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Key Dates for 2024 HPA Tech Retreat:

NEW SCHEDULE FOR 2024!

About the HPA Tech Retreat:

The Tech Retreat is unique among industry events, asking world-class leaders in engineering, technology, creativity and business to turn away from their day-to-day routines and gather to explore and experience the most compelling topics around the creation, management, and dissemination of content. This kind of focused, authentic discussion between experts happens nowhere else.

Ideas are rigorously explored and debated – not just during onstage presentations, but continuously throughout the event, from the golf tournament to breakfast roundtables and dinners, all the way through to nightcaps.

The HPA Tech Retreat provides trade and association services, namely, promoting the interests of the professional entertainment community in the fields of creation and finishing of motion pictures, television, commercials, digital media and other dynamic media content.

As a non-profit trade association, the HPA Tech Retreat is established to promote the interest of all parties in the entertainment industry. From studio executives to creatives, technologists to engineers, the HPA Tech Retreat provides answers, education, and resources to help shape the future of our industry.

What’s New for 2024?

THE HOTEL:  We’re Owning It.

We’re taking over! The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa is officially, entirely, 100% HPA Tech Retreat for the 2024 Tech Retreat. No non-Retreaters allowed. For the week of February 18, it will become a bustling, thriving nexus of action completely dedicated to bringing together the tech and creative communities. From Sunday’s golf tournament through the end of Thursday’s main program sessions, every inch of the venue will be a place to nurture Tech Retreat connections.

The room block is sold out but may have limited availability left on select days. More details here.

Sunday Funday

This year on Sunday, attendees can join a range of engaging networking activities including a golf tournament and welcome cocktail reception! Monday will kick off with a networking brunch, leading into TR-X. The Supersession unspools on Tuesday and the Main Conference enthralls on Wednesday and Thursday.

Hands On!

Experience the latest innovations at the Innovation Zone, open from Monday to Wednesday. Don’t miss the Innovation Zone cocktail reception and food truck extravaganza on Wednesday evening.

Relax And Recharge

All attendees will have access to our new relaxation lounge, where you can recharge after some hardcore learning and networking. Or, enjoy one of the many resort offerings such as yoga, pickleball, or the day spa. Corporate Members get to unwind in an enhanced VIP member lounge with premium amenities.

All Inclusive HPA Member Ticket/Hotel Package

Your one-stop shop for the Tech Retreat. Package includes all-access registration plus a deluxe room with a golf course/pool view and HPA welcome amenity. Limited inventory. Please contact us for details.

Who Will Be There?

Participants have included Oscar winners, studio technology chiefs, NASA scientists, and executives from the most compelling technology hubs.  Attendees are there to engage completely with forward-looking trends and technologies of the content creation ecosystem while tackling issues of the present from fresh perspectives.


Let The Sparks Fly

Networking

The who’s who of the industry gather to connect, collaborate and shape the future of media and entertainment. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to get in front of top leveldecision makers without distractions. No mute buttons here!

Breakfast Roundtables

Pull up a chair with a handful of thought leaders and hear from a subject matter expert while you enjoy your parfait. Ask questions, argue, learn, and enjoy. Bon Appetit with a side of insight.

View Schedule »

Tech Retreat Features

TR-X

TR-X

Tech Retreat Extra is a half day deep dive into a new topic each year. Join us as we explore extreme workflows in 2024.

Supersession

Supersession

Why so super? This session has been on the cutting edge of technology and workflows in today’s ever-changing landscape. Stay tuned for the 2024 program!

Main Program

HPA Tech Retreat Main Program

The launchpad and very foundation of the Tech Retreat. Two full days of panels and presentations about the most important and intriguing ideas today, given by the people who know the most about them. Curated by the inimitable Mark Schubin, HPA Tech Retreat Maestro in Residence.

Innovation Zone

Innovation Zone

See it in the Main Program or the Supersession or TRX? Want to experience it in a fully interactive environment? It’s where you can find the latest and most compelling technologies for tire kicking and test driving.

View Speakers »

Look Who’s Talking…

Access brilliance

Jillian Arnold

Mission Critical Media / IATSE Local 695

Holly Beavon

Fielding Graduate University

Yves Bergquist

Entertainment Technology Center @ USC

Davis Bonner

Backhaul Studios

Katya Buchneva

Amazon Prime Video

Christian Cantrell

Concept.art

Michael Chambliss

International Cinematographers Guild

Annie Chang

Universal Pictures

Jackee Chang

Black Bags Productions

Mark Chiolis

Mobile TV Group

Phil Churchward

Series Director

David Colantuoni

Avid

Jason Dachman

Sports Video Group

Daphne Dentz

Warner Bros. Discovery Content Creative Services

Daniel Doll-Steinberg

EdenBase
Richard Duke

Richard Duke

Avid

Gino Filicetti

Google

Siegfried Foessel

Fraunhofer IIS

Nuno Fonseca

Sound Particles

Barbara Ford Grant

Carin Forman

AWS

Alex Forsythe

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Toby Gallo

Sphere Entertainment Co.

Craig German

HPA

Addy Ghani

disguise

Carolyn Giardina

Variety/Variety VIP+

David Goldman

Cornax Media Alliance

Rob Gonsalves

Avid

Daniel Gonzales

AWS

Rory Gordon

ArsenalFX

Joshua Grow

Sphere Entertainment Co.

Kari Grubin

Trusted Partner Network

Tony Guarino

Paramount
Seth Hallen

Seth Hallen

HPA

Rob Hammer

World Surf League

Mark Harrison

DPP

Buzz Hays

Google Cloud

Jackson Hayes

Virtual Camera Supervisor

Jim Helman

MovieLabs

Molly Hill

The Walt Disney Studios

Katie Hinsen

The Walt Disney Studios

Jeff Hodges

Frame.io, an Adobe company

John Holmes

Amazon MGM Studios

Renard Jenkins

SMPTE

Andrea Kalas

Paramount

David Keighley

IMAX

Patricia Keighley

IMAX

Isy Lauf

Composer

Melissa Lawton

SailGP

Chris Lincoln

Flying Fish Productions

Payton List

FOX Entertainment

Charlotte Lobdell

Writer

Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC

Cinematographer

Rosanna Marino

IDC LA

Shaman Marya

VFX Producer / Animator

Mathieu Mazerolle

Foundry

Bryan McKenzie

Game Creek Video

Michelle Munson

Eluvio

Kylee Peña

Adobe

Eric Pohl

Singularity Imaging

Tim Porter

Mod Tech Labs

Charles Poynton

Scout Pruski

Post-Production Specialist

Morgan Prygrocki

Adobe

Guillaume Rachez

Perfect Memory

Eric Reinecke

Netflix

Jeff Rosica

Avid

Toby Scales

Google

Mark Schubin

HPA Tech Retreat

Walter Schulz

Cuebric

Aki Seino

Imagica Entertainment Media Services

Pinar Seyhan Demirdag

Cuebric

Heidi Shakespeare

Memnon Archiving Services

Cara Sheppard

Picture Shop

Andrew Shulkind

Sphere Entertainment Co.

Leon Silverman

Strategic Perspective; HPA Past President

Matt Sivertson

Autodesk

Greg Smokler

Small HD

Dalia Spingarn

Paramount

Jeremy Stapleton

Universal

Chris Steblay

Uncle Toad's Media Group

Tim Stipan

Picture Shop

Linda Tadic

Digital Bedrock

Tom Taylor

Gunpowder, LLC

Mike Urban

The Rebel Fleet (Our Flag Means Death Season 2)

Jordan Velarde

Uncle Toad's Media Group

Doug Walker

Autodesk

Mandy Walker, ASC, ACS,

Executive Producer

Matt Walters

The Walt Disney Studios

Caleb Ward

Curious Refuge

Shelby Ward

Curious Refuge
Erik Weaver

Erik Weaver

Entertainment Technology Center at USC

Schedule

Tech Retreat 2024 Conference Program. Schedule is subject to change.

Sunday, February 18 | Resort Activities Day & Attendee Welcome Drinks

10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Registration Open
11:00 am
HPA Member Golf Tournament Check-In & Driving Range Opens

More Details

12:15 pm – 5:15 pm
HPA Member Golf Tournament

Tee-Off with us for the first ever HPA Golf Tournament! More Details

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
HPA Membership at the Pool

Come meet the HPA Membership at the pool for drinks and networking.

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Pickleball Tournament & Free Play

HPA will be hosting a casual round robin pickleball tournament for all skill levels as well as a beginners’ clinic on 12 fresh new courts. RSVP

  • sponsored by Bolt Graphics
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Yoga

Unwind before the conference or take your fitness goals to the next level by attending yoga led by an expert instructor on the beautiful Monte Luna Event Lawn. RSVP

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Sweets Social Hour

Hosted by the Westin Rancho Mirage in Pinz & Pints.

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Welcome Cocktails

All conference attendees welcome. Kick off the Tech Retreat in style and start the conversation over a cocktail or two.

Location: Master’s Plaza

  • sponsored by Signiant

Monday, February 19 | HPA TR-X, Innovation Zone

9:00 am – 5:30 pm
Registration Open
9:30 am – 11:00 am
Welcome Networking Brunch
  • Sponsored by Adobe
11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Innovation Zone open for appointments
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
HPA TR-X: Exploring Extreme Workflows
1:00 pm – 1:10 pm
Setting the Stage

HPA Board Members, and HPA TR-X Co-Chairs, Mark Chiolis and Craig German, will take a few minutes to set the day up, provide an overview of the panels and presenters and let you know the walk-away expectations at the conclusion of today’s programs. HPA President Seth Hallen will kick things off with a 1-2 minute welcome at the very top.

  • Seth Hallen, HPA
    Seth Hallen

    Seth Hallen

    HPA

    Seth Hallen is Co-Managing Director of Light Iron, A Panavision Company, and president of the Hollywood Professional Association. With a proven ability to lead teams toward the successful tactical execution of strategies designed to capitalize on emerging trends and opportunities, he has been building profitable, innovative and market dominant companies for over 25 years. Prior to joining Light Iron, Seth was Head of Global Strategy for Pixelogic Media, senior vice president of global creative services at Sony DADC New Media Solutions, the chief executive officer of Testronic Labs, vice president of North American Operations for Lightworks, and the producer of the Emmy Award-winning TalkShow.TV. He holds a BA degree in radio, television, and film from the University of Maryland.

  • Mark Chiolis, Mobile TV Group

    Mark Chiolis

    Mobile TV Group

    Mark Chiolis is the Director of Business Development for Mobile TV Group (MTVG), which provides facilities for over 4,000 live professional and college sports and entertainment events annually, with more than 35 mobile units, and dozens of remote Cloud Control facilities, based throughout the U.S.  MTVG has been leading the 4K/UHD/HDR/Cloud live event production with key broadcasters, networks and distribution companies.

    Mark is currently working to interface with customers and partners to develop and support MTVG’s entertainment, awards, corporate, concerts, egames, and esports events with current and new trucks, using both broadcast and cine workflows.

    Prior to MTVG, Chiolis worked in marketing, business development, and sales for Grass Valley, Thomson, Technicolor, Philips, and BTS as well as at television stations KMUV, KRBK and KVIE.

    Chiolis is an active board member of the HPA, an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers, member of the NAB Cine Consortium, member of the SciTech group at the Television Academy (Emmys), member of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), member of International Association of Aviation Photographers, past section manager of SMPTE, member of STE, SBE and California Broadcasters Association.

  • Craig German, HPA

    Craig German

    HPA
1:10 pm – 1:35 pm
Opening Keynote with Patricia and David Keighley from IMAX

2023 was a record setting, and very unique, year for IMAX with the capture and release of Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” in the format. Never before has a “talking head” type of theatrical release generated this much industry buzz and audience interest and attendance in a large format delivery. David and Patricia were part of the IMAX team that worked relentlessly to get over 30 IMAX theatres set up for 70mm celluloid film projection throughout the globe, as well at digital IMAX as many others. At a whopping 3 hours run time, distribution prints were 11 miles long, required extending the normal take up reels, and great care was taken by the team to ensure safe arrival at each theatre. With gross receipts nearing the one Billion dollar total worldwide, it’s one of the highest grossing films of the year and one of the top 5 highest in IMAX history. David and Patricia will share some interesting facts, figures, images, and fun stories about why this was definitely one extreme project for 2023.

  • David Keighley, IMAX

    David Keighley

    IMAX

    David Keighley, Chief Quality Guru and President Emeritus IMAX Post/DKP Inc.

    A true veteran of the Company, Keighley provides a wealth of information about IMAX technology and history; he ensures that Quality is at the forefront of the IMAX brand.

    Keighley began his career as the Assistant Director on the third IMAX film, CATCH THE SUN, when Toronto’s Cinesphere was the only IMAX theatre in the world, and became the Producer of NOMADS OF THE DEEP shortly thereafter. In 1972 he and his wife, Patricia, co-founded, and David is the President Emeritus of IMAX POST/DKP Inc. The company became an IMAX subsidiary in 1988 and relocated to Los Angeles in 1997.

    Involved in the post-production of more than 500 large-format films, including mastering content for the groundbreaking IMAX laser projection system and IMAX laser Dome system, Keighley works closely with Hollywood filmmakers such as Chris Nolan and James Cameron as well as many IMAX documentary filmmakers.

    Keighley leads the CQO team’s interactions with IMAX customer presentation quality comments from around the world, following any issue through resolution, thereby keeping the IMAX network at the highest quality standards.

    Keighley has been honored with the 2023 Outstanding Achievement and the 2000 Special Achievement in Film Awards from the Giant Screen Cinema Association as well as SMPTE”s 1993 Herbert T. Kalmus Gold Medal.

    Keighley is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an Associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers and a SMPTE Life Fellow.

    Keighley is a Ryerson University Alumni of Distinction having graduated from their Photographic Arts and Motion Picture Studies program.

  • Patricia Keighley, IMAX

    Patricia Keighley

    IMAX

    Patricia Keighley, Chief Quality Guru, Former SVP IMAX Corporation

    Keighley is co-founder (1972) of IMAX POST/DKP Inc., an IMAX subsidiary since 1988. Now based in Los Angeles, CA, the company has been involved in the large format post-production of 500+ films released in film, digital and IMAX with Laser projection theatres worldwide.

    Keighley is proud to have been honored with the 2023 Outstanding Achievement award from the GSCA, the 2021 Rainmaker Award, HPA League Honors, and the 2019 Advanced Imaging Society Distinguished Leadership Award.

    Keighley is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an Associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers, previous Society of Motion Picture and Television Vice President, Board Governor and Hollywood Section Chair as well as serving on the Board of the Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA).

    Keighley holds a BA in Psychology (McMaster University), a M.Ed. (University of Toronto) and Directors Education Certification from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

1:35 pm – 2:05 pm
The Grand Tour!

The Grand Tour, expected to kick off it’s 5th season later in 2024, has always been a very challenging series to produce.  With locations across the globe, extreme speeds, unique road race courses, and 3 out of the box thinking hosts, this series has always been one to keep this top talented production crew on their toes with quick thinking requirements and ever changing environments and situations.  John Holmes, Amazon MGM Studios’ Head of WW Unscripted Production, will moderate this event with the famous, or infamous, “Mr. Wilman” and Series Director, Phil Churchward, joining via satellite from an unknown and secret location!

  • John Holmes, Amazon MGM Studios

    John Holmes

    Amazon MGM Studios

    Director, WW Head of Unscripted Production, Amazon MGM Studios

  • Andy Wilman, Executive Producer
    HPA Speaker Avatar

    Andy Wilman

    Executive Producer

    Andy Wilman is a British television producer and writer, best known for his work on the popular BBC car show, “Top Gear.” Wilman co-created and produced the series alongside Jeremy Clarkson from 2002 to 2015 and played a significant role in shaping the show’s unique format and style. “Top Gear” achieved notable acclaim, winning an International Emmy Award for Best Non-Scripted Entertainment in 2005 and a National Television Award in the Most Popular Factual Programme category consecutively in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011. The show was also recognised with consecutive nominations for the Best Feature category at the TV BAFTAs from 2004 to 2006. Wilman continues his success as an executive producer on “The Grand Tour,” spanning five series on Prime Video, and “Clarkson’s Farm,” which achieved a remarkable 9.0 IMDB rating for its first series.

  • Phil Churchward, Series Director

    Phil Churchward

    Series Director

    Phil Churchward is the Series Director and Show Runner of Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour – now feature length adventure shows – and he’s a successful director of commercials, too. Prior to this he was the Series Director for the BBC’s Emmy Award winning show, Top Gear, for nearly a decade.

    As well as producing strong visuals, Phil has become a specialist in directing off-the-scale-size shoots that combine big visuals, multi-camera direction and often a stunt or three. He thoroughly enjoys commercial work as well, getting hands-on by jumping off the 2,200ft-high Lion’s Head in South Africa to get a good head-cam shot, as well as promising the money-men that all 25 fine bone china vases used in a dynamic BMW commercial, would remain intact.

    He’s easy to work with, fastidious in every respect, and passionate about the edit, music and sound-design.

2:05 pm – 2:45 pm
Young Entertainment Professionals "Extreme" Panel

Join us for an energizing conversation with Young Entertainment Professionals who have contributed to the success of some extreme productions and are shaping the industry through their creativity, determination, and innovative spirits. We’ll dive in to how they embraced new technologies and workflows to rise to the challenges they each faced. Our panelists will also be sharing the technologies and industry trends that most excite them about the future, as well as their personal experiences and perspectives as individuals early in their career journeys and how the leaders of today can best prepare the leaders of tomorrow.

  • Erik Mahoney, Paramount Pictures
  • Bryan McKenzie, Game Creek Video

    Bryan McKenzie

    Game Creek Video

    Bryan McKenzie is a Senior Engineer in Charge at Game Creek Video.

    As one of Game Creek Videos top Engineers, Bryan has been instrumental at Game Creek’s adoption of Lawo 2110 routing systems and development of a new generation of Mobile Units based on Arista/Lawo 2110 architecture. In the Fall, Bryan is the senior most Game Creek engineer overseeing Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff studio and game broadcasts in 1080P HDR. Other notable broadcasts Bryan has played a key engineering role in include Fox’s NFL and XFL/USFL football productions in 1080P HDR, Multiple Superbowls, ESPN’s 4K college basketball, ESPN/TNT’s Final Four College Basketball Championship, Google’s IO developer conference, and many others.

    Bryan has been with Game Creek Video since 2019, launching Game Creek mobile unit Bravo, their first Lawo and fully 2110 integrated build for Fox’s NFL season. He is currently the Engineer in Charge of Game Creek Video Gridiron, a 2 unit 2110 production facility that has become one of Fox Sport’s premier mobile units.

  • Katya Buchneva, Amazon Prime Video

    Katya Buchneva

    Amazon Prime Video

    Ekaterina Buchneva is a TV Producer and Content Strategy Manager with an MBA from USC Marshall and over 10 years of work experience.

    She started her career in Russia, producing documentaries and non-fiction series; then joined Reuters, the leading international news agency, to help launch a regional video service. In 2016, she moved to Prague, Czech Republic, to join a new international broadcaster and lead production for the flagship evening show. Witnessing the complex ties between daily production operations and business strategy, in 2019 Ekaterina decided to get an MBA with a focus on the media and entertainment industry.

    During the 2-year program at USC Marshall, Ekaterina worked on consulting projects with Sony Pictures Television, Variety Business Intelligence, Sonoro Global Media and HeadGum podcasting network, focusing primarily on content strategy, content partnerships and content monetization. She also developed a special interest and expertise in new technologies and gaming through her work with NetEase Games and Sensor Tower. Currently, Ekaterina works as a Senior Manager, Portfolio Programming Strategy at Amazon Prime Video.

  • Molly Hill, The Walt Disney Studios

    Molly Hill

    The Walt Disney Studios

    Molly Hill is a Senior Image and Color Engineer at The Walt Disney Studios working on the Motion Picture Labs team. Passionate about exploring the intersection of art and technology, she works with productions to establish and support efficient, accurate, and high-quality imaging workflows that preserve creative intent. Molly is also a member of the HPA YEP class of 2024.

  • Scout Pruski, Post-Production Specialist

    Scout Pruski

    Post-Production Specialist

    Described by former Mythbuster Adam Savage as “someone you could teach anything to”; Scout Pruski (they/them/theirs) has built their early career in the entertainment industry around curiosity, creativity, and consideration. An American University Alumni, their undergraduate internships at NBC Sports Washington and NASA Headquarters built a strong belief in teamwork and deepened their interest in the intersections of science and arts. After graduating in 2021, they spent over a year as a film prep technician at Colorlab, handling 8mm, 16mm, and 35mm archival and new negative under the supervision of archivists and colorists. In 2022, they moved to Los Angeles as a Dailies Assist for Picture Shop, where they initiated, tracked, and reported footage ingest to project workflow standards, overhauled the in-office organizational systems of the OLS assist team based on peer input, and founded Streamland Media’s first Trans and Allies affinity group. Since their strike layoff last year, Scout has been documenting local businesses, queer community, and leather events with two cameras, a nonexistent budget, and a whole lot of passion. They’d love to step into a learning-focused position this year, either developing workflows, expanding access to archives, or coordinating post-production operations.

2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Refik Anadol's Digital Artwork Case Study

David Goldman will moderate a case study panel on Refik Anadol’s unique, sustainable, data-driven machine learning algorithms that create abstract, dream-like environments, and how these extreme images are created and displayed. Refik will join via a pre-recorded message for HPA, and panelists Tom Taylor from Gunpowder and Buzz Hays from Google will talk about their work with the artist to help drive this new technology.

  • David Goldman, Cornax Media Alliance

    David Goldman

    Cornax Media Alliance

    David E. Goldman works at the intersection of media and technology and currently runs Cornax Media Alliance, an agency representing several hundred technology brands, many of whom are contributing to the evolution of Web 3.0 and the Metaverse. He sits on the Board of Governors of the Advanced Imaging Society and is the Chairman of the Advisory Services Committee of MESA (Media and Entertainment Services Alliance).

    David has advised consumer brands such as Starbucks and Mattel on their immersive content strategy and is retained by media-technology brands to advise on product/market fit and business development strategy. He has had overall producing deals at Viacom, Fox and Disney and was an early mover in the digital content space having produced and distributed over 1,000 hours of content to Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, Google, Direct TV, Sprint, Verizon, Roku, Pluto TV, Tubi TV, Samsung, Xbox, Sony, Apple, LG, and AT&T among others.

    David served as senior leadership at the William Morris Agency (now WME) where he ran the Motion Picture Directors Division and has guided the careers of Will Smith, Kurt Russell, Mick Jagger, Seth Meyers, Billy Idol, David Lee Roth, Eugene Levy, Fred Armisen, Roland Emmerich, Renny Harlin, Cheech and Chong and the Beach Boys to name a few.

    He is a graduate of UCLA and  UCLA Law School and is a member of the California Bar.

  • Tom Taylor, Gunpowder, LLC

    Tom Taylor

    Gunpowder, LLC

    Tom is a highly seasoned industry veteran with over two decades of experience, making him a true luminary in the field. Most notably, he served as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at The Mill, a globally renowned creative content studio, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s technological landscape and fostering innovation.

    As the owner and operator of Gunpowder, Tom brings his extensive expertise to a new level. He is a visionary leader who champions cutting-edge technology solutions for creative studios worldwide. His work at Gunpowder is nothing short of revolutionary, as he spearheads seamless, cloud-based collaboration that empowers creative teams to transcend geographical boundaries and produce exceptional content.

    With a deep passion for innovation and an unwavering commitment to excellence, Tom remains at the forefront of the industry, constantly pushing boundaries and paving the way for creative studios to thrive in the cloud.

  • Buzz Hays, Google Cloud

    Buzz Hays

    Google Cloud

    Buzz Hays is one of the world’s leading experts on advanced imaging production and technology in the media and entertainment industry. Buzz is responsible for Google Cloud’s Content Creation Solutions development in the Media and Entertainment Vertical. He works closely with the top M&E customers of Google Cloud to tailor and build solutions to transform traditional methodologies into cloud native workflows from production to post-production to archive migration.

    Buzz has been involved in technology for media and entertainment for over 30 years with Google, Lytro, Sony, and Lucasfilm THX. He has produced numerous film and television projects for Disney, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. He is a member of SMPTE, he is the founding Chairman of the Advanced Imaging Society, and he is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences where he serves on the Science and Technology Council.

    Buzz has been with Google since March of 2018.

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm
Refreshment Break
  • sponsored by Compton & Company
3:30 pm – 3:55 pm
Jackee Chang Aljazeera Human Trafficking Case Study Project

With over two decades of film production and software development experience combined, independent Filmmaker Jackee Chang, produced a number of unique projects. This one for Aljazeera English required her to lead a small production team to be very stealth getting in and out of Vietnam. The film exposes how local Vietnamese gangs worked with the international Russian mafia that trafficked young Vietnamese boys to the U.K. Jackee will talk about the challenges of securing interviews and information with key figures and how they were able to upload assets in the field and get that safely out of the country upon departure. The talk will also cover how current technology would change the production if produced today.

  • Jackee Chang, Black Bags Productions

    Jackee Chang

    Black Bags Productions

    With over two decades of film production and software development experience combined, independent Filmmaker Jackee Chang, produced a number of unique projects. This one for Aljazeera English required her to lead a small production team to be very stealth getting in and out of Vietnam. The film exposes how local Vietnamese gangs worked with the international Russian mafia that trafficked young Vietnamese boys to the U.K. Jackee will talk about the challenges of securing interviews and information with key figures and how they were able to upload assets in the field and get that safely out of the country upon departure. The talk will also cover how current technology would change the production if produced today.

3:55 pm – 4:20 pm
Renard Jenkins "Extreme" Discussion with NBC SVP Darryl Jefferson

Logistical coordination, excellent engineering, distinctive design and flawless execution combined with next level vision and an incredible team of operators, technicians, engineers and creatives is what makes extreme sports production work. Join Renard T. Jenkins as he chats with Darryl Jefferson, SVP, Engineering & Technology, NBC Olympics & Sports, one of the founding fathers of this genre and a leader in sports entertainment, broadcast and distribution.

  • Renard Jenkins, SMPTE

    Renard Jenkins

    SMPTE

    Renard Jenkins is an experienced content creation and creative technology executive in the Film, Television and Radio industry. Jenkins is a SMPTE Fellow and 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 Siggraph and is a former board member of MovieLabs, the UltraHD Forum and the Content & Entertainment Council as well as the Microsoft and Oracle Advisory Boards. 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. Most recently 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.

    He and his team is responsible for the exploration and successful implementation of emerging and creative technologies such as virtual-production, multiplatform storytelling, virtual character, and meta-human development biometrics/neural-technology and better images and sound for cinema and home entertainment. Jenkins was the technical lead and designer of the Digital Backlot initiative which focused on extending the useful lifespan and monetization possibilities of visual effects, animation, artists’, and production elements & assets across multiple content creation verticals.

    Prior to joining 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 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 a Strategic Advisor to the Board of Directors of the Washington, DC Chapter of the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), former chair and founding member of the Warner Bros. Technology and Operations Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Council, current lead of the SMPTE Global Inclusion Working Group and he also Co-Chairs, HPA ALL which advocates for and promotes diversity, better equity and increased inclusion and accessibility in the media and entertainment industry.

