In filmmakers Laurie Polisky and Courtney Sheehan’s research and interviews for their docu-series, “Anybody’s Dream”, these intrepid oneironauts have gathered a remarkable group of scientists, shamans, artists, anthropologists, psychologists and startup founders to dive deep into the nocturnal mind and unearth its potentials. They summarize Anybody’s Dream as “the first series about the emergence of dream tech: devices and applications that directly interface with the dreaming mind.” From dream advertising, neuromarketing, consciousness hacking, branded dreams, dream engineering, and the ethics behind “invasive technologies,” this lively conversation goes to the very edge of what is currently possible, and what the future may hold in the world of sleep and dream. This mind-expanding dynamic duo bring a lifelong passion, conjoined with rigorous scholarship and artistic talent, to their unique project that will surely stretch your mind and challenge your boundaries. How far can technology take us when it comes to lucid dreaming? Where do we draw the line – where, in fact, is the line? Courtney and Laurie fearlessly go where no filmmakers have gone before – are we able to keep up?
About Our Guests
Laurie Polisky is a neuroscientist turned filmmaker working at the intersection of science and film. Before becoming a filmmaker, she worked professionally in the field of neuroscience for 4 years, holding positions at Nielsen Neurofocus and at the Cognitive Affective Lab at CU Boulder. Her work has utilized fMRI, EEG, biometrics, and facial encoding. Her college thesis on the neuroscience of lucid dreaming landed her a research position in the lab of the author of a hallmark study on lucid dreaming. Now, alongside Courntey Sheehan, Laurie is working on a podcast and television series about dream technology. Simultaneously, she is directing the feature documentary PAIN BRAIN 1, about a new approach to treating chronic pain.
Courtney Sheehan is a dream tech researcher, business strategist, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Previously, she was Executive and Artistic Director for Northwest Film Forum, the largest comprehensive independent film center in the Pacific Northwest. With her partner Laurie Polisky, she is developing a hybrid TV series and podcast about the emergence of dream tech. Courtney has connected with leading dream neuroscientists, technologists, and researchers, and developed a research database used by scientists for networking and academic sources. Courtney’s presentation on dream tech was selected for the Interaction Design Association 2020 conference in Milan and the ByDesign Festival in Seattle.
ANYBODY’S DREAM is the first series about the emergence of dream tech: devices and applications that directly interface with the dreaming mind at night. Straight out of sci-fi like Inception and Black Mirror, a new wave of entrepreneurs and technologists are pushing past the boundary of consciousness, raising profound questions about what this all means for the future. Learn more at anybodysdream.com
