Madison Wackerman WSr Producer, Office of Technology Enablement
The Walt Disney Studios

Madison Wackerman is a Sr. Producer of immersive entertainment at The Walt Disney Studios. She recently played an active role in the Apple Vision Pro launch portfolio for The Walt Disney Company and produced the Disney+ immersive environments for the headset. Prior to the Studios, Madison was Lead Producer at Floor 84 Studio where she delivered projects across various gaming and R&D platforms. At Walt Disney Imagineering, she produced location-based entertainment for the Disney parks as well as children’s hospitals internationally. In her spare time Madison loves the theater and has worked as a director and a vocal arranger, most notably as a vocal arranger for the national Sesame St. Live - Let's Dance! tour.

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Alan Lasky Creative Technologist

Alan Lasky is a highly accomplished media professional with an extensive track record of developing, delivering, and selling new technologies within the media/entertainment and virtual reality sectors. Some of the technologies Alan has been instrumental in bringing to markets include LIDAR, high resolution digital acquisition, and 3D camera tracking among others. Alan is currently taking a deep-dive into Generative AI for Media.

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John Underkoffler Treadle & Loam, Provisioners LLC
Principal

John Underkoffler is principal of Treadle & Loam, Provisioners LLC and is one of the world’s leading user interface (UI) designers. As a founding researcher at the MIT Media Lab (mid 1980s through late 1990s) he was responsible for innovations in optical and electronic holography, large scale visualization and interaction techniques, and the I/O Bulb and Luminous Room systems. In the early 2000s he contributed pivotal elements to films including Minority Report, Hulk (Ang Lee’s), Aeon Flux, and the first and third Iron Man entries. Subsequently John founded the technology firm Oblong Industries to bring the spatial and gestural interface ideas he’d designed for Minority Report into commercial reality; today he is at work on a radically new operating system called Animist. He is the recipient of the 2015 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award and holds a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Adam Simon Co-Creator and Executive Producer
Salem

Adam Simon is Co-Creator and Executive Producer of Salem and Hulu’s Clive Barker’s Books of Blood and Co-Executive Producer of Fox’s rogue AGI show NeXt. His feature films include The Haunting in Connecticut and Bones. He has written, developed and consulted for James Cameron, Oliver Stone, John Boorman, John Schlesinger, John Woo, John Landis and Jackie Chan among others. His documentaries for BBC, Channel Four and the Independent Film Channel - The Typewriter, the Rifle and The Movie Camera and The American Nightmare – were featured at the Sundance, Toronto, Berlin and London film festivals and won Cable- Emmys and the IDFA Special Jury Award for Feature Documentary. His early plays with Tim Robbins and The Actors Gang have been staged in L.A., Chicago, New York’s Public Theater and the Main Stage of the Edinburgh Festival. His career began with Roger Corman for whom he wrote and directed cult-classics Brain Dead (1990) and Carnosaur (1993). Educated at Harvard University, University of Paris III and The Seminar of Christian Metz at E.H.E.S.S. and The University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, he teaches Master Classes in screenwriting for the University of Pittsburgh/UCL Birkbeck College’s London Film Program and teaches World Building for Screenwriting as a Lecturer at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

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James Blevins Co-Founder
MESH

James has been enabling storytellers for over 25 years. His most recent projects include creating the virtual art department for Coppola’s Megalopolis and Post Production Supervisor for Lucasfilm's “The Mandalorian”. Under his own banner, MESH (Co-Founder) has been able to apply cutting edge media and entertainment technologies to unique programming, taking advantage of advancements in augmented reality and hybridized virtual production environments. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Hollywood Professional Association and of the Editors guild. He serves on the advisory committees for FBRC and Sohonet and is a participating member of the Science and Technology Committee of the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences. His credits also include, Icarus, Quincy, Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday, Waterworld and the original Space Jam to name a few. James makes Los Angeles his home.

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Christopher Nichols Director of Special Projects
Chaos

Christopher Nichols is a veteran of the Visual Effects industry with over three decades of experience in Computer Graphics. He is currently the Director of Special Projects at the Chaos Innovation Lab, where he spearheads cutting-edge initiatives at the intersection of creativity and technology. Christopher also hosts the popular CG Garage podcast, where he engages with industry experts to explore the latest advancements in Computer Graphics.