    When he is not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife and best friend of over 30 years, his daughters, and his grandchildren. He loves travel photography, filmmaking, animation and only has one more continent left to explore. He is also a certified sound engineer, certified 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 moto is “In all things integrity and integrity in all things.”

  • Darryl Jefferson, NBC
4:20 pm – 5:00 pm
Jason Dachman - Extreme Sports Panel!

Extreme can have many meanings and using it as related to live sports productions in our current time frame is much different than at any other point in broadcast history. In the beginning just getting a live image from a stadium or venue could be considered extreme. As technology progressed and live remote productions on a global scale became a daily occurrence, our technology teams continued to imagine and bring to life new and exciting challenges never thought possible or even dreamed of in early days. Today we’re able to push the boundaries with the knowledge and experience we’ve gained over the years and thanks to those who have worked together to continue dreaming big. Join SVG Editorial Director Jason Dachman as he moderates a panel of production executives and technologists that push the limits of production on a daily basis, listen to the challenges they face, the obstacles they’ve overcome and see the finished results of the blood, sweat, and tears that they pour into each new project.

  • Jason Dachman, Sports Video Group

    Jason Dachman

    Sports Video Group

    Dachman oversees all aspects of SVG’s North American editorial operations – including all news on sportsvideo.org, the daily SVG Insider newsletter, and SVG’s annual print publications – and is one of the primary contributors to SVG’s coverage of the sports-video-production industry. A member of the SVG team since 2009, Dachman also serves as Program Director for SVG’s Esports Production Forum, RSN Summit, Sports Content Management Forum, Sports Graphics Forum, and TranSPORT conference. Prior to joining SVG, he covered local sports for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, MA, and served on the production staff of SiriusXM’s The Ron & Fez Show. Dachman began his career in the Sports Information department at Northeastern University in Boston, where he earned a BA in Media Communications and Cinema Studies. A native of Denver, CO, Jason currently resides in Queens, NY, with his wife Alyson and daughter June.

  • Rob Hammer, World Surf League

    Rob Hammer

    World Surf League

    Rob Hammer is the SVP of Broadcast and Studio Operations for the World Surf League (WSL). Over the last decade he has helped to transform the WSL into a modern sports league with a passionate global fandom. A manager, producer, creator, technology advocate, and above all a storyteller, he’s responsible for the teams and technology bringing pro surfing to a mainstream audience from some of the most remote parts of the world. His teams broadcast over 800 hours of live surfing and create 20+ hourlong television specials annually. When he’s not traveling with “the world’s best surfers on the world’s best waves,” he enjoys tinkering with tech projects, settling in with a good book, and lounging at home in Venice, California.

  • Melissa Lawton, SailGP

    Melissa Lawton

    SailGP

    Melissa Lawton is the Chief Content Officer at SailGP, responsible for all production and editorial content, from the Multi Cam Global Live Broadcast to long form series and branded contet to social media. Melissa docked at SailGP in 2022 after four years working for Meta in New York where she was the Head of Live Sports Production, before that, five years as Head of Live Event Content at Red Bull in Salzburg, Austria. A global citizen, Melissa has also lived and worked in Beijing, New Delhi and Sydney in senior producer and programming roles at two Olympics Games, one World Cup and a Commonwealth Games. A print journalist by trade, she cut her teeth in the sports tv business with her time as a Producer at Network Ten Australia, then the Home of Motorsport and F1. Melissa currently lives a chaotic life in London with her husband, her two sassy teenage daughters and their very sweet dog, Lulu.

    Melissa is a founding member of Chief London, A board advisor to Women’s National Football Conference (USA) and is on the Board of Directors at British Basketball.

  • Chris Lincoln, Flying Fish Productions

    Chris Lincoln

    Flying Fish Productions

    Christopher Lincoln – Production Executive / Consultant
    With a career spanning 40-years in broadcast production, Chris Lincoln has found success in many professional reiterations. His work as a director has earned him international & domestic recognition, including two Golden Ring Awards for his work on the host broadcast of the Olympic Games and five national Emmy Awards in both sports and entertainment productions.

    From eleven Olympic & Paralympic Games to the iconic IRONMAN World Championships, Lincolns credits are abundant. A veteran of Fox Sports, ESPN and the Golf Channel, Lincoln created Flying Fish Productions to service networks and organizations; consulting on and executing content. Specializing in live sports, more specifically, moving field-of-play productions, he is very much at home on remote in a production truck or studio.

    A California native, Lincoln relocated to the mountains of Utah in 2019. A father of 3 adult children, Chris enjoys skiing, swimming, cycling and global travel.

     

5:00 pm – 5:40 pm
Kari Grubin Hosts an "All-Star" Extreme Panel

HPA Board Member Kari Grubin wraps up TR-X panels with an amazing group of extreme panelists talking about some of the projects they’ve worked on, the challenges they’ve overcome, new solutions they’ve developed and what they’re working on for the next projects.

  • Kari Grubin, Trusted Partner Network

    Kari Grubin

    Trusted Partner Network

    Kari Grubin is a multi-talented executive who has spent the past 25 years leading and managing studio divisions, global post production facilities, corporate departments and groups within trade organizations. Kari currently leverages her expertise through her partnership with companies and professional organizations as the Membership Services Director for the Motion Picture Association Trusted Partner Network. Kari is a also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and serves on the Production and Technology Branch Executive Committee.

    Previously, Kari spent two years developing and leading SMPTE’s Rapid Industry Solutions On Set Virtual Production Initiative. Prior to that time, she demonstrated her strong record of technical operations supervision and confident, insightful leadership of creative teams as Vice President of Mastering for Studio Operations at The Walt Disney Studios, where she developed a long-term strategic vision for mastering across the title lifecycle.

    She serves on the board of the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA), where she is the past chair of Women in Post Committee. In 2016, she co-created the Young Entertainment Professionals Program (YEP) at the HPA, which has provided outreach and mentoring to over 100 young leaders in the entertainment industry. Kari is now the Co-Chair of HPA ALL, the HPA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative to continue the expansion of HPA’s commitment to create an inclusive environment for all members of the M&E industry, especially those from under-represented groups.

    Kari is in demand as a speaker on a variety of topics and holds three US patents in media and entertainment technology as a co-inventor.

  • Jillian Arnold, Mission Critical Media / IATSE Local 695

    Jillian Arnold

    Mission Critical Media / IATSE Local 695

    Jillian Arnold is an award-winning video engineer who specializes in recording workflow engineering, digital acquisition and transfer, & media management. She is one of the few experts in the lucrative, technically progressive field of live television. She is a second-generation recordist/tape operator, committed to bridging the generational and cultural technology gap by training and certifying new operators with her latest venture, Mission Critical Media.

    Jillian is also the first female president in Local 695’s (Sound, Video, and Projection) ninety-year history and the first ever chair of the IATSE Artificial Intelligence Sub-committee for IATSE-AMPTP Basic/Videotape Agreement negotiations. Alongside her commitment to workers’ rights, she has reformed her Local’s Women’s and DEI committees in order to prioritize education on sensitive topics, mental health, and intergenerational communication.

    As a video engineer, Jillian cut her teeth overseeing high-speed, high-resolution productions for engineering analysis as part of the Mars Program at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory [JPL]. She also participated in JPL’s Juno orbital insertion, Cassini’s farewell, and Mars Curiosity Landing.

    Currently, Jillian manages the recording and file management for all Viacom CBS tentpole shows on NEP’s premier truck, Atlas. These shows include MTV VMAs, Movie Awards, CMT Awards, Kids Choice Awards, and many more. Other credits include The Emmys, The Oscars, NBC Universal’s E! Red Carpet Shows, NFL Honors, Grease Live, Rent Live, several major Netflix productions, and Ted Talks. In addition, she frequently collaborates with NFL Films.

    Jillian is a two term President of Local 695, a member of Local 600, and the first media manager to be initiated into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. She is also a member of Cal Tech’s Athenaeum Academic Society. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Film Theory and History from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and a Masters in Film Production—Cinematography from Chapman University.

  • Chris Steblay, Uncle Toad's Media Group

    Chris Steblay

    Uncle Toad's Media Group

    Chris is an accomplished Executive Producer and Creative Director, whose career began as a talented Director of Photography in the surf industry. Alongside Jordan, he co-founded one of the world’s leading action sports broadcasters, Uncle Toad’s. Chris excels in all aspects of live production, earning numerous awards, including an Emmy nomination for his groundbreaking work on live racing drones. His visionary approach and technical expertise continually raise the bar in live broadcasting.

  • Jordan Velarde, Uncle Toad's Media Group

    Jordan Velarde

    Uncle Toad's Media Group

    Jordan Velarde, an Emmy-nominated Executive Producer, founded Uncle Toad’s with a commitment to pioneering emerging technologies in live broadcasts within the action sports world. Collaborating with a diverse range of individuals, from VPs of marketing departments to leaders of sports federations and network executives, Jordan’s leadership and adept management of teams and clients have been instrumental in the success of numerous projects. These endeavors remain authentic to their roots while simultaneously captivating a broader audience. With 25 years of production experience, Jordan takes pride in infusing the same level of excitement, direction, and success into diverse projects, ranging from original creations like the Vans Parks Series and The Natural Selection Snowboard tour to serving as the production manager for Skate & BMX at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

  • Christopher Lockett, Cinematographer, Director, Photographer, Singer-Songwriter​
5:40 pm – 6:00 pm
Craig German and Mark Chiolis Provide TR-X Closing Thoughts and Wrap-Up

Co-Chairs, Mark Chiolis and Craig German, kicked this off earlier and they will provide a short wrap up and their own thoughts, as they know they are the only obstacle standing between you and the networking and cocktail event!

  • Mark Chiolis, Mobile TV Group

    Mark Chiolis

    Mobile TV Group

    Mark Chiolis is the Director of Business Development for Mobile TV Group (MTVG), which provides facilities for over 4,000 live professional and college sports and entertainment events annually, with more than 35 mobile units, and dozens of remote Cloud Control facilities, based throughout the U.S.  MTVG has been leading the 4K/UHD/HDR/Cloud live event production with key broadcasters, networks and distribution companies.

    Mark is currently working to interface with customers and partners to develop and support MTVG’s entertainment, awards, corporate, concerts, egames, and esports events with current and new trucks, using both broadcast and cine workflows.

    Prior to MTVG, Chiolis worked in marketing, business development, and sales for Grass Valley, Thomson, Technicolor, Philips, and BTS as well as at television stations KMUV, KRBK and KVIE.

    Chiolis is an active board member of the HPA, an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers, member of the NAB Cine Consortium, member of the SciTech group at the Television Academy (Emmys), member of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), member of International Association of Aviation Photographers, past section manager of SMPTE, member of STE, SBE and California Broadcasters Association.

  • Craig German, HPA

    Craig German

    HPA
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Drinks at Fireside

Join your fellow attendees in continuing the discussion from today’s TR-X, or start your own conversation.

Location: Fireside Lounge

  • sponsored by Signiant
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
HDR Movie Night

An educational and entertaining evening  featuring a series of exclusive movie clips accompanied by special introductions from Studio Reps, Cinematographers, and Directors. All highlighted and viewed with a pre-product launch of HDR by Barco

  • sponsored by Barco and LucidLink

Tuesday, February 20 | Roundtables, Supersession, Innovation Zone, Conference Dinner

7:00 am – 6:30 pm
Registration Open
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast Roundtables
  1. Hardware virtualization for live broadcast: are we there yet? Jed Deame, Nextera Video
  2. The battle of the clouds: where to put your workload?! Matt Herson, Like Minded Labs
  3. All-in-one security assurance for studio customers, Mathew Gilliat-Smith, Convergent Risks
  4. Using AI/ML for media content creation, Rob Gonsalves, Avid
  5. Securing pre-release content, Ken Gerstein, Nagra
  6. Optimising metadata from production to post, Mike Urban, The Rebel Fleet
  7. Unique perspectives on color and CIE charts, Lakshmanan Gopishankar, Telestream
  8. Smart-optimize your inventory: AI+components+IMF, Ryan Kido, Ateliere Creative Technologies
  9. Version control for virtual production and VFX, Jase Lindgren, Perforce
  10. Why ontologies are needed on set, Guillaume Rachez, Perfect Memory
  11. Apprenticeship and the future of post production, Darren Frankel, Adobe
  12. Welcome to virtual production 2.0, Brian Byrne, disguise, and Andrew Amato, Meptik
  13. Preserving creative intent: from SDR catalogs to Dolby Vision HDR, Bill Feightner, Colorfront USA
  14. Rendering trends in visual effects and animation, Pauline Koh, AWS
  15. When audio is a priority in remote post production, Greg Stone, Remoto
  16. TPN content-security update, Kari Grubin, Motion Picture Association
  17. Automated: CALM, immersive audio, upmix, & more, Nick Pearce, Emotion Systems
  18. The evolution of hybrid SDI / ST 2110 systems, Rick Seegull, Riedel Communications
  19. Content monetization using AI and ML, Branko Lepan, Nomad Media
  20. Do budget norms slow down workflow? Michael Gitig, Iodyne Pro Data
  21. What does zero trust actually mean? Patrick Sumby, Sohonet
  22. Content security in the media supply chain, Toby Scales, Google Cloud
  23. Metadata bridging of physical & virtual workflows, Peter Crithary, ARRI Americas
  24. AI modeling & training concerns, Michael Little, Artistic Resources, & Thomas True, Nvidia
  25. Industry collaboration for unconstrained reviews, Steve Marshall, Moxion – Autodesk
  26. How tech affects capital flow and mergers & acquisitions in media, Ethan Jacks, MediaBridge
  27. Cooking up hybrid workflows, Chris Lennon, Renard Jenkins, Tom Burns
  28. Industry-first visual workflow navigator, Mark Turner, Entertainment Technologists
  29. Keeping cloud sustainable: how to implement a green cloud, Matt Scott, GB Labs
  30. Subtitle workflows need updating: IMSC Rosetta is key, Stan Moote, IABM, Brant Boehmann, WBD

Location: Oasis Ballroom

8:30 am – 7:15 pm
Innovation Zone open for appointments

See program below for dedicated Innovation Zone hours

9:00 am – 5:30 pm
HPA Supersession

Deconstructing The Creative Process of Filmmaking

This year, the Supersession will focus on real-world evolution in storytelling, aiming to unpack and explore the realm of possibilities. In two sessions filmmakers take different approaches to creating content: the most advanced filmmaking techniques for animation in the morning; and a groundbreaking AI filmmaking session in the afternoon.

 

Morning Session
Creating “Ashen,” An Original Animated Short

The morning kicks off with an exploration of the creation of the original animated short, “Ashen,” crafted by a global team. The session will cover various facets of the creative process and illuminate the most modern ways of creating animation. Topics of discussion include:

  • The Idea, The Script: Following a script through completion
  • The Workflow
  • PreVis and Tech Viz
  • Concept Art, Look Book, and Beat Sheet
  • Audio Recording, ADR, Audio Mix
  • 3D Animation
  • Virtual Camera
  • Post Production in the Cloud
  • Editing Composition
  • Sound Composition
  • Epic Games
  • Color Timing Animation
  • Producing an Animation
Welcome Introduction to the 2024 Supersession
  • Seth Hallen, HPA
    Seth Hallen

    Seth Hallen

    HPA

    Seth Hallen is Co-Managing Director of Light Iron, A Panavision Company, and president of the Hollywood Professional Association. With a proven ability to lead teams toward the successful tactical execution of strategies designed to capitalize on emerging trends and opportunities, he has been building profitable, innovative and market dominant companies for over 25 years. Prior to joining Light Iron, Seth was Head of Global Strategy for Pixelogic Media, senior vice president of global creative services at Sony DADC New Media Solutions, the chief executive officer of Testronic Labs, vice president of North American Operations for Lightworks, and the producer of the Emmy Award-winning TalkShow.TV. He holds a BA degree in radio, television, and film from the University of Maryland.

Introduction and Kick off

Today’s MC Joachim Zell provides a summary of what’s in store for the day.

  • Moderator: Joachim Zell, Barco
How did it start?
The Idea / The Script
  • Ruby Bell, Director / Producer
  • Jack Flynn, Writer
  • Charlotte Lobdell, Writer

    Charlotte Lobdell

    Writer

    Charlotte loves blending high and low culture to tell stories about impetuous young women– their obsessive friendships, messy romances, and the moral gray areas in which they operate in pursuit of their dreams. She worked as showrunner’s assistant for both seasons of Hulu’s DOLLFACE, and as the writers’ assistant on Amazon’s upcoming television reboot of CRUEL INTENTIONS. She has also produced content at Snapchat and worked in the lit department at UTA.

PreViz and Tech Viz
  • Shaman Marya, VFX Producer / Animator

    Shaman Marya

    VFX Producer / Animator

    Shaman Marya has worked in film and television in Asia and USA for over 10 years as a Screenwriter, 1stAD, Director, VFX Artist, Virtual Production Artist and RealTime animator. He received the prestigious Epic Megagrant from Unreal Engine for his short film Catch! And in 2023 became an Unreal Animation Fellow from the first cohort in 2023. He has worked as a Virtual Production Technical Director on upcoming Disney feature films Mufasa The Lion King (Directed by Barry Jenkins) and Snow White (Directed by Marc Webb).

Producing an Animation
  • Ruby Bell Director / Producer
  • Shaman Marya, VFX Producer / Animator

    Shaman Marya

    VFX Producer / Animator

    Shaman Marya has worked in film and television in Asia and USA for over 10 years as a Screenwriter, 1stAD, Director, VFX Artist, Virtual Production Artist and RealTime animator. He received the prestigious Epic Megagrant from Unreal Engine for his short film Catch! And in 2023 became an Unreal Animation Fellow from the first cohort in 2023. He has worked as a Virtual Production Technical Director on upcoming Disney feature films Mufasa The Lion King (Directed by Barry Jenkins) and Snow White (Directed by Marc Webb).

  • Mandy Walker, ASC, ACS,, Executive Producer

    Mandy Walker, ASC, ACS,

    Executive Producer

    Australian born Oscar® and BAFTA nominated cinematographer, one of the few female DPs working on big budget feature films today. Her latest work can be seen in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, which marks the fourth collaboration between the filmmakers, the two also worked together on critically acclaimed video shorts Chanel N°5: The FilmChanel N°5: The One That I Want and the Oscar® nominated feature film Australia, which also earned her a slew of awards. Her cinematography on Elvis made her the first woman in history to receive: the ASC award for Best Theatrical Feature Film, the AACTA (Australian Academy Award) for Best Feature Film Cinematography, and the ACS Best Theatrical Feature Film awards. She was also granted the EnergaCamerimage Festival Director’s Special Award and ACS Cinematographer of the year Milli Award in 2022. She is also inducted into the ACS Hall of Fame and has received the Order of Australia medal from Queen Elizabeth II. She served as a Governor of the Cinematographers Branch of AMPAS for 6 years and is a sitting Governor on the Board for the ASC. She is a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) and is an accredited member of the ASC and ACS. Included in her twenty two feature film credits are Mulan, The Mountain Between Us, Hidden Figures, Tracks, Shattered Glass, Australian Rules, Lantana, The Well and Parklands. Currently, she is in production on Disney’s Snow White (2024).

PreViz and Tech Viz
  • Shaman Marya, VFX Producer / Animator

    Shaman Marya

    VFX Producer / Animator

    Shaman Marya has worked in film and television in Asia and USA for over 10 years as a Screenwriter, 1stAD, Director, VFX Artist, Virtual Production Artist and RealTime animator. He received the prestigious Epic Megagrant from Unreal Engine for his short film Catch! And in 2023 became an Unreal Animation Fellow from the first cohort in 2023. He has worked as a Virtual Production Technical Director on upcoming Disney feature films Mufasa The Lion King (Directed by Barry Jenkins) and Snow White (Directed by Marc Webb).

Screening of the Animated Short Film "Ashen"
Image Production
The Workflow
  • Jayme Wilkinson, VFX Producer / Workflow Designer
  • Christine Carr, Autodesk
  • Ryan L’Italien, Perforce, Technical Support
  • Tyler O’Keefe, VFX Coordinator
10:25 am – 10:40 am
Refreshment break
3D Animation
  • Bogdan Metla, Mriya Studio, Virtual Art Department Supervisor
2D 3D Animation
  • Shaman Marya, VFX Producer / Animator

    Shaman Marya

    VFX Producer / Animator

    Shaman Marya has worked in film and television in Asia and USA for over 10 years as a Screenwriter, 1stAD, Director, VFX Artist, Virtual Production Artist and RealTime animator. He received the prestigious Epic Megagrant from Unreal Engine for his short film Catch! And in 2023 became an Unreal Animation Fellow from the first cohort in 2023. He has worked as a Virtual Production Technical Director on upcoming Disney feature films Mufasa The Lion King (Directed by Barry Jenkins) and Snow White (Directed by Marc Webb).

3D Animation
  • Gunner and Geddy Wenzinger, 3D Animators
Virtual Camera
  • Jay Torta, Director of Photography
  • Jackson Hayes, Virtual Camera Supervisor

    Jackson Hayes

    Virtual Camera Supervisor

    Jackson Hayes is a virtual production stage operator whose resume includes two upcoming Disney features, and is currently on the Avatar team for the upcoming sequels. His experience spans varying virtual production pipelines across VFX vendors.

Audio Production & Finishing
  • Ruby Bell, Director / Producer
  • Isy Lauf, Composer

    Isy Lauf

    Composer

    Isy is a composer with experience in composition, supervision, editing, arrangement and orchestration for film and TV with an interest in integrating evolving technologies into work and workflow.

  • Wayne Peschley
Finishing the Short
Editing
  • Barry Goch, AJA, Editor
Post Production in the Cloud
  • Katrina King, AWS
Color Timing Animation SDR HDR
  • Natasha Leonnet, Picture Shop
  • JD Vandenberg, Picture Shop

    JD Vandenberg

    Picture Shop
noon – 1:15 pm
Lunch; Innovation Zone open
Afternoon Session
Deconstructing An AI Created Animated Short

The afternoon session features another set of groundbreaking filmmakers and technologists who explore the use of Generative AI in the visual storytelling process. Attendees will be guided through some of the latest AI technologies as a short animated film is completed.

  • Corridor Crew: Discussion and Demonstration of 3 types of AI-enabled animation  
  • AI Compositing  
  • Theoretically Media: Demo of other AI video Tools
  • Custom Training and Custom Models
  • AI Pipeline and Workflow
  • Curious Refuge: The World’s First Home for AI Storytellers  
  • AI Music and Sound
1:15 pm – 1:20 pm
Introduction to AI Project
  • Jack Wenzinger, AWS
  • Joachim Zell, Barco
1:20 pm – 1:50 pm
Welcome to AI animation

An introduction and demonstration of concepts

How does this stuff work?

The challenges and the potential

  • Niko Pueringer, Corridor Digital
1:50 pm – 1:55 pm
Screening of the AI Animated Short Film "Trapped in a Dream"
1:55 pm – 2:25 pm
The current process of AI animation
  • Niko Pueringer, Corridor Digital
2:25 pm – 2:55 pm
Create With No Gates, AI Video For Everyone

Who is using AI to create video?

AI video examples

Evolution of AI image and video generation through the past year

Different types of AI video creation

  • Tim Simmons, Theoretically Media
2:55 pm – 3:25 pm
Pipeline and Workflow

AI art “Madlibs”

How to use ComfyUI

  • Niko Pueringer, Corridor Digital
3:25 pm – 3:40 pm
Refreshment break
3:40 pm – 4:10 pm
Custom training and custom models/LORA’s
  • Niko Pueringer, Corridor Digital
4:10 pm – 4:40 pm
AI for Filmmaking: Today’s Use-Cases & Tomorrow’s Possibilities

In this presentation, we will learn some practical use-cases for AI filmmaking and some of the most practical real-world examples of using AI in a day-to-day creative setting. Discussion of the current limitations of AI workflows while sharing specific techniques artists are employing in this emerging field. A showcase of where AI technology is heading in the coming months and years. Will cover some of the newer whitepapers about concepts like AI actors, face swapping, prompt techniques, auto-films, etc.

  • Caleb Ward, Curious Refuge

    Caleb Ward

    Curious Refuge

    CEO/Artist – Curious Refuge

    Caleb Ward is the CEO of Curious Refuge, an online platform pioneering the use of AI in film. He is deeply dedicated to democratizing the creative process by unlocking the inner storyteller inside everyone. His AI training empowers artists at every end of the creative spectrum, from training Academy Award Winners to aspiring artists looking to learn storytelling for the first time. He has trained thousands of artists worldwide and in every major studio. He believes AI is dramatically changing the creative landscape and elevating the creative potential of artists around the world.

  • Shelby Ward, Curious Refuge

    Shelby Ward

    Curious Refuge

    COO/Artist – Curious Refuge

    Shelby Ward is the COO of Curious Refuge, the world’s first online home for AI Filmmakers. Shelby has spent her career cultivating artist education communities in motion design and VFX, supporting artists at the highest levels of the industry, from Disney to Netflix. She is passionate about creating an optimistic and inclusive creative community centered around modern technology. She is a regular voice on film industry panels, and her AI films have been screened around the world.

4:40 pm – 5:00 pm
Bringing it all together

Panel discussion with all participants from both projects

  • Moderator: Seth Hallen, HPA
    Seth Hallen

    Seth Hallen

    HPA

    Seth Hallen is Co-Managing Director of Light Iron, A Panavision Company, and president of the Hollywood Professional Association. With a proven ability to lead teams toward the successful tactical execution of strategies designed to capitalize on emerging trends and opportunities, he has been building profitable, innovative and market dominant companies for over 25 years. Prior to joining Light Iron, Seth was Head of Global Strategy for Pixelogic Media, senior vice president of global creative services at Sony DADC New Media Solutions, the chief executive officer of Testronic Labs, vice president of North American Operations for Lightworks, and the producer of the Emmy Award-winning TalkShow.TV. He holds a BA degree in radio, television, and film from the University of Maryland.

  • Ruby Bell, Director / Producer
  • Isy Lauf, Composer

    Isy Lauf

    Composer

    Isy is a composer with experience in composition, supervision, editing, arrangement and orchestration for film and TV with an interest in integrating evolving technologies into work and workflow.

  • Shaman Marya, VFX Producer / Animator

    Shaman Marya

    VFX Producer / Animator

    Shaman Marya has worked in film and television in Asia and USA for over 10 years as a Screenwriter, 1stAD, Director, VFX Artist, Virtual Production Artist and RealTime animator. He received the prestigious Epic Megagrant from Unreal Engine for his short film Catch! And in 2023 became an Unreal Animation Fellow from the first cohort in 2023. He has worked as a Virtual Production Technical Director on upcoming Disney feature films Mufasa The Lion King (Directed by Barry Jenkins) and Snow White (Directed by Marc Webb).

  • Jackson Hayes, Virtual Camera Supervisor

    Jackson Hayes

    Virtual Camera Supervisor

    Jackson Hayes is a virtual production stage operator whose resume includes two upcoming Disney features, and is currently on the Avatar team for the upcoming sequels. His experience spans varying virtual production pipelines across VFX vendors.

