About Us
Real People Telling Real Stories
Real People Telling real stories
Meet Our Team
Rob DeCou
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Rob is an active Rotarian, ultra endurance athlete, educator, and entrepreneur. Rob and his wife Kristin enjoy building community, savoring great food, and exploring National Parks with their son Hudson. At Lux Virtual, Rob is utilizing his ability to connect with people, cast a vision for moving forward, and steady consistent approach to make a positive impact in the creative space.
Rob has Masters degrees in Education, Business and Leadership. Recently Rob successfully navigated a National Science Foundation grant through the I-CORPS program with a UCLA dental implant technology company. After completing the program Rob continued as the business mentor through an 8-week USC accelerator with the Viterbi School of Engineering. One of Rob’s greatest joys is pushing his body, mind and spirit to the limits. In recent years this has propelled him to finish Race Across America, the “World’s Toughest Cycling Race”, as well the Badwater 146, referred to as the “World’s Toughest Footrace”, combining storytelling with fundraising and awareness campaigns through the process.
Kristin DeCou
Operations Consultant
Kristin is the organizational foundation of Lux Virtual, working to make sure all the moving parts and creative personalities are working toward our common goal of illuminating brilliant ideas. In addition to her work with Lux Virtual, she is a Certified KonMari Consultant and owner of Modern Refresh, helping her clients – from moms to retirees – make room for what matters, creating peaceful, beautiful spaces that uplift. She is also the mom to Hudson and Kaela, and Rob’s better half.
Darius Clarke
VR/AR Prototyper & Innovator
I have been a business systems software developer/maintainer for small startup web companies as well as large corporations here in the Los Angeles area for the duration of my life, initially for their accounting and warehouse/manufacturing systems, but also developing/maintaining websites and tracking various other business processes. Since then I’ve grown into helping those systems or helping education with VR experiences, from teaching Middle Schoolers about the Calif. Water Project, to demonstrating the helping autistic youth navigate the outside physical world with a cartoon character guide, to a VR art exhibit telling the life of a street person to award-winning VR artist, to coaching adult VR students on how to build VR experiences of their design.
Even as an undergrad in college, while taking a course on 3D graphics, I realized the power of 3D graphics for communicating complex concepts … ones that can be experienced. I had imagined using hypnosis to immerse and surround players in a 3D realistic arena game. Once Oculus made the idea of Virtual Reality popular with their first devices I started teaching how to create VR experiences first to my High School students and then when hired by Upload VR at their VR coworking and VR training center teaching adults and professionals.
As a software developer, I began to see software, and teaching in general, as “making the invisible to be visible” for our clients … and for our students. Literature is about looking to the invisible people of the past for various answers to the question of what it means to be a human being. Math is looking at invisible relationships that can be quantified. Engineering and physics looks at invisible forces. Science is using various equipment, settings, scenarios, purification/isolation, and scopes to see invisible forces, properties, and relationships … and so on when looking at the natural world and our social/economic world. We teach our students to see invisible things in beauty/elegance, distance (both near and far), scale (both large and small), and time (both past and future). Software and computational systems enhance our ability to see all these.
I believe that VR and Augmented Reality are the best media we have for conveying complex concepts of systems within systems at many and various levels and which are also globally interdependent. Game development tools like Unity, WebXR, and Unreal Engine are now becoming 3D, real-time world building tools.
Jian Huang
Solving the world’s problems with better communication.
A long-time Angeleno, Jian has had over a decade of communication experience working for nonprofits, government entities, artists, and entrepreneurs.
From branding and messaging, to media endorsements, Jian helps clients tell stories that resonate to audiences that matter. If good people communicated better, this whole world would be in a better place.
Jian is a graduate from the University of Southern California in Art History and Communication. While other students were tailgating, she was in the school’s art studio practicing her standup routine while making ceramic sculptures. She enjoys the great indoors and the all-day breakfast sandwiches at McDonalds.
Publicist, Comms Pro, PEN America Emerging Voice Award
Communications Director, pH Collective
Jörg Rose
Partner | Strategist
Leader and entrepreneur with a proven track record of leading the development of products from conceptualization to commercial production. Delivering the highest level of service, quality, value and performance; proven ability to drive large-scale programs and projects that streamline business processes, cut costs, improve services, increase capability, and support organizational growth.
Languages: German (Native), English (Fluent)
Holly Peters
Branding & Design
Since 2011, Holly has guided, created, and managed over a hundred projects as a Creative Director for both print and online media.