As part of the Lab, Christopher has been working on integrating ray tracing into virtual production for over a decade, culminating in the development of Chaos' Project Arena. He served as the producer on Ray Tracing FTW, the first proof of concept for Project Arena, showcasing the transformative potential of this innovative technology.

Christopher holds a BA in Mathematics and Fine Arts from Colgate University and a Master’s in Architecture from Rice University. With a diverse background spanning VFX and Architecture, he has worked for leading firms such as Gensler, Digital Domain, Sony Imageworks, and Method Studios. His film credits include Maleficent, Oblivion, and Tron: Legacy.

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Richard Crudo Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
ASC

Richard Crudo, ASC's lengthy resume includes many notable feature films. Among them are Federal Hill, American Buffalo, American Pie, Down To Earth, Outside Providence, Grind, Out Cold, Brooklyn Rules and most recently, The Weight. On the television side, he has photographed numerous episodes of FX Network's Justified, The CW’s Jane the Virgin, MTV's Awkward and CBS's SWAT. He has also contributed to such series as Good Girls Revolt and Doubt (Amazon), Greenleaf (OWN), Sweet Vicious (MTV) and NCIS, Tommy and Why Women Kill (CBS).

Mr. Crudo shot the pilot episode of Federal Hill: The Beginning. Executive Produced by Terence Winter (creator of Boardwalk Empire and Tulsa King, writer\producer of The Sopranos & The Wolf of Wall Street), it saw him reunited with longtime collaborator, writer\director Michael Corrente. He also shot the pilot episode of Executive Producer David E. Kelley's ABC series, Avalon.

He is a six-term Past President of the American Society of Cinematographers and served for three years as a Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is a frequent lecturer at universities and a regular contributor to American Cinematographer magazine and other industry publications.

He is also a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and in 2007 was made a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.

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Jared LeClaire Creative Developer
Fuse Technical Group

Jared is a seasoned creative technologist and enthusiastic maker with over a decade of professional experience bridging technical and creative disciplines across a variety of entertainment markets.

Collaborating closely with producers, directors, engineers, and artists, Jared has successfully pioneered innovative solutions for numerous technical and creative challenges in film & TV productions, live performances, themed entertainment, architecture, and corporate events. Jared’s credits include projects for Universal Pictures, NASA, MTV, Meta, MDLBeast, HBO, Princess Cruise Lines, and Netflix.

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Carin Mazaira Marketing Manager
Leica Geosystems

Carin Mazaira is a seasoned Marketing Manager in the Media and Entertainment industry. With over 8 years of experience, Carin honed her skills in relationship building, campaign management and brand strategy. She spearheaded cross-promotional efforts, achieving measurable impact in revenue and brand engagement at previous companies like Netflix and Disguise. Now at Leica Geosystems, Carin leads marketing strategies for the M&E division, effectively driving product awareness for LiDAR scanners within the industry.

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Jamie Featherston Sales Manager
Leica Geosystems

Jamie has a diverse history of success within the entertainment industry, with expertise in streaming distribution, film production and VFX services. Over the past 10 years, Jamie has honed his skills in business development and sales to close deals that drive projects forward, including films like Napoleon, Nope, and Hocus Pocus 2, among others. At Leica Geosystems, Jamie helps connect people in the M&E space with the LiDAR solutions they need to streamline productions and accurately capture valuable data.

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Erik “Wolfie” Wolford Founder and CEO
Wolf Team Productions

Erik “Wolfie” Wolford is an accomplished cinematographer / director of photography known for his expertise in beauty lighting, cinematic scenes, and innovative LED wall/volume setups, with work that spans feature films, narrative TV, commercials, and documentaries. As founder and CEO of Wolf Team Productions, Wolfie brings together top-tier industry talent to deliver exceptional film and media productions. A leader in the virtual production space, he is frequently called upon as a key presenter and guest lecturer for industry events and educational forums. Based in Hollywood, he caters to a diverse global clientele, often traveling to remote corners of the world such as Budapest, Tanzania, Antarctica, and Mount Everest to create visually stunning footage.

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Anthony Vietro Cinematographer & Director
Criminal Minds: Evolution, Animal Kingdom

Anthony Vietro is an experienced cinematographer and director with a rich background in both film and television. He has worked as the director of photography on projects like Criminal Minds: Evolution and Animal Kingdom and directed the feature film Collusions (2018). Anthony’s career also includes hands-on roles as a key grip on acclaimed productions such as 24 and Shameless. With his extensive hands-on experience, Anthony offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of film and television production.

