Creating Bespoke Metaverse Worlds with Paul Hamilton - Step into the Metaverse Podcast: EP10
Creating Bespoke Metaverse Worlds with Paul Hamilton - Step into the Metaverse Podcast: EP10
In this episode of the Step into the Metaverse Podcast, I interviewed Paul Hamilton, the Founder of vTogether, a consultancy and virtual space design and build team making good things happen in the real world across multiple VR platforms. He is also the Managing Director of MENA Ogilvy Consulting. Paul has been designing, building, and leading strategic innovation on the global growth agenda for over 30 years.
He combines creativity with top-level strategy, digital and innovation leadership using design thinking and human-centric approaches, traditional analytical strategy tools and techniques, and, more recently, applications of AR/VR.
During the interview, we discuss the key characteristics of building an open metaverse, community role, and how we can create a diverse and inclusive metaverse. We also cover the role of identity, how avatars will help shape the metaverse and true identity, the dangers of the metaverse, how the enterprise can benefit from the metaverse, and so much more. Enjoy the conversation!
Highlights
- [01:23] - His illustrious career and how he got into the metaverse.
- [05:07] - The present and future nature of the metaverse.
- [10:30] - Building all-inclusive communities in the metaverse.
- [15:45] - How to build a rich and vibrant metaverse economy.
- [19:32] - vTogether’s way of creating bespoke virtual spaces.
- [21:35] - Multiple IDs: How the metaverse will change identity.
- [26:01] - Envisioning a fun metaverse that will change the future of work.
Quotes
“The metaverse is a place and has some sense of reality, and yet there are no bounds to that reality because it’s digital. We can make it whatever we want” - Paul Hamilton
“There is a kind of end game where the metaverse does become a set of virtual environments through you can move freely whilst retaining your persona” - Paul Hamilton
“A lot of the mental health challenges that people face around the world is not being able to express who they are. Well, you can do that in the metaverse in a community and in an environment that exists anywhere in the world at any time of day or night” - Paul Hamilton
Learn More About Paul Hamilton in the Links
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulhamilton/
- Twitter - https://mobile.twitter.com/paulhamilton__
If you are interested in learning more about the metaverse, you can order my book Step into the Metaverse here.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Paul Hamilton in the metaverse space?
Paul Hamilton is the Founder of vTogether, a consultancy and virtual space design and build team creating things across multiple VR platforms. He is also the Managing Director of MENA Ogilvy Consulting and has spent over 30 years designing, building, and leading strategic innovation on the global growth agenda, combining creativity with strategy, digital leadership, design thinking, and AR/VR applications.
Link to this questionWhat topics does the podcast episode with Paul Hamilton cover?
The episode discusses the key characteristics of building an open metaverse, the role of community, and how to create a diverse and inclusive metaverse. It also covers the role of identity, how avatars will help shape the metaverse and true identity, the dangers of the metaverse, and how enterprises can benefit from it, among other topics.
Link to this questionHow does Paul Hamilton describe the metaverse's relationship to reality?
Paul Hamilton describes the metaverse as a place with some sense of reality, yet without bounds because it is digital, meaning it can be shaped into whatever is desired. He also envisions an end game where the metaverse becomes a set of virtual environments that people can move freely through while retaining their persona.
Link to this questionWhy might the metaverse help with mental health challenges?
Paul Hamilton notes that many mental health challenges people face worldwide stem from not being able to express who they truly are. He suggests the metaverse allows people to do this within a community and environment that exists anywhere in the world, at any time of day or night, giving them a space for genuine self-expression.
Link to this question
Dr. Mark van Rijmenam
Dr. Mark van Rijmenam is The Digital Speaker, a world-leading futurist and global AI keynote speaker who helps leaders decide what AI, and the technologies that follow it, mean for their business. He speaks to leadership teams at their retreats and to conference audiences worldwide, and his WAVE framework gives them a way of deciding that they keep using long after he has left the room. His Intelligence Age Scorecard measures how ready an organization is across the four WAVE pillars.
He holds a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney, is a Certified Speaking Professional and Global Speaking Fellow, and ranks among the world’s top futurists on the Global Gurus list (#1 in 2025, #3 in 2026). Salesforce named him one of its 16 leading AI voices. He has written six books, most recently Now What? How to Ride the Tsunami of Change, writes the Synthetic Minds newsletter on Substack, and founded Futurwise. Talk to his digital twin on WhatsApp: +1 (830) 463-6967.
