Michael Daut, Michael Daut Productions, Santa Clarita, CA, USA

Production Category

Biography

Michael Daut is an award-winning immersive-media writer, producer, and director based in Los Angeles. He brings extensive experience across giant-screen cinema, 4D attractions, digital fulldome production, and experiential entertainment. Before establishing his own production company, Michael worked at Mousetrappe, an experience design and production studio. During more than 20 years at Evans & Sutherland, he played an instrumental role in developing a substantial library of digital fulldome shows and helped create the first fulldome conversion of a 15/70 film.

Michael’s current clients include K2 Studios, a giant-screen film production and distribution company; Sotto Studios, an experiential design agency; and WORLDS Entertainment, Inc., creator of the visual music experience Mesmerica.

He has adapted several giant-screen films into 4D attractions, including Animal Kingdom, Sea Lions: Life by a Whisker, Shark Kingdom, and Turtle Odyssey. He also created WorldFlight, an immersive 8K, 60-fps dome film for a flying-ride attraction at Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin.

Michael served as an associate producer on the highly successful fulldome music experiences Mesmerica, Beautifica, and Astronomica, and consulted on the 3D conversion of Mesmerica for giant flat-screen theaters. In 2020, he produced the YouTube series Mosaic Kids.

Michael is a member of the Producers Guild of America and the Themed Entertainment Association, as well as a founding member of the Association of Fulldome Innovators. He is a former member of the Telly Awards Silver Council and currently serves on the boards of the Giant Screen Cinema Association and IMERSA. He also co-chairs the GSCA Innovations Committee. IMERSA—the Immersive Media, Entertainment, Research, Science & Arts organization—is dedicated to increasing the visibility and advancing the use of immersive media across disciplines worldwide.

Statement of Purpose

For nearly two decades, I have been deeply committed to GSCA and the giant-screen community. Today, our association is at one of the most consequential moments in its history. Rapid technological change, evolving audience expectations, declining conference attendance, and increasing financial pressures have created an existential challenge—but also an opportunity to redefine GSCA’s value and build a stronger future.

I am seeking re-election to the Board because I have the experience, passion, and willingness to do the hard work this moment requires. As co-chair of the Innovations Committee, a contributor to the Digital Immersive Giant Screen Specifications (DIGGS) initiative, and a member of the GSCA 2030 Task Force, I am already working to help our members navigate change, strengthen presentation quality, and ensure the association’s long-term relevance and viability.

Our industry has undergone a profound technological transformation—from 15/70 film to digital projection and, increasingly, LED display systems. These advances offer extraordinary creative possibilities, but they also present producers, distributors, and theaters with difficult and expensive decisions about investment, standards, and the experiences audiences will value in the future.

Audience behavior is changing as well. People have more ways than ever to consume media at home and on personal devices, yet the success of premium-format films like The Odyssey and LED domes demonstrates that they still crave memorable, genuinely immersive experiences they cannot find elsewhere. That is our opportunity: to help GSCA members create, elevate, and champion those experiences.

Through the Innovations Committee, I have worked to highlight the tools, techniques, and technologies shaping our industry’s future. Through the DIGGS initiative, we are identifying and defining standards that can help theaters make informed technology decisions and consistently deliver exceptional presentation quality. On the GSCA 2030 Task Force, I am helping examine how the association can strengthen its value to members, increase participation, and build a sustainable path forward.

If re-elected, I will bring institutional knowledge, technical expertise, curiosity, candor, and a willingness to challenge old assumptions. I will continue advocating for rigorous presentation standards, practical technology guidance, stronger member value, and new ways to attract and engage audiences. Most importantly, I will work to ensure that GSCA helps lead—not merely react to—the changes reshaping our industry.

I believe deeply in the power of giant-screen and immersive experiences to inspire people and bring them together. I would be honored to continue serving on the Board and helping lead GSCA through this pivotal moment toward a healthy, relevant, and thriving future.