Erin Reilly is Professor of Practice at The University of Texas at Austin and Founding Director of the Texas Immersive Institute, where she leads work at the intersection of immersive storytelling, audience engagement, AI, and spatial experience design. A storyteller, strategist, and educator, she bridges industry and academia to explore how interactive systems and embodied media can create deeper participation, stronger emotional connection, and more meaningful audience experiences.

Her work spans XR, generative systems, interactive narrative, and interdisciplinary research and production. Through teaching, public speaking, and creative collaboration, Erin helps shape the future of immersive media by asking a simple question: what changes when the audience no longer just watches, but participates?