  • Niko Pueringer, Corridor Digital
  • Tim Simmons, Theoretically Media
  • Caleb Ward, Curious Refuge

    Caleb Ward

    Curious Refuge

    CEO/Artist – Curious Refuge

    Caleb Ward is the CEO of Curious Refuge, an online platform pioneering the use of AI in film. He is deeply dedicated to democratizing the creative process by unlocking the inner storyteller inside everyone. His AI training empowers artists at every end of the creative spectrum, from training Academy Award Winners to aspiring artists looking to learn storytelling for the first time. He has trained thousands of artists worldwide and in every major studio. He believes AI is dramatically changing the creative landscape and elevating the creative potential of artists around the world.

  • Shelby Ward, Curious Refuge

    Shelby Ward

    Curious Refuge

    COO/Artist – Curious Refuge

    Shelby Ward is the COO of Curious Refuge, the world’s first online home for AI Filmmakers. Shelby has spent her career cultivating artist education communities in motion design and VFX, supporting artists at the highest levels of the industry, from Disney to Netflix. She is passionate about creating an optimistic and inclusive creative community centered around modern technology. She is a regular voice on film industry panels, and her AI films have been screened around the world.

5:00 pm – 5:30 pm
LIVE without a net!

In a live demo, the teams will collaborate. Niko will utilize GenAI tools to help Ruby create concepts for a feature length version of her short film.

5:30 pm – 7:15 pm
Innovation Zone Open with Cocktails (dedicated demo time)
  • Pre-Dinner Cocktails sponsored by Signiant & Like Minded Labs
7:15 pm – 8:45 pm
Fiesta Night At The Pool

Enjoy casual tacos and a margarita al fresco to closeout the day.

Wednesday, February 21 | Roundtables, Individual Sessions, Innovation Zone

7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Registration Open
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast Roundtables
  1. On-prem vs. cloud: Who’s the greenest of them all? Chris Lennon, Ross Video 
  2.  Navigating configuration in public/private cloud security, Mathew Gilliat-Smith, Convergent Risks 
  3.  Using AI/ML for media content creation, Rob Gonsalves, Avid 
  4.  The continued value of xenon in a post-production workflow, Brad Walker, Christie Digital 
  5.  Securing pre-release content, Ken Gerstein, Nagra 
  6.  Optimizing metadata from production to post, Mike Urban, The Rebel Fleet 
  7.  Unique perspectives on color and CIE charts, Lakshmanan Gopishankar, Telestream 
  8.  IMF made easy: componentized inventory is simple, Ryan Kido, Ateliere Creative Technologies 
  9.  Multi-studio real-time workflows: staying in sync, Jase Lindgren, Perforce 
  10.  OMC 2.0 ontology for VFX, concept to application, Louis Matignon, Perfect Memory 
  11.  Production data access & portability, Jimmy Fusil, Tsecond 
  12.  The impact of AI-powered post production, Morgan Prygrocki, Adobe 
  13.  Virtual art department in virtual production, Brian Byrne, disguise, and Andrew Amato, Meptik
  14.  Archive revival: intelligent indexing & the cloud, Whit Jackson, Wasabi 
  15.  What’s new with Vision content creation, Samuel Bilodeau, Dolby 
  16.  Is gen AI improving the way we create content? Marlon Campos, AWS 
  17.  Virtual production 2.0: connecting previz to post, Mathieu Mazerolle, Foundry 
  18.  Active library: data & metadata to leverage existing assets, Mike Baron, Prime Focus 
  19.  ACES 2.0 and beyond, share your thoughts, Alex Forsythe, AMPAS 
  20.  AI/ML tools on AWS for post production, Chris Marchitelli, TrackIt 
  21.  The evolution of hybrid SDI / ST 2110 systems, Rick Seegull, Riedel Communications 
  22.  What is a useful definition of scene-referred? Charles Poynton 
  23.  Monetizing your content with FAST channels, Branko Lepan, Nomad Media 
  24.  Do budget norms slow down workflow? Michael Gitig, Iodyne Pro Data 
  25.  Cuts, dailies, mix, color reviews: it’s all the same, right? Brandon Bussinger, Sohonet 
  26.  Metadata bridging of physical & virtual workflows, Peter Crithary, ARRI Americas 
  27.  Virtual studio in the cloud cost benefits, Buzz Hays, Google Cloud 
  28.  AI use cases & workflows, Michael Little, Artistic Resources, & Thomas True, Nvidia 
  29.  Industry collaboration for unconstrained reviews, Steve Marshall, Moxion – Autodesk 
  30.  Scaling human-level video understanding with multimodal AI, Travis Couture, Twelve Labs 

Location: Oasis Ballroom

8:30 am – 8:30 pm
Innovation Zone open for appointments

See program below for dedicated Innovation Zone hours

8:30 am – 8:45 am
Breathe
8:45 am – 8:55 am
Welcome
  • Seth Hallen, HPA
    Seth Hallen

    Seth Hallen

    HPA

    Seth Hallen is Co-Managing Director of Light Iron, A Panavision Company, and president of the Hollywood Professional Association. With a proven ability to lead teams toward the successful tactical execution of strategies designed to capitalize on emerging trends and opportunities, he has been building profitable, innovative and market dominant companies for over 25 years. Prior to joining Light Iron, Seth was Head of Global Strategy for Pixelogic Media, senior vice president of global creative services at Sony DADC New Media Solutions, the chief executive officer of Testronic Labs, vice president of North American Operations for Lightworks, and the producer of the Emmy Award-winning TalkShow.TV. He holds a BA degree in radio, television, and film from the University of Maryland.

8:55 am – 9:15 am
Introduction & Technology Year in Review
  • Mark Schubin, Program Maestro, HPA Tech Retreat

    Mark Schubin

    Program Maestro, HPA Tech Retreat

    Multiple Emmy-award winning SMPTE Life Fellow Mark Schubin is the world’s greatest expert on the intersecting histories of media technology and opera. He helped create the hotel in-room movie business, the first live nationwide stereo simulcast network, the first live multi-language cinema subtitles, and what was probably the first HDR-to-SDR converter (though no one knew what HDR was at the time). He has worked on moving-image projects on all seven continents (including Antarctica), including news in Kazakhstan, cable TV in Hong Kong, and the television transmission system of Barbados. He also worked on the standardization of the VU meter. His bedroom was an official test site of the ATSC, his paper on aspect ratios was cited by the FCC, and his blog at SchubinCafe.com is archived by the Library of Congress. He once piloted the Fuji blimp and has been known to wear shoes.

9:15 am – 9:45 am
What CES 2024 Means for the Media Industry
  • Mark Harrison, DPP

    Mark Harrison

    DPP

    Mark began his career as an Historian at Cambridge University, before moving into the media industry. He spent many years as a Director, Producer and Executive Producer, and won numerous awards for his filmmaking, including an International Emmy and a BAFTA nomination.

    Mark held senior roles within the independent production sector and the BBC. He was MD of an independent production company before being appointed BBC Head of Arts, and then Head of Multiplatform Production. He was subsequently Controller of Production for BBC North and leader of the BBC’s End-to-End Digital programme, before becoming Director of Transformation for BBC Design & Engineering.

    In 2015 Mark became CEO of the DPP – the international network for media and technology, which he founded. Today the DPP has over 500 member companies from across the whole media supply chain – from global tech giants to broadcasters, and from media tech vendors to production companies. The DPP works with its member companies to generate strategic insight and create business opportunities.

9:45 am – 10:10 am
Quantum Dots and Colour Imaging
  • Charles Poynton

    Charles Poynton

    Charles Poynton is an independent researcher specializing in the physics, mathematics, engineering, and programming of digital colour imaging systems, including digital video, HD/UHD/4K/8K (HDTV/UHDTV), VFX/CGI, DI, and digital cinema (D-cinema) systems, including wide colour gamut (WCG) and high dynamic range (HDR) systems. He is engaged in technology forecasting, systems modelling, algorithm development, video signal processing architecture, colour characterization and calibration, image quality assessment, and expert witness work. He contributed to the development of colorspaces such as BT.709/BT.1886, DCI P3 RGB, Adobe RGB 1998, ACES AP0/AP1, and BT.2020. He was responsible for the introduction of 1080 image rows (and “square pixels”) for HD. He earned his PhD in 2018 from Simon Fraser University.

10:10 am – 10:40 am
The Death of Analog: Why Right Now Is the Time to Digitize Your Archive
  • Moderator: Carin Forman, AWS

    Carin Forman

    AWS

    Carin is the Global Partner Lead, supporting Media & Entertainment partners in the Media Supply Chain and Archive segment at AWS. Carin brings over 25 years of experience in Broadcast and Studio operations, focused on media supply chain and distribution. Carin started her career working at Discovery Channel, writing the first business plan to archive, index and digitize Discovery Communications growing library of content, building archive, media management and content distribution workflows. Carin launched Discovery’s Digital Media Center, an asset management system, designed to digitize, and make content globally discoverable, eliminating tape. After 16 years, Carin moved to NY working for HBO, where she managed and built the end-to-end workflows for HBO’s Photography, Graphics and Promo Videos. Carin implemented cloud collaboration solutions to handle rights, ingest, review, approval and distribution to Social, OTT and onto HBO Max. Carin joined AWS in 2021 as part of the AWS Partner team. Carin’s focus is on strategic enablement and partner development, providing expertise for partners supporting Archive Migrations, Monetization, Media Management, Rights and Metadata Management, Content Orchestration, Media Processing and Localization. In her free time, Carin enjoys skiing, kayaking and travel.

  • Heidi Shakespeare, Memnon Archiving Services

    Heidi Shakespeare

    Memnon Archiving Services

    As Memnon’s CEO, Heidi Shakespeare is the driving force behind Memnon’s vision to ensure the world’s content is preserved, discoverable and accessible. Her keen understanding of market trends, coupled with a commitment to innovation, has positioned Memnon at the forefront of technical advancements in audio-visual migration and archiving.

    Before assuming the role of CEO at Memnon, Heidi held pivotal leadership positions at renowned organizations, including Iron Mountain and Bonded Services Group. Her extensive experience in driving sales growth across the media and entertainment sector has solidified her reputation as a forward-thinking industry leader.

    Memnon is poised for continued success as the organization expands into new international markets. Heidi’s goal is to establish Memnon as the global leader in mass media migration, and to maintain Memnon’s reputation as a trailblazer in the industry.

  • Andrea Kalas, Paramount

    Andrea Kalas

    Paramount

    Andrea Kalas has worked at the UCLA Film and Television Archive, Dreamworks, the British Film Institute and Paramount Pictures as a film archivist. Her work on the Academy’s Sci Tech Council is a leading effort in preserving moving images with digital technologies.

  • Linda Tadic, Digital Bedrock

    Linda Tadic

    Digital Bedrock

    Linda Tadic is Founder/CEO of Digital Bedrock, a managed digital preservation service. Her over 35 years’ experience includes positions at HBO, the Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, ARTstor, and Pacific Film Archive. She has also taught as an Adjunct Professor at two major graduate programs focused on audiovisual archiving and preservation: UCLA’s Department of Information Studies, teaching a course on Digital Asset Management; and at NYU’s Moving Image Archiving and Preservation program, teaching a course on Collection Management. Linda consults and lectures on digital asset management, audiovisual and digital preservation, metadata, and the impact of digital preservation on the environment. Linda is the recipient of the 2021 SMPTE James A. Lindner Archival Technology Medal, and a founder and past president of the Association of Moving Image Archivists.

10:40 am – 11:00 am
Refreshment break
11:00 am – 11:30 am
New Developments in Open Source Software for the Motion Picture Industry
  • David Morin, Academy Software Foundation
  • Doug Walker, Autodesk

    Doug Walker

    Autodesk

    Doug is the Technology Lead for Color Science at Autodesk, working on products such as Flame, Maya, Arnold, and ShotGrid. He is also very active in open source projects, serving as the Chief Architect on the OpenColorIO Technical Steering Committee and as part of the Architectural Technical Advisory Council for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Science’s ACES project. He led the team of Autodesk engineers that developed OpenColorIO v2. Doug has been honored with the Natalie M. and Herbert T. Kalmus Medal and the Workflow Systems Medal from SMPTE and with an HPA Engineering Excellence award.

  • Pauline Koh, AWS
  • Eric Reinecke, Netflix

    Eric Reinecke

    Netflix

    Eric develops cloud solutions at Netflix for editorial and post production and consults within the company on timeline intelligence.

    In the Academy Software foundation, he serves as the OpenTimelineIO Technical Steering Committee chair and the Netflix representative to the Technical Advisory Committee.

    Previous to Netflix, Eric worked at PIX system building film collaboration tools and at Lucasfilm Animation creating editorial-driven animation pipelines.

    Eric lives in the San Francisco bay area with his wife and young daughter where he tinkers with vintage Macintosh computers, laser cutting, 3D printing, and tries like the dickens to ride his bike as much as he can.

  • Jeff Hodges, Frame.io, an Adobe company

    Jeff Hodges

    Frame.io, an Adobe company

  • Mathieu Mazerolle, Foundry

    Mathieu Mazerolle

    Foundry

    Mathieu Mazerolle has over 27 years of engineering and product experience in the VFX, cloud and gaming industries. He is currently the Director of Product, New Technology, at Foundry. With a 20-year heritage and a portfolio of award-winning products, Foundry advances the art and technology of visual experience. Prior to Foundry, Mathieu has worked for Amazon Web Services, Electronic Arts, Autodesk, Digital Domain, and Ubisoft.

11:30 am – Noon
Content Authenticity and Provenance: Protocol vs. Workflow
  • Michelle Munson, Eluvio

    Michelle Munson

    Eluvio

    Michelle Munson is the co-founder and CEO of Eluvio and co-creator of the content fabric protocol, an open and decentralized Internet protocol for owner-controlled streaming, storage and monetization of digital content at scale. She leads the Berkeley based company and is co-inventor on 11 patents.

    Michelle is an Emmy-award winning technologist who previously co-founded Aspera in 2004 and led the company as CEO until May 2017, including through acquisition by IBM in 2014. She co-invented the Aspera FASP™ transport technology.

    Michelle is a recipient of the David Sarnoff Medal from the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE); the Charles Swartz Award from the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA); IABM’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year; and named one of the top 25 “People to Watch by TV Technology.

    Michelle was inducted into the College of Engineering Hall of Fame at Kansas State University in 2021. She was also the 2019 Kansas State University Commencement Speaker for the College of Arts and Sciences and the 2006 Alumnus of the Year for the College of Engineering. She holds dual B.Sc. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from Kansas State University, where she was a Goldwater Scholar for achievement in Science and Mathematics. She was also a Fulbright Scholar at Cambridge University where she received a postgraduate diploma in Computer Science.

Noon – 1:58 pm
Lunch break; Innovation Zone open
Noon – 1:30 pm
WIP Lunch: Leadership – How are our styles changing?

Year after year, a standout event at the HPA Tech Retreat is the Women in Post Luncheon—an inclusive gathering where both women and men are invited to glean insights from expert panelists carefully curated by our Women in Post Committee. And we’ve got some very special guests lined up for this year.

Moderated by Rosanna Marino of IDC LA, the conversation with Kylee Peña from Adobe, Daphne Dentz from Warner Bros. Discovery Content Creative Services, and Katie Hinsen from The Walt Disney Studios, will explore the transformative landscape of workplace dynamics influenced by #metoo, the arrival of Gen Z into the workforce, and the ongoing impact of the COVID pandemic.

More details

  • Moderator: Rosanna Marino, IDC LA

    Rosanna Marino

    IDC LA

    Rosanna Marino serves as Chief Operating Officer of International Digital Centre.

    Marino oversees the day-to-day operations, engineering, innovative services development and implementation, sales and marketing of IDC LA and is based in International Digital Centre’s new state of the art Los Angeles facility. She has been in this role for 4+ years and she brings over 20 years of media & entertainment experience with a focus on post-production in features and television. During this time she has grown her relationships and reputation for creative excellence within the Hollywood community.

    Prior to joining IDC Rosanna served as Senior Vice President, Sales and marketing for Fotokem where she was responsible for business development and establishing accounts with Paramount Pictures, CBS, MTV/Nickelodeon, VIACOM, NETFLIX, NBCUniversal, Fremantle Media, Disney and Disney ABC. Rosanna’s expertise in traditional formats as well as her experience in driving the transition to file-based formats for Theatrical, Home Entertainment, International Distribution, OTT, VOD, FAST, Streamers has allowed her to provide unique support for clients like NETFLIX, I-Tunes, Amazon, In Demand, HULU, Google Plus and Crackle as they navigate the Theatrical and Home Entertainment space.

    Rosanna’s career has spanned leading post-production facilities including Laser Pacific, Modern VideoFilm, Ascent Media and Todd-AO where she has lead Sales and Marketing and helped drive the success of emerging Theatrical and Home Entertainment media services for Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Viacom, CBS, Nickelodeon, MTV, Vudu, Saban Brands and Marvel Entertainment.

    Focused on superior service and creative excellence, Rosanna is an active committee member of the Hollywood Professional Association Awards (HPA), Hollywood Professional Association Women in Post, and Young Entertainment Professionals (YEP). She is a member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), supporter of Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association (MESA), Women In Technology Hollywood (WITH), Women in Localization and Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) where she continues to pursue innovation and excellence within the industry. Most recently she was appointed Board Member of South East European Film Festival (SEEFest).

  • Kylee Peña, Adobe

    Kylee Peña

    Adobe

    Kylee Peña is Product Marketing Manager for Professional Editorial at Adobe. As a former editor herself, she’s a seasoned problem-solver who wants to bridge the gap between creative and technology using a well-honed sense of user empathy and well-earned arsenal of technical knowledge. Kylee has over 15 years of experience in post-production, including hundreds of television and film credits as both a creative and technical professional on shows such as Jane the Virgin, Colony, and Scorpion. She is an Active Member of the Television Academy’s Science and Technology peer group and currently serves as SMPTE Hollywood Region Governor.

  • Daphne Dentz, Warner Bros. Discovery Content Creative Services

    Daphne Dentz

    Warner Bros. Discovery Content Creative Services

    Daphne Dentz serves as Senior Vice President, Emerging Formats, Mastering & Content Acquisition, Warner Bros. Discovery Content Creative Services.  In her role, Dentz oversees the delivery of new feature films, episodic television, and catalog masters for the WBD Feature, Episodic and TV groups for first and future windows across streaming and linear markets both domestically and internationally. Her team works directly with content creators and WBDbusiness units to deliver high-quality, in-home service masters for global sales and distribution.

    With over 25 years of experience, Dentz continues to be an industry leader, working closely with WBD Post Production Creative Services and Mastering facilities worldwide.

  • Katie Hinsen, The Walt Disney Studios

    Katie Hinsen

    The Walt Disney Studios

    An international award-winning Media & Entertainment Executive with credits on over 125 major productions, Katie Hinsen is a visionary leader who embraces agile and creative methodologies to develop and run successful teams, departments, and companies.

    Much of her career has been dedicated to the practical implementation of emerging technologies. Over the past decade, she has been researching, designing, implementing, writing, and speaking about emerging technologies, including AI, ML, Cloud and Blockchain within the evolving media industry.

    Her expertise stems from an equal interest in science, entrepreneurship, and creative industries, which have converged over the past two decades. She is dedicated to helping everyone become more empowered by emerging technologies and leading the combined S.T.E.A.M industry toward positive global impact in the future.

1:58 pm – 2:00 pm
Quiz answer and announcements
2:00 pm – 5:50 pm
Revolutionizing Media Production: AI's Role from Conceptualization to Final Cut
2:00 pm – 2:05 pm
Introduction
  • Seth Hallen, HPA
    Seth Hallen

    Seth Hallen

    HPA

    Seth Hallen is Co-Managing Director of Light Iron, A Panavision Company, and president of the Hollywood Professional Association. With a proven ability to lead teams toward the successful tactical execution of strategies designed to capitalize on emerging trends and opportunities, he has been building profitable, innovative and market dominant companies for over 25 years. Prior to joining Light Iron, Seth was Head of Global Strategy for Pixelogic Media, senior vice president of global creative services at Sony DADC New Media Solutions, the chief executive officer of Testronic Labs, vice president of North American Operations for Lightworks, and the producer of the Emmy Award-winning TalkShow.TV. He holds a BA degree in radio, television, and film from the University of Maryland.

2:05 pm – 3:00 pm
Setting the Stage for AI
2:05 pm – 2:20 pm
AI & Frontier Technologies in the Age of Disruption: A Foundation in Embracing Change for Progress
  • Daniel Doll-Steinberg, EdenBase

    Daniel Doll-Steinberg

    EdenBase

    Daniel started his career in 1991 in the global derivatives technology industry, the first true disruption that technology brought to the financial industry, crea4ng the world’s largest global asset class. He led change management of the US opera4ons of a major global bank in New York between 1995 and 1997. After which he founded a company which created one of the first global standards for Digital Rights Management (DRM), securing and delivering activation keys and content direct to resellers & customers, which helped transform the software and computer gaming industries.

    He was appointed by the European Commission an expert advisor specializing in education, disruption, and Future of Work, and to the UK Government where he co-wrote the 2012 Innovation Report. In 2017 he founded the Atari Token Project to build a metaverse-based new economy platform with Atari, an Ethereum founder, and several gaming legends. He is now a founding partner at ‘active innovation’ venture capital fund EdenBase, and a cofounder at TransformBase, a forum for the responsible investment in and business adoption of AI and fron4er technologies.

    His book “Unsupervised”, published September 2023 by Wiley, is a Bloomberg Book of 2023 that People in Power found Essential and explains how new technologies are impacting our lives and society, and what could happen if they are left unchecked.

2:20 pm – 2:35 pm
AI for Media: What does good look like?
  • Mark Harrison, DPP

    Mark Harrison

    DPP

    Mark began his career as an Historian at Cambridge University, before moving into the media industry. He spent many years as a Director, Producer and Executive Producer, and won numerous awards for his filmmaking, including an International Emmy and a BAFTA nomination.

    Mark held senior roles within the independent production sector and the BBC. He was MD of an independent production company before being appointed BBC Head of Arts, and then Head of Multiplatform Production. He was subsequently Controller of Production for BBC North and leader of the BBC’s End-to-End Digital programme, before becoming Director of Transformation for BBC Design & Engineering.

    In 2015 Mark became CEO of the DPP – the international network for media and technology, which he founded. Today the DPP has over 500 member companies from across the whole media supply chain – from global tech giants to broadcasters, and from media tech vendors to production companies. The DPP works with its member companies to generate strategic insight and create business opportunities.

2:35 pm – 2:50 pm
The Computable Studio: A Vision for 2025 and Beyond
  • Yves Bergquist, Entertainment Technology Center @ USC

    Yves Bergquist

    Entertainment Technology Center @ USC

    Yves is an AI researcher and the director of the “AI in Media” Project at USC’s Entertainment Technology Center (ETC). A research center at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, ETC brings together all the Hollywood studios as well as large tech companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google. At the Center, Yves and his team use frontier AI methods to help media companies develop deep insights into their content, their audiences, and the cognitive relationship between the two. Yves is also the co-founder and CEO of Corto, an AI startup developing AI tools to make stories and audiences computable through the DNA analysis of narratives. Corto is in Private Beta with a dozen studios, advertising agencies, and global consumer brands.

2:50 pm – 3:05 pm
Setting the Stage for AI discussion and Q&A
3:05 pm – 4:20 pm
AI and Creativity
3:05 pm – 3:25 pm
Studio Perspective: AI and Content Creation
  • Tony Guarino, Paramount

    Tony Guarino

    Paramount

    Tony has over 25 years of managerial experience in the entertainment industry leading various technical & studio operations, finance, and business development activities at Paramount and Technicolor. Most recently, in 2022, he spearheaded the launch a global production technology innovation effort across Paramount Global to foster collaboration between production groups at the Company to focus on shared technology opportunities and pain points. Tony also oversees global content security, studio operations technology and technical services. Prior to 2022, Tony led Worldwide Technical Operations for Paramount Pictures which included content security, mastering, archive, on-lot post-production services, global content distribution, and workflow automation activities. Prior to that he was the divisional CFO for Paramount’s Studio Group which includes technical operations, production services, and facility operations. Tony’s business development accomplishments in this role also include development of the Studio Master Plan, long range alternative energy plan and development of a world-class sound services post-production facility on the lot. Prior to Paramount, Tony held similar roles at Technicolor in cinema distribution, digital cinema, post-production services, and network operations, including leading several startups and acquisitions instrumental at the time to the Company’s migration into digital based services.

3:25 pm – 3:45 pm
Using GenAI as a Screenwriting Partner and Preproduction Assistant
  • Christian Cantrell, Concept.art

    Christian Cantrell

    Concept.art

    Christian Cantrell’s twenty-five year career in the software industry has been dedicated to making creativity more accessible. He spent twenty years at Adobe working on innovative creative platforms and tooling, and was VP of Product at Stability AI. In 2017, while running the Adobe Design Prototyping Team, he discovered generative AI, and has been working on applying machine learning to creative workflows ever since. He is currently building a startup called Concept.art with the mission to both accelerate and democratize entertainment. In addition to his software career, Cantrell has published four speculative fiction novels — most recently with Random House — and is represented by Gersh.

3:45 pm – 4:05 pm
How AI is Changing Creativity
  • Caleb Ward, Curious Refuge

    Caleb Ward

    Curious Refuge

    CEO/Artist – Curious Refuge

    Caleb Ward is the CEO of Curious Refuge, an online platform pioneering the use of AI in film. He is deeply dedicated to democratizing the creative process by unlocking the inner storyteller inside everyone. His AI training empowers artists at every end of the creative spectrum, from training Academy Award Winners to aspiring artists looking to learn storytelling for the first time. He has trained thousands of artists worldwide and in every major studio. He believes AI is dramatically changing the creative landscape and elevating the creative potential of artists around the world.

  • Shelby Ward, Curious Refuge

    Shelby Ward

    Curious Refuge

    COO/Artist – Curious Refuge

    Shelby Ward is the COO of Curious Refuge, the world’s first online home for AI Filmmakers. Shelby has spent her career cultivating artist education communities in motion design and VFX, supporting artists at the highest levels of the industry, from Disney to Netflix. She is passionate about creating an optimistic and inclusive creative community centered around modern technology. She is a regular voice on film industry panels, and her AI films have been screened around the world.

4:05 pm – 4:20 pm
AI and Creativity discussion and Q&A
4:20 pm – 4:40 pm
Refreshment break
4:40 pm – 5:50 pm
AI in the Workflows
4:40 pm – 5:00 pm
Review of AI/ML for Media Production Workflows with a Focus on Recommendation Engines
  • Rob Gonsalves, Avid

    Rob Gonsalves

    Avid

    Rob Gonsalves joined Avid Technology as their 15th employee in 1989. He helped develop the industry’s preeminent nonlinear editing system Avid Media Composer, specializing in programming video effects, color correction. His work on multi-camera editing software led to Avid winning a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award. He later spearheaded the development of the architecture of Avid’s media enterprise products. He is currently researching the use of AI for media production. Rob holds over 50 patents in the media and entertainment industry.

  • David Colantuoni, Avid

    David Colantuoni

    Avid

    David Colantuoni is the VP of Product Management for Video and Media Solutions for news, sports and post production workflows. Based in Burlington, David has over 30 of years of experience in the media and entertainment industry. David has managed many products and solutions in over 15 years at Avid including, Media Composer, Pro Tools, Sibelius, Avid NEXIS and many of the Avid news and broadcast solutions.