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Tim S. Kang Principal Engineer for Imaging Applications
Aputure

Tim S. Kang, a career cinematographer, serves as Aputure’s Principal Engineer for Imaging Applications. He also chairs the Lighting Committee in the ASC's Motion Imaging Technology Council. Tim earned a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and an MFA in Cinematography from the American Film Institute Conservatory. He is an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers, and a member of IATSE Local 728.

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Dash Escrofani Business Development Representative & Wireless DMX Consultant
Aputure

Dash Escrofani is a technical sales consultant, technical trainer, lighting console programmer, and cinema lighting technician that has worked in the entertainment industry since 2013 and the film industry since 2019. Originally from Southern California, he currently contracts as a Business Development Representative and Wireless DMX consultant for Aputure. With a background working on indie features, commercials, live events, and music videos and an undergraduate degree in Digital Media Studies from Claremont McKenna College, he spends way too much of his free time in film industry facebook groups answering technical questions about lights and wireless DMX solutions. He has a passion for helping creative storytellers and technical professionals learn skills and find solutions and for their technical visual communication challenges.

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Grant Keller Co-Founder & CEO
Davant Systems

Fascinated by the intersection of technology and creativity, Grant has crafted user experiences for world-class websites, safeguarded rare deep-sea specimens, and visualized spacecraft for NASA JPL. A two-time Regional Emmy winner for his work in film and television, Grant leads Davant in bringing the transformative potential of generative AI image tools to creative professionals everywhere.

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David Shorey Co-Founder, Davant Systems

With over 25 years in VFX, David’s deep understanding of post-production fuels his innovative approach to technology. A pioneer in 3D printing on fabric, he transformed techniques in fashion and wearable art. Always on the cutting edge of research for Davant, he channels his passion for photography and fine art into making AI-assisted tools accessible and empowering for all.

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Ramki Sankaranarayanan Founder and CEO
Prime Focus Technologies

Ramki Sankaranarayanan is an accomplished executive with a track record of driving growth and innovation in entertainment digitization within the Media & Entertainment (M&E) sector. With over 30 years of experience, Ramki brings a unique blend of technical expertise, customer focus, and business acumen to his role as Founder and Global CEO of Prime Focus Technologies (PFT).

As CEO, Ramki oversees product innovation and the technology roadmap within PFT, ensuring the company is at the forefront of industry developments. Under his leadership, PFT has pioneered M&E Vertical AI over the last 7 years with groundbreaking AI innovations re-imagining the content supply chain with AI everywhere. He is also the Executive Sponsor for top accounts, providing leadership and guidance to ensure the success of key partnerships. Ramk’s leadership is anchored in a clear and compelling vision for PFT—to continue to be at the forefront of industry developments and lead the way in transforming the industry through cutting-edge technology and exceptional customer service.

Before founding PFT, Ramki was CEO of Subex Technologies & the General Manager at Tata Elxsi. With a bachelor’s degree in engineering from BITS Pilani, India, and an MBA from SPJain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai, India. Ramki has the technical and business knowledge necessary to drive success in today’s rapidly evolving technology landscape.

Ramki is based in Los Angeles, California.

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Hanno Basse CEO
Stability AI

Oscar-winning visual effects specialist Craig Barron has spent his career evolving visual effects into new and immersive experiences.

Joining Magnopus in 2014, he’s been helping to shape the future of virtual and augmented reality in filmmaking and beyond. Starting out at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), he played a part in the visual effects for films such as The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. He then went on to produce VFX for feature films, commercials, television, computer games and IMAX from his own studio, Matte World Digital. It was there he worked on Zodiac, Alice in Wonderland, and Hugo.

Over the years, Craig has contributed to the visual effects on more than 100 films, bringing artistic visions to life for Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, and Tim Burton to name a few. He received an Emmy Award for his work on By Dawn's Early Light, and an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects on Batman Returns. In 2009, he won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

At Magnopus, Craig has led the creative team on numerous award-winning projects, including the original short film Remembering for Disney+ which was produced using virtual production techniques.

Craig is a film historian, museum exhibit curator, and educator with a focus on the history of visual effects in classic films—from Hollywood’s studio age to the modern era.

