Driving Brand Empathy Through Immersive Storytelling with Amir Berenjian
Driving Brand Empathy Through Immersive Storytelling with Amir Berenjian  
Podcast: Your Brand Amplified
Published On: Wed Aug 05 2026
Description: Anika sat down with Amir Berenjian to explore how a former investment banker transitioned from multi-million dollar M&A spreadsheets to founding an immersive technology company. The conversation revealed a profound truth: the most powerful way to sell a brand or cause isn't through data alone, but through deeply emotional, shared experiences. Amir shares how REM5 Studios leverages virtual reality (VR) to transport trade show attendees to a Wisconsin dairy farm and global policymakers to the frontlines of polio eradication in Zambia, proving that immersive tech is far more than just a novelty.   In This Episode   How 12 years in M&A investment banking prepared Amir for immersive storytelling The pivotal moment of trying the Oculus Rift in 2016 and seeing the future of human-computer interaction Using pizza and beer to overcome VR skepticism in the corporate world Why the ROI of immersive tech at trade shows vastly outperforms traditional marketing trinkets Transporting global policymakers to Zambia to fight polio via VR with the Gates Foundation How a premium cheese brand uses VR to tell the story of a 100-year-old family farm The surprising dual-use of VR for both external marketing and internal employee onboarding How to test out immersive tech for your brand without breaking the budget   Timestamps 00:00 Introduction: From investment banking to immersive tech  02:09 The surprising emotional throughline between M&A banking and VR storytelling  04:38 The Oculus Rift "Aha!" moment and democratizing the "magic school bus" experience  07:35 Overcoming the VR accessibility barrier and corporate skepticism  11:13 Transitioning from corporate events to purpose-driven storytelling and global causes  13:33 The economics of immersive tech and why it's cheaper than you think  15:08 Dominating trade shows: Why shared VR experiences beat traditional marketing flyers  17:29 Case Study 1: Transporting customers to a 3rd-generation Wisconsin dairy farm  19:38 Case Study 2: Putting policymakers on the frontlines of polio with the Gates Foundation  20:23 How immersive 3D video actually works (and the nostalgia of the View-Master)  25:13 The 9-month planning process and why distribution is the biggest hurdle in VR  29:39 The intersection of AI, implicit bias, and leveraging technology for good  31:47 Measuring the impact and ROI of immersive storytelling  34:33 How small businesses can test the waters of VR for under $500  38:33 The dual value of VR: Using marketing tools for internal employee onboarding  41:42 What’s next for REM5 Studios and the convergence of AI and spatial computing   Key Insights & Takeaways   Insight 1: M&A and VR are Both About Selling Emotion    Even in investment banking, multi-million dollar deals are driven by the emotional story of a business. Amir realized VR is simply the ultimate tool for democratizing that story, allowing clients to "tour the factory" and meet the founders without ever leaving the boardroom.   Insight 2: Immersive Tech Solves the Trade Show ROI Problem    Trade shows are filled with expensive, easily discarded trinkets and flyers. Immersive tech completely steals the show by giving attendees a shared, memorable experience that re-energizes them. Because the experience can be reused across dozens of events, it proves to be far more cost-effective and impactful than traditional trade show marketing waste.   Insight 3: The Technology is the Conduit, Not the Message    People easily get caught up in buzzwords like AR, VR, and spatial computing. But the goal isn't to talk about the tech—it's to use the tech to tell a story so effectively that users forget they're wearing a headset. Whether it's understanding the reality of polio eradication or the care behind a premium cheese, the tech is just a vehicle for presence and empathy.   Insight 4: Marketing Assets Make Perfect Internal Training Tools    An immersive experience originally designed to sell a product to consumers can instantly be repurposed as an onboarding tool for HR and accounting teams. Giving new or remote employees a virtual factory tour accelerates learning, reduces training costs, and emotionally connects desk workers to the company’s physical roots.   Insight 5: You Can Test VR for Your Business on a Budget    You don't need a massive corporate budget to start experimenting with immersive storytelling. With a $400 Meta Quest headset or a free 30-minute demo at an Apple Store, business owners can experience existing VR content, identify use cases, and understand the medium before ever committing to a custom build.   Resources & Links Mentioned   REM5 Studios Polio's Last Mile (VR Experience available on Meta Quest & Apple Vision Pro) Meta Quest 3 / Apple Vision Pro   About Amir Berenjian Amir Berenjian is the co-founder and CEO of REM5 Studios, an immersive technology company based in Minneapolis that builds virtual and augmented reality experiences for brands and causes. Before transitioning to spatial computing, Amir spent 12 years in investment banking, facilitating over 100 M&A transactions for companies ranging from $10 million to over $1 billion in revenue. Today, he helps organizations like the Gates Foundation, Rotary International, and Fortune 500 companies leverage the power of VR to foster profound empathy, connection, and real-world impact.   Connect with Amir LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amir-berenjian-90738220/ Website: REM5Studios.com YBA was named the top PR podcast in the US by FeedSpot! Feedspot is an RSS Reader that lets you follow your favorite podcasts alongside blogs and news in one place. Like the show? Leave us a rating or review: https://lovethepodcast.com/67940257010b317cdaa9d857 Send us a Message: https://podcastfeedback.com/67940257010b317cdaa9d857 Check out our Website: https://www.yourbrandamplified.com Speak to my Delphi Clone: https://www.delphi.ai/amplifywithanika Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.