Paul Martin Smith (2009) — Visual Effects Editor

Paul Martin Smith is known for his editing work with George Lucas, having worked for five years at Lucasfilm Ltd. His many film editing credits include “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (3D); Star… » more

Ansul Doshi (2009) — Global COO, Prime Focus Group

Based in London, Anshul is the Global COO for the Prime Focus group, responsible for the management of the UK and North American companies. He joined the Prime Focus group in 2004, as a finance… » more

Volker Engel (2009) — Producer and Visual Effects Supervisor, President of Uncharted Territory, LLC

Volker Engel is an Oscar and Emmy Award winning Visual Effects Supervisor. He also produced or co-produced several films and mini series’. He is Co-Producer and Visual Effects Supervisor (with his… » more

Steven Poster, ASC (2009) — Director of Photography, President – International Cinematographers Guild

Steven Poster ASC has been fascinated with the art and science of capturing images since the age of ten.  Beginning with still photography, Poster knew he wanted to make movies by the time he was… » more

Art Repola (2009) — Executive Vice President, Visual Effects and Production Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Art Repola is the executive vice president of Visual Effects and Production for The Walt Disney Studios, where he is responsible for overseeing all aspects of visual effects production for the Studio… » more

Eric Barba (2009) — Visual Effects Supervisor, Digital Domain

Eric Barba is the Academy Award®‐winning Visual Effects Supervisor of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. He has been at Digital Domain for thirteen years, and like many of the top directors he… » more

Daryn Okada, ASC (2009) — Cinematographer

Daryn Okada, ASC (Director of Photography) has photographed every movie genre from period epics to comedy and suspense.  He has of collaborated with director Mark Waters on three features, “Ghosts of… » more

Dion Bebee, ASC (2009) — Cinematographer

Dion Beebe, ASC, ACS was born in Brisbane, Australia, but relocated with his family to Cape Town, South Africa, at the age of five. He first studied film at Pretoria Technikon and later at the… » more

Jeff Barnes (2009) — Co-Founder & Executive Producer, CafeFX

Jeff Barnes is co-founder and CEO of the ComputerCafe Group and has broad oversight of the operations of its feature effects division, CafeFX, and its Santa Monica-based commercial visual effects and… » more

Steve Beres (2009) — Director of Engineering for nextLAB, a division of FotoKem, Inc.

Stephen Beres is the Director of Engineering for nextLAB a division of FotoKem Inc. As one of Hollywood’s most prestigious film laboratories FotoKem has worked on thousands of films over the past 46 … » more

Lee Berger (2009) — President, Film Division – Rhythm & Hues Studios

Lee Berger is the senior executive for Rhythm… » more

Steve Scott (2009) — Vice President / Creative Director, EFILM

Steve began his career in the entertainment industry when he sang and danced with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire in Bing’s 1975 Christmas special on CBS. He’s had the showbiz bug ever since. During his… » more

Jim Bissell (2009) — Production Designer

Jim Bissell began his motion picture career as production designer on Steven Spielberg’s enduring classic “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Production Design… » more

Ben Grossmann (2009) — Visual Effects Supervisor, CafeFX/The Syndicate

BEN GROSSMANN Visual effects supervisor and director Ben Grossmann’s range of talents is as diverse as his background. Born in Washington, D.C., he grew up in Alaska, where he attended the… » more

Catherine Hardwicke (2009) — Writer/Director

As a storyteller, Catherine Hardwicke is drawn to emotion-driven, often edgy material. Her ability to portray the subtleties of teenage life brings realism to both her independent and commercial… » more

Alan Silvers (2009) — New Business Development, Lowry Digital

Alan Silvers, VP of Business Development, is a long-time motion picture professional with experience in Production, Post-production, Film Industry Management, Dcinema, DI, Restoration, high-end… » more

Dr. Eric Haseltine (2009) — President and Managing Partner, Haseltine Partners LLC

Throughout his career, Eric C. Haseltine has helped organizations harvest the future by developing far-sighted technological solutions that deliver near-term value. He is an expert on managing… » more

Dennis Hoffman (2009) — Senior Vice President and General Manager – CIS Vancouver

Dennis Hoffman was named Senior Vice President and General Manager of CIS Vancouver in May, 2008.  Having originally joined Rainmaker Visual Effects in 2007 as Head of Production, Hoffman was there… » more

Colin Brown (2009) — British Film Commissioner, UK Film Council

Colin Brown took up the role of British Film Commissioner at the UK Film Council in February 2007.  He is responsible for feature film inward investment into the UK and for promoting the UK as a… » more

Richard Hollander (2009) — Producer, Pixar Animation Studios

Richard Hollander has been a recognized leader in the effects industry for over 25 years.  His film career began in 1979 with The China Syndrome, Star Trek, The Motion Picture and Blade Runner and… » more

Fred Chandler (2009) — Executive VP Post Production, 20th Century Fox

1995- present Executive Vice President of Post Production, Twentieth Century Fox. At Twentieth Century Fox in the mid 90s initiated film preservation with the films Diary Of Anne Frank and The Power… » more

Marc Weigert (2009) — Producer and Visual Effects Supervisor, CEO of Uncharted Territory, LLC

Currently co-producer and VFX supervisor on Roland Emmerich’s “2012” for Sony/Columbia Pictures. Marc is the CEO of production company Uncharted Territory, LLC, founded in 1999 with business partner… » more

Terry Clotiaux (2009) — Senior Vice President / COO, Visual Effects Worldwide for Prime Focus Group, and Senior Executive Producer for North America

A native of Nederland, Texas.  From family of six children.  Father deceased; welder and eventually a manager of oil pipe line facility.  Mother living; retired homemaker, sales and teaching… » more

Randy Lake (2009) — Executive Vice President and General Manager, Sony Pictures Imageworks

Randy Lake has been named executive vice president and general manager of Sony Pictures Imageworks, the award winning visual effects and animation production studio it was announced today by Bob… » more

Richard Pearson (2009) — Editor

RICHARD PEARSON is currently working with co-editor Dan Lebental on “Iron Man 2” starring Robert Downey Jr., for director Jon Favreau. Pearson recently shared editing duties with Matt Chesse on the… » more

Jeffrey A. Okun (2009, 2013) — Visual Effects Supervisor / Chair – VES

JEFFREY A. OKUN, Most recently Senior V.P., Visual Effects for Prana Studios, Los Angeles, recently completed work on 20th Century Fox’s Oscar nominated feature film, HITCHCOCK and THE WATCH as well… » more

David S. Cohen (2009, 2010, 2011) — Reporter / Features Editor, Variety

David S. Cohen is a reporter and features editor for Variety, where he has covered visual effects and post-production since 1993. He spearheaded Variety’s expanded technology coverage, which includes… » more

Chris de Faria (2009, 2011, 2013) — Pres, Digital Prod, Animation and VFX Warner Bros. Pictures

CHRIS deFARIA is President, Digital Production, Animation and Visual Effects for Warner Bros. Pictures. His recent projects include Zack Snyder’s blockbuster “Man of Steel”; Guillermo del Toro’s, “… » more

Shane Mahan (2010) — Co-Owner, Legacy Effects / VFX Supervisor

Within mere months of Legacy Effects opening their doors, Shane was recognized for his work on 2008’s Iron Man by receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects. Crediting his work to… » more

Wally Pfister, ASC (2010) — Cinematographer / Director

Wally Pfister began his career as a television news cameraman in Washington, DC covering Capitol Hill, the White House and local news. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1980’s while working as a… » more

Bill Mechanic (2010) — Producer and CEO, Pandemonium Films

Through his company, Pandemonium Films, respected industry veteran and independent producer, Bill Mechanic continues to produce high quality films with directors such as Henry Selick (Coraline),… » more

Matt Plec (2010) — Product Designer, Nuke

Matt Plec has filled a variety of roles in the post production industry from compositing and 3D to software and pipeline development. In 2007 he joined The Foundry to head up the company’s Nuke… » more

Jeff Miller (2010) — President, Worldwide Post Production and Operations, The Walt Disney Studios

Jeff Miller is President of Worldwide Post Production and Operations for The Walt Disney Studios. A 27 year Disney veteran, Jeff has held varied positions during his tenure including: Treasurer,… » more

Cliff Plumer (2010) — CEO, Digital Domain

Cliff Plumer is responsible for Digital Domain’s overall strategy and all aspects of its business. Cliff joined Digital Domain in 2006 as C.T.O., following a ten-year tenure with Industrial Light… » more

Jon Ferguy (2010) — Co-Owner, Sohonet

As a director and co-owner of Sohonet, Jon is one of the driving forces that has led the company to become a world-leading provider of connectivity and data management services. He is well known by… » more

Michael Fink (2010) — President, Visual Effects Worldwide, Prime Focus Ltd.