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Simran Butalia Senior Solutions Architect
Twelve Labs

Simran Butalia is a seasoned executive with over two decades of experience driving business growth at the intersection of media, technology, and entertainment. Currently serving as a Senior Solutions Architect for Twelve Labs, Simran specializes in helping organizations navigate the complexities of digital transformation. His leadership has led to innovative solutions that empower clients to optimize their operations, elevate audience engagement, and scale their businesses effectively.

Throughout his career, he has cultivated long-standing relationships with key stakeholders in the media and entertainment ecosystem, contributing to transformative projects and revenue growth. Simran is a recognized thought leader in the industry, and is passionate about leveraging cutting-edge technologies to solve complex challenges and advance the future of storytelling.

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Xaver Walser Co-Founder & CEO
PRODUCER

PRODUCER was born of the believe that there must be a better way to produce content for the commercial and film sector. Xaver experiences this first hand in his everyday work as a film director for large brands such as Breitling, Mercedes and Audi. PRODUCER is the result of 20 years of suffering painful processes while creating content. Xaver CEO, drives an amazing team with passion and leads by example.

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Paul-Émile Joëssel Co-Founder & CTO
PRODUCER

Paul-Émile Joëssel, with 9 years of software development understood how PRODUCER could transform lives and through technology bring a much needed work flow to the content creation industry. The founders struck the perfect balance between understanding what the industry needs, while building scalable software. Paul-Émile, CTO, leads PRODUCER’s technology team with vision and a feel for aesthetics.

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Bill Baer Global Director Business Development
Support Partners

Bill, is a seasoned expert who has been navigating the media, entertainment, and marketing industries for nearly 20 years! With a career that spans Fortune 500 giants, major industry players, and innovative startups.

Bill brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to tackle the industry's core challenges—whether they involve streaming cat videos or producing blockbuster films!

A computer scientist by trade and a video editor by hobby, Bill has somehow managed to merge his love for tech with his passion for storytelling. He’s held cool titles like CTO of Media and Entertainment at IBM, Co-Founder of the British Broadcasting Corporation's Technology Group, and Head of Technology and Managing Director at Siemens. He’s even been the National Industry Director of Media and Communications at Microsoft. And now, he’s taken his talents to Support Partners as their Global Director of Business Development—because why stop at one cool title when you can have several?

Bill considers himself fortunate to have played a role in over 40 projects across the media landscape, collaborating with studios, broadcasters, gaming companies, advertising agencies, sports organizations, and publishing houses. In other words, if it involves media, Bill has likely been there, done that, and probably has the T-shirt-no guarantee it still fits!

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Alexx Henry CEO
BlueVishnu

Alexx Henry is the CEO of BlueVishnu and a pioneer in 3D scanning and digital human technology. With a background as an award-winning director and celebrity photographer, Alexx has dedicated his career to advancing the accessibility and potential of 3D scanning. At BlueVishnu, he leads initiatives to combine 3D scan technology with AI-powered tools that analyze and interpret scan data, laying the groundwork for creating transformative digital human applications. BlueVishnu’s vision includes scaling 3D datasets to unlock actionable insights that empower individuals to better understand and engage with their own bodies.

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Ed Ulbrich CCO & President of Production
Metaphysic

Ed Ulbrich, Chief Content Officer and President of Production at Metaphysic, the industry leader in AI technologies for AI-generated content creation across film, TV, music, advertising, and live entertainment. With over 25 years in entertainment, Ed is an award-winning producer and pioneer in virtual human performances and advanced visual effects. Previously CEO of Digital Domain and President of Method Studios, Ed has executive produced VFX for films like Top Gun: Maverick, Avengers: Infinity War, and Black Panther. Ed's expertise spans from groundbreaking visual effects to cutting-edge AI applications in entertainment.

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Pinar Seyhan Demirdag Co-founder
Cuebric

Pinar Seyhan Demirdag is a globally recognized AI expert, creative technologist, and industry pioneer, shaping the future of AI-driven creativity. As LinkedIn Learning’s first Generative AI expert and instructor, her courses—translated into six languages—have garnered over two million views and 100,000+ five-star reviews.

Co-founder of Cuebric, born from Seyhan Lee, the world’s first Creative AI production company, Pinar has reimagined storytelling and the creation of 3D worlds with AI tools, simplifying the process of bringing ideas from concept to screen in real time. She also produced the world’s first generative AI VFX for a feature film and earned the prestigious D&AD Award for the first generative AI commercial.