With every client, Holly helps them reimagine their communication practice for the digital economy. Part problem solver and part designer, Holly’s experience includes digital and print advertising, website design, brand development, social media, marketing strategies, and media placements in national outlets.
A graduate of California State University, Northridge in Graphic Design, Holly brings her skills to help a diverse array of clients and backgrounds ranging from the publishing industry, to nonprofit organizations, to communities.
Creative Director, pH Collective
Chris Clemens
Digital Nomad
Chris specializes in website design, and has experience in search engine optimization, social media management, print and online advertising design, video production, corporate blog and newsletter publishing, and trade show management. With a marketing and sales background, and a broad set of technical skills, he is able to bring together all aspects of a marketing department for a balanced representation in an online profile.
Since 2015 Chris has been traveling full time and working as a “digital nomad” across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, where ever he can find wifi and an outlet. When not working he enjoys challenging himself in physical endurance athletics, occasionally taking on wild challenges with Rob, including ultramarathons and crewing each other for Race Across America.
Kirby Israelson
Graphics Consultant
Kirby Fun Facts:
There are very few things on this planet that Kirby loves more than donuts, and she is often easily bribed by food.
Kirby believes the world should never start before 10am as sleep is sacred.
One of her dream jobs—for she has many—would be to design the kid’s coloring menus at restaurants (because yes, she still asks for crayons at her meals).
Kirby is skilled in a variety of artistic mediums. From stone sculptures to papel picados, watercolor to face painting, graphic design to stained glass, websites to chalk art… She loves to learn new things (remember?) so she is always acquiring new skills. One thing she really wants to learn? Glass blowing.
To date, Kirby has written one interactive adventure novel (the first book of the future seven book series), one coloring book, and one graphic novel. Her novel is the project she is most proud of.
When Kirby graduated college, she swore she would never be self-employed. Currently, she is both self-employed and over-employed (but loving it).
Kirby has managed to combine a strong work ethic, competitive streak, perfectionistic tendencies, endless amounts of creativity, and a splash of OCD into an efficient, butter coffee-fueled working machine.
Kirby is a firm believer in the oxford comma.
Founder @ Just Kirby
Jesse Nelson
3D Generalist | Animation & Design
A graduate of the animation program at Huntington University, I have been working with computer graphics since I was thirteen, and as a professional freelancer since 2011. Over the years I’ve gained experience in many areas of production such as storyboarding, motion graphics, compositing, design, and illustration, but my heart remains in the realm of polygonal shapes, renderers, and f-curves.
I am a longtime Maya user, but have experience in both C4D and Blender, as well as other software packages such as After Effects and Photoshop for compositing, design, and 2D animation. I consider myself a strong technical artist: I love creating beautiful images to tell stories, but I also enjoy digging into code and writing scripts to solve problems, when the occasion presents itself.
I’m currently available for freelance work as a 3D generalist. Give me a shout-out in the form on the right if you have a question, or if I can help you with a project, whether great or small.
Founder @ Jesse Nelson
Tara Flanagan
Professional Writing/Editing
I’m a writer with a passion for great stories and the English language. Writing has been a passion of mine for a long time, and a vocation for the past five years.
My portfolio of work includes creative and technical writing, both fiction and non-fiction, as well as business and personal blogging. I also offer a wide range of editing services, ranging from proofreading to full developmental editing.
Born and raised in California, I’m currently based out of the Sierra Nevada, on the shores of Lake Tahoe.
Founder @ Growing Pages
Christopher Lawrence
Award Winning Interactive Technology Leader & Game Design Consultant
Christopher Lawrence is an award-winning interactive technology leader with two decades of innovative game/UX design and creative direction experience across a variety of platforms, having developed everything from digital and tabletop games to museum exhibits and military simulations.
He is passionate about the intersection of games, AR/VR immersion, and story-driven interactive experiences, and thrives when bringing technical and non-technical partners together toward a shared vision.
Christopher’s recent projects include mobile augmented reality apps Texas Rope ‘Em and ¡Uniteria!, created for Univision, and Mecard, created for Mattel, Inc.
Founder & CEO @ Stranger Entertainment
Rachel Tan
Legal and Business Affairs Attorney, Production Legal & Film Producer
Rachel graduated with a Master of Law (LL.M) with honors from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. She is a member of the California and New York state bars, and is also certified to practice in Hong Kong. Rachel’s practice includes entertainment law, media and fashion business transactions, film and television production legal, intellectual property and trademark counseling, as well as representation of talent from both traditional and new media. Her clients include film producers, television producers and show runners, actors, music producers and songwriters, well-known YouTube fashion personalities and fashion designers.