5:00 pm – 5:20 pm
Demystifying AI in Technical Craftsmanship
  • Pinar Seyhan Demirdag, Cuebric

    Pinar Seyhan Demirdag

    Cuebric

    Pinar Seyhan Demirdag, co-founder of Cuebric, is at the forefront of AI-driven creativity. As an AI director and visionary creator, she passionately champions the thoughtful application of technology. Pinar holds the distinction of being LinkedIn’s official voice on generative AI, with her course “What is Generative AI?” engaging over 500,000 viewers in just six months and being translated into five languages.

    In 2020, Pinar, along with Gary Koepke, established Seyhan Lee, the world’s first Creative AI Production Company. Their pioneering work includes producing the world’s first generative AI VFX for “Descending The Mountain” and winning the esteemed D&AD award for the first-ever generative AI commercial, “Connections” for Beko.

    Cuebric, the revolutionary AI-based software platform for filmmaking is born out of Seyhan Lee’s innovative experiments. Cuebric revolutionizes the art of film and image production, reinventing and accelerating the transition from Concept To CameraTM. Even in its early stages, Cuebric has gained the respect and adoption of industry professionals, becoming a go-to tool for top creatives and VFX studios.

    Asides from her career in Cuebric in Seyhan Lee, Pinar writes and speaks passionately on the generative AI and how humans will remain relevant in the age of A.I. and has previously appeared at conferences such as Harvard, SXSW, Google I/O, Eyeo Festival, TEDx, Spirit of Humanity Forum, Production Summit, and others.

    Beyond her significant contributions to Cuebric and Seyhan Lee, Pinar actively writes and speaks about generative AI and the intersection of humans & AI, sharing her insights at prestigious platforms including Harvard, SXSW, Google I/O, TEDx, and many others.

  • Walter Schulz, Cuebric

    Walter Schulz

    Cuebric

    Prior to joining Cuebric, Schulz served as on set VFX supervisor for Emma Stone’s upcoming episodic show, “The Curse”.

    He was also the crowd department supervisor on projects including Godzilla vs. Kong, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Game of Thrones’ final season for which his work won an Emmy.

    He additionally served as On-Set VFX supervisor for Roland Emmerich’s Midway (2019), and has worked on more than 30 major feature films and television projects throughout his career.

    Schulz has been working with AI tools since 2007, by replicating human behavior applied to digital crowds and providing groundbreaking work for projects such as Clint Eastwood’s film “Hereafter” (Oscar nomination for Best VFX 2010); he also created all AI driven digital crowds for the film “Hugo” directed by Martin Scorsese (Best VFX Oscar winner 2011).

    Over his extensive career, Schulz has held titles such as “Creature Developer” while working at ILM (San Francisco) on projects including “The Avengers” and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”. His work involved physics implementation, rigid dynamics, high-end character rigging and technical animation for digital muscle systems and advanced cloth simulation, as well as other deep technical developments.

5:20 pm – 5:40 pm
Multi-Language Generation of Movie Content
  • Siegfried Foessel, Fraunhofer IIS

    Siegfried Foessel

    Fraunhofer IIS

    Siegfried Foessel holds a diploma and doctorate in electrical engineering from the Friedrich-Alexander-University in Erlangen, Germany. He is head of the Moving Picture Technologies department at Fraunhofer IIS, Erlangen, and Professor for the Technology Study Program at the University of Television and Film HFF in Munich. In addition, he is spokesman of the Fraunhofer Business Area Digital Media. His general research topics are image and video processing for broadcast and movie production. Siegfried is member and chair of various national and international standardisation bodies. He is SMPTE fellow and IEEE senior member with more than 80 publications. Actual research topics are image and video coding, media over IP, 3D image reconstruction and AI based production tools.

     

5:40 pm – 5:50 pm
AI in the Workflows discussion and Q&A
5:50 pm – 6:00 pm
What Just Happened? A Review of the Day by Annie Chang and Leon Silverman
6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Innovation Zone with cocktails & Food Truck Night (last chance for Innovation Zone)

Celebrate the final dedicated demo time in the Innovation Zone with a rawkus closing party featuring So-Cal favorites food truck style.

8:30 pm – 1:00 am
After Party

At Pinz & Pints

Sponsored by AWS and Nomad Media

Thursday, February 22 | Roundtables, Individual Sessions

7:15 am – 5:00 pm
Registration Open
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast Roundtables
  1. Hardware virtualization for live broadcast: are we there yet? Jed Deame, Nextera Video 
  2. Using AI/ML for media content creation, Rob Gonsalves, Avid 
  3. The continued value of xenon in a post-production workflow, Brad Walker, Christie Digital 
  4. Using Data Mobility to Accelerate Production, Mark Anderson, Seagate Technology
  5. Training for new platforms and crafts, Jase Lindgren & Chris Perez, Perforce 
  6. Why treat dailies workflow like film? Darren Frankel & Derek Schweickart, Adobe
  7. Welcome to virtual production 2.0, Addy Ghani, disguise 
  8. What’s new with Vision content creation, Samuel Bilodeau, Dolby 
  9. From set to cloud, Ehsan Shokrgozar, AWS
  10. Merrill Weiss and James Snyder ask questions of each other 
  11. The evolution of hybrid SDI / ST 2110 systems, Rick Seegull, Riedel Communications 
  12. Display colour/tone mapping in consumer TV, Charles Poynton 
  13. Why right now is the time to digitize your archive, Andrea Kalas, Paramount 
  14. Metadata bridging of physical & virtual workflows, Peter Crithary, ARRI Americas 
  15. Virtual studio in the cloud cost benefits, Buzz Hays, Google Cloud 
  16. AI ethics & sustainability, Michael Little, Artistic Resources, & Thomas True, Nvidia 
  17. Data-driven audience engagement, Holly Beavon, Fielding Graduate University 
  18. Production crew identity—best practice, Ben Schofield, Content Delivery & Security Assn. 
  19. Advanced cloud-based editing, collaboration and training, Simon Green, Edit Cloud 
  20. Securing the cache: maintaining security in a hybrid workflow, Matt Scott, GB Labs 
  21. 3D sound over headphones, Nuno Fonseca, Sound Particles 
  22. Architecting standardization through interoperability, JP Castel, Evercast
  23. Scaling human-level video understanding with multimodal AI, Travis Couture, Twelve Labs
  24. Camera technology is critical for successful LEDwallbased productions, Daine Pearson, Grass Valley
  25. What They Don’t Want You To Know About Cloud Native Production, Francesco Scartozzi, Matrox
  26. Incorporating generative AI into previsualization & production, Rogerio Gasi, Halon Entertainment
  27. Artificial intelligence standards: too late or not soon enough? Andy Maltz, General Intelligence
  28. Automating VFX pulls, delivery, and review in the cloud, David Rosen, Sony
  29. Unreal Engine on AWS for VP & broadcast, Alex Telitsine, Streambox
  30. Compton & Co.: funding, scaling, and accelerating company success, Martin Vann & Brian Compton

Location: Oasis Ballroom

8:30 am – 8:43 am
Breathe
8:43 am – 8:45 am
Quiz answer & announcements
8:45 am – 11:35 am
MovieLabs 2030 Update
8:45 am – 9:40 am
The State of the Vision
8:45 am – 8:55 am
Where Are We on the Path to 2030?
  • Mark Turner, MovieLabs
8:55 am – 9:10 am
Bringing the “Studio in the Cloud” to Fruition
  • Mark Turner, MovieLabs
  • Richard Duke, Avid
    Richard Duke

    Richard Duke

    Avid

    As the Chief Cloud Solutions Architect at Avid, Richard is responsible for helping customers “Cloudify” their workflows and infrastructure using Avid’s industry leading tools, including the Avid NEXIS | VFS storage platform, Avid’s Creative Editing tools, Media Composer and Pro Tools, and the Media Central solutions. Richard has been working in the film and broadcast industry for over 20 years and has developed and deployed some of the most industry leading solutions in public and private clouds.

  • Chris Blandy, AWS
  • Eric Iverson, Amazon Studios
9:10 am – 9:20 am
Post-Production Implementation of Realtime Collaborative Workflows
  • Aki Seino, Imagica Entertainment Media Services

    Aki Seino

    Imagica Entertainment Media Services

    Aki Seino is Senior Technical Director of Imagica Entertainment Media Services in Japan. He works research and technical evaluation for advanced imaging and IT technologies.

    He has developed services to meet customer technical requirements such as IMF, PSE Test, Speech to Text and QC/QA. And he is currently working on Remote Preview, Post Production and Localization works on Cloud, and Security Assessments.

    He is a member of SMPTE, and he contributes for Japanese Timed text subtitling for SMPTE DCP and IMF Application #6 as its activity. He is also a board member of the Society of Photography and Imaging of Japan, and he conducts research on image preservation and the reproduction of image reality.

9:20 am – 10:00 am
Using the MovieLabs Ontology for Media Creation
  • Mark Turner, MovieLabs
  • Guillaume Rachez, Perfect Memory

    Guillaume Rachez

    Perfect Memory

    Guillaume is an Audiovisual & Multimedia Engineer who graduated from the University of Valenciennes and specialized in media indexing and semantic technologies.

    A Perfect Memory collaborator since its inception, he contributed to the construction of the platform’s fundamental principles.

    As VP product, he supervises the evolution of the product’s functionalities.

    From identification to implementation and arbitration, he coordinates the functionalities creation cycle as well as the roadmap of the deployed versions of the product, while considering customer needs and company strategy.

    Passionate about cinema and innovation, the cultural and technological challenges that Perfect Memory addresses are at the heart of his concerns.

  • Mike Urban, The Rebel Fleet (Our Flag Means Death Season 2)

    Mike Urban

    The Rebel Fleet (Our Flag Means Death Season 2)

    With a career spanning over two decades, Mike Urban navigated the dynamic realms of news and sports for the first eight years. A highlight of this period was his role as a CCU Operator at the 2012 London Olympics. Subsequently, he transitioned into film and TV production, uncovering his genuine enthusiasm to collaborate with skilled practitioners who share the same desire to craft exceptional content.

    In 2015, Mike co-founded The Rebel Fleet, created to streamline production workflows and empower creatives by reducing the technical boundaries of the film making process and enabling creative freedom.

    At the helm of The Rebel Fleet, Mike and his team have excelled in implementing cutting-edge workflows and delivering solutions tailored for some of the most complex productions. Their mission is clear: to promote collaboration, enhance efficiency, and consolidate key metadata, ensuring an efficient and productive creative process.

  • Dalia Spingarn, Paramount

    Dalia Spingarn

    Paramount

    Dalia Spingarn is the Sr. Director of Production Technology Integration at Paramount Global. She is responsible for assessing and driving implementation of innovative technologies that enhance and connect the production processes and toolsets across the company. Her projects focus on improving efficiency and streamlining the flow of information between teams. With nearly two decades of experience across production and distribution operations at major media companies (NBCUniversal, Disney-ABC, Sony), Dalia has designed and operationalized metadata supply chains inclusive of a multitude of content types, business models, business functions, aligning teams around the world.

  • Toby Scales, Google

    Toby Scales

    Google

    Toby leads the Media & Entertainment vertical in Google Cloud’s Oce of the CISO, where he focuses on driving strategic change across the content and enterprise security disciplines.

    In his previous role at Microsoft and now at Google, he’s partnered with every major studio on cloud transformation initiatives across animation, VFX and post-production.

    Before getting involved at the intersection of Hollywood and cloud, he ran the services arm of a major MSP in Manhattan (where he developed their cloud consulting practice), and before that founded and sold his own consulting rm in Seattle, Washington.

    He now lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and two sons– who are officially recognized as the World’s Best Kids.

  • Gino Filicetti, Google

    Gino Filicetti

    Google

    Gino Filicetti joined Google in 2021 as a Customer Engineer specializing in cloud application modernization in the Media & Entertainment industry.

    He carries responsibility for providing in-depth enterprise application modernization expertise to support the technical relationship with Google’s Media & Entertainment customers, including product and solution briefings, proof-of-concept work, and partner directly with product management to prioritize solutions impacting customer adoption to Google Cloud.

10:00 am – 10:20 am
Refreshment break
10:20 am – 11:25 am
Enabling Interoperable Workflows
  • Moderator: Jim Helman, MovieLabs

    Jim Helman

    MovieLabs

    Jim is CTO at MovieLabs, a technology joint venture of five major Hollywood studios. At MovieLabs, Jim leads technical work on the 2030 Vision for media creation in the cloud and has led industry initiatives including driving worldwide standards for high dynamic range video. Jim also led the design and implementation of the Entertainment Identifier Registry (EIDR), for which he was awarded an Engineering, Science and Technology Emmy.

    Prior to MovieLabs, Jim was chief software architect at Liberate Technologies, where he led the development of a web platform for delivering interactive cable services. Prior to Liberate, he worked at Silicon Graphics, developing real-time 3D systems for VR, location-based entertainment, and visual simulation. Jim holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Applied Physics from Stanford and a B.A. in Physics and Math from Washington University.

  • Jeremy Stapleton, Universal

    Jeremy Stapleton

    Universal

    With over 17 years of experience in media and technology, Jeremy Stapleton is a highly experienced media and technology professional passionate about leading teams to build software solutions that drive digital transformation and improve users’ daily lives. Before joining Universal Pictures, Mr. Stapleton worked at Technicolor, leading a global team of software developers in building and integrating internal and external applications in the post-production space.

    At Universal Pictures, Mr. Stapleton is a member of the Creative Technologies team, where he is focused on driving innovation initiatives related to production cloud adoption and innovation.

  • Matt Walters, The Walt Disney Studios

    Matt Walters

    The Walt Disney Studios

    Matt Walters has worked in the film industry for over 25 years. With over a decade in film production and eight years in vendor-side roles, Matt has touched every aspect of filmmaking. Having done several films from script development to final release, Matt has firsthand knowledge of all departments, and production stages, with credits including such films as Speed Racer and Superman Returns. Matt has been a member of the Visual Effects Society since 2012.

    As head of Disney’s Motion Pictures Lab, Matt drives innovation across Disney Studios. The Motion Picture Labs (MPL) – is a group of specialty film making labs in Production Technology, working across all of Disney Studios, including Motion Picture Production, Marvel, Twentieth Century Studios and Searchlight.

    When not working on or talking about filmmaking he designs boardgames (Mission: Catastrophe) and builds Trebuchets.

  • Morgan Prygrocki, Adobe

    Morgan Prygrocki

    Adobe

    Morgan Prygrocki is a Sr. Strategic Development Manager at Adobe supporting Hollywood post-production video workflows.  She has spent the bulk of her career working in high-end camera technology & virtual production solutions, and has been supporting productions ranging from major league sports broadcasts to award-winning films & and commercial productions over the last 15 years.

  • Matt Sivertson, Autodesk

    Matt Sivertson

    Autodesk

    Matt Sivertson joined Autodesk in 2021 as Vice President and Chief Architect for Media and Entertainment. With a background in video games and a passion for filmmaking, he is motivated to leverage his experience developing platforms to empower creatives around the world. Prior to Autodesk, Matt spent his career at Intuit, Sony and Moebius Solutions.

11:25 am – 11:35 am
Introducing the MovieLabs Interop 2024 Project
  • Mark Turner, MovieLabs
11:35 am – 12:05 pm
Stepping Up to Color Managed On-set HDR/SDR Workflows
  • Moderator: Michael Chambliss, International Cinematographers Guild

    Michael Chambliss

    International Cinematographers Guild

    Michael Chambliss, the advanced production technology specialist for the International Cinematographers Guild (ICG), IATSE Local 600, focuses on the integration of new forms of programming and emerging production methods into the craft of cinematography and camera crew practices. He is active on the American Society of Cinematographers’ (ASC) Motion Imaging Technology Council (MITC) as well as being the ICG’s representative on the Entertainment Technology Center @ USC projects, NAB’s Cine Consortium Educational Subcommittee and additional industry forums.

    Prior to shepherding the ICG’s technology initiatives, Michael was a principal of the commercial production company Chambliss-Wolff Films and a consultant for media technology investment groups. He worked as a director of photography and camera operator on commercials, motion pictures and television series for more than 20 years as well as earning a Peabody Award as the director/DP on the documentary “It Works.”

  • Rory Gordon, ArsenalFX

    Rory Gordon

    ArsenalFX

    Rory Gordon is a supervising colorist based out of Los Angeles since 2010, with recent credits Rapsh!t for HBO Max, Unstable for Netflix, and Parish for AMC. She has finished over 130 episodes in HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Her work has appeared on HBO, Starz, Amazon, Netflix, Fox, and others. In 2021 she was nominated for an HPA award for her work on HBO’s Lovecraft Country. She has done independent research in applied color science/color communication and has been published in the SMPTE journal three times, in addition to speaking at many events including international audiences. She is a painter in her life away from digital image processing.

  • Nate Heart, Netflix
  • Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC, Cinematographer

    Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC

    Cinematographer

    Cinematographer Tommy “Maddox”-Upshaw ASC started as a PA and climbed through as a grip/electrician in Boston and New York while earning his MFA from the American Film Institute.

    His work on the Hulu series “Snowfall” was recognized by the ASC with their award for Best Cinematography on a One-Hour TV Series, the first black ASC member to ever win a coveted ASC award. In 2022, Maddox-Upshaw was nominated for the Camerimage Golden Frog award for the pilot episode of the Fox Searchlight/Hulu series “The Man Who Fell to Earth” and is a member of both the Motion Picture and Television Academies. He has lensed projects across the globe for studios such as A24, Netflix , Disney, Showtime/Paramount, and Universal.

  • Greg Smokler, Small HD

    Greg Smokler

    Small HD

    Greg is VP / GM of Cine Products at Videndum Creative Solutions, where he leads the product teams responsible for Teradek Cine, SmallHD, and Wooden Camera. Greg grew up on film sets alongside his father, Cinematographer Peter Smokler, who taught him to keep looking for a better shot. In 2012, while working as a Local 600 Camera Operator, he co-founded the wireless video innovator Paralinx–acquired by Videndum (formerly Vitec) Group in 2015. Greg has worked with engineering and design teams to build multiple generations of Bolt zero-delay wireless video systems, 4K HDR local-dimming production reference monitors, low-latency cloud monitoring platforms, and integrated touchscreen monitor systems for leading motion picture camera manufacturers. In 2021 Greg was honored with a Motion Picture Academy Sci-Tech award for his contributions to the development of the ruggedized Teradek Bolt 4k, and in 2023 he was awarded a Engineering, Science and Technology Emmy® for the SmallHD 4k Monitor Platform. Greg lives in Los Angeles with his wife and twin sons, and is an avid supporter of the Lakers.

12:05 pm – 1:28 pm
Lunch break
12:05 pm – 1:28 pm
Lunch & Learn | Recognizing and Developing Untapped and Underrepresented Talent in M&E

There is a sentiment that our industry is experiencing a talent shortage. But ask any underrepresented person if they agree and the answer will be “no, I’m here!” This panel and interactive discussion will explore these challenges and perceptions through the experiences and perspectives of early, mid, and late career professionals who have hired and been hired – or looked over altogether. Attendees will have an opportunity to share their own experiences and ask questions in a safe space over lunch and take away actionable learnings they can apply right away to help build a sustainable workforce to keep their company on the cutting edge.

  • Moderator: Kylee Peña, Adobe

    Kylee Peña

    Adobe

    Kylee Peña is Product Marketing Manager for Professional Editorial at Adobe. As a former editor herself, she’s a seasoned problem-solver who wants to bridge the gap between creative and technology using a well-honed sense of user empathy and well-earned arsenal of technical knowledge. Kylee has over 15 years of experience in post-production, including hundreds of television and film credits as both a creative and technical professional on shows such as Jane the Virgin, Colony, and Scorpion. She is an Active Member of the Television Academy’s Science and Technology peer group and currently serves as SMPTE Hollywood Region Governor.

  • Moderator: Morgan Prygrocki, Adobe

    Morgan Prygrocki

    Adobe

    Morgan Prygrocki is a Sr. Strategic Development Manager at Adobe supporting Hollywood post-production video workflows.  She has spent the bulk of her career working in high-end camera technology & virtual production solutions, and has been supporting productions ranging from major league sports broadcasts to award-winning films & and commercial productions over the last 15 years.

  • Renard Jenkins, SMPTE

    Renard Jenkins

    SMPTE

    Renard Jenkins is an experienced content creation and creative technology executive in the Film, Television and Radio industry. Jenkins is a SMPTE Fellow and 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 Siggraph and is a former board member of MovieLabs, the UltraHD Forum and the Content & Entertainment Council as well as the Microsoft and Oracle Advisory Boards. 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. Most recently 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.

    He and his team is responsible for the exploration and successful implementation of emerging and creative technologies such as virtual-production, multiplatform storytelling, virtual character, and meta-human development biometrics/neural-technology and better images and sound for cinema and home entertainment. Jenkins was the technical lead and designer of the Digital Backlot initiative which focused on extending the useful lifespan and monetization possibilities of visual effects, animation, artists’, and production elements & assets across multiple content creation verticals.

    Prior to joining 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 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 a Strategic Advisor to the Board of Directors of the Washington, DC Chapter of the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), former chair and founding member of the Warner Bros. Technology and Operations Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Council, current lead of the SMPTE Global Inclusion Working Group and he also Co-Chairs, HPA ALL which advocates for and promotes diversity, better equity and increased inclusion and accessibility in the media and entertainment industry.

    When he is not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife and best friend of over 30 years, his daughters, and his grandchildren. He loves travel photography, filmmaking, animation and only has one more continent left to explore. He is also a certified sound engineer, certified 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 moto is “In all things integrity and integrity in all things.”

  • Payton List, FOX Entertainment

    Payton List

    FOX Entertainment

    Payton List is a leader in entertainment technology who helps build workflows, R&Ds software and technology, and manages a team of media workflow specialists and creative editorial professionals. Working collaboratively with her team, she is dedicated to problem solving and technical consulting with the goal of enabling creatives to focus on producing their best work. She also strives to create an equitable and inclusive environment at work and throughout the M&E industry. Outside of her day job, she is the co-chair of the HPA Women in Post group, which is committed to building a diverse and supportive community of media professionals.

  • Christopher Tjajadi, Netflix
1:28 pm – 1:30 pm
quiz answer and announcements
1:30 pm – 2:00 pm
“Unbreaking” an Industry: Fixing an Industry-Wide Mess

It’s clear that, from any vantage point, the Media & Entertainment industry is currently dealing with significant challenges and facing substantial changes all stemming from the simultaneous impact of uncertain business models, evolving operating rhythms, changing technologies and deployment patterns, as well as an industry ecosystem that is under major pressure. As industry leaders we need to come to grips with the fact that we’re standing at the precipice of ‘breaking an industry’ and are facing an industry-wide mess.  The Media & Entertainment industry is robust and attractive, but the numerous pressures the industry is currently facing are creating significant problems that need to be fixed to ensure that we can collectively sustain a healthy, growing, and profitable industry.  As a 37+ year industry veteran and experienced media technology executive, Jeff willshare his perspectives on what the industry is facing and why, what the future likely holds, and, more important,his views on what we can collectively do about it.

  • Jeff Rosica, Avid

    Jeff Rosica

    Avid

    Jeff Rosica is the CEO & President of Avid Technology, a leading technology provider that powers the media and entertainment industry. He is based in Burlington, Massachusetts—the company’s global headquarters. Mr. Rosica, who joined Avid in early 2013, is a well-known media technology industry veteran with more than 35 years’ experience in broadcast, media and entertainment. Prior to his current role as CEO, he served as the company’s President, and prior to that as the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. Before joining Avid, Jeff served in various executive positions for many well-known technology companies that serve the broadcast, media and entertainment industries including Grass Valley, Technicolor/Thomson, BTS and Philips Electronics.

2:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Color Appearance Models and the future of Color Management: How the industry Working Group for the new Developer Release of ACES 2.0 investigated, debated and ultimately embraced CAMs for its new output transform
  • Alex Forsythe, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

    Alex Forsythe

    Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

    Alex Forsythe currently serves as the Director of Imaging Technology at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where he oversees various technology research initiatives, including the development and standardization of the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES). Prior to his 17 years at the Academy, he served in various engineering and research roles at Intel Corporation and Eastman Kodak.

    Alex holds BS and MS degrees from Rochester Institute of Technology, where he focused on color science, imaging, and photographic technology. He is a graduate of the Kodak Imaging Science Career Development Program and the UCLA Technical Management Program.

    He serves on the Board of the Academy Software Foundation. His memberships include HPA, Colorist Society Hollywood, SMPTE, and the Society of Imaging Science and Technology. He also contributes to the ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council, is a member of the United States Technical Advisory Group to ISO TC-36, an Associate Member of the IMAGO Technical Committee, and an occasional HBA beer drinker.

2:30 pm – 3:25 pm
NeRFs for Nerds: Another Future for Creativity
  • Erik Weaver, Entertainment Technology Center at USC
    Erik Weaver

    Erik Weaver

    Entertainment Technology Center at USC

    Erik Weaver is Emmy-nominated producer and is currently running Virtual & Adaptive production for the Entertainment Technology Center@ University of Southern California (ETC). Projects include Executive Producer on Ripple Effect a production-focused in Covid safety and Virtual Production and Fathead. Mr Weaver graduated from the 3rd Unreal Fellowship and 3rd ICVFX Fellowship.

    Mr Weaver is considered a leading authority in all aspects of OSVP. An early pioneer in executing shows from beginning to end. Running teams of industry experts to define LED testing and standardize the evaluation of panels, lighting, and color science. He worked on the team that built the largest stage in America for Amazon studios and has delivered portable stages to several national conferences. His experience also included both small and large VAD builds and orchestrating the development of assets globally.

  • Eric Pohl, Singularity Imaging

    Eric Pohl

    Singularity Imaging

    Eric is an experienced media technology professional with diverse management & technical expertise. With a solid foundation in Electrical Engineering (BS and MS degrees), Eric has established himself as a technology leader who has an accomplished record of deploying new technology in the media industry.

    Having worked at television networks, equipment manufacturers, and served as a CTO at a leading media systems integrator, Eric has a wide and deep view of emerging media technology.

    He provided leadership in many new technology initiatives and has earned 3 Emmys for his work in television.

  • Tim Porter, Mod Tech Labs

    Tim Porter

    Mod Tech Labs

    Tim is an accomplished technology leader and Co-Founder of MOD Tech Labs, where he serves as the Chief Technology Officer. With a passion for pushing the boundaries of 3D content, Tim spearheads the development of groundbreaking technology that is revolutionizing the industry using automation and machine learning to empower the creative process.

    After graduating from Full Sail University, Tim embarked on a remarkable journey in the world of technology. He initially honed his skills as an animation artist and gradually transitioned into more technical developer roles at renowned game and production studios over the span of two decades. Tim’s contributions have been instrumental in the creation of numerous games, movies, and XR experiences, leveraging his unique perspective on the intersection of art and technology to enhance creativity through the use of innovative tools.