A sought-after thought leader, Pinar has appeared on CBS’s 60 Minutes and global stages such as Bloomberg Screen Time, SXSW, TEDx, Siggraph, and Harvard University. Previously, she founded a successful creative technology studio in Europe, developed an eponymous IKEA collection, and partnered with Google Brain to create a tool democratizing AI art. Pinar continues to shape the global narrative on the conscious and ethical use of AI and how humans remain relevant in the age of AI.

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Dan Duran Head Supervisor of Post Production and Workflow
RED Digital Cinema

Dan Duran has been with RED Digital Cinema since 2007. He is the face of many RED tech videos as well as RED’s head of post-production. Most recently, he's been on the front lines working with post facilities, rental houses, and production companies catering to their workflow needs and promoting best practices while utilizing RED cameras and RAW 8K footage. He has experience supporting production and post ranging from commercials and music videos to episodic and features. Dan Duran is currently based at RED Studios in Hollywood, CA.

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Jules Urbach CEO
OTOY

Jules Urbach sets the strategic vision for OTOY and is the chief architect of the company’s technology roadmap. Jules is widely hailed as a pioneer in computer graphics, streaming, and 3D rendering, with over 25 years of industry experience. He built his first game at age 18 and went on to make the web’s first 3D video game platform, licensing the software to Macromedia, Disney, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon, Microsoft, Hasbro, and AT&T. His life’s work has been to revolutionize 3D content capture, creation, and delivery.

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Djordje “DJ” Stijepovic Product Specialist
stYpe

Djordje "DJ" Stijepovic is a Product Specialist of the US stYpe team. After a successful music career, DJ joined stYpe in 2019 to explore the world of virtual production. He took on the role of expanding and developing the business with camera tracking and object tracking systems, also rendering solutions developed for Unreal Engine known as StypeLand, GreenKiller and StypeLandXR. These innovative tools are designed to enhance the production process across film, television, and advertising, enabling content creators to build immersive worlds with precise tracking and rendering capabilities. DJ has worked on significant sporting events for the NFL and NBA; and participated in notable projects such as Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special, the Voice w/ Coldplay, BTS and Maneskin, SuperBowl After party w/ Foo Fighters, and many others.

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Nolan Kearney Head of Capture
Global Objects

Nolan stands out at Global Objects as a deeply technical photogrammetrist and 3D capture technician. His background is rich with experiences that emphasize his technical prowess, particularly in gaffing for companies like Bank of America and Coca-Cola and overseeing studio operations and technical repairs at 718 Studios. These roles have honed his skill in navigating the technical challenges of film and video production, from equipment troubleshooting to ensuring the highest quality in client deliverables. His role at Global Objects leverages this extensive technical background, contributing significantly to the company’s innovative projects in digital replication and 3D capture.

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Ryan Wellence 3D Capture Technician
Global Objects

Ryan is a 3D Capture Technician at Global Objects, specializing in structured-light scanning, LiDAR, and photogrammetry. Born in Buffalo, NY, he graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2023 with a degree in Filmmaking, and studying imaging science. Ryan has also gained extensive experience in various technical roles, including Digital Imaging Technician and Colorist.

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Nathan Bazley Co-Founder & CTO
PRODUCER

Nathan Bazley is the Global Director of Business Development for NantStudios, the world’s first real time-native, full service studio. His career started with more than a decade producing TV programs for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation before jumping into the world of XR technologies & Virtual Production. Since then, he has produced a number of award-winning AR and VR apps, built a production technology consulting group, and worked alongside international studios, technology companies, governments and producers to establish innovative projects, build relationships & provide strategic advice around virtual production, content innovation and growth. Now with NantStudios, he is working to ensure NantStudios remains the world’s best creative partner in technology-enabled production, from concept development to real-time content creation; LED volume design to on-set operations.

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Brian Doman Virtual Production Supervisor
Fuse Technical Group

Brian Doman is a Virtual Production Supervisor with extensive experience in film and television production. His post-production work includes technically ambitious films such as Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” and his Virtual Production projects include “Avengers: Endgame” and “The Mandalorian, Season One.” Brian excels in translating filmmakers’ creative visions into practical production techniques, ensuring repeatable successes on set and anticipating the needs of the post-production teams responsible for finishing shots. His approach ensures that every key stakeholder in creative direction, including the Director, Cinematographer, VFX Supervisor, and Art Director, is equipped with all the tools necessary to effectively execute their vision.