President, Visual Effects Worldwide, Prime Focus Ltd. CEO, Senior Visual Effects Supervisor, Prime Focus VFX North America Michael created his first miniature shot — a still of a rocket to the moon… » more

Ron Prince (2010) — Editor, British Cinematographer / Managing Director, Prince PR

Ron Prince has over 20 years experience in PR and marketing communications, working with leading companies involved in software and hardware development, manufacturing, post production, and… » more

Jenny Fulle (2010) — Founder and Visual Effects Producer, The Creative-Cartel

With over 30 years experience in the visual effects and animation industry, Jenny Fulle is a leader when it comes to producing and providing high quality visual effects and production management to… » more

Seth Rosenthal (2010) — President, Tweak Software

Seth Rosenthal is a Co-Founder and the President of Tweak Software the maker of RV, the next-generation the next generation image and sequence viewer for VFX and animation artists. Tweak Software was… » more

Steve Gaydos (2010) — Executive Editor, Variety

Dan Germain (2010) — WW Strategic Business Dev., DVS Digital Video Inc.

Dan is an accomplished industry veteran with broad experience, having held key strategic positions in leading manufacturers across the globe with companies such as Quantel Ltd., Digital Vision AB, … » more

Carolyn Giardina (2010) — Media and Entertainment Journalist

Journalist Carolyn Giardina has spent more than 15 years covering media and entertainment, with emphasis on the impact of technology as well as the creative process. That has included coverage of… » more

William Sargent (2010) — Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Framestore

Chief Executive and Co-founder of Framestore, March 1986. The company has created digital images (visual effects, animation and filmgrading) for major Hollywood studios, UK and US broadcasters and… » more

Michael Bravin (2010) — Vice President of Market Development for ARRI, Inc.

Michael is responsible for developing new markets for ARRI with focus on the new Alexa line of cameras. He works closely with cinematographers in their transition from traditional film methodologies… » more

Lynwen Brennan (2010) — President / General Manager, ILM / Skywalker Sound

Lynwen Brennan is President and General Manager of two of the best known brands in post production; Industrial Light… » more

Eric Brevig (2010) — Director

Academy Award winner Eric Brevig made his directorial debut on the 2008 boxoffice hit Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D (the first live-action feature to shoot in digital 3-D), which became the… » more

Olcun Tan (2010) — Co-Founder / Head of R&D Gradient Effects

Olcun Tan is an award winning visual effects artist, co-founder and head of research and development at Gradient Effects. He is the architect of Gradient’s  GLoW software and workflow. Developed… » more

Dr. Rich Terrile (2010) — NASA/JPL Astronomer and Evolutionary Computation Designer

Dr. Rich Terrile is an astronomer and the director of the Center for Evolutionary Computation and Automated Design at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  He uses techniques based on biological… » more

Jonas Thaler (2010) — SrVP Post Production, Anschutz Film Group/Walden Media

Jonas Thaler is a post production jack-of-all-trades with a career in film and TV starting with VFX on “Empire Strikes Back” and music on “Amadeus”.   As a production executive, he introduced Avid… » more

Mark Jaszberenyi (2010) — Founder, Colorfront

Mark Jaszberenyi is a founder of Colorfront, Budapest, one of Europe’s leading digital film post-production facilities, and a successful innovator of software and workflow tools for motion picture… » more

Ed Jones (2010) — Chief Executive Officer, Reel FX Creative Studios

Ed Jones is an award-winning industry leader, visual effects and animation expert, and pioneer in digital media whose illustrious career spans three decades and more than 200 projects. Jones joined… » more

James Chressantis, ASC (2010) — Cinematographer / Director

James Chressanthis, ASC, a member of the American Society of Cinematographers is a director and cinematographer who has earned a diverse range of nearly 40 credits since the early 1990s, including… » more

John Kilkenny (2010) — Executive VP, Twentieth Century Fox

John Kilkenny is an Executive Vice President at Twentieth Century Fox, heading the studio’s visual effects department.   His division budgets, produces and oversees all the visual effects – a key… » more

Tony Clark, ACS (2010) — Co-Founder / Director, Rising Sun Pictures

Tony Clark is an Emmy Award winning Cinematographer, co-founder and Director of Rising Sun Pictures [RSP].  He has several film credits as a Cinematographer and Visual Effects Supervisor for RSP on… » more

Don Parker (2010) — CEO / Co-Founder, Shotgun Software

Don Parker is the CEO and Co-Founder of Shotgun Software, where he leads the team designing and building a production tracking system called Shotgun that addresses the industry need to effectively… » more

Warren Franklin (2010,2011) — CEO, Rainmaker Entertainment, Vice Chair, DigiBC

Warren Franklin, CEO of Rainmaker Entertainment, oversees one of North America’s leading digital animation production companies.  Since joining Rainmaker in 2005, Mr. Franklin has re-focused the… » more

David Morin (2010,2012) — Consultant, Autodesk / Chair, Joint Technology Committee on Virtual Production

Chair, Joint Technology Subcommittee on Virtual Production Chair, Autodesk Film CTO Advisory Council David participated in the early development of motion capture and 3D software at Softimage, as… » more

Rob Bredow (2010,2012) — Chief Technology Officer, Sony Pictures Imageworks and Visual Effects Supervisor

Rob Bredow is Chief Technology Officer and Visual Effects Supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks. As CTO, Bredow is an innovator who brings a production-perspective to the role and has created… » more

VR & AR – Near-Term Opportunities and Long-Term Directions (2010,2013, 2017) — Moderator: Carl Rosendahl, Associate Professor at Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center

Discussion Topic: At the roundtable we’ll discuss where VR and AR could be headed in the next 10 years, and where some of the immediate opportunities are. Examples from projects at Carnegie Mellon’s… » more

Bob Pisano (2011) — President and COO, Motion Picture Association of America

Bob Pisano has over 40 years’ experience in organizational leadership in the entertainment industry and law. Until September 2011, Bob served as President and COO of the Motion Picture Association of… » more

Stephen Nakamura (2011) — Feature Colorist, Company 3

Stephen Nakamura is among the most accomplished DI colorists in the country. One of a handful of artists who helped to pioneer DI color grading, Nakamura has worked alongside such directors and… » more

David Nicksay (2011) — Producer

David Nicksay most recently was Executive Producer of GLEE! THE 3D CONCERT MOVIE, released in August by 20th Century Fox. This film immediately followed JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER, the 3D concert… » more

Ted Gagliano (2011) — President Feature Post Production, Twentieth Century Fox Studios

Ted Gagliano has been at Twentieth Century Fox since 1991 and was named president of feature post-production in 2001. At Fox, his responsibilities include oversight of the completion of over 30 films… » more

Christian Roberton (2011) — Managing Director, Film, MPC

Christian started his career in the traditional drawn animation business in the mid 90’s. Working for a number of London based traditional animation companies on commercial and television series… » more

Shannon Gans (2011) — Co-Founder and CEO, New Deal Studios

Shannon started her career with 2 projects and 2 partners straight out of the USC Entrepreneur Program in which she wrote the business plan for the studio. Shannon has carefully guided the evolution… » more

Andy Romanoff (2011) — Industry Relations / Business Development, AbelCine

In a career spanning almost fifty years Andy Romanoff has worked as a cameraman, equipment designer, inventor and businessman.  Currently he is responsible for Business Development and Industry… » more