    At Mod Tech Labs, Tim’s primary focus lies in building simple yet powerful tools that streamline and automate mundane production tasks. By empowering production studios with more time and resources, his work enables them to channel their energy into the creative process. Tim’s relentless pursuit of excellence has garnered recognition, earning him the esteemed title of Unreal Fellow and Technology Leadership accolades from respected organizations like the CTA (Consumer Technology Association) and others. He is a member of NVIDIA Inception, Intel Liftoff, SMPTE, RTC, The Linux Foundation, and the Academy Software Foundation helping educate and lead technology initiatives.

    With his extensive background in both art and technology, Tim has become a sought-after speaker and thought leader in the field. He regularly shares his insights and expertise at industry conferences, seminars, and workshops, inspiring audiences with his vision for the future of 3D content and the transformative potential of AI-driven solutions. Tim’s unwavering dedication to innovation and his commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible make him a true pioneer in the realm of technology and creativity.

  • Addy Ghani, disguise

    Addy Ghani

    disguise

    As the VP of Virtual Production, Addy is immersed in Studio workflows and Industry standards for real time visualization for film and television. Addy is building a Disguise creator community and strategies that will further the proliferation of Virtual Production.

    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 VFX and animation, as well as emerging formats like AR and VR. He is an unofficial Unreal Engine Evangelist and a Fellow, and loves to converse about the possibilities of game engines as a storytelling tool.

3:25 pm – 3:45 pm
Refreshment break
3:45 pm – 4:30 pm
Priority Mail - A conversation with the talent and technicians that brought Postcard from Earth to Sphere in Las Vegas. How do you deliver an unprecedented film to the world’s most ambitious venue?
  • Moderator: Carolyn Giardina, Variety/Variety VIP+

    Carolyn Giardina

    Variety/Variety VIP+

    Carolyn Giardina is senior entertainment technology and crafts editor at Variety Intelligence Platform (VIP+), a division of Variety that operates a digital subscription offering analyzing the media and technology industries; and entertainment news leader Variety.

    She took on that role in February 2024, following more than a decade at The Hollywood Reporter, where as tech editor she covered everything from artificial intelligence to the Academy Awards. She also has worked in the U.S. and aboard, as an editor, reporter or columnist, on titles including Cinema Editor, SHOOT, The IBC Daily and SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal.

    No stranger to the community, Carolyn served multiple terms on the HPA Board of Directors, during which time she co-founded and was founding chair of the HPA Awards; and more recently helped plan and moderate a series of remote panels as part of the HPA Industry Recovery Task Force amid the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak.

    For her industry contributions, Carolyn has been honored with American Cinema Editors’ Robert Wise Award for journalistic illumination of the art of film editing, the International Cinematographers Guild’s Technicolor William A. Fraker Award for journalistic contributions to cinematography, and the Advanced Imaging Society’s Distinguished Leadership Lumiere Award.

    With a commitment to education, she also co-authored Exploring 3D: The New Grammar of Stereoscopic Filmmaking (Focal Press, 2013) and is a lecturer at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film & Media Arts.

  • Cara Sheppard, Picture Shop

    Cara Sheppard

    Picture Shop

    Cara Sheppard is president of Picture Shop, Streamland Media’s picture division. In her role she has global management of all areas of the company’s leading picture finishing post production business. Sheppard has more than 15 years of industry experience, from studio operations to facility management in production and post production. Most recently, she served as managing director for London’s Twickenham Film Studios. Prior, she successfully led Warner Bros. De Lane Lea as managing director for nearly five years, and spent six years in senior management at Sky. Sheppard got her start in the industry as a post production supervisor. She is a voting member of BAFTA, a consistent contributor to industry journals and panels, and serves on the board of the UK Screen Alliance.

  • Tim Stipan, Picture Shop

    Tim Stipan

    Picture Shop

    Picture Shop Senior Colorist Tim Stipan has over 20 years of finishing experience on award-winning productions and has twice been nominated for a Hollywood Professional Association Award in Outstanding Color Grading, for Jojo Rabbit and The Greatest Showman. With nearly 200 credits Stipan is passionate about helping filmmakers realize their visions. Some of those credits include collaborating on Darren Aronofsky’s immersive MSG Sphere production Postcard From Earth, and such feature films as The Whale, Creed, Into the Woods, Moonrise Kingdom, Black Swan, The Reader, The Wrestler, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and The Burial, among others.

  • Andrew Shulkind, Sphere Entertainment Co.

    Andrew Shulkind

    Sphere Entertainment Co.

    Andrew Shulkind serves as Senior Vice President, Capture at Sphere Entertainment where he leads a diverse team of technologists and imagemakers developing and deploying the next-generation camera and audio tools required to create unique content experiences for Sphere in Las Vegas. A key part of the studio leadership and creative development teams, Andrew helps answer both the technical “how” and the creative “what.”

    Andrew came to Sphere as an award-winning director of photography, advanced imaging consultant, and one of the leading industry voices on the future of entertainment. He has spent over two decades on the front lines of where technology meets entertainment, helping forge a hybrid future that merges experiential media, traditional cinema, live events, commercial art and advertising.

    His work is best known for letting the creative drive the product, simplifying complicated technologies to deliver cutting edge storytelling solutions such as large format and high-speed imaging, 360˚ photography, volumetric capture and data scanning.

    Prior to joining Sphere, Andrew helped launched a range of camera and lighting products and advised a wide range of leading technology players, studios, and brands on content innovation strategy, including Google, Facebook, Verizon, Microsoft, Canon, Sony, Samsung, Live Nation, and the NBA. He was awarded with the Emerging Cinematographer Award from the International Cinematographers Guild in 2014, the Studio Daily Prime Award for the Innovator of the Year in 2014 and 2016, as well as Variety Magazine’s 10 Cinematographers to Watch in 2018.

  • Joshua Grow, Sphere Entertainment Co.

    Joshua Grow

    Sphere Entertainment Co.

    As Senior Vice President, Studio Core Technology at Sphere Entertainment Co., Josh Grow oversees infrastructure that supports Sphere Studios’ core technology functions. This includes architecting the digital pipeline from camera to screen utilizing various software used to create content, as well as data storage and data transfer from Sphere Studios in Burbank to the Sphere venue in Las Vegas.

    Prior to joining Sphere Entertainment in 2020, Josh’s career spans positions of increasing responsibility across the entertainment and technology sectors. This includes at The Creative-Cartel, a full production service company focused on visual effects production management and digital pipelines. During his tenure at The Creative-Cartel, Josh led a team dedicated to streamlining digital pipelines and developing cutting-edge software solutions, including the development of a unique production software suite, JOUST, and innovative tools for organizing, transcoding, and securely distributing footage. His prior experience also includes roles at The Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures Imageworks.

    Josh graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and Technology, with a focus on Spatial Animation.

  • Toby Gallo, Sphere Entertainment Co.

    Toby Gallo

    Sphere Entertainment Co.

    Toby Gallo is a Digital Intermediate Pipeline Supervisor at Sphere Studios – the immersive content studio
    dedicated to creating multi-sensory, live entertainment experiences exclusively for Sphere. In his role,
    Toby’s responsibilities include working on the technologies and finishing processes for original immersive
    entertainment at Sphere in Las Vegas, including the venue’s first cinematic experience, Darren Aronofsky’s
    Postcard from Earth.

    Toby is an experienced creative technology leader, with more than 30 years of experience in network
    design and implementation. He joined Sphere Entertainment in 2023 from AFX Creative, an independent
    studio specializing in VFX, design/motion, color and editorial services for the advertising and
    entertainment industries. Toby’s prior experience also includes technology and engineering roles at
    companies such as Technicolor, Warner Bros. Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Walt Disney
    Animation Studios.

    Toby is also an FAA certified remote pilot, where he specializes in aerial imaging.

4:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Building the Studio of Tomorrow, Today!
  • Moderator: Daniel Gonzales, AWS

    Daniel Gonzales

    AWS

    Daniel Gonzales is a Senior Partner Solutions Architect at AWS. With a career spanning over two decades, Gonzales has consistently been at the forefront of industry evolution, leveraging cutting-edge solutions to enhance storytelling, distribution models, and audience interaction. His contributions helped reimagine content creation methodologies, distribution frameworks, and audience engagement paradigms.

    As an Emmy Award-winning technologist, his visionary leadership and strategic insights have not only anticipated industry trends but actively shaped them. His impact extends from major broadcasters and picture studios to blossoming startups, where his guidance and collaboration with CxO and senior-level executives has been instrumental in fostering growth, and driving unparalleled success.

    In his current capacity at AWS, Gonzales continues to drive innovation and revolutionize how entities harness technology and AWS to push the boundaries of what’s achievable in M&E.

  • Jonathon Lee, Amazon Studios
  • Richard Duke, Avid
    Richard Duke

    Richard Duke

    Avid

    As the Chief Cloud Solutions Architect at Avid, Richard is responsible for helping customers “Cloudify” their workflows and infrastructure using Avid’s industry leading tools, including the Avid NEXIS | VFS storage platform, Avid’s Creative Editing tools, Media Composer and Pro Tools, and the Media Central solutions. Richard has been working in the film and broadcast industry for over 20 years and has developed and deployed some of the most industry leading solutions in public and private clouds.

5:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Let’s Have an Honest Conversation about Sound
  • Nuno Fonseca, Sound Particles

    Nuno Fonseca

    Sound Particles

    Founder/CEO at Sound Particles company. Creator of Sound Particles software, a 3D CGI-like audio software used in all major Hollywood studios, in productions such as StarWars, Game of Thrones, Frozen, Dune, Indiana Jones, Mission Impossible, Oppenheimer.

    Expert in 3D sound, including sound for cinema, and 3D sound over headphones, he is a former university professor, with a PhD in computer audio, author of 2 books and more than 20 papers on audio research topics, Nuno is also member of AES Technical Committee on Audio for Cinema, CAS, MPSE; AMPS.

5:30 pm – 5:50 pm
Untwisting the Rope of Character Identification
  • Holly Beavon, Fielding Graduate University

    Holly Beavon

    Fielding Graduate University

    Holly Beavon is a Ph.D. candidate at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbra, CA. Working under the guidance of APA Fellow Karen Shackleford, Ph.D., her thesis research focused on organizing the definitions and measures of the complex psychological processes engaged by stories and characters. Bringing the “why” to the “what” of media engagement, her lines of investigation dive into the dimensions of audience response and behavioral impact, helping us understand media-based relationships, purposefully fine-tune them, and develop new avenues for engagement. This is a natural extension of her work as an actor and as one of the world’s top tribute artists performing in film, TV, music videos, and international events.

    Beyond the immediate application to current media and technology, Holly is interested in extending her research to digital humans and next-level audience immersion utilizing a contextual interplay between identification, moral, cultural, and psychological factors based on statistical models applied to generative AI.

     

5:50 pm – 6:00 pm
What Just Happened? A Review of the Day by Annie Chang and Leon Silverman
OFFICIAL END OF 2024 HPA TECH RETREAT
6:00 pm – 6:05-ish
Post-Retreat Treat: You Think You’re Dealing with Change? Law and Technology Affecting the Music Biz at the Turn of the 19th-to-20th Centuries

Among other things, it involved a 200-ton synthesizer, a recordist mistaken for an anarchist, and the establishment of broadcast rights before radio.

  • Mark Schubin, Program Maestro, HPA Tech Retreat

    Mark Schubin

    Program Maestro, HPA Tech Retreat

    Multiple Emmy-award winning SMPTE Life Fellow Mark Schubin is the world’s greatest expert on the intersecting histories of media technology and opera. He helped create the hotel in-room movie business, the first live nationwide stereo simulcast network, the first live multi-language cinema subtitles, and what was probably the first HDR-to-SDR converter (though no one knew what HDR was at the time). He has worked on moving-image projects on all seven continents (including Antarctica), including news in Kazakhstan, cable TV in Hong Kong, and the television transmission system of Barbados. He also worked on the standardization of the VU meter. His bedroom was an official test site of the ATSC, his paper on aspect ratios was cited by the FCC, and his blog at SchubinCafe.com is archived by the Library of Congress. He once piloted the Fuji blimp and has been known to wear shoes.

6:05-ish
Door Prize Raffles

Must be present to win.

Speakers

Below are bios submitted by some of our 2024 Tech Retreat speakers.

Check back often for updates!

Jillian Arnold

Mission Critical Media / IATSE Local 695

Jillian Arnold

Jillian Arnold is an award-winning video engineer who specializes in recording workflow engineering, digital acquisition and transfer, & media management. She is one of the few experts in the lucrative, technically progressive field of live television. She is a second-generation recordist/tape operator, committed to bridging the generational and cultural technology gap by training and certifying new operators with her latest venture, Mission Critical Media.

Jillian is also the first female president in Local 695’s (Sound, Video, and Projection) ninety-year history and the first ever chair of the IATSE Artificial Intelligence Sub-committee for IATSE-AMPTP Basic/Videotape Agreement negotiations. Alongside her commitment to workers’ rights, she has reformed her Local’s Women’s and DEI committees in order to prioritize education on sensitive topics, mental health, and intergenerational communication.

As a video engineer, Jillian cut her teeth overseeing high-speed, high-resolution productions for engineering analysis as part of the Mars Program at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory [JPL]. She also participated in JPL’s Juno orbital insertion, Cassini’s farewell, and Mars Curiosity Landing.

Currently, Jillian manages the recording and file management for all Viacom CBS tentpole shows on NEP’s premier truck, Atlas. These shows include MTV VMAs, Movie Awards, CMT Awards, Kids Choice Awards, and many more. Other credits include The Emmys, The Oscars, NBC Universal’s E! Red Carpet Shows, NFL Honors, Grease Live, Rent Live, several major Netflix productions, and Ted Talks. In addition, she frequently collaborates with NFL Films.

Jillian is a two term President of Local 695, a member of Local 600, and the first media manager to be initiated into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. She is also a member of Cal Tech’s Athenaeum Academic Society. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Film Theory and History from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and a Masters in Film Production—Cinematography from Chapman University.

Holly Beavon

Fielding Graduate University

Holly Beavon

Holly Beavon is a Ph.D. candidate at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbra, CA. Working under the guidance of APA Fellow Karen Shackleford, Ph.D., her thesis research focused on organizing the definitions and measures of the complex psychological processes engaged by stories and characters. Bringing the “why” to the “what” of media engagement, her lines of investigation dive into the dimensions of audience response and behavioral impact, helping us understand media-based relationships, purposefully fine-tune them, and develop new avenues for engagement. This is a natural extension of her work as an actor and as one of the world’s top tribute artists performing in film, TV, music videos, and international events.

Beyond the immediate application to current media and technology, Holly is interested in extending her research to digital humans and next-level audience immersion utilizing a contextual interplay between identification, moral, cultural, and psychological factors based on statistical models applied to generative AI.

 

Yves Bergquist

Entertainment Technology Center @ USC

Yves Bergquist

Yves is an AI researcher and the director of the “AI in Media” Project at USC’s Entertainment Technology Center (ETC). A research center at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, ETC brings together all the Hollywood studios as well as large tech companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google. At the Center, Yves and his team use frontier AI methods to help media companies develop deep insights into their content, their audiences, and the cognitive relationship between the two. Yves is also the co-founder and CEO of Corto, an AI startup developing AI tools to make stories and audiences computable through the DNA analysis of narratives. Corto is in Private Beta with a dozen studios, advertising agencies, and global consumer brands.

Davis Bonner

Backhaul Studios

Davis Bonner

Davis “DeWitt” Bonner is a freelance creative engineer, bona fide Mythbuster, and special effects engineer based out of Los Angeles California.

Katya Buchneva

Amazon Prime Video

Katya Buchneva

Ekaterina Buchneva is a TV Producer and Content Strategy Manager with an MBA from USC Marshall and over 10 years of work experience.

She started her career in Russia, producing documentaries and non-fiction series; then joined Reuters, the leading international news agency, to help launch a regional video service. In 2016, she moved to Prague, Czech Republic, to join a new international broadcaster and lead production for the flagship evening show. Witnessing the complex ties between daily production operations and business strategy, in 2019 Ekaterina decided to get an MBA with a focus on the media and entertainment industry.

During the 2-year program at USC Marshall, Ekaterina worked on consulting projects with Sony Pictures Television, Variety Business Intelligence, Sonoro Global Media and HeadGum podcasting network, focusing primarily on content strategy, content partnerships and content monetization. She also developed a special interest and expertise in new technologies and gaming through her work with NetEase Games and Sensor Tower. Currently, Ekaterina works as a Senior Manager, Portfolio Programming Strategy at Amazon Prime Video.

Christian Cantrell

Concept.art

Christian Cantrell

Christian Cantrell’s twenty-five year career in the software industry has been dedicated to making creativity more accessible. He spent twenty years at Adobe working on innovative creative platforms and tooling, and was VP of Product at Stability AI. In 2017, while running the Adobe Design Prototyping Team, he discovered generative AI, and has been working on applying machine learning to creative workflows ever since. He is currently building a startup called Concept.art with the mission to both accelerate and democratize entertainment. In addition to his software career, Cantrell has published four speculative fiction novels — most recently with Random House — and is represented by Gersh.

Michael Chambliss

International Cinematographers Guild

Michael Chambliss

Michael Chambliss, the advanced production technology specialist for the International Cinematographers Guild (ICG), IATSE Local 600, focuses on the integration of new forms of programming and emerging production methods into the craft of cinematography and camera crew practices. He is active on the American Society of Cinematographers’ (ASC) Motion Imaging Technology Council (MITC) as well as being the ICG’s representative on the Entertainment Technology Center @ USC projects, NAB’s Cine Consortium Educational Subcommittee and additional industry forums.

Prior to shepherding the ICG’s technology initiatives, Michael was a principal of the commercial production company Chambliss-Wolff Films and a consultant for media technology investment groups. He worked as a director of photography and camera operator on commercials, motion pictures and television series for more than 20 years as well as earning a Peabody Award as the director/DP on the documentary “It Works.”

Annie Chang

Universal Pictures

Annie Chang

Annie Chang is the Vice President, Creative Technologies for Universal Pictures, responsible for developing strategies and designing innovative next-generation workflows across film and emerging immersive media experiences. Prior to joining Universal Pictures, Chang was the VP, Technology for Marvel Studios and held various roles during more than a decade tenure at The Walt Disney Studios. Chang is the AMPAS ACES Project Co-Chair and served as the Co-Chair of the AMPAS SciTech Council until 2022. She was the Chair of the Interoperable Master Format (IMF) Working Group at SMPTE. She is an SMPTE Fellow and is a recipient of the SMPTE Workflow Systems Medal Award, Advanced Imaging Society’s Distinguished Leadership award and StudioDaily’s 2018 Exceptional Women in Production and Post. In 2020, The Hollywood Reporter named Chang on their list of top “Hollywood Innovators.” In 2021, Hollywood Professional Association honored Chang with the HPA League Honor of “The Catalyst” which recognizes a leader who has successfully inspired and sparked positive change and innovation in entertainment as a “mover and shaker,” and TVNewsCheck recognized Chang with their Women in Technology Futurist Award. In 2022, Women in Technology Hollywood honored Chang with their WiTH Leadership Award.

Jackee Chang

Black Bags Productions

Jackee Chang

With over two decades of film production and software development experience combined, independent Filmmaker Jackee Chang, produced a number of unique projects. This one for Aljazeera English required her to lead a small production team to be very stealth getting in and out of Vietnam. The film exposes how local Vietnamese gangs worked with the international Russian mafia that trafficked young Vietnamese boys to the U.K. Jackee will talk about the challenges of securing interviews and information with key figures and how they were able to upload assets in the field and get that safely out of the country upon departure. The talk will also cover how current technology would change the production if produced today.

Mark Chiolis

Mobile TV Group

Mark Chiolis

Mark Chiolis is the Director of Business Development for Mobile TV Group (MTVG), which provides facilities for over 4,000 live professional and college sports and entertainment events annually, with more than 35 mobile units, and dozens of remote Cloud Control facilities, based throughout the U.S.  MTVG has been leading the 4K/UHD/HDR/Cloud live event production with key broadcasters, networks and distribution companies.

Mark is currently working to interface with customers and partners to develop and support MTVG’s entertainment, awards, corporate, concerts, egames, and esports events with current and new trucks, using both broadcast and cine workflows.

Prior to MTVG, Chiolis worked in marketing, business development, and sales for Grass Valley, Thomson, Technicolor, Philips, and BTS as well as at television stations KMUV, KRBK and KVIE.

Chiolis is an active board member of the HPA, an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers, member of the NAB Cine Consortium, member of the SciTech group at the Television Academy (Emmys), member of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), member of International Association of Aviation Photographers, past section manager of SMPTE, member of STE, SBE and California Broadcasters Association.

Phil Churchward

Series Director

Phil Churchward

Phil Churchward is the Series Director and Show Runner of Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour – now feature length adventure shows – and he’s a successful director of commercials, too. Prior to this he was the Series Director for the BBC’s Emmy Award winning show, Top Gear, for nearly a decade.

As well as producing strong visuals, Phil has become a specialist in directing off-the-scale-size shoots that combine big visuals, multi-camera direction and often a stunt or three. He thoroughly enjoys commercial work as well, getting hands-on by jumping off the 2,200ft-high Lion’s Head in South Africa to get a good head-cam shot, as well as promising the money-men that all 25 fine bone china vases used in a dynamic BMW commercial, would remain intact.

He’s easy to work with, fastidious in every respect, and passionate about the edit, music and sound-design.

David Colantuoni

Avid

David Colantuoni

David Colantuoni is the VP of Product Management for Video and Media Solutions for news, sports and post production workflows. Based in Burlington, David has over 30 of years of experience in the media and entertainment industry. David has managed many products and solutions in over 15 years at Avid including, Media Composer, Pro Tools, Sibelius, Avid NEXIS and many of the Avid news and broadcast solutions.

Jason Dachman

Sports Video Group

Jason Dachman

Dachman oversees all aspects of SVG’s North American editorial operations – including all news on sportsvideo.org, the daily SVG Insider newsletter, and SVG’s annual print publications – and is one of the primary contributors to SVG’s coverage of the sports-video-production industry. A member of the SVG team since 2009, Dachman also serves as Program Director for SVG’s Esports Production Forum, RSN Summit, Sports Content Management Forum, Sports Graphics Forum, and TranSPORT conference. Prior to joining SVG, he covered local sports for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, MA, and served on the production staff of SiriusXM’s The Ron & Fez Show. Dachman began his career in the Sports Information department at Northeastern University in Boston, where he earned a BA in Media Communications and Cinema Studies. A native of Denver, CO, Jason currently resides in Queens, NY, with his wife Alyson and daughter June.

Daphne Dentz

Warner Bros. Discovery Content Creative Services

Daphne Dentz

Daphne Dentz serves as Senior Vice President, Emerging Formats, Mastering & Content Acquisition, Warner Bros. Discovery Content Creative Services.  In her role, Dentz oversees the delivery of new feature films, episodic television, and catalog masters for the WBD Feature, Episodic and TV groups for first and future windows across streaming and linear markets both domestically and internationally. Her team works directly with content creators and WBDbusiness units to deliver high-quality, in-home service masters for global sales and distribution.

With over 25 years of experience, Dentz continues to be an industry leader, working closely with WBD Post Production Creative Services and Mastering facilities worldwide.

Daniel Doll-Steinberg

EdenBase

Daniel Doll-Steinberg

Daniel started his career in 1991 in the global derivatives technology industry, the first true disruption that technology brought to the financial industry, crea4ng the world’s largest global asset class. He led change management of the US opera4ons of a major global bank in New York between 1995 and 1997. After which he founded a company which created one of the first global standards for Digital Rights Management (DRM), securing and delivering activation keys and content direct to resellers & customers, which helped transform the software and computer gaming industries.

He was appointed by the European Commission an expert advisor specializing in education, disruption, and Future of Work, and to the UK Government where he co-wrote the 2012 Innovation Report. In 2017 he founded the Atari Token Project to build a metaverse-based new economy platform with Atari, an Ethereum founder, and several gaming legends. He is now a founding partner at ‘active innovation’ venture capital fund EdenBase, and a cofounder at TransformBase, a forum for the responsible investment in and business adoption of AI and fron4er technologies.

His book “Unsupervised”, published September 2023 by Wiley, is a Bloomberg Book of 2023 that People in Power found Essential and explains how new technologies are impacting our lives and society, and what could happen if they are left unchecked.

Richard Duke

Richard Duke

Avid

Richard Duke

As the Chief Cloud Solutions Architect at Avid, Richard is responsible for helping customers “Cloudify” their workflows and infrastructure using Avid’s industry leading tools, including the Avid NEXIS | VFS storage platform, Avid’s Creative Editing tools, Media Composer and Pro Tools, and the Media Central solutions. Richard has been working in the film and broadcast industry for over 20 years and has developed and deployed some of the most industry leading solutions in public and private clouds.

Gino Filicetti

Google

Gino Filicetti

Gino Filicetti joined Google in 2021 as a Customer Engineer specializing in cloud application modernization in the Media & Entertainment industry.

He carries responsibility for providing in-depth enterprise application modernization expertise to support the technical relationship with Google’s Media & Entertainment customers, including product and solution briefings, proof-of-concept work, and partner directly with product management to prioritize solutions impacting customer adoption to Google Cloud.

Siegfried Foessel

Fraunhofer IIS

Siegfried Foessel

Siegfried Foessel holds a diploma and doctorate in electrical engineering from the Friedrich-Alexander-University in Erlangen, Germany. He is head of the Moving Picture Technologies department at Fraunhofer IIS, Erlangen, and Professor for the Technology Study Program at the University of Television and Film HFF in Munich. In addition, he is spokesman of the Fraunhofer Business Area Digital Media. His general research topics are image and video processing for broadcast and movie production. Siegfried is member and chair of various national and international standardisation bodies. He is SMPTE fellow and IEEE senior member with more than 80 publications. Actual research topics are image and video coding, media over IP, 3D image reconstruction and AI based production tools.

 

Nuno Fonseca

Sound Particles

Nuno Fonseca

Founder/CEO at Sound Particles company. Creator of Sound Particles software, a 3D CGI-like audio software used in all major Hollywood studios, in productions such as StarWars, Game of Thrones, Frozen, Dune, Indiana Jones, Mission Impossible, Oppenheimer.

Expert in 3D sound, including sound for cinema, and 3D sound over headphones, he is a former university professor, with a PhD in computer audio, author of 2 books and more than 20 papers on audio research topics, Nuno is also member of AES Technical Committee on Audio for Cinema, CAS, MPSE; AMPS.

Barbara Ford Grant

Barbara Ford Grant

Barbara is a media and entertainment executive, advisor, and former CTO, who has been architecting creativity and innovation in cinematic storytelling for filmmaking, visual effects, animation, and themed productions for over 25 years. She most recently served as President of Prysm, NEP Virtual Studios, leading development of creative services and operations for global virtual production in film and series production. As CTO at Meow Wolf, she led the company’s mixed-reality platform and IT divisions. Before Meow Wolf, she served as SVP, Digital Production at HBO overseeing studio production and post-production operations, and next-gen technologies. She previously worked at entertainment companies Digital Domain, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and DreamWorks Animation, where she enabled new digital human animation and rendering, digital story, post production workflows, and simulations technologies. Her credits include groundbreaking Film and TV productions Game of Thrones, Maleficent, Alice in Wonderland and the Shrek franchise.

