The VES holds events and screenings around the world in every VES Section, ranging from the annual Awards Gala to educational and anniversary affairs to pub nights produced by volunteers within the various VES Sections. Many of our screenings include Q&A panels with the visual effects teams who prove that we can create anything that can be dreamed up.

Past Speakers
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