Andi Smith

I worked on the team that built the interactive experience for the Tidal-exclusive Usher single "Chains", a piece addressing police brutality and racial profiling.

• Built a browser experience using facial recognition to detect whether the viewer was still watching. Look away, and the video stops and challenges you to keep watching.
• Solved for webcam access, real-time face detection and video control in-browser, at a time when none of this was routine.
• Handled a subject that made the technical constraint the point: the mechanic only works if it feels uncomfortable.

The release was covered by entertainment and news outlets worldwide and won a Cannes Bronze Lion in 2016.