She is a member of both the Television Academy and the Motion Picture Academy, currently serving as Chair of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee, is a member of the Technology Committee of the Visual Effects Society

Carin Forman

AWS

Carin Forman

Carin is the Global Partner Lead, supporting Media & Entertainment partners in the Media Supply Chain and Archive segment at AWS. Carin brings over 25 years of experience in Broadcast and Studio operations, focused on media supply chain and distribution. Carin started her career working at Discovery Channel, writing the first business plan to archive, index and digitize Discovery Communications growing library of content, building archive, media management and content distribution workflows. Carin launched Discovery’s Digital Media Center, an asset management system, designed to digitize, and make content globally discoverable, eliminating tape. After 16 years, Carin moved to NY working for HBO, where she managed and built the end-to-end workflows for HBO’s Photography, Graphics and Promo Videos. Carin implemented cloud collaboration solutions to handle rights, ingest, review, approval and distribution to Social, OTT and onto HBO Max. Carin joined AWS in 2021 as part of the AWS Partner team. Carin’s focus is on strategic enablement and partner development, providing expertise for partners supporting Archive Migrations, Monetization, Media Management, Rights and Metadata Management, Content Orchestration, Media Processing and Localization. In her free time, Carin enjoys skiing, kayaking and travel.

Alex Forsythe

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Alex Forsythe

Alex Forsythe currently serves as the Director of Imaging Technology at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where he oversees various technology research initiatives, including the development and standardization of the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES). Prior to his 17 years at the Academy, he served in various engineering and research roles at Intel Corporation and Eastman Kodak.

Alex holds BS and MS degrees from Rochester Institute of Technology, where he focused on color science, imaging, and photographic technology. He is a graduate of the Kodak Imaging Science Career Development Program and the UCLA Technical Management Program.

He serves on the Board of the Academy Software Foundation. His memberships include HPA, Colorist Society Hollywood, SMPTE, and the Society of Imaging Science and Technology. He also contributes to the ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council, is a member of the United States Technical Advisory Group to ISO TC-36, an Associate Member of the IMAGO Technical Committee, and an occasional HBA beer drinker.

Toby Gallo

Sphere Entertainment Co.

Toby Gallo

Toby Gallo is a Digital Intermediate Pipeline Supervisor at Sphere Studios – the immersive content studio
dedicated to creating multi-sensory, live entertainment experiences exclusively for Sphere. In his role,
Toby’s responsibilities include working on the technologies and finishing processes for original immersive
entertainment at Sphere in Las Vegas, including the venue’s first cinematic experience, Darren Aronofsky’s
Postcard from Earth.

Toby is an experienced creative technology leader, with more than 30 years of experience in network
design and implementation. He joined Sphere Entertainment in 2023 from AFX Creative, an independent
studio specializing in VFX, design/motion, color and editorial services for the advertising and
entertainment industries. Toby’s prior experience also includes technology and engineering roles at
companies such as Technicolor, Warner Bros. Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Walt Disney
Animation Studios.

Toby is also an FAA certified remote pilot, where he specializes in aerial imaging.

Craig German

HPA

Craig German

Addy Ghani

disguise

Addy Ghani

As the VP of Virtual Production, Addy is immersed in Studio workflows and Industry standards for real time visualization for film and television. Addy is building a Disguise creator community and strategies that will further the proliferation of Virtual Production.

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 VFX and animation, as well as emerging formats like AR and VR. He is an unofficial Unreal Engine Evangelist and a Fellow, and loves to converse about the possibilities of game engines as a storytelling tool.

Carolyn Giardina

Variety/Variety VIP+

Carolyn Giardina

Carolyn Giardina is senior entertainment technology and crafts editor at Variety Intelligence Platform (VIP+), a division of Variety that operates a digital subscription offering analyzing the media and technology industries; and entertainment news leader Variety.

She took on that role in February 2024, following more than a decade at The Hollywood Reporter, where as tech editor she covered everything from artificial intelligence to the Academy Awards. She also has worked in the U.S. and aboard, as an editor, reporter or columnist, on titles including Cinema Editor, SHOOT, The IBC Daily and SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal.

No stranger to the community, Carolyn served multiple terms on the HPA Board of Directors, during which time she co-founded and was founding chair of the HPA Awards; and more recently helped plan and moderate a series of remote panels as part of the HPA Industry Recovery Task Force amid the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak.

For her industry contributions, Carolyn has been honored with American Cinema Editors’ Robert Wise Award for journalistic illumination of the art of film editing, the International Cinematographers Guild’s Technicolor William A. Fraker Award for journalistic contributions to cinematography, and the Advanced Imaging Society’s Distinguished Leadership Lumiere Award.

With a commitment to education, she also co-authored Exploring 3D: The New Grammar of Stereoscopic Filmmaking (Focal Press, 2013) and is a lecturer at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film & Media Arts.

David Goldman

Cornax Media Alliance

David Goldman

David E. Goldman works at the intersection of media and technology and currently runs Cornax Media Alliance, an agency representing several hundred technology brands, many of whom are contributing to the evolution of Web 3.0 and the Metaverse. He sits on the Board of Governors of the Advanced Imaging Society and is the Chairman of the Advisory Services Committee of MESA (Media and Entertainment Services Alliance).

David has advised consumer brands such as Starbucks and Mattel on their immersive content strategy and is retained by media-technology brands to advise on product/market fit and business development strategy. He has had overall producing deals at Viacom, Fox and Disney and was an early mover in the digital content space having produced and distributed over 1,000 hours of content to Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, Google, Direct TV, Sprint, Verizon, Roku, Pluto TV, Tubi TV, Samsung, Xbox, Sony, Apple, LG, and AT&T among others.

David served as senior leadership at the William Morris Agency (now WME) where he ran the Motion Picture Directors Division and has guided the careers of Will Smith, Kurt Russell, Mick Jagger, Seth Meyers, Billy Idol, David Lee Roth, Eugene Levy, Fred Armisen, Roland Emmerich, Renny Harlin, Cheech and Chong and the Beach Boys to name a few.

He is a graduate of UCLA and  UCLA Law School and is a member of the California Bar.

Rob Gonsalves

Avid

Rob Gonsalves

Rob Gonsalves joined Avid Technology as their 15th employee in 1989. He helped develop the industry’s preeminent nonlinear editing system Avid Media Composer, specializing in programming video effects, color correction. His work on multi-camera editing software led to Avid winning a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award. He later spearheaded the development of the architecture of Avid’s media enterprise products. He is currently researching the use of AI for media production. Rob holds over 50 patents in the media and entertainment industry.

Daniel Gonzales

AWS

Daniel Gonzales

Daniel Gonzales is a Senior Partner Solutions Architect at AWS. With a career spanning over two decades, Gonzales has consistently been at the forefront of industry evolution, leveraging cutting-edge solutions to enhance storytelling, distribution models, and audience interaction. His contributions helped reimagine content creation methodologies, distribution frameworks, and audience engagement paradigms.

As an Emmy Award-winning technologist, his visionary leadership and strategic insights have not only anticipated industry trends but actively shaped them. His impact extends from major broadcasters and picture studios to blossoming startups, where his guidance and collaboration with CxO and senior-level executives has been instrumental in fostering growth, and driving unparalleled success.

In his current capacity at AWS, Gonzales continues to drive innovation and revolutionize how entities harness technology and AWS to push the boundaries of what’s achievable in M&E.

Rory Gordon

ArsenalFX

Rory Gordon

Rory Gordon is a supervising colorist based out of Los Angeles since 2010, with recent credits Rapsh!t for HBO Max, Unstable for Netflix, and Parish for AMC. She has finished over 130 episodes in HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Her work has appeared on HBO, Starz, Amazon, Netflix, Fox, and others. In 2021 she was nominated for an HPA award for her work on HBO’s Lovecraft Country. She has done independent research in applied color science/color communication and has been published in the SMPTE journal three times, in addition to speaking at many events including international audiences. She is a painter in her life away from digital image processing.

Joshua Grow

Sphere Entertainment Co.

Joshua Grow

As Senior Vice President, Studio Core Technology at Sphere Entertainment Co., Josh Grow oversees infrastructure that supports Sphere Studios’ core technology functions. This includes architecting the digital pipeline from camera to screen utilizing various software used to create content, as well as data storage and data transfer from Sphere Studios in Burbank to the Sphere venue in Las Vegas.

Prior to joining Sphere Entertainment in 2020, Josh’s career spans positions of increasing responsibility across the entertainment and technology sectors. This includes at The Creative-Cartel, a full production service company focused on visual effects production management and digital pipelines. During his tenure at The Creative-Cartel, Josh led a team dedicated to streamlining digital pipelines and developing cutting-edge software solutions, including the development of a unique production software suite, JOUST, and innovative tools for organizing, transcoding, and securely distributing footage. His prior experience also includes roles at The Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures Imageworks.

Josh graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and Technology, with a focus on Spatial Animation.

Kari Grubin

Trusted Partner Network

Kari Grubin

Kari Grubin is a multi-talented executive who has spent the past 25 years leading and managing studio divisions, global post production facilities, corporate departments and groups within trade organizations. Kari currently leverages her expertise through her partnership with companies and professional organizations as the Membership Services Director for the Motion Picture Association Trusted Partner Network. Kari is a also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and serves on the Production and Technology Branch Executive Committee.

Previously, Kari spent two years developing and leading SMPTE’s Rapid Industry Solutions On Set Virtual Production Initiative. Prior to that time, she demonstrated her strong record of technical operations supervision and confident, insightful leadership of creative teams as Vice President of Mastering for Studio Operations at The Walt Disney Studios, where she developed a long-term strategic vision for mastering across the title lifecycle.

She serves on the board of the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA), where she is the past chair of Women in Post Committee. In 2016, she co-created the Young Entertainment Professionals Program (YEP) at the HPA, which has provided outreach and mentoring to over 100 young leaders in the entertainment industry. Kari is now the Co-Chair of HPA ALL, the HPA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative to continue the expansion of HPA’s commitment to create an inclusive environment for all members of the M&E industry, especially those from under-represented groups.

Kari is in demand as a speaker on a variety of topics and holds three US patents in media and entertainment technology as a co-inventor.

Tony Guarino

Paramount

Tony Guarino

Tony has over 25 years of managerial experience in the entertainment industry leading various technical & studio operations, finance, and business development activities at Paramount and Technicolor. Most recently, in 2022, he spearheaded the launch a global production technology innovation effort across Paramount Global to foster collaboration between production groups at the Company to focus on shared technology opportunities and pain points. Tony also oversees global content security, studio operations technology and technical services. Prior to 2022, Tony led Worldwide Technical Operations for Paramount Pictures which included content security, mastering, archive, on-lot post-production services, global content distribution, and workflow automation activities. Prior to that he was the divisional CFO for Paramount’s Studio Group which includes technical operations, production services, and facility operations. Tony’s business development accomplishments in this role also include development of the Studio Master Plan, long range alternative energy plan and development of a world-class sound services post-production facility on the lot. Prior to Paramount, Tony held similar roles at Technicolor in cinema distribution, digital cinema, post-production services, and network operations, including leading several startups and acquisitions instrumental at the time to the Company’s migration into digital based services.

Seth Hallen

Seth Hallen

HPA

Seth Hallen

Seth Hallen is Co-Managing Director of Light Iron, A Panavision Company, and president of the Hollywood Professional Association. With a proven ability to lead teams toward the successful tactical execution of strategies designed to capitalize on emerging trends and opportunities, he has been building profitable, innovative and market dominant companies for over 25 years. Prior to joining Light Iron, Seth was Head of Global Strategy for Pixelogic Media, senior vice president of global creative services at Sony DADC New Media Solutions, the chief executive officer of Testronic Labs, vice president of North American Operations for Lightworks, and the producer of the Emmy Award-winning TalkShow.TV. He holds a BA degree in radio, television, and film from the University of Maryland.

Rob Hammer

World Surf League

Rob Hammer

Rob Hammer is the SVP of Broadcast and Studio Operations for the World Surf League (WSL). Over the last decade he has helped to transform the WSL into a modern sports league with a passionate global fandom. A manager, producer, creator, technology advocate, and above all a storyteller, he’s responsible for the teams and technology bringing pro surfing to a mainstream audience from some of the most remote parts of the world. His teams broadcast over 800 hours of live surfing and create 20+ hourlong television specials annually. When he’s not traveling with “the world’s best surfers on the world’s best waves,” he enjoys tinkering with tech projects, settling in with a good book, and lounging at home in Venice, California.

Mark Harrison

DPP

Mark Harrison

Mark began his career as an Historian at Cambridge University, before moving into the media industry. He spent many years as a Director, Producer and Executive Producer, and won numerous awards for his filmmaking, including an International Emmy and a BAFTA nomination.

Mark held senior roles within the independent production sector and the BBC. He was MD of an independent production company before being appointed BBC Head of Arts, and then Head of Multiplatform Production. He was subsequently Controller of Production for BBC North and leader of the BBC’s End-to-End Digital programme, before becoming Director of Transformation for BBC Design & Engineering.

In 2015 Mark became CEO of the DPP – the international network for media and technology, which he founded. Today the DPP has over 500 member companies from across the whole media supply chain – from global tech giants to broadcasters, and from media tech vendors to production companies. The DPP works with its member companies to generate strategic insight and create business opportunities.

Buzz Hays

Google Cloud

Buzz Hays

Buzz Hays is one of the world’s leading experts on advanced imaging production and technology in the media and entertainment industry. Buzz is responsible for Google Cloud’s Content Creation Solutions development in the Media and Entertainment Vertical. He works closely with the top M&E customers of Google Cloud to tailor and build solutions to transform traditional methodologies into cloud native workflows from production to post-production to archive migration.

Buzz has been involved in technology for media and entertainment for over 30 years with Google, Lytro, Sony, and Lucasfilm THX. He has produced numerous film and television projects for Disney, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. He is a member of SMPTE, he is the founding Chairman of the Advanced Imaging Society, and he is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences where he serves on the Science and Technology Council.

Buzz has been with Google since March of 2018.

Jackson Hayes

Virtual Camera Supervisor

Jackson Hayes

Jackson Hayes is a virtual production stage operator whose resume includes two upcoming Disney features, and is currently on the Avatar team for the upcoming sequels. His experience spans varying virtual production pipelines across VFX vendors.

Jim Helman

MovieLabs

Jim Helman

Jim is CTO at MovieLabs, a technology joint venture of five major Hollywood studios. At MovieLabs, Jim leads technical work on the 2030 Vision for media creation in the cloud and has led industry initiatives including driving worldwide standards for high dynamic range video. Jim also led the design and implementation of the Entertainment Identifier Registry (EIDR), for which he was awarded an Engineering, Science and Technology Emmy.

Prior to MovieLabs, Jim was chief software architect at Liberate Technologies, where he led the development of a web platform for delivering interactive cable services. Prior to Liberate, he worked at Silicon Graphics, developing real-time 3D systems for VR, location-based entertainment, and visual simulation. Jim holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Applied Physics from Stanford and a B.A. in Physics and Math from Washington University.

Molly Hill

The Walt Disney Studios

Molly Hill

Molly Hill is a Senior Image and Color Engineer at The Walt Disney Studios working on the Motion Picture Labs team. Passionate about exploring the intersection of art and technology, she works with productions to establish and support efficient, accurate, and high-quality imaging workflows that preserve creative intent. Molly is also a member of the HPA YEP class of 2024.

Katie Hinsen

The Walt Disney Studios

Katie Hinsen

An international award-winning Media & Entertainment Executive with credits on over 125 major productions, Katie Hinsen is a visionary leader who embraces agile and creative methodologies to develop and run successful teams, departments, and companies.

Much of her career has been dedicated to the practical implementation of emerging technologies. Over the past decade, she has been researching, designing, implementing, writing, and speaking about emerging technologies, including AI, ML, Cloud and Blockchain within the evolving media industry.

Her expertise stems from an equal interest in science, entrepreneurship, and creative industries, which have converged over the past two decades. She is dedicated to helping everyone become more empowered by emerging technologies and leading the combined S.T.E.A.M industry toward positive global impact in the future.

Jeff Hodges

Frame.io, an Adobe company

Jeff Hodges

John Holmes

Amazon MGM Studios

John Holmes

Director, WW Head of Unscripted Production, Amazon MGM Studios

Renard Jenkins

SMPTE

Renard Jenkins

Renard Jenkins is an experienced content creation and creative technology executive in the Film, Television and Radio industry. Jenkins is a SMPTE Fellow and 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 Siggraph and is a former board member of MovieLabs, the UltraHD Forum and the Content & Entertainment Council as well as the Microsoft and Oracle Advisory Boards. 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. Most recently 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.

He and his team is responsible for the exploration and successful implementation of emerging and creative technologies such as virtual-production, multiplatform storytelling, virtual character, and meta-human development biometrics/neural-technology and better images and sound for cinema and home entertainment. Jenkins was the technical lead and designer of the Digital Backlot initiative which focused on extending the useful lifespan and monetization possibilities of visual effects, animation, artists’, and production elements & assets across multiple content creation verticals.

Prior to joining 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 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 a Strategic Advisor to the Board of Directors of the Washington, DC Chapter of the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), former chair and founding member of the Warner Bros. Technology and Operations Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Council, current lead of the SMPTE Global Inclusion Working Group and he also Co-Chairs, HPA ALL which advocates for and promotes diversity, better equity and increased inclusion and accessibility in the media and entertainment industry.

When he is not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife and best friend of over 30 years, his daughters, and his grandchildren. He loves travel photography, filmmaking, animation and only has one more continent left to explore. He is also a certified sound engineer, certified 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 moto is “In all things integrity and integrity in all things.”

Andrea Kalas

Paramount

Andrea Kalas

Andrea Kalas has worked at the UCLA Film and Television Archive, Dreamworks, the British Film Institute and Paramount Pictures as a film archivist. Her work on the Academy’s Sci Tech Council is a leading effort in preserving moving images with digital technologies.

David Keighley

IMAX

David Keighley

David Keighley, Chief Quality Guru and President Emeritus IMAX Post/DKP Inc.

A true veteran of the Company, Keighley provides a wealth of information about IMAX technology and history; he ensures that Quality is at the forefront of the IMAX brand.

Keighley began his career as the Assistant Director on the third IMAX film, CATCH THE SUN, when Toronto’s Cinesphere was the only IMAX theatre in the world, and became the Producer of NOMADS OF THE DEEP shortly thereafter. In 1972 he and his wife, Patricia, co-founded, and David is the President Emeritus of IMAX POST/DKP Inc. The company became an IMAX subsidiary in 1988 and relocated to Los Angeles in 1997.

Involved in the post-production of more than 500 large-format films, including mastering content for the groundbreaking IMAX laser projection system and IMAX laser Dome system, Keighley works closely with Hollywood filmmakers such as Chris Nolan and James Cameron as well as many IMAX documentary filmmakers.

Keighley leads the CQO team’s interactions with IMAX customer presentation quality comments from around the world, following any issue through resolution, thereby keeping the IMAX network at the highest quality standards.

Keighley has been honored with the 2023 Outstanding Achievement and the 2000 Special Achievement in Film Awards from the Giant Screen Cinema Association as well as SMPTE”s 1993 Herbert T. Kalmus Gold Medal.

Keighley is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an Associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers and a SMPTE Life Fellow.

Keighley is a Ryerson University Alumni of Distinction having graduated from their Photographic Arts and Motion Picture Studies program.

Patricia Keighley

IMAX

Patricia Keighley

Patricia Keighley, Chief Quality Guru, Former SVP IMAX Corporation

Keighley is co-founder (1972) of IMAX POST/DKP Inc., an IMAX subsidiary since 1988. Now based in Los Angeles, CA, the company has been involved in the large format post-production of 500+ films released in film, digital and IMAX with Laser projection theatres worldwide.

Keighley is proud to have been honored with the 2023 Outstanding Achievement award from the GSCA, the 2021 Rainmaker Award, HPA League Honors, and the 2019 Advanced Imaging Society Distinguished Leadership Award.

Keighley is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an Associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers, previous Society of Motion Picture and Television Vice President, Board Governor and Hollywood Section Chair as well as serving on the Board of the Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA).

Keighley holds a BA in Psychology (McMaster University), a M.Ed. (University of Toronto) and Directors Education Certification from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

Isy Lauf

Composer

Isy Lauf

Isy is a composer with experience in composition, supervision, editing, arrangement and orchestration for film and TV with an interest in integrating evolving technologies into work and workflow.

Melissa Lawton

SailGP

Melissa Lawton

Melissa Lawton is the Chief Content Officer at SailGP, responsible for all production and editorial content, from the Multi Cam Global Live Broadcast to long form series and branded contet to social media. Melissa docked at SailGP in 2022 after four years working for Meta in New York where she was the Head of Live Sports Production, before that, five years as Head of Live Event Content at Red Bull in Salzburg, Austria. A global citizen, Melissa has also lived and worked in Beijing, New Delhi and Sydney in senior producer and programming roles at two Olympics Games, one World Cup and a Commonwealth Games. A print journalist by trade, she cut her teeth in the sports tv business with her time as a Producer at Network Ten Australia, then the Home of Motorsport and F1. Melissa currently lives a chaotic life in London with her husband, her two sassy teenage daughters and their very sweet dog, Lulu.

Melissa is a founding member of Chief London, A board advisor to Women’s National Football Conference (USA) and is on the Board of Directors at British Basketball.

Chris Lincoln

Flying Fish Productions

Chris Lincoln

Christopher Lincoln – Production Executive / Consultant
With a career spanning 40-years in broadcast production, Chris Lincoln has found success in many professional reiterations. His work as a director has earned him international & domestic recognition, including two Golden Ring Awards for his work on the host broadcast of the Olympic Games and five national Emmy Awards in both sports and entertainment productions.

From eleven Olympic & Paralympic Games to the iconic IRONMAN World Championships, Lincolns credits are abundant. A veteran of Fox Sports, ESPN and the Golf Channel, Lincoln created Flying Fish Productions to service networks and organizations; consulting on and executing content. Specializing in live sports, more specifically, moving field-of-play productions, he is very much at home on remote in a production truck or studio.

A California native, Lincoln relocated to the mountains of Utah in 2019. A father of 3 adult children, Chris enjoys skiing, swimming, cycling and global travel.

 

Payton List

FOX Entertainment

Payton List

Payton List is a leader in entertainment technology who helps build workflows, R&Ds software and technology, and manages a team of media workflow specialists and creative editorial professionals. Working collaboratively with her team, she is dedicated to problem solving and technical consulting with the goal of enabling creatives to focus on producing their best work. She also strives to create an equitable and inclusive environment at work and throughout the M&E industry. Outside of her day job, she is the co-chair of the HPA Women in Post group, which is committed to building a diverse and supportive community of media professionals.

Charlotte Lobdell

Writer

Charlotte Lobdell

Charlotte loves blending high and low culture to tell stories about impetuous young women– their obsessive friendships, messy romances, and the moral gray areas in which they operate in pursuit of their dreams. She worked as showrunner’s assistant for both seasons of Hulu’s DOLLFACE, and as the writers’ assistant on Amazon’s upcoming television reboot of CRUEL INTENTIONS. She has also produced content at Snapchat and worked in the lit department at UTA.

Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC

Cinematographer

Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC

Cinematographer Tommy “Maddox”-Upshaw ASC started as a PA and climbed through as a grip/electrician in Boston and New York while earning his MFA from the American Film Institute.

His work on the Hulu series “Snowfall” was recognized by the ASC with their award for Best Cinematography on a One-Hour TV Series, the first black ASC member to ever win a coveted ASC award. In 2022, Maddox-Upshaw was nominated for the Camerimage Golden Frog award for the pilot episode of the Fox Searchlight/Hulu series “The Man Who Fell to Earth” and is a member of both the Motion Picture and Television Academies. He has lensed projects across the globe for studios such as A24, Netflix , Disney, Showtime/Paramount, and Universal.

Rosanna Marino

IDC LA

Rosanna Marino

Rosanna Marino serves as Chief Operating Officer of International Digital Centre.

Marino oversees the day-to-day operations, engineering, innovative services development and implementation, sales and marketing of IDC LA and is based in International Digital Centre’s new state of the art Los Angeles facility. She has been in this role for 4+ years and she brings over 20 years of media & entertainment experience with a focus on post-production in features and television. During this time she has grown her relationships and reputation for creative excellence within the Hollywood community.

Prior to joining IDC Rosanna served as Senior Vice President, Sales and marketing for Fotokem where she was responsible for business development and establishing accounts with Paramount Pictures, CBS, MTV/Nickelodeon, VIACOM, NETFLIX, NBCUniversal, Fremantle Media, Disney and Disney ABC. Rosanna’s expertise in traditional formats as well as her experience in driving the transition to file-based formats for Theatrical, Home Entertainment, International Distribution, OTT, VOD, FAST, Streamers has allowed her to provide unique support for clients like NETFLIX, I-Tunes, Amazon, In Demand, HULU, Google Plus and Crackle as they navigate the Theatrical and Home Entertainment space.

Rosanna’s career has spanned leading post-production facilities including Laser Pacific, Modern VideoFilm, Ascent Media and Todd-AO where she has lead Sales and Marketing and helped drive the success of emerging Theatrical and Home Entertainment media services for Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Viacom, CBS, Nickelodeon, MTV, Vudu, Saban Brands and Marvel Entertainment.

Focused on superior service and creative excellence, Rosanna is an active committee member of the Hollywood Professional Association Awards (HPA), Hollywood Professional Association Women in Post, and Young Entertainment Professionals (YEP). She is a member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), supporter of Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association (MESA), Women In Technology Hollywood (WITH), Women in Localization and Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) where she continues to pursue innovation and excellence within the industry. Most recently she was appointed Board Member of South East European Film Festival (SEEFest).

Shaman Marya

VFX Producer / Animator

Shaman Marya

Shaman Marya has worked in film and television in Asia and USA for over 10 years as a Screenwriter, 1stAD, Director, VFX Artist, Virtual Production Artist and RealTime animator. He received the prestigious Epic Megagrant from Unreal Engine for his short film Catch! And in 2023 became an Unreal Animation Fellow from the first cohort in 2023. He has worked as a Virtual Production Technical Director on upcoming Disney feature films Mufasa The Lion King (Directed by Barry Jenkins) and Snow White (Directed by Marc Webb).

Mathieu Mazerolle

Foundry

Mathieu Mazerolle

Mathieu Mazerolle has over 27 years of engineering and product experience in the VFX, cloud and gaming industries. He is currently the Director of Product, New Technology, at Foundry. With a 20-year heritage and a portfolio of award-winning products, Foundry advances the art and technology of visual experience. Prior to Foundry, Mathieu has worked for Amazon Web Services, Electronic Arts, Autodesk, Digital Domain, and Ubisoft.

Bryan McKenzie

Game Creek Video

Bryan McKenzie

Bryan McKenzie is a Senior Engineer in Charge at Game Creek Video.

As one of Game Creek Videos top Engineers, Bryan has been instrumental at Game Creek’s adoption of Lawo 2110 routing systems and development of a new generation of Mobile Units based on Arista/Lawo 2110 architecture. In the Fall, Bryan is the senior most Game Creek engineer overseeing Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff studio and game broadcasts in 1080P HDR. Other notable broadcasts Bryan has played a key engineering role in include Fox’s NFL and XFL/USFL football productions in 1080P HDR, Multiple Superbowls, ESPN’s 4K college basketball, ESPN/TNT’s Final Four College Basketball Championship, Google’s IO developer conference, and many others.