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A.J. Wedding Founder and CCO
Orbital Studios

A.J. Wedding merges storytelling and technology as the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Orbital Studios. Drawing from his extensive background as a producer and director, A.J. brings a unique filmmaker's perspective to virtual production, where he's helping shape the future of visual storytelling. His work as Virtual Production Supervisor spans dozens of commercials, films, and television series, including Snowfall, Justified, and History's Greatest Heists, where he combines creative vision with innovative technology to enhance the art of visual storytelling.

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Renard T. Jenkins President
SMPTE, i2a2 LLC

Renard Jenkins is the President and CEO of I2A2 Technologies, Studios and Labs, a technology R&D and content creation firm focused on building ethically responsible solutions across Media and Entertainment, Marketing and Research, Education, and Healthcare. He is an experienced content creator and creative technology executive in the Film, Television and Radio industry. Jenkins is a SMPTE Fellow and also currently serves as President of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. He sits on the board of the Hollywood Professionals Association, the Advisory Board of Exceptional Minds. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The Television Academy, Siggraph and a former board member of MovieLabs. He is a recipient of numerous awards, including two national Emmys, a Peabody, 2 Headliners, a 2020 Broadcasting and Cable Technology Leadership award. Jenkins was also awarded the Innovator of the Year award in 2017 for his cutting-edge work and accomplishments in UHD, HDR, NGA and supply chain technology through the PBS Advanced Format Center and other industry activities.

He has held Executive roles across the Media and Entertainment industry. He served as Warner Bros. Senior Vice President, Production Integration & Creative Technology Services [PICTs] where he oversaw global teams that supported 23,500 plus cast/crew members, 8,500 plus content hours and hundreds of global feature film, animation, and syndicated television productions annually. Prior to rejoining WarnerMedia and Warner Bros., Jenkins served as Vice President, Operations, Engineering & Distribution at PBS, where he was responsible for the strategic direction, technology development, engineering, and operational management of PBS’s entire media-supply chain. He has also worked for TV One, Discovery, ESPN, NBA Ent., MLB, NFL and Turner Broadcasting where he received multiple awards for his work in Film & Television Production, Postproduction and R&D.

He is a champion and advocate for ethics, inclusion, innovation, diversity, equity, acceptance, accessibility, and the removal of harmful bias wherever possible in the technology and media industry.

He is also a certified sound engineer, AI/ML engineer/practitioner and application designer. He is passionate about the visual arts and when time permits, he loves to provide pro bono location sound, live mixing, studio recording, post-production and finishing services for aspiring filmmakers, animators, and musicians. His family motto is “In all things integrity and integrity in all things."

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Vitaliy Vaysberg Advisor and Consultant in M&E
Paramount Studio TechOps

Currently self-employed as M&E Advisor & Consultant - specializing in content strategy, audience engagement, and market positioning to drive growth and innovation. Prior, spent 15 years as VP of TechOps and Studio Systems at Paramount Pictures, bridging the gap between technology and business units like: World Wide Technical Operations (Digital and Physical Archives, Mastering, Localization and Distribution), Marketing and Feature Post, Animation Production, Studio Operations and Security, Special Events. Co-inventor of innovative technical solutions for digital content preservation, packaging and distribution.

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Leonard Arul Director - M&E and Telco Solutions
Microsoft

Leonard Arul is the Director of Business Strategy at Microsoft, where he leads strategic AI initiatives and solutions for the Media and Telco Industry. In his role, he has been involved in various innovation projects including Azure AI servers. With over 15 years of experience in the Media and Entertainment sector, Leonard has a deep understanding of production and distribution workflows. Before joining Microsoft, he worked at Walt Disney Studios as a Principal Engineer, driving innovation and providing cutting-edge technology solutions for digital content pipelines.

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Denys Krasnikov Co-Founder
Vidby.AI

AI professional in translation technologies with 10 years of experience; he started his startup projects after graduating from the Innovations in Economic Development Program at Harvard University in 2014, many years before the artificial intelligence boom. Denys has invested his time and money in developing breakthrough life-changing technologies of accurate AI localization of video and audio content and real-time voice translation solutions. Recently, at the SMPTE Summit Hollywood, he presented his R&D results of AI translation technology with accurate conveying of emotions and cultural nuances.