Deborah Giarrantana (2011) — Producer

Deborah is currently producing, along with Robbie Brenner, THE MACHINE GUN PREACHER, starring Gerard Butler, with Marc Forster directing. It will have it’s world premiere at the 2011 Toronto Film… » more

Dan Glass (2011) — Sr VFX Supervisor, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Method Studios

Dan Glass joined Method in 2010 as Senior Creative Director overseeing both feature and commercial projects. Glass, who most recently served as Senior VFX Supervisor on Terrence Malick’s Palme D’Or… » more

Hitesh Shah (2011) — Founder and CEO, BOT VFX

Hitesh is a serial entrepreneur whose passions lie at the intersection of creativity, technology, and business, where he has adeptly applied his entrepreneurial and business leadership skills for… » more

Scott Squires (2011) — Visual Effects Supervisor

Scott Squires is an accomplished Visual Effects Supervisor with more than 30 years of experience in visual effects. He has worked on numerous high-profile films, including Fantastic Four : Rise of… » more

Randy Starr (2011) — Visual Effects Producer

RANDALL STARR (Visual Effects Producer) is currently finishing work on “Journey 2: Mysterious Island”, the sequel to the ground-breaking 3D stereo film, “Journey to the Center of the Earth”.  Like… » more

Stephan Trojansky (2011) — VFX Supervisor / Co-Founder of Scanline VFX

Stephan Trojansky is a VFX Supervisor and Co-Founder of Scanline VFX, with studios in Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Munich.  His feature film credits include “Super 8”, “Hereafter”, “2012”, “Narnia:… » more

Richard Chuang (2011) — CEO Cloudpic Global, Inc

CEO Cloudpic A startup looking at capturing the creativities of the next generation of talents in the new world of digital content creation and multi-channel deliveries. Co-founder PDI (PDI/… » more

Uday Kumar (2011) — Vice President US Operations Reliance Media Works

Uday Kumar is in charge for the US operations of Reliance Media works as Business Head – North America. His experience includes senior management roles in all segments of the media and entertainment… » more

Thilo Kuther (2011) — CEO & Managing Director, Pixomondo

Thilo Kuther is CEO and managing director of Pixomondo, an international visual effects company. In addition to overseeing operations and technology he is continually exploring new opportunities in… » more

Tony Wible, CFA (2011) — Director of Media & Entertainment, Janney Montgomery Scott

Tony Wible joined Janney Montgomery Scott in 2008 as a Director covering the Media and Entertainment sector after spending the previous 10 years at Citigroup Investment Research—most recently… » more

Sean Wimmer (2011) — VP of Post Production – Warner Premiere

Sean Wimmer is currently the Head of Post Production for Warner Premiere, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment specializing in the development and production of both features and digital content… » more

Amy Lemisch (2011) — Executive Director, California Film Commission

As Executive Director of the California Film Commission, Amy Lemisch oversees all of the state’s efforts to facilitate motion picture, television and commercial production. She was appointed by… » more

Tom Wujec (2011) — Autodesk Fellow

Tom Wujec is a Fellow at Autodesk, the world’s leader in 2D… » more

Annie Chang (2011, 2013) — VP Post Production Technology, Walt Disney Studios

Annie Chang is the Vice President of Post-Production Technology for The Walt Disney Studios Digital Production Technology group.  Annie oversees the research and implementation of new technology into… » more

Chris del Conte (2012) — Managing Director, Prime Focus, Los Angeles

Chris Del Conte is currently at Prime Focus World as Managing Director, Los Angeles, following a successful earlier stint as a Senior Producer between 2008 and 2010. During this time he was… » more

Bill Desowitz (2012) — Senior Editor, Animation World Magazine

Bill Oversaw editorial for premier online trade publication/portal devoted to animation and visual effects (awn.com). Assign, edit and proof nearly a dozen features a month, as well as write… » more

Sam Nicholson, ASC (2012) — CEO and Founder, Stargate Studios

Sam Nicholson, ASC, is CEO and founder of Stargate Studios, a state-of-the-art visual effects production company founded in 1989, with studios in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Vancouver, Toronto, Berlin and… » more

Steve Pugh (2012) — Executive Producer, Pixomondo

Pugh came to Pixomondo from Eden FX where he spent 10 years as a Visual Effects Producer. He oversaw work on a number of prominent television series including “Lost”, “Fringe:, ”Pushing Daisies”, “… » more

Stephanie Allen (2012) — Senior Vice President, Visual Effects, Paramount Pictures

Stephanie Allen was named Senior Vice President of Visual Effects for Paramount Pictures in April 2012, having previously served as Vice President of the department since 2009. She is responsible for… » more

Corey Rosen (2012) — Head of Creative Marketing, Tippett Studios

Corey Rosen is the Head of Creative Marketing at Tippett Studio in Berkeley, California.  Rosen began his career at Industrial Light… » more

Mat Beck, ASC (2012) — VFX Supervisor, Director, DP, President: Entity FX

Mat Beck, ASC, is a visual effects supervisor, producer, cinematographer and director known for his work on over 60 motion pictures, numerous TV shows, commercials and music videos. Beck started out… » more

Scott Ross (2012) — Former CEO, Digital Domain

As one of the most notable pioneers in digital media and entertainment, Scott Ross’ career has been stellar. He founded, along with Hollywood luminaries James Cameron and Stan Winston, Digital Domain… » more

Gaston Bitar (2012) — Senior Vice President, People & Organization, Sony Pictures Entertainment

Gaston Bitar is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE).  He has primary responsibility for advancing SPE’s global employee engagement in support of SPE’s… » more

Ruth Hauer (2012) — VFX Production Executive, The Walt Disney Company

Ruth Hauer has worked at the Walt Disney Company in the Feature Film VFX department for the past ten years.  She is responsible for the management of visual effects from inception through delivery on… » more

Buzz Hays (2012) — Former Senior Vice President of 3D Production, Sony Corporation

rofile Buzz Hays is one of the leading experts in stereoscopic 3D film development, production, and postproduction in the motion picture and television industry. As senior vice president of 3D… » more

David Stump, ASC (2012) — Cinematographer

David Stump ASC has worked on numerous motion pictures and television productions as Director of Photography, as Visual Effects Director of Photography, as Visual Effects Supervisor, and as… » more

Stan Szymanski (2012) — Owner/Resource Strategist, StanleyVision, Inc.

Stan is an experienced digital media production executive with a 30 year career in artist management, talent development, recruiting, facility management and resource strategy. As SVP of Creative… » more

Vincent Brisebois (2012) — Fusion-io Director of Visual Computing

As Fusion-io Director of Visual Computing, Vincent Brisebois works closely with entertainment production studios on implementing solutions that facilitate new levels of creativity, productivity and… » more

Erika W. Burton (2012) — Co- President, Film Division- Rhythm & Hues Studios

A veteran of the visual effects and animation arena, with a career spanning more than twenty years, Erika Burton has held leadership positions in the top tier of entertainment companies, including… » more

Mary Ann Hughes (2012) — Vice President, Film and Television Production Planning, The Walt Disney Company

Mary Ann Hughes is a 24 year veteran with Disney.  She has held a number of positions during her tenure ranging from a Senior Tax Analyst to Vice President, Film and Television Production Planning. … » more

Sean Carroll (2012) — Senior Research Associate in Physics, California Institute of Technology

Sean Carroll is a Senior Research Associate in Physics at the California Institute of Technology. He received his Ph.D. in 1993 from Harvard University, and has previously worked as a postdoctoral… » more

Stephanie Ito (2012) — Executive Vice President, Post Production, Paramount Pictures

As Executive Vice President of Post Production at Paramount Pictures since January 2011, Stephanie Ito oversees all aspects of the department, from budgeting to the delivery of the final print, for… » more

Albert Cheng (2012) — EVP of Digital Media, and Chief Product Officer, Disney-ABC Television Group

As Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Digital Media, for the Disney/ABC Television Group, Albert Cheng is charged with general management and strategic oversight of digital media, as… » more