Rachel’s recent work includes partnership and cross promotional deals with the digital fashion network of magazine publisher Conde Nast (Vogue, Vanity Fair), sponsorship and endorsement agreements with luxury and fashion brands Tiffany & Co. and Guess by Marciano, as well as management agreements for a fashion blogger and online style icon. She has also recently handled production, licensing and distribution agreements for an upcoming feature film documentary based on the career of an A-List comedy director where she negotiated against studios, agents, and managers for over fifty prominent actors. Rachel’s other recent projects have included legal and business affairs for an upcoming U.S. / Hong Kong co-production film and music production agreements for music producers and song writers.
Formerly talent herself as an international pageant winner, model, television show host, and film and television actress (including for the Jackie Chan Group), Rachel understands uniquely the struggles talent and other creatives face in the entertainment, design and fashion worlds.
Founder @ Rachel Tan Law
Luke Rafferty
Adventure & Documentary Videographer/Photographer
My Story:
Let’s travel back in time.
First, let’s take a bus. Hillary’s campaign bus – that is – as it traveled over the bridge in Columbus, OH, the city where I spent 4 months working on her historic campaign.
Buckle your helmet and ride along, as I filmed a cyclist who was racing in the 2016 Race Across America, raising money towards a cure for brain tumors.
Zip up your cap and gown as I walked across the stage at Syracuse University, where I was awarded my Bachelor’s of Science in Photojournalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Grab your ice axe and climb the Rockies alongside me and a wounded veteran, as I told the story of her trekking toward a newfound purpose.
Put on your headset and sit in the co-pilot seat as I piloted over the Great Lakes, filming icebergs during the record-breaking winter of 2014.
Fasten your life jacket and come aboard as I sailed through the Mediterranean, producing a photo essay on the lives of Spanish fisherman.
Cue your playlist and buckle up as I road-tripped across the country, producing a series of documentaries on the hand-made creations of artisans in small town America in 2013.
Jump into your turnout gear and ride along, as I photographed fires and accidents as the staff photographer for the Berwyn Fire Company.
Clip on the press pass and look through the lens, as I photographed President Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008 as the first assignment for my small town newspaper.
What’s next? That’s up to you. Let’s find our story.
Founder @ Luke Rafferty Visuals
Yvonne King
Content Strategy, Digital Marketing & Events
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Asking “why?” is a phase I never outgrew. It goes hand in hand with my passion for storytelling because at the heart of every story is the why. This equally creative and analytical orientation led me to digital marketing but I’m getting ahead of myself.
I was born and raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn before it was hip and real estate agents renamed it “South Williamsburg.” Like Tony Manero, I wanted to get over the bridge and my escape was the stories in books, film, and television.
I made it over the bridge to Manhattan and started out in television entertainment at Sesame Street and continued working in media on programs for The History Channel and National Geographic Television. I moved into on-air promotion and marketing with The Rosie O’Donnell Show.
MAKING MOVES
Then came a big move to California, where I landed at The Style. Network and E! Entertainment. While I was pursuing my master in professional writing at the University of Southern California, Facebook launched, social media was born, and I went from broadcast to digital media. A new outlet for storytelling–I was hooked.
I worked with clean water advocate Riverkeeper on their Don’t Frack With NY Water social media campaign which was instrumental in helping to ban fracking in New York State. In 2015, I started a digital video production company to produce video content for companies and brands.
WHAT’S NEXT
My geeky, analytical side wanted to measure and track the results of the content I was creating, which led me to digital marketing. Because, while getting to the core of why is essential to crafting a compelling story, data and analytics are the key to knowing if your story has truly connected with your audience.
I continue to ask why which is how Los Angeles became my home. Because why suffer through cold weather when there’s a place that’s warm and sunny all year round? A few of the things I love are the beach, morning workouts, a good bargain, Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas, and miniature food.
Founder & CEO @ Yvonne M King
Corey Petrick
Video 360 VR Trainer/Specialist
Corey Petrick is a producer, director, and cinematographer living in Los Angeles. Corey has worked on projects for Fortune 100 companies, to non-profits, to high-end fashion brands, to top music artists. Corey is represented for directing by BlueGiant and co-founder of The Kindling Co., an investment think tank for making positive social change, and an advisory board member of Darling Media. He has a master’s degree from American Film Institute.
Director @ BlueGiant