Denys is a Y Combinator School ’2019 Alumni; Ph.D., an executive member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, a member of the Hollywood Professional Association, and a vice president of the Ukrainian League of Industrialists & Entrepreneurs.

In 2023, he was selected as a United Nations Consultant and Contractor for AI localization of educational content.

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Edward Dawson-Taylor Co-Founder, Head of School
CG PRO

Edd has deep hands-on and supervisory experience in the CG world. He has worked for the likes of ILM, Disney, MPC and Digital Domain on blockbuster movies such as; Jurassic World, The Lion King, and Jungle Book. As an artist and supervisor in movies, TV and interactive, Edd has worked across multiple disciplines, from creatures to environments. Widely recognized as an artist and cutting-edge technologist, he has led teams of artists and developers in creating beautiful worlds, and enhancing CG software and pipelines. As a pioneer in the world of Virtual Production, Edd co-founded the school CG Pro, where he creates and teaches dynamic live courses focused on Unreal Engine, VFX tools and the emerging world of Virtual Production. Edd also runs Edge Visual Studios, a cutting edge and highly creative real time facility, as well as co-founder of the non-profit CG Empowers, which helps underserved communities gain access to the skills needed to thrive.

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Jacqueline Cooper Founder, Head of Production and Community
CG PRO

Jackie’s work as a VFX artist and supervisor is widely recognized in the industry, recently becoming an Epic Fellow. She contributed to many top grossing films such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II, Tron and Jurassic World. Her extensive roster of credits include film, music videos, live events, and commercials. Within CG Pro, as a co-founder, she is deeply involved in curriculum development, community building, producing, and assisting students in finding rewarding positions that take advantage of their newly acquired skills. As a co-founder of CG Empowers, Jackie facilitates opportunities to educate diverse communities.

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Oz Krakowski CBDO
Deepdub

Oz Krakowski is leading Deepdub's business development and strategic sales and has overseen the localization of hundreds of hours of scripted and unscripted content into multiple languages using Deepdub's groundbreaking AI-powered localization platform. From dubbing theatricals, award-winning indie films, the first ever dubbed scripted drama on Hulu ("Vanda") to unscripted content like reality show "Hardcore Pawn" and docu-crime "Forensic Files", Oz has been fostering collaborations and partnerships with studios and content owners around the globe, he is also a member of the DEG Awards Planning Committee. Deepdub is the only AI dubbing company that is TPN Gold-shield and GDPR certified and has recently launched the Deepdub GO platform, enabling content owners and dubbing studios access to the most advanced AI dubbing platform and tools to maintain full control over the process. Oz is a serial entrepreneur and before joining Deepdub was co-founder of a startup in the healthcare market. He lives in Dallas Texas for the past 16 years where he completed his Executive MBA program at Southern Methodist University.

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Erik Ramberg Head of Global Business Development
Mediakind

Paul-Émile Joëssel, with 9 years of software development understood how PRODUCER could transform lives and through technology bring a much needed work flow to the content creation industry. The founders struck the perfect balance between understanding what the industry needs, while building scalable software. Paul-Émile, CTO, leads PRODUCER’s technology team with vision and a feel for aesthetics.

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Eliot Mack Lightcraft Technology
CEO

Eliot Mack started his career as a mechanical engineer, crashing composite vehicles at the University of Michigan and MIT. He got his first taste of the entertainment industry designing a 5 ton walking dinosaur robot at Walt Disney Imagineering's R&D group.

Moving to the opposite scale of the robotics spectrum, he joined iRobot as the lead designer of the original Roomba, the world's first successful home robot.

In 2004, having had his fill of chasing dust bunnies, Eliot followed his interests in visual effects and motion tracking and founded Lightcraft Technology. By applying real time robotics technology to the motion picture industry, he went on to create the Emmy Award-winning Previzion and Halide FX virtual studio systems.

In 2018, he teamed up with Avid founder Bill Warner and CTO Greg Cockroft to create the Jetset iOS virtual production app for a new era of visual storytelling.

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Barnus Csutak VP Producer / Neural Image Reconstruction Specialist
Global Objects

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Michael Rubloff Founder
RadianceFields.com

Michael Rubloff is the founder of RadianceFields.com and a leading expert in Radiance Field based technologies, such as Gaussian Splatting and Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs).