Thomas A. Walsh (2012) — Production Designer & President, Art Directors Guild (Local 800)

Production Designer Thomas A. Walsh has been serving as President of the Art Directors Guild since January 1, 2003. The union was then also known as IATSE, Local 876. He succeeded Jack De Govia, who… » more

George Whitesides (2012) — CEO, Virgin Galactic

George Whitesides is the CEO and President of Virgin Galactic, the spaceflight company founded by Sir Richard Branson. With Scaled Composites, the company has developed the WhiteKnightTwo and… » more

Andrew Orloff (2012) — Executive CreativeDirector / VFX Supervisor, Zoic Studios

Andrew Orloff is Zoic Studios’ Creative Director and has been with Zoic Studios since its inception in 2002.  Prior to Zoic, he served as a CG Animator and Supervisor at such top LA shops incuding… » more

Bob Coleman (2012) — President, Digital Artists Agency, Inc (DAA)

Bob Coleman is President and founder of Digital Artists Agency, Inc (DAA), the first below-the-line agency to represent the full spectrum of visual effects artisans for feature films, television and… » more

Robin Alan Linn (2012) — Artist Manager / Recruiting & Academic Relations

Robin Alan Linn was born in Southern California in a house where the television was always on. Robin was not so much raised on television; but rather he was raised by the television. His earliest… » more

Ed Ulbrich (2012,2013) — CEO, Digital Domain and Mothership

Ed Ulbrich is a film producer, executive producer, senior executive, visual effects expert, consultant, public speaker, and board member. Ed is currently a producer on the upcoming tent-pole feature… » more

Rohin Aggarwal (2013) — Founder & CEO Scarecrow Visual Effects

Rohin Aggarwal is a Harvard MBA with several years of experience in management consulting across multiple industries and geographies. He has been involved in the family business for over 10 years,… » more

Max Michael (2013) — Head of Business Development, Asia – Agent, Motion Picture Literary Department, UTA

Max Michael is Head of Business Development for Asia at leading talent and literary agency UTA, where he is in charge of pursuing the agency’s ventures in China and the region. Originally from the… » more

Jacqui Barcos (2013) — Writer/Director

Jacqui Barcos is a DGA award-winning filmmaker whose credits span the film, television and animation industries.  As screenwriter and producer, Barcos recently launched a successful Kickstarter… » more

Stacy Burstin (2013) — Founder and President, Eevolver Inc.

With a successful track record of over twenty-years in the VFX and animation industries, Ms. Burstin has produced and managed creative teams and productions resulting in numerous awards that span… » more

Chris Kubsch (2013) — President Method Studios

Christian Kubsch is president of Method Studios, the visual-effects unit of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, with bases in Los Angeles, London, Vancouver, Sydney, Melbourne, New York, Chicago… » more

Richard Crudo, ASC (2013) — Cinematographer

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, cinematographer Richard P. Crudo, ASC’s lengthy resume includes such notable feature credits as American Buffalo, Outside Providence, American Pie, Down To… » more

Arnon Manor (2013) — VFX Production Executive, Columbia Pictures

Arnon started his career in visual effects as an artist at Buf in Paris, working on the feature film The City of Lost Children. He then spent several years at Framestore and Double Negative in… » more

David Danesi (2013) — Founder, Digital District

DAVID DANESI, founder of DIGITAL DISTRICT is both a talented artist and an astute businessman who has integrated these twin aspects into his company. Paris native Danesi began his career as an editor… » more

Tim Sarnoff (2013) — President of Technicolor Digital Productions

Tim Sarnoff is President of Technicolor Digital Productions. He is In charge of Visual Effects, Animation and Games for Technicolor worldwide. Technicolor’s digital production facilities are… » more

Patrick Davenport (2013) — SVP, Global Operations, Method Studios

Patrick Davenport is Senior Vice President of Global Operations for Method Studios, an award-winning visual effects company, with facilities across the US, Canada, England and Australia. Since… » more

Chris Edwards (2013) — CEO & Creative Director, The Third Floor, Inc.

After 5 years as a Layout Artist and Character Animator at Walt Disney Feature Animation, Chris joined a team of digital artists at Lucasfilm tasked with previsualizing Star Wars: Episode III from… » more

Mimi Gramatky (2013) — President, Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800)

Mimi Gramatky’s skills reach beyond Production Design into interior and landscape architecture, theatre design, visual FX and animation, documentary filmmaking, and teaching. Having worked in the… » more

Payam Shohadai (2013) — Executive Supervisor / Co Founder, Luma Pictures

Payam Shohadai is co-founder of Luma Pictures and the leader of its creative and executive management teams. Under his guidance, the company has established itself as a premier provider of visual… » more

Jason Garber (2013) — Production / Effects Agent, Paradigm

Jason Garber started his entertainment career by interning for the feature casting team at 20th Century Fox. He transitioned to ICM Partners’ mail room and then to the production department, where he… » more

Greg Chou (2013) — COO FilmEngine Entertainment

Gregory Chou is the COO of FilmEngine Entertainment, helping lead the creative, strategic, and business efforts of the Beverly Hills-based production company. FilmEngine has produced over fifteen… » more

Chris Meledandri (2013) — Founder, CEO, Producer, Illumination Entertainment

CHRIS MELEDANDRI is the founder and CEO of Illumination Entertainment, which has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Universal Pictures. In July 2010, Illumination released its… » more

Nagin Cox (2013) — System Engineer, NASA/JPL

Nagin graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering and a BA in Psychology and was commissioned as an officer in the US Air Force. As a lieutenant, she… » more

Cheryl Boone Isaacs (2013) — Pres, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Boone Isaacs was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on July 30, 2013 by the organization’s Board of Governors. She is beginning her 21st year as a governor… » more

Sid Ganis (2013) — Producer, Out of the Blue… Entertainment

Sid Ganis founded Out of the Blue… Entertainment in 1996, following a distinguished career as an executive at several major studios. In 2005, Ganis was elected President of the Academy of Motion… » more

Hawk Koch (2013) — Producer, President of the Producers Guild of America

Hawk Koch is a veteran movie producer who currently serves as the President of the Producers Guild of America with Mark Gordon. The PGA membership represents 5800 of the top Film, Television, and… » more

Bill Kroyer (2013) — Director of Digital Arts, Chapman University

Bill Kroyer is an Oscar®-nominated director of animation and computer graphics commercials, short films, movie titles and theatrical films. Trained in classic hand-drawn animation at the Disney… » more

Andrew Merkin (2013) — Head of Special Projects and Transmedia, Mirada Studios

Andy Merkin is the Head of Special Projects and Transmedia at Mirada Studios. Overseeing cross-platform and nontraditional storytelling projects, Andy develops narrative for traditional and digital… » more

David Johnson (2014) — Lead Visual Effects Artist, Infinity Ward Studio

David Johnson is the Lead Visual Effects Artist at Activision/Blizzard’s Infinity Ward Studio.  David has 16 years of computer graphics experience, of which 14 has been dedicated to video games. … » more

Don Parker (2014) — CEO and Co-founder, Shotgun Software

Don Parker co-founded Shotgun Software in 2006 with a vision of developing a standardized production management and review system that would enable creative companies to manage projects across global… » more

Marc E. Hankin, Esq (2014) — Hankin Patent Law, APC

Marc E. Hankin, Esq., of Hankin Patent Law, APC, is a Registered Patent Attorney with a strong science background who has had extensive involvement as the lead lawyer in all areas of intellectual… » more

Dave Walvoord (2014) — Visual FX Supervisor

Dave Walvoord recently served as Visual FX Supervisor for the feature animated film “How to Train Your Dragon 2.” Before joining the show Dave was the Workflow Director for Look and Lighting at… » more

Sarah Patterson (2014) — Executive Producer, TBWA/Chiat Day, Los Angeles

A production veteran at one of the world’s hottest ad agencies, Sarah has managed integrated campaigns for The Grammys, Gatorade, Tostito, Bare Escentuals and Nissan along with Adidas content for the… » more

