Big Stage

Big Stage Entertainment, Inc. operated as a media technology company, founded in 2005 and based in Los Angeles, California. The firm specialized in technology that allowed users to project themselves into digital life by transforming photographs into 3D animated, photorealistic avatars. This enabled individuals to create and customize their digital likeness for use in virtual worlds, games, and across social networks.

The company's core product was the "Portable You" avatar-creation platform. This technology was designed to be a simple, easy-to-use solution for both consumers and developers. The business model targeted online and mobile entertainment companies, social networks, and communication firms, providing them with tools to integrate realistic avatars into their consumer offerings. Additionally, Big Stage planned to package and offer "Portable You" directly to consumers.

Throughout its operation, Big Stage Entertainment secured $10.6 million in total funding. A significant Series B funding round on April 14, 2009, raised $2.7 million from investors including Mission Ventures, Selby Ventures, and TCA Venture Group. The company gained recognition for its work and was named one of America's 20 Most Promising Companies by Forbes in 2009. In February 2011, Big Stage was acquired by Image Metrics, a facial-animation technology company with a strong track record in the video game and film industries. Image Metrics intended to merge the "Portable You" platform with its own real-time animation technology to create a new, comprehensive product suite for creating lifelike digital characters.

Keywords: avatar creation, 3D animated characters, photorealistic avatars, digital likeness, media technology, Portable You, virtual worlds, social gaming, digital identity, facial animation, user-generated content, mobile entertainment, Image Metrics, Mission Ventures, Selby Ventures, digital cloning, character customization, virtual identity, animation software, consumer technology