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Conrad Curtis Co-Founder
Virtual Production Partners

Conrad Curtis is the Co-Founder of Virtual Production Partners and an Assistant Director in the Directors Guild of America. Conrad has made significant contributions to democratized VP workflows with a focus on Pre-Production for films like Blink Twice.

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Rachel Joy Victor Co-founder and CDO
FBRC.AI

Rachel Joy Victor is the co-founder of FBRC.AI, a company focused on creating AI-supported tools for the future of content production--from films to games to location-based experiences. Rachel's work as a designer, strategist, and worldbuilder for emerging technologies (XR/AI/web3) focuses on creating narrative, brand, and product experiences. She draws from her education in computational neuroscience and spatial economics to facilitate the creation of data-informed emergent experiences. Rachel’s clients have included Disney, HBO, Technicolor, Vans, Ford, Nike, Havas, Meow Wolf, Niantic, and many more. She is passionate about making technology accessible and has provided executive education for leading companies like NBC Universal, Activision, UGG, and Red Bull--in addition to being a speaker at leading industry events.

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Justin Diener CEO
Synapse Virtual Production

For over the past two decades, Justin has worked as an award-winning executive & line producer on feature films, music videos, commercials and branded content for some of the biggest global companies such as Paramount, Universal, Apple, Google, Pepsi, Anonymous Content and Caviar and collaborating with A-List directors the likes of Peter Berg, Doug Liman, Antoine Fuqua, Francis Lawrence, Ruben Fleischer, Marc Webb and more. Justin’s cultivated history of team leadership is reflected through his success with the world’s largest brands, production companies, creative agencies and studios.

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Alex Pearce Founder & CEO
Sim-Plates

Alex is a Creative Technologist and Car Process Virtual Production Supervisor.Recently he was the VP Supervisor for a Feature Film starring Al Pacino as well as the VP Supervisor for a Netflix TV series.

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Hardie Tankersley VP Visualization Solutions
Silverdraft

Hardie works with Silverdraft clients and partners to design and implement innovative uses of advanced 3D rendering and immersive storytelling. He is a long-time facilitator between Silicon Valley and Hollywood having lead product development for Apple, Yahoo, and FOX.

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JP Castel Chief Strategy Officer
Evercast

JP Castel is an independent producer who studied filmmaking at UCLA. He worked at Paramount Studios under legendary producer Robert Evans, and went on to produce several independent, award-winning projects including KRISHA (Festival de Cannes), INIT!ATION (SXSW 20), and MY ANIMAL (Sundance 23). In 2020, JP joined Evercast as a technical producer and now drives product initiatives and strategic partnerships as Chief Strategy Officer.

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Anthony Saenz SVP Technology
Publicis Groupe

Anthony Saenz is an accomplished technology executive with over 18 years of experience driving innovation and operational efficiency in global organizations. Currently serving as Senior Vice President of Technology at Publicis Groupe, Anthony leads transformative initiatives across a global network of production studios, delivering scalable technology solutions that enhance client experiences and operational excellence. His work includes the development of advanced content automation platforms and the strategic centralization of workflows and infrastructure to drive efficiency and revenue growth.

Previously, Anthony was the Global Director of Studio Technology at Omnicom Group, where he oversaw technology strategies across 40 studios worldwide. His leadership has been instrumental in designing innovative solutions such as unified technology stacks, global cloud infrastructures, and AI-driven content production workflows.

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Addy Ghani Vice President of Virtual Production
Disguise

As the VP of Virtual Production, Addy is immersed in Studio workflows and Industry standards for film and television production. Addy is building a Disguise creator community and strategies that will further the proliferation of Virtual Production across all tiers of M&E.

Prior to joining Disguise, Addy designed and built world class stages for DreamWorks, Verizon Media and NBCUniversal to help creatives visualize their dreams. Addy is well versed in realtime VFX and animation, as well as emerging formats like XR, AR and VR. He is an unofficial Unreal Engine Evangelist and a Fellow. Addy may go into depth on cinema lenses and color palettes of films.

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Brian Gaffney Vice President of Product
MTI Film

Experienced Creative Technologist and Business Development leader, currently the VP of Product at MTI FILM, Brian is focused on Production and Post Production using AI assist and automation. Skilled in Feature Films & Streaming content creation, digital media, streaming media, and content delivery. Strong business development professional background. Chair Emeritus and current member of SMPTE Hollywood. Member of TV Academy Sci-Tech peer group and head of Digital Media for the Arts Council of the Conejo Valley.

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