Paul Debevec (2014) — Associate Director of Graphics Research at USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies

Paul Debevec is a research professor at the University of Southern California and the associate director of graphics research at USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies. Debevec’s Ph.D. thesis (UC… » more

Brent Young (2014) — Principal and Creative Director, Super 78

Brent Young is the principal and Creative Director for Super 78, a new media production studio in Los Angeles that develops and produces award-winning, branded entertainment and educational… » more

Chris Schroeder (BIO) (2014) — Chief Marketing Officer, Veremonte

Schroeder is the Chief Marketing Officer for Veremonte, a multi-billion dollar international development and investment firm committed to investing in projects to make the world a better place,… » more

Brandon Fayette (2014) — VFX Supervisor at J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions

Brandon Fayette is a VFX Supervisor at J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions. He has worked on a gamut of film and television properties over the past 7 years including Super 8, Fringe, and Star Trek as… » more

Frank Hartman (2014) — Senior Software Engineer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Frank is currently one of the engineers driving NASA’s Curiosity rover across the surface of Mars, having also driven the Opportunity Mars rover for eight years.  Frank was selected for this… » more

Stephan Fleet (2014) — Executive Creative Director, Encore

Executive Creative Director Stephan Fleet has extensive experience in television visual effects and production.   Currently VFX supervisor for the Halle Berry/Stephen Spielberg show “Extant,”  he… » more

Stephen Beres (2014) — Vice President, Media & Technology Operations Group, HBO

Stephen Beres currently serves as Vice President of HBO’s Media… » more

Debra Blanchard Knight (2014) — President, Fringe Talent

Debra Blanchard Knight, Conduit Seminars/Fringe Talent. For over 25 years, Debra Blanchard Knight has built teams for animation, visual effects and themed entertainment studios and projects. During… » more

Dion Beebe, ASC (2014) — Cinematographer

Dion Beebe, ASC, ACS, was born in Australia. He was mainly raised in Cape Town, South Africa, where his father was a dentist and his mother was a makeup artist who worked with still photographers… » more

Ben Grossmann (2014) — Visual Effects Supervisor / CEO, Magnopus

He is an Oscar-winning and Emmy-winning visual effects supervisor who is currently CEO of the visual development company Magnopus in downtown Los Angeles. He has supervised visual effects on many… » more

Bill Taylor, ASC (2014) — VFX Supervisor / Cinematographer

Bill Taylor ASC is a VFX Supervisor and Director of Photography.  After ten years as Al Whitlock’s cameraman at Universal Studios, Bill and Syd Dutton co-founded Illusion Arts in Van Nuys CA, where… » more

George Bloom (2014) — Executive Producer, CBS Digital

George has a passion for art and science.  He is executive producer at CBS Digital the visual effects team responsible for movies and television series.   He and his colleagues develop disruptive… » more

Bo Welch (2014) — Production Designer

Armed with a Bachelor of Architecture degree, Bo Welch began his design career in Los Angeles at a large architectural  firm. After 6 mind numbing months he was lured into the world of movie design…. » more

Victoria Alonso (2014) — Executive Vice President of Visual Effects and Post Production, Marvel Studios

Executive Producer Victoria Alonso is currently executive producing writer/director Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age of Ultron and Peyton Reed’s Antman for Marvel Studios, where she serves as Executive… » more

Jon Goldman (2015) — Venture Partner, Greycroft

Based in Los Angeles, Jon complements his Greycroft work through his continued involvement as Managing Partner for Skybound, the IP holder of The Walking Dead and other top IPs. Jon focuses on new… » more

Melissa Schneider (2015) — SVP Development and Production, New Form Digital

Melissa Schneider oversees all production and creative for New Form Digital’s projects. With an extensive background in both digital and traditional media, Schneider seeks out and cultivates emerging… » more

Matthew DiPietro (2015) — Twitch | VP of Marketing

Matthew is VP of Marketing and Communications at Twitch (www.twitch.tv), the world’s leading social video platform and community for gamers. Prior to Twitch, Matt launched and managed marketing for… » more

John Kuhn (2015) — Founder at P360

John Kuhn served twenty years in the U.S. Army special operations community before transitioning to the civilian sector in early 2014.  In 1999, he was selected for assignment to a special mission… » more

Al Lopez (2015) — VP of Creative Services, Stargate Studios

Al Lopez has worked in the VFX industry for nearly 20 years, however he began his career as an Industrial Designer. With a Bachelors of Science from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena,… » more

Warren Franklin (2015) — Producer

Warren Franklin, Producer, is a global leader of the animation and visual effects industry. As a founder and former CEO of Vancouver’s Rainmaker Entertainment he helped to create one of the leading… » more

Ted Schilowitz (2015) — Futurist, 20th Century Fox and CinemaVangelist, Barco

Ted was founding member, first employee, and integral part of the product development team at RED Digital Cinema, that has made a significant impact on the Motion Picture Industry, with many of the… » more

Jacki Morie (2015) — Founder / Chief Scientist, All These Worlds, LLC

Jacquelyn Ford Morie  With advanced degrees in both art and computer science, Dr. Morie has 25 years experience in developing innovative techniques for rich, emotionally evocative virtual reality (VR… » more

David Dozoretz (2015) — Director and Co-Founder, Platinum 360

DAVID DOZORETZ started his career in film at age 20 in the Art Department of George Lucas’ famed Industrial Light… » more

Jevon Phillips (2015) — Writer, Los Angeles Times

Jevon Phillips started at Variety in 1998, helping create the publication’s website. Once there, he also started a blog called Bags and Boards to cover genre news for the Comic-Con crowd. Moving to… » more

Chris Healer (2015) — CEO / CTO / VFX Supervisor, The Molecule

After finishing his film degree at CU Boulder, having built a 16mm projector out of legos and written a 3d graphics library for DOS, Chris Healer transitioned from web design to motion capture and 3d… » more

Andrew Wallenstein (2015) — Co-Editor-in-Chief, Variety

Andrew Wallenstein is Co-Editor-in-Chief of Variety. With the publication since 2011, he oversees daily and weekly coverage of the entertainment industry, with a focus on technology. Andrew worked at… » more

Jon Carnage (2015) — Live Programming Director, Twitch

Jonathan “Carnage” Joyce is the live programming director of Twitch (www.twitch.tv), the world’s leading video platform and community for gamers. His role involves working closely with publishers and… » more

Andres Garza (2015) — Staff Product Designer, Spin Master Ltd

Andres is a Staff Product Designer at Spin Master Ltd.  Over the past 10 years, he has been developing interactive robotic products for the toy industry.  Currently, Andres is the creative lead for… » more

Eric Bergez (2015) — Vice President Intuitive Aerial, Inc

Eric Bergez has two decades of expertise and achievement in the entertainment industry, including 16 years in postproduction leadership positions. He is an expert in workflow supervision, production… » more

Mark Bolas (2015) — Director, Mixed Reality Lab, ICT / Assoc. Professor, USC School of Cinematic Arts

Mark Bolas, Director of the Mixed Reality Lab at the Institute for Creative Technologies and an Associate Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, has been exploring presence and immersive… » more

Andrew Cochrane (2015) — Interactive and New Media Director, DFX Supervisor, Mirada Studios

Andrew Cochrane is a filmmaker currently working at Mirada, Guillermo del Toro’s independent studio. As a Digital Director and Technical Supervisor, Andrew offers a unique blend of creativity and… » more

Rachid El Guerrab (2015) — Technical Project Lead, Google/ATAP

Rachid El Guerrab is a Technical Project Lead for Google Spotlight Stories at ATAP/Google, where he specializes in immersive and interactive storytelling for mobile. Prior to his company being… » more

Dean Devlin (2015) — Founder/ President, Electric Entertainment

Devlin is Founder and President of Electric Entertainment and has forged a storied career as a wildly successful screenwriter, producer and director.  His first produced screenplay was Universal… » more

Sarah Malkin (2015) — Vice President of Programming, Maker Studios

Sarah Malkin serves as Vice President of Programming at Maker Studios, overseeing the development and acquisition of original content to be distributed across platforms.  She previously held the role… » more

