A Black woman-owned multimedia company specializing in tech and gaming has relocated from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Houston, Texas, to take better advantage of a growing partnership with Microsoft.

Jacqueline Shorter-Beauchamp, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Engaged Media Studios Inc., said the company will focus on SaaS, Web 3.0, video games, and VR/MR/AR immersive integrated products and solutions at its new studio.

“In the unique work that we do at Engaged Media Studios, I see endless possibility and growth. It's exciting. There is promise in telling diverse stories that need to be told; we bring a diverse voice to the table that bridges digital media intersection of technology, storytelling, and culture,” Shorter-Beauchamp said in a statement. “Worlds can be imagined, created, and then re-imagined without limitations and boundaries. Utilizing our platform, people are able to envision a new future — a future of open doors and endless opportunity.”

Engaged Media Studios is a part of Microsoft's Black Partner Growth Initiative (BPGI), an initiative created to support Black tech entrepreneurs and businesses. It plans to work closely with the museum, entertainment, education, industrial, and government market segments.

The news comes after the company debuted the new Black History Utah immersive experience in partnership with the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce and Microsoft. The event was held during the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities in February. She also attended a Women in Gaming panel hosted by the University of Utah.

Shorter-Beauchamp recently spoke at the SXSW 2023 Conference & Festival in Austin, Texas, titled “The Biz of Being Human: Volumetric Humans at Scale,” according to a statement.

It discussed the state of the industry today as it relates to volumetric capture, live holographic broadcast, virtual production, and digital doubles. It also addressed challenges and opportunities ahead, including hardware, AI, bandwidth, privacy, security, identity, and more.

Listen to the panel discussion here.