Proto partnered with Pa’lante! HBO Max to bring Romeo Santos to the HOUSE OF BACHATA via the power of hologram. — Photo by Proto
Here’s the view from the front row at the Harvard Blockchain Conference where Proto Inc beamed Ava Labs CEO Emin Gun Sirer from Barcelona to Boston for a live, interactive hologram conversation with John Wu. — Photo by Proto
Proto CEO David Nussbaum, “If you can’t BE there, BEAM there.” — Photo by Proto
Proto technology was used to beam in six-time Adventure Racing World Champion Nathan Faavae via hologram projection at the Avaya event. — Photo by Proto

COLUMBUS, OHIO - Imagine if hotel brand executives or A-list celebrities could speak at annual conventions without actually traveling there. If popular animated movie characters could personally greet families in hotel lobbies in real-time or high-end retail outlets in resorts and casinos replaced mannequins with people modeling jewelry and apparel.

Meet Proto, a hologram unit that can project anyone anywhere — live or pre-produced in three dimensions. Proto Inc. (formerly PORTL) is the world’s first two-way, interactive holographic communications platform available to hospitality businesses through Mills James. Recently named Best Audiovisual Provider by Ohio Business Magazine, Mills James is looking for U.S. hotels, restaurants, and convention center facilities interested in exploring holoportation technology.

“Proto can change the way event-goers interact with speakers and how hotel guests engage with management or the brand,” said John Watts, Mills James VP of Technology. “The possibilities are truly endless. Proto can be used for speeches, event appearances, tradeshow booth displays, to share safe-stay messaging, upsell services, address guest concerns, promote restaurant specials, display retail items, and much more. Because Proto is interactive, people beamed live to the unit can respond to those in front of the box if desired."

“How memorable would it be for guests to interact with a sports celeb playing at the adjacent stadium, see celebrity chefs cooking the daily special, or meet the brand president on arrival? It’s not only entertaining, but it’s the type of next-generation technology that people are expecting to see while traveling,” Watts said.

Can’t Be There? Beam There.

Proto features a back-lit cubicle and a large transparent LCD screen, making it look like someone is in the box. The live-beaming technology is the brainchild of David Nussbaum, Proto CEO, who at the onset of the pandemic realized "if you can’t be there, beam there". Today there are more than two hundred Proto’s worldwide, primarily used in retail establishments and shopping malls. All it takes to communicate with someone in the box is an internet connection of 15mg to 20mg per second. Speakers can be filmed wirelessly via smartphone and the Proto app, then beamed wirelessly into the Proto box.

“Proto” means “first,” and the name reflects that the company was the first to build a 2-way, interactive holographic communications platform. Proto was the first to:

  • beam patients into a major medical center for education
  • introduce a new product in another country without traveling
  • present a volumetric NFT display
  • facilitate live interviews on a major TV network during the Super Bowl
  • allow consumers to become a hologram with just a smartphone

“Mills James’ mission is to transform how hotels, convention centers, and Fortune 500 corporations view their AV partner,” Watts said. “We deliver audiovisual solutions worthy of our client’s service standards by bringing a unique combination of sales expertise, service skills, technical acumen, creative scalability, and financial packages that deliver exceptional value.”

“Our partnership with Proto will enable us to raise the bar even higher on AV services,” he added. “Today, we are looking for hotel companies and convention venues interested in exploring Proto technology to elevate experiences to heights never imagined. Operators — and even meeting planners — looking for a fun way to bring the future to their facilities or events should give Mills James a call today.”

For more information on Mills James, visit millsjames.com or connect with John Watts at (813) 508-2251.

ABOUT MILLS JAMES

Mills James’ mission is to craft and deliver experiences that deepen human connections and inspire people to care and act. Since 1984, the firm has focused on elevating experiences, starting with the production experience itself — serving Fortune 500 companies, startups, and not-for-profits all over the nation with offices, production facilities, and hospitality properties in the US and Mexico. More information can be found at millsjames.com.

MEDIA INQUIRIES, contact:

Barb Worcester | PRpro | 440.930.5770 | [email protected]