Bryan has been with Game Creek Video since 2019, launching Game Creek mobile unit Bravo, their first Lawo and fully 2110 integrated build for Fox’s NFL season. He is currently the Engineer in Charge of Game Creek Video Gridiron, a 2 unit 2110 production facility that has become one of Fox Sport’s premier mobile units.

Michelle Munson

Eluvio

Michelle Munson

Michelle Munson is the co-founder and CEO of Eluvio and co-creator of the content fabric protocol, an open and decentralized Internet protocol for owner-controlled streaming, storage and monetization of digital content at scale. She leads the Berkeley based company and is co-inventor on 11 patents.

Michelle is an Emmy-award winning technologist who previously co-founded Aspera in 2004 and led the company as CEO until May 2017, including through acquisition by IBM in 2014. She co-invented the Aspera FASP™ transport technology.

Michelle is a recipient of the David Sarnoff Medal from the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE); the Charles Swartz Award from the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA); IABM’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year; and named one of the top 25 “People to Watch by TV Technology.

Michelle was inducted into the College of Engineering Hall of Fame at Kansas State University in 2021. She was also the 2019 Kansas State University Commencement Speaker for the College of Arts and Sciences and the 2006 Alumnus of the Year for the College of Engineering. She holds dual B.Sc. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from Kansas State University, where she was a Goldwater Scholar for achievement in Science and Mathematics. She was also a Fulbright Scholar at Cambridge University where she received a postgraduate diploma in Computer Science.

Kylee Peña

Adobe

Kylee Peña

Kylee Peña is Product Marketing Manager for Professional Editorial at Adobe. As a former editor herself, she’s a seasoned problem-solver who wants to bridge the gap between creative and technology using a well-honed sense of user empathy and well-earned arsenal of technical knowledge. Kylee has over 15 years of experience in post-production, including hundreds of television and film credits as both a creative and technical professional on shows such as Jane the Virgin, Colony, and Scorpion. She is an Active Member of the Television Academy’s Science and Technology peer group and currently serves as SMPTE Hollywood Region Governor.

Eric Pohl

Singularity Imaging

Eric Pohl

Eric is an experienced media technology professional with diverse management & technical expertise. With a solid foundation in Electrical Engineering (BS and MS degrees), Eric has established himself as a technology leader who has an accomplished record of deploying new technology in the media industry.

Having worked at television networks, equipment manufacturers, and served as a CTO at a leading media systems integrator, Eric has a wide and deep view of emerging media technology.

He provided leadership in many new technology initiatives and has earned 3 Emmys for his work in television.

Tim Porter

Mod Tech Labs

Tim Porter

Tim is an accomplished technology leader and Co-Founder of MOD Tech Labs, where he serves as the Chief Technology Officer. With a passion for pushing the boundaries of 3D content, Tim spearheads the development of groundbreaking technology that is revolutionizing the industry using automation and machine learning to empower the creative process.

After graduating from Full Sail University, Tim embarked on a remarkable journey in the world of technology. He initially honed his skills as an animation artist and gradually transitioned into more technical developer roles at renowned game and production studios over the span of two decades. Tim’s contributions have been instrumental in the creation of numerous games, movies, and XR experiences, leveraging his unique perspective on the intersection of art and technology to enhance creativity through the use of innovative tools.

At Mod Tech Labs, Tim’s primary focus lies in building simple yet powerful tools that streamline and automate mundane production tasks. By empowering production studios with more time and resources, his work enables them to channel their energy into the creative process. Tim’s relentless pursuit of excellence has garnered recognition, earning him the esteemed title of Unreal Fellow and Technology Leadership accolades from respected organizations like the CTA (Consumer Technology Association) and others. He is a member of NVIDIA Inception, Intel Liftoff, SMPTE, RTC, The Linux Foundation, and the Academy Software Foundation helping educate and lead technology initiatives.

With his extensive background in both art and technology, Tim has become a sought-after speaker and thought leader in the field. He regularly shares his insights and expertise at industry conferences, seminars, and workshops, inspiring audiences with his vision for the future of 3D content and the transformative potential of AI-driven solutions. Tim’s unwavering dedication to innovation and his commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible make him a true pioneer in the realm of technology and creativity.

Charles Poynton

Charles Poynton

Charles Poynton is an independent researcher specializing in the physics, mathematics, engineering, and programming of digital colour imaging systems, including digital video, HD/UHD/4K/8K (HDTV/UHDTV), VFX/CGI, DI, and digital cinema (D-cinema) systems, including wide colour gamut (WCG) and high dynamic range (HDR) systems. He is engaged in technology forecasting, systems modelling, algorithm development, video signal processing architecture, colour characterization and calibration, image quality assessment, and expert witness work. He contributed to the development of colorspaces such as BT.709/BT.1886, DCI P3 RGB, Adobe RGB 1998, ACES AP0/AP1, and BT.2020. He was responsible for the introduction of 1080 image rows (and “square pixels”) for HD. He earned his PhD in 2018 from Simon Fraser University.

Scout Pruski

Post-Production Specialist

Scout Pruski

Described by former Mythbuster Adam Savage as “someone you could teach anything to”; Scout Pruski (they/them/theirs) has built their early career in the entertainment industry around curiosity, creativity, and consideration. An American University Alumni, their undergraduate internships at NBC Sports Washington and NASA Headquarters built a strong belief in teamwork and deepened their interest in the intersections of science and arts. After graduating in 2021, they spent over a year as a film prep technician at Colorlab, handling 8mm, 16mm, and 35mm archival and new negative under the supervision of archivists and colorists. In 2022, they moved to Los Angeles as a Dailies Assist for Picture Shop, where they initiated, tracked, and reported footage ingest to project workflow standards, overhauled the in-office organizational systems of the OLS assist team based on peer input, and founded Streamland Media’s first Trans and Allies affinity group. Since their strike layoff last year, Scout has been documenting local businesses, queer community, and leather events with two cameras, a nonexistent budget, and a whole lot of passion. They’d love to step into a learning-focused position this year, either developing workflows, expanding access to archives, or coordinating post-production operations.

Morgan Prygrocki

Adobe

Morgan Prygrocki

Morgan Prygrocki is a Sr. Strategic Development Manager at Adobe supporting Hollywood post-production video workflows.  She has spent the bulk of her career working in high-end camera technology & virtual production solutions, and has been supporting productions ranging from major league sports broadcasts to award-winning films & and commercial productions over the last 15 years.

Guillaume Rachez

Perfect Memory

Guillaume Rachez

Guillaume is an Audiovisual & Multimedia Engineer who graduated from the University of Valenciennes and specialized in media indexing and semantic technologies.

A Perfect Memory collaborator since its inception, he contributed to the construction of the platform’s fundamental principles.

As VP product, he supervises the evolution of the product’s functionalities.

From identification to implementation and arbitration, he coordinates the functionalities creation cycle as well as the roadmap of the deployed versions of the product, while considering customer needs and company strategy.

Passionate about cinema and innovation, the cultural and technological challenges that Perfect Memory addresses are at the heart of his concerns.

Eric Reinecke

Netflix

Eric Reinecke

Eric develops cloud solutions at Netflix for editorial and post production and consults within the company on timeline intelligence.

In the Academy Software foundation, he serves as the OpenTimelineIO Technical Steering Committee chair and the Netflix representative to the Technical Advisory Committee.

Previous to Netflix, Eric worked at PIX system building film collaboration tools and at Lucasfilm Animation creating editorial-driven animation pipelines.

Eric lives in the San Francisco bay area with his wife and young daughter where he tinkers with vintage Macintosh computers, laser cutting, 3D printing, and tries like the dickens to ride his bike as much as he can.

Jeff Rosica

Avid

Jeff Rosica

Jeff Rosica is the CEO & President of Avid Technology, a leading technology provider that powers the media and entertainment industry. He is based in Burlington, Massachusetts—the company’s global headquarters. Mr. Rosica, who joined Avid in early 2013, is a well-known media technology industry veteran with more than 35 years’ experience in broadcast, media and entertainment. Prior to his current role as CEO, he served as the company’s President, and prior to that as the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. Before joining Avid, Jeff served in various executive positions for many well-known technology companies that serve the broadcast, media and entertainment industries including Grass Valley, Technicolor/Thomson, BTS and Philips Electronics.

Toby Scales

Google

Toby Scales

Toby leads the Media & Entertainment vertical in Google Cloud’s Oce of the CISO, where he focuses on driving strategic change across the content and enterprise security disciplines.

In his previous role at Microsoft and now at Google, he’s partnered with every major studio on cloud transformation initiatives across animation, VFX and post-production.

Before getting involved at the intersection of Hollywood and cloud, he ran the services arm of a major MSP in Manhattan (where he developed their cloud consulting practice), and before that founded and sold his own consulting rm in Seattle, Washington.

He now lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and two sons– who are officially recognized as the World’s Best Kids.

Mark Schubin

HPA Tech Retreat

Mark Schubin

Multiple Emmy-award winning SMPTE Life Fellow Mark Schubin is the world’s greatest expert on the intersecting histories of media technology and opera. He helped create the hotel in-room movie business, the first live nationwide stereo simulcast network, the first live multi-language cinema subtitles, and what was probably the first HDR-to-SDR converter (though no one knew what HDR was at the time). He has worked on moving-image projects on all seven continents (including Antarctica), including news in Kazakhstan, cable TV in Hong Kong, and the television transmission system of Barbados. He also worked on the standardization of the VU meter. His bedroom was an official test site of the ATSC, his paper on aspect ratios was cited by the FCC, and his blog at SchubinCafe.com is archived by the Library of Congress. He once piloted the Fuji blimp and has been known to wear shoes.

Walter Schulz

Cuebric

Walter Schulz

Prior to joining Cuebric, Schulz served as on set VFX supervisor for Emma Stone’s upcoming episodic show, “The Curse”.

He was also the crowd department supervisor on projects including Godzilla vs. Kong, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Game of Thrones’ final season for which his work won an Emmy.

He additionally served as On-Set VFX supervisor for Roland Emmerich’s Midway (2019), and has worked on more than 30 major feature films and television projects throughout his career.

Schulz has been working with AI tools since 2007, by replicating human behavior applied to digital crowds and providing groundbreaking work for projects such as Clint Eastwood’s film “Hereafter” (Oscar nomination for Best VFX 2010); he also created all AI driven digital crowds for the film “Hugo” directed by Martin Scorsese (Best VFX Oscar winner 2011).

Over his extensive career, Schulz has held titles such as “Creature Developer” while working at ILM (San Francisco) on projects including “The Avengers” and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”. His work involved physics implementation, rigid dynamics, high-end character rigging and technical animation for digital muscle systems and advanced cloth simulation, as well as other deep technical developments.

Aki Seino

Imagica Entertainment Media Services

Aki Seino

Aki Seino is Senior Technical Director of Imagica Entertainment Media Services in Japan. He works research and technical evaluation for advanced imaging and IT technologies.

He has developed services to meet customer technical requirements such as IMF, PSE Test, Speech to Text and QC/QA. And he is currently working on Remote Preview, Post Production and Localization works on Cloud, and Security Assessments.

He is a member of SMPTE, and he contributes for Japanese Timed text subtitling for SMPTE DCP and IMF Application #6 as its activity. He is also a board member of the Society of Photography and Imaging of Japan, and he conducts research on image preservation and the reproduction of image reality.

Pinar Seyhan Demirdag

Cuebric

Pinar Seyhan Demirdag

Pinar Seyhan Demirdag, co-founder of Cuebric, is at the forefront of AI-driven creativity. As an AI director and visionary creator, she passionately champions the thoughtful application of technology. Pinar holds the distinction of being LinkedIn’s official voice on generative AI, with her course “What is Generative AI?” engaging over 500,000 viewers in just six months and being translated into five languages.

In 2020, Pinar, along with Gary Koepke, established Seyhan Lee, the world’s first Creative AI Production Company. Their pioneering work includes producing the world’s first generative AI VFX for “Descending The Mountain” and winning the esteemed D&AD award for the first-ever generative AI commercial, “Connections” for Beko.

Cuebric, the revolutionary AI-based software platform for filmmaking is born out of Seyhan Lee’s innovative experiments. Cuebric revolutionizes the art of film and image production, reinventing and accelerating the transition from Concept To CameraTM. Even in its early stages, Cuebric has gained the respect and adoption of industry professionals, becoming a go-to tool for top creatives and VFX studios.

Asides from her career in Cuebric in Seyhan Lee, Pinar writes and speaks passionately on the generative AI and how humans will remain relevant in the age of A.I. and has previously appeared at conferences such as Harvard, SXSW, Google I/O, Eyeo Festival, TEDx, Spirit of Humanity Forum, Production Summit, and others.

Beyond her significant contributions to Cuebric and Seyhan Lee, Pinar actively writes and speaks about generative AI and the intersection of humans & AI, sharing her insights at prestigious platforms including Harvard, SXSW, Google I/O, TEDx, and many others.

Heidi Shakespeare

Memnon Archiving Services

Heidi Shakespeare

As Memnon’s CEO, Heidi Shakespeare is the driving force behind Memnon’s vision to ensure the world’s content is preserved, discoverable and accessible. Her keen understanding of market trends, coupled with a commitment to innovation, has positioned Memnon at the forefront of technical advancements in audio-visual migration and archiving.

Before assuming the role of CEO at Memnon, Heidi held pivotal leadership positions at renowned organizations, including Iron Mountain and Bonded Services Group. Her extensive experience in driving sales growth across the media and entertainment sector has solidified her reputation as a forward-thinking industry leader.

Memnon is poised for continued success as the organization expands into new international markets. Heidi’s goal is to establish Memnon as the global leader in mass media migration, and to maintain Memnon’s reputation as a trailblazer in the industry.

Cara Sheppard

Picture Shop

Cara Sheppard

Cara Sheppard is president of Picture Shop, Streamland Media’s picture division. In her role she has global management of all areas of the company’s leading picture finishing post production business. Sheppard has more than 15 years of industry experience, from studio operations to facility management in production and post production. Most recently, she served as managing director for London’s Twickenham Film Studios. Prior, she successfully led Warner Bros. De Lane Lea as managing director for nearly five years, and spent six years in senior management at Sky. Sheppard got her start in the industry as a post production supervisor. She is a voting member of BAFTA, a consistent contributor to industry journals and panels, and serves on the board of the UK Screen Alliance.

Andrew Shulkind

Sphere Entertainment Co.

Andrew Shulkind

Andrew Shulkind serves as Senior Vice President, Capture at Sphere Entertainment where he leads a diverse team of technologists and imagemakers developing and deploying the next-generation camera and audio tools required to create unique content experiences for Sphere in Las Vegas. A key part of the studio leadership and creative development teams, Andrew helps answer both the technical “how” and the creative “what.”

Andrew came to Sphere as an award-winning director of photography, advanced imaging consultant, and one of the leading industry voices on the future of entertainment. He has spent over two decades on the front lines of where technology meets entertainment, helping forge a hybrid future that merges experiential media, traditional cinema, live events, commercial art and advertising.

His work is best known for letting the creative drive the product, simplifying complicated technologies to deliver cutting edge storytelling solutions such as large format and high-speed imaging, 360˚ photography, volumetric capture and data scanning.

Prior to joining Sphere, Andrew helped launched a range of camera and lighting products and advised a wide range of leading technology players, studios, and brands on content innovation strategy, including Google, Facebook, Verizon, Microsoft, Canon, Sony, Samsung, Live Nation, and the NBA. He was awarded with the Emerging Cinematographer Award from the International Cinematographers Guild in 2014, the Studio Daily Prime Award for the Innovator of the Year in 2014 and 2016, as well as Variety Magazine’s 10 Cinematographers to Watch in 2018.

Leon Silverman

Strategic Perspective; HPA Past President

Leon Silverman

Leon Silverman, as head of Strategic Perspective Consulting helps to drive  industry strategy at the intersection of creativity and technology.  His clients  include major Hollywood Studios, industry services and creative technology  organizations. In addition, he is advisor to MovieLabs, the joint venture  technology laboratory of the Hollywood Studios, where he supports the  “MovieLabs 2030 Vision” initiative focusing on strategy and industry relations.

Over his decades long career, he has held senior executive roles at Netflix, The  Walt Disney Studios, The Eastman Kodak Company, and LaserPacific, where  he has dedicated his career to the development and introduction of new  technology tools and workflows.

Silverman was one of the founders and was the long-standing president of  the HPA – the Hollywood Professional Association, where he still sits on the Board.

Silverman serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Production  and Technology Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,  where he also served a six year term on the Science and Technology Council.

In addition, Silverman is a sponsor of and helped to design and launch the  Academy’s talent development and inclusion initiative, the Gold Rising  program.

Silverman also serves on the Executive Committee of the new Science and  Technology peer group at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and  on the Engineering Emmy Award committee.

He has been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the HPA, the Bob Lambert Technology Leadership Award from the Entertainment  Technology Center at USC, has 2 Emmy Awards for his contributions to  technology innovation, holds 10 issued patents and numerous Disney  Inventor awards for his contributions to patent applications. He has served  multiple terms as Governor and is a Life Fellow of the Society of Motion  Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), as well as an associate member of The American Society of Cinematographers, and the American Cinema Editors.

In October 2020, he was honored with SMPTE’s Presidential Proclamation  honoring his  “contributions to the Society and the  media entertainment  industry as a visionary, innovator, and mentor.”

Matt Sivertson

Autodesk

Matt Sivertson

Matt Sivertson joined Autodesk in 2021 as Vice President and Chief Architect for Media and Entertainment. With a background in video games and a passion for filmmaking, he is motivated to leverage his experience developing platforms to empower creatives around the world. Prior to Autodesk, Matt spent his career at Intuit, Sony and Moebius Solutions.

Greg Smokler

Small HD

Greg Smokler

Greg is VP / GM of Cine Products at Videndum Creative Solutions, where he leads the product teams responsible for Teradek Cine, SmallHD, and Wooden Camera. Greg grew up on film sets alongside his father, Cinematographer Peter Smokler, who taught him to keep looking for a better shot. In 2012, while working as a Local 600 Camera Operator, he co-founded the wireless video innovator Paralinx–acquired by Videndum (formerly Vitec) Group in 2015. Greg has worked with engineering and design teams to build multiple generations of Bolt zero-delay wireless video systems, 4K HDR local-dimming production reference monitors, low-latency cloud monitoring platforms, and integrated touchscreen monitor systems for leading motion picture camera manufacturers. In 2021 Greg was honored with a Motion Picture Academy Sci-Tech award for his contributions to the development of the ruggedized Teradek Bolt 4k, and in 2023 he was awarded a Engineering, Science and Technology Emmy® for the SmallHD 4k Monitor Platform. Greg lives in Los Angeles with his wife and twin sons, and is an avid supporter of the Lakers.

Dalia Spingarn

Paramount

Dalia Spingarn

Dalia Spingarn is the Sr. Director of Production Technology Integration at Paramount Global. She is responsible for assessing and driving implementation of innovative technologies that enhance and connect the production processes and toolsets across the company. Her projects focus on improving efficiency and streamlining the flow of information between teams. With nearly two decades of experience across production and distribution operations at major media companies (NBCUniversal, Disney-ABC, Sony), Dalia has designed and operationalized metadata supply chains inclusive of a multitude of content types, business models, business functions, aligning teams around the world.

Jeremy Stapleton

Universal

Jeremy Stapleton

With over 17 years of experience in media and technology, Jeremy Stapleton is a highly experienced media and technology professional passionate about leading teams to build software solutions that drive digital transformation and improve users’ daily lives. Before joining Universal Pictures, Mr. Stapleton worked at Technicolor, leading a global team of software developers in building and integrating internal and external applications in the post-production space.

At Universal Pictures, Mr. Stapleton is a member of the Creative Technologies team, where he is focused on driving innovation initiatives related to production cloud adoption and innovation.

Chris Steblay

Uncle Toad's Media Group

Chris Steblay

Chris is an accomplished Executive Producer and Creative Director, whose career began as a talented Director of Photography in the surf industry. Alongside Jordan, he co-founded one of the world’s leading action sports broadcasters, Uncle Toad’s. Chris excels in all aspects of live production, earning numerous awards, including an Emmy nomination for his groundbreaking work on live racing drones. His visionary approach and technical expertise continually raise the bar in live broadcasting.

Tim Stipan

Picture Shop

Tim Stipan

Picture Shop Senior Colorist Tim Stipan has over 20 years of finishing experience on award-winning productions and has twice been nominated for a Hollywood Professional Association Award in Outstanding Color Grading, for Jojo Rabbit and The Greatest Showman. With nearly 200 credits Stipan is passionate about helping filmmakers realize their visions. Some of those credits include collaborating on Darren Aronofsky’s immersive MSG Sphere production Postcard From Earth, and such feature films as The Whale, Creed, Into the Woods, Moonrise Kingdom, Black Swan, The Reader, The Wrestler, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and The Burial, among others.

Linda Tadic

Digital Bedrock

Linda Tadic

Linda Tadic is Founder/CEO of Digital Bedrock, a managed digital preservation service. Her over 35 years’ experience includes positions at HBO, the Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, ARTstor, and Pacific Film Archive. She has also taught as an Adjunct Professor at two major graduate programs focused on audiovisual archiving and preservation: UCLA’s Department of Information Studies, teaching a course on Digital Asset Management; and at NYU’s Moving Image Archiving and Preservation program, teaching a course on Collection Management. Linda consults and lectures on digital asset management, audiovisual and digital preservation, metadata, and the impact of digital preservation on the environment. Linda is the recipient of the 2021 SMPTE James A. Lindner Archival Technology Medal, and a founder and past president of the Association of Moving Image Archivists.

Tom Taylor

Gunpowder, LLC

Tom Taylor

Tom is a highly seasoned industry veteran with over two decades of experience, making him a true luminary in the field. Most notably, he served as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at The Mill, a globally renowned creative content studio, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s technological landscape and fostering innovation.

As the owner and operator of Gunpowder, Tom brings his extensive expertise to a new level. He is a visionary leader who champions cutting-edge technology solutions for creative studios worldwide. His work at Gunpowder is nothing short of revolutionary, as he spearheads seamless, cloud-based collaboration that empowers creative teams to transcend geographical boundaries and produce exceptional content.

With a deep passion for innovation and an unwavering commitment to excellence, Tom remains at the forefront of the industry, constantly pushing boundaries and paving the way for creative studios to thrive in the cloud.

Mike Urban

The Rebel Fleet (Our Flag Means Death Season 2)

Mike Urban

With a career spanning over two decades, Mike Urban navigated the dynamic realms of news and sports for the first eight years. A highlight of this period was his role as a CCU Operator at the 2012 London Olympics. Subsequently, he transitioned into film and TV production, uncovering his genuine enthusiasm to collaborate with skilled practitioners who share the same desire to craft exceptional content.

In 2015, Mike co-founded The Rebel Fleet, created to streamline production workflows and empower creatives by reducing the technical boundaries of the film making process and enabling creative freedom.

At the helm of The Rebel Fleet, Mike and his team have excelled in implementing cutting-edge workflows and delivering solutions tailored for some of the most complex productions. Their mission is clear: to promote collaboration, enhance efficiency, and consolidate key metadata, ensuring an efficient and productive creative process.

Jordan Velarde

Uncle Toad's Media Group

Jordan Velarde

Jordan Velarde, an Emmy-nominated Executive Producer, founded Uncle Toad’s with a commitment to pioneering emerging technologies in live broadcasts within the action sports world. Collaborating with a diverse range of individuals, from VPs of marketing departments to leaders of sports federations and network executives, Jordan’s leadership and adept management of teams and clients have been instrumental in the success of numerous projects. These endeavors remain authentic to their roots while simultaneously captivating a broader audience. With 25 years of production experience, Jordan takes pride in infusing the same level of excitement, direction, and success into diverse projects, ranging from original creations like the Vans Parks Series and The Natural Selection Snowboard tour to serving as the production manager for Skate & BMX at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

Doug Walker

Autodesk

Doug Walker

Doug is the Technology Lead for Color Science at Autodesk, working on products such as Flame, Maya, Arnold, and ShotGrid. He is also very active in open source projects, serving as the Chief Architect on the OpenColorIO Technical Steering Committee and as part of the Architectural Technical Advisory Council for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Science’s ACES project. He led the team of Autodesk engineers that developed OpenColorIO v2. Doug has been honored with the Natalie M. and Herbert T. Kalmus Medal and the Workflow Systems Medal from SMPTE and with an HPA Engineering Excellence award.

Mandy Walker, ASC, ACS,

Executive Producer

Mandy Walker, ASC, ACS,

Australian born Oscar® and BAFTA nominated cinematographer, one of the few female DPs working on big budget feature films today. Her latest work can be seen in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, which marks the fourth collaboration between the filmmakers, the two also worked together on critically acclaimed video shorts Chanel N°5: The FilmChanel N°5: The One That I Want and the Oscar® nominated feature film Australia, which also earned her a slew of awards. Her cinematography on Elvis made her the first woman in history to receive: the ASC award for Best Theatrical Feature Film, the AACTA (Australian Academy Award) for Best Feature Film Cinematography, and the ACS Best Theatrical Feature Film awards. She was also granted the EnergaCamerimage Festival Director’s Special Award and ACS Cinematographer of the year Milli Award in 2022. She is also inducted into the ACS Hall of Fame and has received the Order of Australia medal from Queen Elizabeth II. She served as a Governor of the Cinematographers Branch of AMPAS for 6 years and is a sitting Governor on the Board for the ASC. She is a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) and is an accredited member of the ASC and ACS. Included in her twenty two feature film credits are Mulan, The Mountain Between Us, Hidden Figures, Tracks, Shattered Glass, Australian Rules, Lantana, The Well and Parklands. Currently, she is in production on Disney’s Snow White (2024).

Matt Walters

The Walt Disney Studios

Matt Walters

Matt Walters has worked in the film industry for over 25 years. With over a decade in film production and eight years in vendor-side roles, Matt has touched every aspect of filmmaking. Having done several films from script development to final release, Matt has firsthand knowledge of all departments, and production stages, with credits including such films as Speed Racer and Superman Returns. Matt has been a member of the Visual Effects Society since 2012.

As head of Disney’s Motion Pictures Lab, Matt drives innovation across Disney Studios. The Motion Picture Labs (MPL) – is a group of specialty film making labs in Production Technology, working across all of Disney Studios, including Motion Picture Production, Marvel, Twentieth Century Studios and Searchlight.

When not working on or talking about filmmaking he designs boardgames (Mission: Catastrophe) and builds Trebuchets.

Caleb Ward

Curious Refuge

Caleb Ward

CEO/Artist – Curious Refuge

Caleb Ward is the CEO of Curious Refuge, an online platform pioneering the use of AI in film. He is deeply dedicated to democratizing the creative process by unlocking the inner storyteller inside everyone. His AI training empowers artists at every end of the creative spectrum, from training Academy Award Winners to aspiring artists looking to learn storytelling for the first time. He has trained thousands of artists worldwide and in every major studio. He believes AI is dramatically changing the creative landscape and elevating the creative potential of artists around the world.