Josh Scherr (2015) — Writer, Naughty Dog

Josh Scherr has been a staff writer at Naughty Dog since early 2014 and is currently co-writing UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END. Prior to his new role, he led the award-winning cinematics team for the… » more

Robert Stromberg (2015) — Founder / Chief Creative Officer, The Virtual Reality Company (VRC)

Robert is the 2-Time Academy Award winner for the production design on Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, and the Director of Disney’s Maleficent which has passed over $760MM in worldwide box office,… » more

Aruna Inversin (2015) — CG/VR Supervisor, Digital Domain

Aruna Inversin has been with Digital Domain for 9 years, and has been working in the visual effects industry for the past 18+ years.  Working all over world from Northern California, British Columbia… » more

Guido Voltolina (2015) — Head of Presence Capture, Nokia

Originally from Milan Italy Guido is currently Head of Presence Capture at Nokia Technologies, the division that announced the OZO camera. A veteran in display technologies Guido worked previously at… » more

Jon Karafin (2015) — Head of Light Field Video, Lytro

Jon Karafin is a production executive with expertise in technology innovation for live action cinema, VFX post-production, light field imaging, VR and AR. With a proven track record of new product… » more

David Rosenbaum (2015) — Creative Director, Jaunt

Director David Rosenbaum has an impressive background in visual storytelling. He began his career as an art director and later creative director at Academy Award-winning digital production studio… » more

Catherine Stephens (2015) — Director of Marketing and Communications, AwesomenessTV

Catherine Stephens is Director of Marketing and Communications at AwesomenessTV, a multi-platform media company entertaining the most influential generation – Gen Z.  Prior to AwesomenessTV,… » more

Christopher Lockhart (2015) — Story Editor, WME

Christopher Lockhart is a Story Editor at WME. In his role, Lockhart helps find projects that are suited for a variety of the agency’s clients. An award-winning filmmaker, Lockhart co-produced the… » more

Richard Winn Taylor II, VES (2015) — Creative Director, XLNT FX LLC

RICHARD W. TAYLOR II Richard has an extensive background in live action direction, production design, special effects, and computer generated images for theatrical films, television commercials,… » more

Francesco Grisi (2015) — Founder and Executive Producer, EDI

Francesco Grisi, born in 1971, after scientific studies decides to dedicate himself to his passion: photography. First in Italy, he works with some photographers from Naples, then in 1993 moves to… » more

Michael Jackson (2015) — Postvisualization Supervisor, HALON

Michael Jackson joined the HALON crew with 20 years of experience in the visual effects fields for companies like ILM, EA-LA, Dream Quest Images,Sony Imageworks and Walt Disney Imagineering. With… » more

Gilles Gaillard (2016) — CEO, Mikros Image

A graduate from the Ecole Nationale Louis Lumière in Paris, Gilles Gaillard began his career as a freelance artist creating artwork for TV channels such as Canal+ and Game One. Passionate about the… » more

Grant Anderson (2016) — Head of Studio, Jaunt Studios

Jaunt’s technology provides an end-to-end solution for creating cinematic VR experiences enabling a new generation of filmmakers working in VR. With the opening of Jaunt Studios, Anderson is looking… » more

Jacki Morie (2016) — Founder and CEO All These Worlds LLC

Dr. Jacquelyn Ford Morie has built her career around advancing technology to create meaningful, healthful and joy-giving experiences. Over the past 25 years she has developed multi-sensory techniques… » more

Jonah Greenberg (2016) — Managing Director, CAA China

Jonah Greenberg is the Managing Director of CAA China at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Based in Beijing, Greenberg and his colleagues represent many of the… » more

Nancy St John (2016) — Visual Effects Producer

Nancy St John St John was the Production side VFX Producer for Academy Award-winning films Babe and Gladiator and co-VFX Producer for the Academy Award nominee I-Robot.  Her filmography also… » more

Tom Sanocki (2016) — Founder and CEO of Limitless Ltd.

Tom Sanocki is the CEO of Limitless Ltd, a new VR startup that enables content developers to create interactive VR characters that respond to voice, gestures, gaze and more.  The technology is being… » more

Roy Taylor (2016) — Corporate Vice President / Head of Alliances, Radeon Technologies Group, AMD

Taylor is responsible for a global team managing all aspects of the AMD ecosystem and external relations. In his current role, Taylor manages AMD relations with Microsoft, Google, major games… » more

Thierry Coup (2016) — Senior VP, Universal Creative, Universal Parks & Resorts

Thierry Coup is the Senior Vice President for Universal Creative and executive in charge of media production for Universal Parks and Resorts. He has played an integral role in shaping the blockbuster… » more

Tim Alexander (2016) — Visual Effects Supervisor, ILM

Tim joined Industrial Light… » more

Jack Greasley (2016) — Head Of New Technology, The Foundry

Jack Greasley is The Foundry’s head of new technology and the original developer of MARI, a high-resolution 3D texture painting system used in movies, games and VR. After graduating from Bristol… » more

Mariana Acuna (2016) — Media & Production Creative Manager, The Foundry

Mariana is the Media… » more

Susan Beth Smith (2016) — Executive Producer, Media Producer

Susan Beth Smith orchestrates the creative, human and technological components of large scale, media-­‐ based and visual effects projects for theme parks, special venues and museums.  With an… » more

Sharon Calahan (2016) — Cinematographer

Sharon joined Pixar Animation Studios in 1994 as lighting supervisor on the studio’s first feature film, “Toy Story.” She then served as director of photography on “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2,” and… » more

Edward Grogan (2016) — Technical Director for Advanced Counter-terrorism Technologies, Department of Defense

Edward T. Grogan is in his 40th year of service in the Department of Defense. His eclectic career has evolved from engineering of civil and military tactical and strategic voice systems to his… » more

Apurva Shah (2016) — Head of Creative Technology, Capital One

Head of Creative Technology, Capital One Apurva Shah joined Capital One in spring 2016 to bring over two decades of animation, visual effects, games and computer graphics experiences with the goal of… » more

Mike Sanders (2016) — Senior Visual Director, Activision’s Central Studios

Mike Sanders is the Senior Visual Director for Activision’s Central Studios overseeing innovation in art, animation and production across Activision’s game franchises, most notably Call of Duty. … » more

Kevin Bruner (2016) — Co-Founder, Telltale, Inc.

Kevin co-founded Telltale, Inc., in 2004 to blend technology, creativity and production processes to create a new entertainment experience and define a new business model. Since its inception,… » more

Thad Beier (2016) — Director of Image Platform Workflow, Dolby Laboratories

Thad is the Director of Image Platform Workflow at Dolby Laboratories.  He is helping create high dynamic range and wide color gamut movies with breathtaking quality; both by helping create tools and… » more

Sam Richards (2016) — Visual Effects Design Manager, Walt Disney Imagineering

Sam Richards is a Visual Effects Design Manager for Walt Disney Imagineering. In his role, Sam develops the pipeline and projection mapping tools for WDI. The Visual Effects Design department… » more

Tom Kennedy (2016) — Head of Production, California Academy of Sciences Visualization Studio

Moderator Tom Kennedy is a veteran producer of feature film VFX and commercials.    In 2008, Tom transitioned back to his first love, creating science-driven films, including five award-winning full… » more

Dan Hammond (2016) — Business Development, Production Resource Group

Dan Hammond is considered to be a valuable technologist to the entertainment industry. Throughout his 30-year career, Dan has worked closely with many of Hollywood’s top story tellers and their crews… » more

Miles Perkins (2016) — VP of Marketing Communications, JauntVR

Miles Perkins has a wealth of experience in the fields of media communications, entertainment and emerging technologies.  Before coming to Jaunt Miles was a 23 year veteran of Lucasfilm where as Head… » more

Craig Barron (2016) — Creative Director for Magnopus

An Oscar winner for Best Visual Effects on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Craig has been an innovator in the cinematic illusion of creating environments for the past three decades and has… » more

Cliff Plumer (2016) — President, Jaunt VR

As President of Jaunt Studio, Cliff Plumer is responsible for the development of content and production at Jaunt. Prior to joining Jaunt, Cliff was an angel investor and advisor to Oculus Rift, a… » more

Paul Cameron, ASC (2016) — Cinematographer

Paul Cameron, ASC has worked on some of the most visually groundbreaking feature films of the past decade. He is currently shooting The Commuter starring Liam Neeson for director Jaume Collet-Serra…. » more

Chris Anderson (2016) — CEO, 3D Robotics

CEO of 3D Robotics and founder of DIY Drones. From 2001 through 2012, Chris was the Editor in Chief of Wired Magazine.  He is the author of the New York Times bestselling books “The Long Tail and… » more

Naida Albright (2016) — Owner-Producer, Conshimfee Productions Inc.

