Guy Primus

Inventor and entrepreneur Guy Primus was born on July 4, 1969 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Janet and Robert Primus. He earned his B.S. degree in industrial engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia in 1992, and his M.S.I.E. degree in decision support systems from Georgia Tech in 1995. In 2000, he received his M.B.A. degree in entrepreneurship and negotiations from Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 1996, Primus was hired by the software company CAPS Logistics. The following year, he worked as an associate for the global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney. In 1997, he developed a software model for National Public Radio, which led to the adoption of a new program pricing structure. That same year, Primus led a strategic sourcing project for Federal Express. In 1999, he became vice president of strategy and planning for Blue Flame Marketing and Advertising in New York City., a Bad Boy Entertainment entity, where he served for three years In 2003, Primus worked as a group product marketing consultant for Microsoft and then, in 2004, he was promoted to group product marketing manager while leading the creation of The Scenario for Sprite, winner of the 2005 Ad:Tech conference’s Best Branded Entertainment Campaign award. In 2005, Primus was hired as senior director of digital media at Starbucks and was elected as an executive advisor to Black Girls Rock! the following year. In 2007, he was hired as head of digital media and chief operating officer of Overbrook Entertainment, a production company founded by Will Smith and James Lassiter.

From 2015 to 2020, Primus served as chief executive officer of The Virtual Reality Company, a market leader in the production and distribution of cinematic virtual reality and augmented reality content. In 2018, invention, Emotion-based experience feedback was awarded a federal patent. Then, in 2021, he was hired as chief executive officer of Valence Community in 2021, serving until 2023.

Primus was named one of the Most Influential Blacks in Technology by Black Enterprise and was an Ebony Power 100 honoree in 2017. He was recognized as a Captain of Industry by the Institute of Industrial Engineers in 2013. In 2012, Primus was elected to the president’s advisory board at Georgia Tech, where he served for four years. He was named to the board of governors of the VR Society in 2016, and in 2017, was appointed as a voting member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Primus has two children, Grant and Clarke Primus, with his wife, Heather Thompson. He resides in Los Angeles, California.

Guy Primus was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on March 20, 2023.