted to Gannett on the Oculus Rift project, said the barriers to scaling these ideas aren't technological (the tools are there and free to use), but the finding the right stories and people with the right skill sets."

"The facility is not about teaching people things that have been taught the last 50 years. It's about preparing them to open their minds to imagine what the next 50 years will be like, and making those things happen right here," says Dan Pacheco, Peter A. Horvitz Endowed Chair in Journalism Innovation at SU. "It is about people in the end, about giving them permission and support to think outside the box."

"Dan Pacheco, chair of journalism innovation at Syracuse University, presented a session showing off the virtual reality display in the Midway. Gannett is using Oculus Rift head-mounted devices for experiments in explanatory journalism. The devices - which cover the top of one's head and face - don't make viewers seasick these days, and the visual experience is stunning."

"... student journalists from the Newhouse School-who will discuss news engagement with people across campus; demos of Oculus Rift, 3D scanning, DJI Phantom drone and Google Glass with Dan Pacheco, chair of journalism innovation at the Newhouse School ..."

"Dan Pacheco, the journalism innovation chair at S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, came on board this summer as Gannett Digital's innovator in residence to work on the project. There is huge potential for virtual reality experiences even outside journalism, he says. "When the next great Lexus car comes out or some kind of hybrid or even Tesla, these brands can begin to stop telling people about how cool their cars are. They're going to say, 'Jump inside. Take it for a virtual test drive.' People will do that," Pacheco said."

Newhouse official coverage of the Future of Digital Media panel that kicked off the Newhouse school's Dick Clark Studios and Alan Gerry Center for Media Innovation.

Recorses livestream of the Future of Digital Media panel at the beginning of the dedication of the S.I. Newhouse School's Dick Clark Studios and Alan Gerry Media Innovation Center. Moderated by Professor Dan Pacheco, Horvitz Chair of Journalism Innovation. Panelists included Kristina Hahn of Google, Larry Hryb of Xbox Live, Mitch Gelman of Gannett Digital and Ed Wise of Turner and Funny or Die.

"Pacheco sees this as one part of a growing field of what he calls Experiential Media. Over the next decade, media will increasingly move into our environment, and we will move into media, Pacheco says. Your body itself, rather than a mouse, computer or phone, will increasingly become the primary mode of navigation through content. Pacheco brought an Oculus Rift to Gannett and helped the company locate a 360-degree photo team and 3D modeler from the gaming industry. The process of building the virtual reality farm included 2D photos and videos, which were then superimposed onto Google maps to recreate the scene. Pacheco says, 'It was like watching a pop-up book come to life.' "

"It's easy to see how something like the Oculus Rift could transform the news-reading experience - not just for traditional news-gathering organizations like The Des Moines Register, but also for just about any Silicon Valley tech company that produces a newsfeed. The very way we think about 'news' could change."

'Syracuse University Professor Dan Pacheco, who worked as a consultant on the Gannett farm presentation, eventually sees a variety of other uses. He says virtual reality can transform travel reporting, allow journalists to recreate historic events, help science reporters illustrate potential sea level rise, and enable sports fans to "virtually attend" the World Cup or other marquee events. "This is an area of growth for anybody who's into storytelling," Pacheco said in a phone interview. "This is an opportunity to move from storytelling to story experiences." Pacheco also sees revenue opportunities in the technology through product placements and other kinds of new virtual ads. That's not a small consideration for a company like Gannett, which has seen a steady drop in print advertising revenue, recently completed another round of newsroom layoffs, and plans to split its digital and broadcasting divisions from its financially troubled newspaper business next year.'

Professor Dan Pacheco's list of journalistic uses of drones includes "documenting the aftermath of tornadoes and other natural disasters (something Little Rock, Arkansas, station KATV did in April); providing an overhead view of such widespread environmental issues as pine-beetle infestation in his former state of Colorado; and gathering aerial footage of outdoor gatherings and travel destinations."

"Last year, I had the opportunity to take a course called "The Next News Startup," a class that was taught by Dan Pacheco, the Chair of Journalism Innovation at Newhouse. The class taught students how to think about the future of the news industry as well as work on our own media startups. Our goal was to reach readers/viewers over mobile phones, tablets, the web and various digital platforms; one student used 3D Printing to create fishing lures and another created a website to promote diversity in the workplace. Pacheco was ultimately running a 'mini accelerator.' While the course was challenging at times, it was one of my favorite college courses. I never felt as if I were in a real class, but instead I was a growing a business while pitching, getting feedback from other students, Skyping with experts, and learning the "ins and outs" of how to create a business concept."

The chairman of journalism innovation at Syracuse -- and a drone owner himself -- discusses the issues raised by the FAA's blanket ban on the commercial use of drones.

The chairman of journalism innovation at Syracuse -- and a drone owner himself -- discusses the issues raised by the FAA's blanket ban on the commercial use of drones.