In 2007, Naida Albright opened up her own production and consulting company Conshimfee Productions Inc.. Naida acts as a Filmmaker Liaison and Advisor for Canon USA and their ad agency 360i for the… » more

Henry LaBounta (2016) — Chief Visual Officer, Zynga

Henry recently joined Zynga as Chief Visual Officer bringing together his 25+ years of entertainment experience in games, film visual effects, feature animation and television.  Most recently Henry… » more

Wally Pfister, ASC (2016) — Director / Cinematographer

Wally Pfister is an accomplished Director/Cinematographer who has spent more than two-thirds of his life behind the camera. Before focusing on a directing career he collaborated on seven films with… » more

Rex Grignon (2016) — Co-Founder and CCO of Nimble Collective

Co-Founder and CCO of Nimble Collective, Rex has animated on some of the top grossing animated films of all time: Toy Story, Shrek, and the Madagascars.  With Nimble Collective, he is working hard to… » more

Rich McBride (2016) — Visual Effects Supervisor

Rich McBride first joined Industrial Light… » more

Jason Schleifer (2016) — Animator, Leader, Character Technical Director and Workflow

Animator, leader, character technical director and workflow guy, Jason and his mad scientist eyebrows have been pushing the boundaries of CG Animation and sharing his knowledge for nearly 20 years.  He is currently Co-Founder and Head of Content for Nimble Collective.

Larry Fong, ASC (2016) — Director of Photography

Larry Fong was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. His interest in photography and film began in his teens with short films as well as animation and stop motion projects. He graduated from… » more

Karen Dufilho (2016) — Executive Producer, Google ATAP

Dufilho, Executive Producer at Google ATAP, has been developing and producing animation for renowned directors, studios and start-ups for more than 18 years. She is the producer of Academy Award® and… » more

Bruno Sargeant (2016) — Virtual Production Producer, Halon Entertainment

Bruno Sargeant is a Virtual Production Producer for Halon Entertainment and a founding member of the Virtual Production Committee. He started working in the field of Virtual Production in 2009 while… » more

Maxwell Planck (2016) — Co-Founder, Oculus Story Studio

Having started his career at Pixar as a technical director helping make computer animated films like Cars, Wall•e, Up, and Brave, Maxwell Planck left to seek out and develop the next generation of… » more

James Knight (2016) — Virtual Production Director, AMD

James Knight is a Virtual Production Director working for AMD, based in Los Angeles, CA.  In addition to being Performance Capture Supervisor on Columbia Pictures’ The Amazing Spiderman, he spent… » more

Shannon Jeffries (2016) — Production Designer

As an Art Director and Production Designer in film, I am tasked with the job of designing the visual story. Because the story is not a single moment, it is a sequential experience, I create the… » more

John Root (2016) — Co-Founder, VRLA

John Root has been specializing in motion capture, virtual production and digital humans for 25 years. He’s worked for such companies as Digital Domain, Image Movers Digital, Magic Leap, iD Software… » more

Habib Zargarpour (2016) — Director of Visuals Microsoft Studios Global Publishing

Habib joined Microsoft Studios in 2010 and is the Director of Visuals for Global Publishing. He has over 12 years of experience in visual effects for film and 13 years in the games industry. His… » more

Jill Smolin (2016) — Production Manager, Nokia Technologies

As a production manager at Nokia, Jill serves OZO, working with creators around the world of both live and offline productions, as well as the engineers who create OZO’s hardware and software… » more

Jimmy Maidens (2016) — Supervising Technical Director, Penrose Studios

Jimmy is a veteran CG filmmaker, having served as a technical lead and artist at Dreamworks for over 12 years on films such as the Shrek and Madagascar series. As a true CG generalist, Jimmy has wide… » more

Bruna Berford (2016) — Lead Animator, Penrose Studios

Bruna Berford is a VR Animator working for Penrose Studios, a startup based in San Francisco. At Penrose, Bruna helped bring to life the beautiful and unique Allumette, a VR film which held its World… » more

Devin Sterling (2016) — VP Global Operations, Long Form, Deluxe Creative Services

Devin Sterling designs and continually improves operational processes and maintains quality control for all of Deluxe Creative Services’ long form finishing work. This includes guiding technical… » more

Brett Ineson (2016) — President and CTO, Animatrik Film Design

Brett Ineson has close to 20 years’ experience in visual effects, 15 of which has been spent in the field of performance capture. Brett sits on the board of the Motion Capture Society. He has worked… » more

James Hattin (2016) — President, Creative Director, VFX Legion

James has over two decades of experience in the visual effects industry and has over a hundred visual effects credits, including: The Purge: Election Year, Hardcore Henry, Scandal, and How to Get… » more

Christopher Nichols (2016) — Director of Chaos Group Labs

CG Industry veteran Christopher Nichols is the Director of Chaos Group Labs. He can also be heard regularly as the host of the CG Garage podcast. With a background in both VFX and Design, Chris has… » more

Albert “Skip” Rizzo, Ph.D. (2016) — Director, Medical Virtual Reality – Institute for Creative Technologies

Albert “Skip” Rizzo is a clinical psychologist/neuropsychologist and Director of Medical Virtual Reality at the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies. He is also a… » more

Gawain Liddiard (2016) — Visual Effects Supervisor, The Mill

Gawain Liddiard is a VFX Supervisor at The Mill in Los Angeles where he works closely with clients and artists to deliver complex, innovative content. He also recently Co-Directed the first immersive… » more

Eve M. Cohen (2016) — Cinematographer

Eve M. Cohen is a cinematographer whose work ranges from independent feature films to television series, documentaries, and most recently cinematic virtual reality.  She entered into the world of… » more

Storytelling in VR (2017) — Moderator: Annmarie Koeing, Digital Supervisor, Penrose Studios

Discussion Topic: More and more people are using the capabilities of VR to let the viewer experiment with something new. However, films and VFX companies may see this as an opportunity to expand the… » more

Interactive Characters in AR/VR (2017) — Tom Sanocki, Founder / CEO, Limitless Ltd

Discussion Topic: After decades of promise, virtual reality is finally here. Storytellers are gravitating to this new medium with its promise of immersion, interaction, and emotional connection. How… » more

Storytelling in VR (2017) — Moderator: Bruna Berford, VR Lead Animator, Penrose Studios

Discussion Topic: More and more people are using the capabilities of VR to let the viewer experiment with something new. However, films and VFX companies may see this as an opportunity to expand the… » more

Photoreal Digital Actors in Movies, Games, and Virtual Reality (2017) — Moderator: Paul Debevec, Senior Staff Engineer, Google VR

Discussion Topic: In less than a decade, the ability to render a photorealistic animated human face has gone from being an unfathomable challenge to an enabling technology in feature films from… » more

Robert Legato (2017) — Visual Effects Supervisor

After a career in Television for Paramount Pictures, Rob Legato joined the newly formed Digital Domain, a visual effects company founded by James Cameron, Stan Winston and Scott Ross.  For Rob’s… » more

Crossover from Live Action VFX Films to AR/VR/Multi-Media (2017) — Moderator: Wayne Billheimer, ILM Executive Producer

Discussion Topic: The VFX World is the perfect training ground for the new (and not-so-new) kinds of screens and experiences people are craving: VR/AR/XR/Multi-Media/etc.  This roundtable will… » more

Telling Stories using Virtual Light, the Beauty & Challenges (2017) — Moderator: Danielle Feinberg, Director of Photography, Pixar

Discussion Topic: As a Director of Photography, working in the computer gives us so many options that the real world doesn’t have, but this power can be a great boon and sometimes a bust…sometimes… » more

Ava DuVernay (2017) — Director/Producer/Writer

Nominated for the Academy Award and eight Emmy Awards, winner of the BAFTA for Best Documentary and The Peabody Award, Ava DuVernay’s 13TH is one of the most critically-acclaimed films of 2016. In… » more

Jason Brenek (2017) — President, IMAX Home Entertainment

Jason Brenek joined IMAX Corporation in February 2015 as President, IMAX  Home Entertainment  where he oversees a series of global initiatives designed collectively to translate elements of The IMAX… » more

Nonny de la Peña (2017) — Founder / CEO, Emblematic Group

Nonny de la Peña is the founder and CEO of Emblematic Group, a leader in creating immersive virtual, mixed and augmented reality.  One of the most influential pioneers in VR, Nonny created walk… » more

Syd Mead (2017) — Visual Futurist and Conceptual Artist

Syd Mead is an acclaimed visual futurist and conceptual artist whose storied career spans almost six decades.  He was recognized by the Visual Effects Society’s Board of Directors as the recipient of… » more

Hemanshu (Hemu) Nigam (2017) — CEO, SSP Blue

Hemanshu “Hemu” Nigam has worked inside the largest prosecuting agencies, software companies, media and entertainment giants, and most influential trade associations in the world. Hemu served as the… » more

Gavin Miller (2017) — Head of Adobe Research & VP, Creative Intelligence Lab

Dr. Gavin Miller is the Head of Adobe Research and the Vice President of the Creative Intelligence Lab. As the Vice President of the Creative Intelligence Lab, Dr. Gavin Miller aims to create a… » more

Karin Joy (2017) — VFX Producer

Karin Joy is a freelance VFX Producer and Consultant.  She is currently working as the VFX Producer for Crazy Alien, a film currently shooting in Qingdao, China.  Last year she was the VFX Producer… » more

Christopher Lockhart (2017) — Story Editor at WME

Christopher Lockhart is Hollywood’s foremost story professional. As Story Editor at WME, the world’s largest diversified talent agency, Chris curates projects for A-list actors such as Denzel… » more

Vince Baertsoen (2017) — Group CG Director, The Mill

Vince Baertsoen is Group CG Director at The Mill, where he is responsible for overseeing the communication and development of the CG pipeline across all offices, working closely with The Mill’s Heads… » more

D’nardo Colucci (2017) — President and Co-Founder of The Elumenati, LLC

D’nardo Colucci is President and co-founder of The Elumenati, LLC (2003).  Aside from business related responsibilities, he is responsible for overall system design matching immersive projection… » more

Kevin Baillie (2017) — Conductor Technologies and Atomic Fiction

Kevin is a co-founder and VFX Supervisor at Atomic Fiction, an effects company with studios in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Montreal. In the 7 years since co-founding Atomic Fiction, he has… » more

Dominik Tarolli (2017) — Esri, Director, Global Business Development 3D Geodesign

Dominik is the Director for Global Business Development 3D Geodesign at Esri Inc. in Redlands (CA), where innovative 3D solutions for Esri’s customers are developed. He is instrumental in Esri’s… » more

Darren Hendler (2017) — Director Digital Human Group, Digital Domain

Darren Hendler is a 20-year veteran of the visual effects industry, where he has contributed his talents to more than 15 feature films and scores of commercials. In his current role at Digital Domain… » more

Evan Atherton (2017) — Sr. Research Engineer, Office of the CTO – Autodesk

Evan received his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and has been with Autodesk ever since. He currently serves as a Senior Research Engineer for… » more

Merging Realms: Art, Science & Social Awareness (2017) — Moderator: Drue Kataoka, Technology Artist

Discussion Topic: At this roundtable we’ll discuss current Virtual Reality tools for artists and creators.  Participants are welcome to bring examples of their VR artwork or experiments in this space… » more

Filming for VR: Hallelujah VR Music Experience (2017) — Moderator: Ariel Braunstein, Chief Product Officer, Lytro

Discussion Topic: Lytro has built the first ever production-ready Light Field video solution for Virtual Reality – Lytro Immerge.  This breakthrough system was recently used to produce Hallelujah,… » more

The Future of Machine Learning in Entertainment (2017) — Moderator: Kamal Mistry, Netflix Product Executive focused on Art & Technology

Discussion Topic: Machine Learning and Computer Vision algorithms are seeing greater adoption in Media… » more

Lynwen Brennan (2017) — EVP & General Manager | Lucasfilm, ILM & Skywalker Sound

As General Manager of Lucasfilm, Lynwen Brennan oversees all operational matters for Lucasfilm, Industrial Light… » more

Physical sets, RAPTURE Gear, Social Experience (2017) — Morderator: Cliff Plumer, CEO, THE VOID

Discussion Topic: We have yet to see true mass-consumer adoption of VR. In-home and mobile equipment is expensive and the experiences, while visually compelling, are isolating and limit movement…. » more

Modern VFX Production in the Cloud (2017) — Morderator: Kevin Baillie, Co-founder and VFX Supervisor, Atomic Fiction

Discussion Topic: Deadpool, The Jungle Book and Pirates of the Caribbean are all poster children of the biggest leap forward for VFX… » more

“What AI Designers are learning from Film & Storytelling!” (2017) — Moderator: Apurva Shah, Head of Creative Technology, Capital One

Discussion Topic: Films have given us some memorable AI characters like Maria, HAL, Rachel, R2D2, Iron Giant, Agent Smith, Wall-E and many more. These characters, or at least the complex dynamics… » more

THE BAY LIGHTS, Villareal Studio | Public Artworks (2017) — Moderator: Amy Critchett, Executive Producer of Public Artworks for Leo Villareal

Dicussion Topic: In leading the development and management of Leo Villareal’s largest artwork to date THE BAY LIGHTS, Amy built community, grew international awareness and assembled a world-class… » more

David Altenau (2017) — FuseFX CEO

David Altenau is the original founder of FuseFX, and is also the CEO and senior Visual Effects Supervisor. Altenau has been in the visual effects industry for over 25 years and his work has garnished… » more

Douglas Trumbull, VES (2017) — Visionary Filmmaker, Innovator and Entrepreneur

Visionary filmmaker, innovator and entrepreneur, Douglas Trumbull has enjoyed a long and prestigious technological and creative career in filmmaking and entertainment technologies. Following his… » more

Joe Letteri (2017) — Senior Visual Effects Supervisor

Joe Letteri’s pioneering work on digital visual effects has earned him four Academy Awards® for Best Visual Effects on Avatar, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return… » more

John Mariella (2017) — Senior Production Consultant – SideFX

A visual effects and animation veteran of over 25 years, John has worn many hats in a broad range of film and TV productions as a VFX artist, animation director, technical director, producer, and… » more

Marc Petit (2017) — General Manager, Unreal Enterprise (Epic Games)

As General Manager of the Enterprise business, Marc oversees growth of Epic Games’ Unreal Engine business into markets outside of game development. Prior to joining Epic Games in mid-2016, Marc was a… » more

Scott Farrar, ASC (2017) — Visual Effects Supervisor / Second Unit Director – ILM

Scott Farrar joined Industrial Light… » more

Todd Masters (2017) — President/Founder/Chief Monster Maker – MASTERSFX

Todd Masters is the President/Founder and Chief Monster Maker with MASTERSFX, one of the world’s leading, full-service character FX companies. With studio locations in Los Angeles, Vancouver and… » more

Vincent Brisebois (2017) — Senior Technical Marketing Manager at NVIDIA

Recently joining NVIDIA, Vincent oversees developer marketing for Design, Visualization and Professional VR. Previously VP of Product Development at DAZ3D, he spearheaded integrating physically based… » more