Shelby Ward

Curious Refuge

Shelby Ward

COO/Artist – Curious Refuge

Shelby Ward is the COO of Curious Refuge, the world’s first online home for AI Filmmakers. Shelby has spent her career cultivating artist education communities in motion design and VFX, supporting artists at the highest levels of the industry, from Disney to Netflix. She is passionate about creating an optimistic and inclusive creative community centered around modern technology. She is a regular voice on film industry panels, and her AI films have been screened around the world.

Erik Weaver

Erik Weaver

Entertainment Technology Center at USC

Erik Weaver

Erik Weaver is Emmy-nominated producer and is currently running Virtual & Adaptive production for the Entertainment Technology Center@ University of Southern California (ETC). Projects include Executive Producer on Ripple Effect a production-focused in Covid safety and Virtual Production and Fathead. Mr Weaver graduated from the 3rd Unreal Fellowship and 3rd ICVFX Fellowship.

Mr Weaver is considered a leading authority in all aspects of OSVP. An early pioneer in executing shows from beginning to end. Running teams of industry experts to define LED testing and standardize the evaluation of panels, lighting, and color science. He worked on the team that built the largest stage in America for Amazon studios and has delivered portable stages to several national conferences. His experience also included both small and large VAD builds and orchestrating the development of assets globally.

2024 Tech Retreat Participating Companies

  1. 26 Seconds
  2. 2G Digital Post Optimization
  3. 3BMG
  4. 4Wall Entertainment
  5. 6P Color, Inc
  6. AbelCine
  7. Absen
  8. Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
  9. Adobe
  10. Advanced Systems Group LLC
  11. AJA Video Systems
  12. ALT Systems, Inc.
  13. Altman Solon
  14. Amazon AWS
  15. Amazon MGM Studios
  16. Amazon Prime Video
  17. Amazon Studios
  18. Amove
  19. Annex Pro
  20. AOTO
  21. Apple
  22. Arch Platform Technologies
  23. ARRI
  24. ArsenalFX Color
  25. Artisans PR
  26. Artistic Resources Corp.
  27. ASTRODESIGN INC
  28. Ateliere Creative Technologies
  29. Austin PBS
  30. Autodesk
  31. Avid Technology Inc
  32. B.inc
  33. Backblaze
  34. Backhaul Studios
  35. Backlight
  36. Baltimore Ravens
  37. Barco
  38. Berkeley Communications
  39. Bitpress
  40. Black Bags Productions
  41. Blackmagic Design
  42. Bolt Graphics
  43. Brooklyn College
  44. Bubble Agency
  45. BYU Broadcasting
  46. Canon USA, Inc.
  47. Carl Zeiss SBE, LLC
  48. castLabs GmbH
  49. Catching Air Technology Advisors
  50. CBS Studios
  51. CHESA
  52. Chesapeake Systems
  53. Christie Digital Systems
  54. Christy’s Editorial
  55. Cinegy
  56. CineSys
  57. Cinnafilm
  58. CloudSoda
  59. COBALT DIGITAL INC.
  60. Codex PIX
  61. Colorfront
  62. Company 3 Method Studios
  63. Compton & Company
  64. Convergent Risks
  65. CoreWeave
  66. Cormax Media Alliance
  67. Cradlepoint
  68. Creative Solutions
  69. Cuebric
  70. CUNY TV
  71. Curious Refuge
  72. CuttingRoom
  73. Dalet Digital Media Systems
  74. Dark Fiber Production Technology
  75. Data Expedition, Inc.
  76. DataIntell
  77. Day For Nite
  78. DeadDrop Labs
  79. Dell Technologies
  80. Deloitte Consulting LLP
  81. Deluxe
  82. Department of Defense
  83. Digital Bedrock
  84. Disguise Systems Ltd.
  85. Diversified
  86. Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
  87. DPP
  88. DreamWorks Animation
  89. Eden Base
  90. EDIT CLOUD
  91. EditHero Inc.
  92. EditShare
  93. EIKON GROUP
  94. EIZO Inc.
  95. Eluvio Inc.
  96. Embrace
  97. Evercast
  98. Emotion Systems
  99. Entertainment and Media Technology Marketing, Inc.
  100. Entertainment Technologists Development Corp
  101. Entertainment Technologists Inc
  102. Entertainment Technology Center @ USC
  103. Epic Games
  104. Equinix
  105. Ericsson
  106. Evercast
  107. Evertz Microsystems
  108. EVL/UIC
  109. Exceptional Minds
  110. Fabric Data, Inc.
  111. FBRC.ai
  112. Filmlight
  113. Final Draft
  114. Flanders Scientific, Inc.
  115. Flying Fish Productions
  116. Foundry
  117. Fox Entertainment Group, Inc.
  118. Frame.io
  119. Fraunhofer DMT USA
  120. Fraunhofer IIS
  121. Fujifilm
  122. Fujinon
  123. Fuse Technical Group
  124. FUTUREWORKS MEDIA LTD
  125. Game Creek Video
  126. GB Labs
  127. General Intelligence
  128. Geoffrey Tully Inc
  129. Gloshine
  130. GOOGLE
  131. Grass Valley
  132. Gunpowder
  133. Hallmark Media
  134. Halon Entertainment LLC
  135. Hammerspace
  136. Holley Video Consultation
  137. HOLLI
  138. HP Inc
  139. I2A2
  140. IDC LA
  141. ignite strategic communications
  142. Imagica Entertainment Media Services
  143. IMAX
  144. Imax Corporation
  145. IN2CORE s.r.o.
  146. Indee
  147. Infinite Entertainment
  148. Integrated Media Technologies, Inc.
  149. Interdigital
  150. International Cinematographers Guild
  151. Interra Systems, Inc.
  152. iodyne
  153. Iron Mountain Entertainment Services
  154. Joe Bogacz Consulting
  155. Kalray
  156. KCET and PBS SoCal
  157. Keio University
  158. Key Code Media
  159. Kino AI
  160. LDS Motion Picture Studio
  161. LearnIPVideo
  162. Leonardo AI
  163. LeVere Entertainment Inc.
  164. LG Business Solutions
  165. Light Iron
  166. Like Minded Labs
  167. Live CGI
  168. LucidLink
  169. Marvel Studios
  170. Matrox Video
  171. MAX Post
  172. MediaBridge Capital Advisors
  173. Megapixel
  174. Megapixel VR
  175. MelroseMAC, Inc.
  176. Memnon
  177. Merrill Weiss Group LLC
  178. MESH
  179. Microsoft
  180. Microsoft Production Studios
  181. Microsoft/Southworks
  182. Mission Critical Media / Local 695
  183. Mo-Sys Engineering Limited
  184. Mobile TV Group
  185. Mod Tech Labs
  186. MOLINARE TV FILM LIMITED/PIP STUDIOS
  187. Motion Picture Association
  188. Motion Picture Solutions
  189. MovieLabs
  190. MTI Film
  191. NAGRA
  192. National Geographic Content – Disney
  193. NBC Universal
  194. NBCUniversal Studios Group
  195. Ncam
  196. NEP Virtual Studios
  197. NetApp
  198. NetApp/BerkComm
  199. Netflix
  200. Netflix Eyeline Studios
  201. Nextera Video
  202. Nomad Media
  203. NVIDIA
  204. Open Drives
  205. OpenBID
  206. OptiTrack
  207. Origin Point
  208. PACE Anti-Piracy
  209. Panasonic
  210. Paramount Global
  211. Paramount TV Studios
  212. PB Technologies Group LLC
  213. Perception Grid, Inc.
  214. Perfect Memory
  215. Perforce Software
  216. Perifery
  217. Picture Shop
  218. Pixelogic
  219. Pixera
  220. Pixitmedia
  221. Planar
  222. Plate Pros
  223. Post Magazine
  224. Post Super
  225. postPerspective
  226. Practical Logix
  227. Premiere Digital
  228. Prime Focus Technologies Inc.
  229. ProductionPro Technologies Inc.
  230. Professional Video Technology, LLC
  231. Puget Systems
  232. Quantum Corp
  233. Qube Cinema
  234. Raz Public Relations
  235. RED
  236. Remoto
  237. RFX Inc
  238. RheinMain University
  239. Richey May
  240. Riedel Communications
  241. Rocketfrog Consulting
  242. ROE Visual Co., Ltd.
  243. Rohde & Schwarz
  244. Rohde & Schwarz USA, Inc
  245. Ross Video
  246. RUN Studios
  247. SailGP
  248. Samsung Electronics
  249. Sand Technologies
  250. Scale Logic
  251. SchubinCafe.com
  252. SDVI
  253. Seagate Technology LLC
  254. SGO
  255. Shift Media
  256. SideFX
  257. Signiant
  258. Silent Partners Studio
  259. Singularity Imaging LLC
  260. Skywalker Sound
  261. Slalom Consulting
  262. SMPTE
  263. Sohonet
  264. SONY Electronics, Inc
  265. Sony Pictures
  266. Sony Pictures Television
  267. Sound Particles
  268. SOUTHWORKS
  269. Spectra Logic
  270. Sphere Entertainment Co.
  271. Sphere Studios
  272. Splashtop
  273. SRI International
  274. Star Trek Discovery
  275. Storj
  276. Streambox Inc.
  277. SVG
  278. Symmetrica Inc
  279. Telestream
  280. Telstra
  281. Teradek
  282. The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints
  283. The Digital Cinema Society
  284. The Hollywood Reporter
  285. The Rebel Fleet
  286. The Studio-B&H
  287. The Walt Disney Company
  288. Theoretically Media
  289. TMT Insights
  290. Trackit.io
  291. Trailblazer Studios
  292. Tsecond Inc.
  293. Tunnel Post
  294. TV Technology/Broadcast Technology
  295. Twelve Labs
  296. UHD World Association
  297. Uncle Toad’s
  298. Universal Pictures
  299. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
  300. Utah Scientific
  301. Venera Technologies Inc.
  302. vidby AI
  303. Vidispine
  304. Vubiquity, Inc.
  305. Wacom Technology Corporation
  306. Walden Pond
  307. Wall Street Communications
  308. Walt Disney Studios
  309. Warner Bros. Discovery
  310. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
  311. WEKA
  312. World Surf League
  313. X2X
  314. Xperi
  315. Xytech Systems
  316. Yamdu
  317. ZEISS Group
  318. ソニー

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Innovation Zone

HPA invites individuals and companies to share new and innovative technology with the participants of the HPA Tech Retreat®. The Innovation Zone is where attendees can discover your company’s NEW technology in a space designed for learning and discovery. Bring your latest and greatest innovations that improve how the chain from acquisition to delivery is done. Applications will be accepted until January 2, 2024 or until we are at capacity.  SOLD OUT!



Innovation Zone Participants

  • Absen
  • Adobe
  • AOTO
  • Arch Platform Technologies
  • ARRI
  • Ateliere Creative Technologies
  • Autodesk
  • AVID
  • Bitpress
  • Blackmagic Design
  • Bolt Graphics
  • castLabs GmbH
  • Cinnafilm
  • CloudSoda
  • Codex PIX
  • Colorfront
  • Creative Solutions
  • CuttingRoom
  • DataIntell
  • Dolby
  • EditHero
  • EditShare
  • EIZO Inc.
  • Eluvio Inc.
  • Emotion Systems
  • Evercast
  • Evertz
  • FilmLight
  • Flanders Scientific, Inc.
  • Frame.io
  • Fraunhofer
  • GB Labs
  • Gloshine
  • Grass Valley
  • Hammerspace
  • Kino AI
  • LucidLink
  • Matrox Video
  • Megapixel
  • Microsoft/Southworks
  • Mod Tech Labs
  • NAGRA
  • NetApp/BerkComm
  • OpenBID
  • PACE Anti-Piracy
  • Perfect Memory
  • Perifery
  • Planar
  • Puget Systems
  • Quantum Corp
  • Rohde & Schwarz USA
  • Samsung Electronics
  • Sand Tech
  • Scale Logic
  • Seagate
  • SGO
  • Signiant
  • Sohonet
  • Sony Electronics, Inc.
  • SRI International
  • Streambox Inc.
  • Telestream
  • The Studio B&H
  • TrackIt
  • Twelve Labs
  • Wacom
  • Yamdu
  • ZEISS Cinema

Listings With Descriptions

General Information & Pricing

Innovation Zone requirements:

Your demonstration must reflect technology that is innovative, game changing and important to entertainment markets including production, post production, broadcast, distribution, OTTs or related areas. It must provide the attendees with solution(s) that are unique and, if possible, demonstrate integrated workflows for distinctive services. Experimental products and new concepts or products are of particular interest. Start ups or creative solutions are most welcome.

You may bring secondary partners to be part of your space and demonstration if it fits within a complete solution that can differentiate the workflow or delivery process from what is available today.

Service companies and solutions providers who have unique, forward thinking offerings in production, post production, broadcast, distribution, OTT’s or a related area are invited to participate.

To apply, submit a description of what you would like to demonstrate for vetting purposes. Click here for the Application Form.


General Information:

The Innovation Zone is a meeting and networking area which will be open during conference hours as well as dedicated times. Refer to the program online (when available) for actual times.

No one is required to be with your demo during the entire time the Innovation Zone is open, except during the specific dedicated times listed in the Tech Retreat program. You are also free to make appointments during any open hours.

We encourage Tech Retreat Innovation Zone participants to invite clients, other individuals within your company and interested industry professionals to register and visit you at the HPA Tech Retreat. However, please note that there are no guest passes to attend just the Innovation Zone. All attendees must be registered through the Tech Retreat registration site.

 


Innovation Zone Space Fees:

$4,000 – for HPA Corporate Members (One (1) All-Access Conference Ticket)

$4,500 – for Non-Members (One (1) All-Access Conference Ticket)

One (1) Innovation Zone space includes:

  • One (1) 8×10 space, one 6′ table, two chairs, black tablecloth, and one 20 amp power drop*
  • 18″x24″ sign for booth that includes logo and contact information
  • Opportunity to interact with key players in the M&E community
  • One (1) All-Access Conference Ticket
  • Innovation Zone participants can purchase up to two (2) IZ Tech tickets for staff at the rate of $1,195 (does not include conference access)

*Each space includes one table, two chairs (additional table and chairs available on a limited basis, fees apply), and one 20 amp power drop. Additional power, internet, furniture, AV, power strips and other equipment can be ordered through the hotel. Contact us for details.

Innovation Zone Space Fees are Non-Refundable.


Space Information:

The Innovation Zone is one large ballroom. You may apply for more than one space if you have more than one technology to present. An additional fee will apply and this space will be provided on an availability basis.

If you have something that requires a separate space, we may be able to provide this on a “limited engagement” basis. Please contact us at innovation.zone@hpaonline.com. Please note that an additional fee will apply.

Please note that an exhibit booth, bar-type unit or anything that will block full view or limit accessibility to the spaces around you are not permitted. A small cove for monitors, racks, and stands, if they don’t block a view, will most likely be permitted.

One pull-up type banner (maximum 3’x6′) will be permitted per space providing it does NOT contain marketing, pricing or sales pitches. Custom backdrops are not allowed.

Click here for booth setup guidelines.

If there’s a question about this, please contact us at innovation.zone@hpaonline.com.

Select additional furniture (e.g. high boy table, high stools) may be ordered through the hotel vendor.

A/V equipment may be ordered through the hotel vendor.

Links to all forms will be provided upon acceptance of your demo.

If your application is accepted you will be sent further information including access to pay for your Innovation Zone space.

Confirmation of your space in the Innovation Zone is a commitment to have your demonstration set up from Monday through Wednesday according to the times listed in the Program.

While your Innovation Zone demo does not need to be staffed at all times, there are specific times within the program during which Innovation Zone Staff is required to be present. All persons staffing your demo MUST have a valid ticket for the event. Approved and paid Innovation Zone space includes one full conference ticket. Any additional staff or attendees must purchase a Tech Retreat ticket.

Please contact events@hpaonline.com with any registration-related questions.

The HPA Tech Retreat has a number of Press attending. Press are requested to respect your wishes to be off-the-record or enter into an NDA, but you will need to arrange this directly with them. It is not required as part of HPA issuing a Press Pass.

Innovation Zone Schedule

(All times are Pacific and tentative until the final program)

NEW for 2024! Innovation Zone open Monday through Wednesday during the Tech Retreat

Sunday, February 18

  • 8:00 am
    Begin load in of equipment to the hotel
  • 9:00 am – 5:30 pm
    Innovation Zone opens for set up

Monday, February 19

  • 7:00 am – 9:00 am
    Final time for arrival and set up of demos at the hotel
  • 9:30 am
    Set up of demos must be complete
  • 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
    Innovation Zone is open

Tuesday, February 20

  • 8:30 am – 7:15 pm
    Innovation Zone is open (concurrent with sessions, booth does not need to be staffed at all times)
  • 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm
    Innovation Zone will be open during lunch
  • 5:30 pm – 7:15 pm
    Innovation Zone Cocktail Reception (sponsorships available)

Wednesday, February 21

  • 8:30 am – 8:30 pm
    Innovation Zone open
  • 12:00 pm – 1:58 pm
    Innovation Zone will be open during lunch
  • 6:00 – 8:30 pm
    Innovation Zone with cocktails (sponsorships available)
  • 8:30 – 10:00 pm
    Innovation Zone break down.

Thursday, February 22

  • 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
    Innovation Zone break down. If anything is left until Friday, arrangements must be made directly with the hotel for storage and a fee may be charged.

  • All applications will be reviewed and vetted based on meeting the intent and focus of the Innovation Zone.
  • Applications submitted and approved by January 2nd will pay $4,000 for HPA Corporate Members or $4,500 for Non Members for a single Innovation Zone space and full conference registration for one person.

  • The 2024 HPA Tech Retreat will be an in person event from February 18-22.
  • All applications will be reviewed and vetted based on meeting the intent and focus of the Innovation Zone.
  • HPA Corporate Members – $4,000 (includes One (1) All-Access Conference Ticket)
  • Non-Members – $4,500 (includes One (1) All-Access Conference Ticket)
  • Applications will be accepted until space is filled.
  • To apply, submit a description of what you would like to demonstrate for vetting purposes. Click here for the Application Form.

One (1) Innovation Zone space includes:

  • One (1) 8×10 space, one 6′ table, two chairs, black tablecloth, and one 20 amp power drop*
  • 18″x24″ sign for booth that includes logo and contact information
  • Opportunity to interact with key players in the M&E community
  • One (1) All-Access Conference Ticket
  • Innovation Zone participants can purchase up to two (2) IZ Tech tickets for staff at the rate of $1,195 (does not include conference access)

*Each space includes one table, two chairs (additional table and chairs available on a limited basis, fees apply), and one 20 amp power drop. Additional power, internet, furniture, AV, power strips and other equipment can be ordered through the hotel. Contact us for details.

 

Pricing

Attendees are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. Registration fees for the Tech Retreat do not include hotel accommodations.

HPA is committed to your health, safety, and comfort while attending the HPA Tech Retreat. Please read our Event Policy before registering, and do not hesitate to contact us at hpa@hpaonline.com with any questions or concerns.

HPA Corporate Members
Individuals who are inheriting members of a corporate membership can take advantage of discounted Tech Retreat registration. Please be sure to register using your company email address to receive the discount. Click here for detail on how to sign up as an inheriting member.


HPA Tech Retreat Event
February 18 – 22, 2024

(All listed dates and pricing subject to change)

*NEW for 2024!

Inclusive member-only package includes all-access registration plus a deluxe room with a golf course/pool view and HPA welcome amenity. Limited inventory. If sold out, please contact us to be placed on a waitlist.

Inclusive Member-Only Package (Sun-Thu)
HPA Members $3,895

HPA Member Golf Tournament – Sunday, February 18
Includes Green fees, cart rental, box lunch, two drink tickets, and prizes. Must be a current HPA Member and registered for the Tech Retreat to purchase.

HPA Member Golf Tournament (Sun)
Single Ticket $195
Foursome $780

HPA Tech Retreat Registration
This conference registration includes: All provided meals, admission to the Innovation Zone, Sunday Evening Welcome Drinks, Monday TR-X Seminar, Monday Networking Brunch, Tuesday Supersession, Wednesday through Thursday Tech Retreat Program, Tuesday Evening Social Event, and Wednesday Innovation Zone Cocktail Reception. (Sunday Corporate Member Golf Tournament requires separate registration.)

All-Access Registration (Sun-Thu)
HPA Members $2,195
Non-Members $2,595
Tech Retreat Speakers, Panel Moderators and Panelists Contact Us
Credentialed Press Contact Us

Registration By Day

Monday, February 19 – Thursday, February 22, 2024
These registration options include: All provided meals, admission to the Innovation Zone and Conference Sessions for the day(s) selected, and admission to the Conference Dinner (Tuesday registration only), and Innovation Zone Cocktail Reception (Wednesday registration only).
One Day Registration
HPA Members $1,295
Non-Members $1,575

 

Innovation Zone

Innovation Zone Space fee includes one All-Access conference registration. Visitors must be registered for the one of the following packages: All-Access, Registration by Day (Mon-Wed), or Wednesday Evening Innovation Zone Cocktail Reception. There are no complimentary passes.

Accepted Innovation Zone companies are limited to two Innovation Zone Tech registrations per space. Innovation Zone Tech Registration includes access to the Innovation Zone and all included meals Monday through Wednesday, as well as admission to the Tuesday Evening Conference Dinner. This registration Does NOT include access to any of the Conference Sessions.

Innovation Zone Space (Includes 1 All-Access Conference Registration)
HPA Corporate Members $4,000
Non-Members $4,500
Innovation Zone Tech Registration (No Conference Access)
Innovation Zone Tech (Limit 2 per space) $1,195
Innovation Zone Space Fees are Non-Refundable.

Please be advised that space is limited and always sells out.

 

Registration Terms

Please read our Event Policy before registering. You may pay by credit card or check in U.S. dollars only. Your payment MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN JANUARY 25, 2024 in order to confirm your registration. As this event will sell out, we may not be able to hold a registration which is not paid for by the deadline. If there are circumstances which prevent you from doing this, please contact our office. See registration form for complete payment information.

CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY

Cancellations made by January 25, 2024 will be refunded, less a 10% cancellation fee. In addition, a $35 administrative fee will be charged for any refunds made to registrations paid by check.

NO REFUNDS FOR CANCELLATIONS AFTER January 25, 2024. However, you may transfer a registration to another individual. No fee will be charged for transferred registrations provided the new registrant is of the same registration type (Member or Non-Member). If the new registrant is of a different registration type, the difference in price will apply.

In the event that a government restriction prevents attendance, we will provide a refund minus the cancellation fees mentioned above.

For questions or additional information contact: HPA at events@hpaonline.com or 818-273-1482.


Hotel/Travel

The HPA Tech Retreat will take place February 18-22, 2024 at The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, CA.

Nestled on 360 acres in Rancho Mirage, the resort is a desert oasis located moments from Palm Springs. Rugged mountains and panoramic views set an extraordinary backdrop for an unforgettable experience.

New for 2024! HPA is buying out the hotel. Rooms will be available exclusively to Tech Retreat attendees.


How to Book Your Room

You must be registered to attend the 2024 HPA Tech Retreat to make a hotel reservation. The hotel reservation website will be sent via e-mail after you complete the conference registration process. Attendees are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. Registration fees for the Tech Retreat do not include hotel accommodation.

The room block is sold out but may have limited availability left on select days. If you are unable to find the dates you are looking for, please check other options listed below or join the wait list.


Cancellations

To avoid a one night’s room and tax charge, reservations must be canceled by January 25, 2024.


Event Hotel

The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa
71333 Dinah Shore Drive
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
http://www.marriott.com
Main Telephone: 1-877-253-0041

Room Rate

HPA has secured a discounted room rate for registered attendees at $299 per night plus applicable taxes.
*Please note room reservations can only be made with a valid Tech Retreat registration

Resort Charge

The resort charge of $37 per night will be included in the room rate as a courtesy for our attendees. This fee will cover several amenities, which include (subject to change):

  • Premium High Speed Wi-Fi access in Guest Rooms & Public Space
  • Meeting Room Wi-Fi access (for general browsing)
  • Two Bowling Games at Pinz & Pints
  • In-Room Bottled Water
  • Access to Little Links Miniature Golf Course
  • Access to Westin Workout Fitness Studio
  • Two-hour bike rental per stay for up to 2 guests
  • Invitation to Sweets Social Hour Daily

The event venue room block is sold out but may have limited availability left on select days.

Wait List
Other hotel options to check for availability:

Courtyard Palm Desert

Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage

The Westin Mission Hills Resort Villas

Find other Marriott Options here.


Directions & Transportation

Southwest Airlines is Pleased to Offer
HPA Tech Retreat Attendees Discounted Fares

Book Via SWABIZ
Use Company ID 99396706

Discount valid for travel 2/15/2024 to 2/24/2024.

The Westin Rancho Mirage is located 7 miles from Palm Springs International Airport, 130 miles from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), 77 miles from Ontario Airport, 130 miles from Burbank Airport and 116 miles east of Los Angeles if driving. For driving directions, please click here. Or, For those of you who use GPS or Google Earth, the coordinates: 33.81021715293067 North, 116.41294168768748 West.

Shuttle Companies

Taxi Companies

There are also a large number of limo, town car and private shuttle options. The full listing of available ground transportation from the airport can be found here.


For More Local Area Information, Please Click Here.


FAQ

1. What is the HPA Tech Retreat?

The HPA Tech Retreat is the pre-eminent gathering of industry-leading thinkers and innovation-focused companies engaged in the creation, management, and dissemination of content. Every year, for a week near Palm Springs, the HPA Tech Retreat brings together a world-class roster of well-known and emerging leaders in engineering, technology, creativity and business. At the HPA Tech Retreat, the most compelling topics facing the media and entertainment landscape today are presented, explored and debated.

2. How did it start?

The International Teleproduction Society (ITS, later the Association of Imaging Technology and Sound) offered a Presidents Retreat to allow chief executives of its member companies to combine a vacation with some information exchange. In 1995, the idea was extended to engineers with a Technology Retreat, which rapidly became more information and less vacation. After ITS ceased operations in 2001, the HPA began sponsoring the Tech Retreat.

3. What is the main program?

The main program is devoted to the most compelling issues of the time, with a focus to putting  the most knowledgeable experts together to explore and enliven a conversation around those issues.  Much of the main program is invited; the rest is drawn from submissions. The main program is run precisely by the clock. The slot for each presentation includes set-up and questions-&-answers, and speakers have sometimes been cut off in mid-sentence. Similarly, the program starts and returns from breaks at exactly the listed times.

4. How does one get to present on the main program?

A Call for Proposals is issued every year around Labor Day. There are, year over year, more submissions than can be accommodated. The burning issues facing the ecosystem may help determine which submissions are accepted. Those wishing to make presentations should also consider breakfast roundtables and the demo area. Presentations in the main program, the breakfast roundtables, and the demo area are not mutually exclusive.

5. What are the breakfast roundtables?

Starting at 7:30 am, the breakfast roundtables are one of the most popular aspects of the retreat. Each table has a number which corresponds to a posted list of topics and moderators. Moderators may choose any topic and run the roundtables as they see fit. They may present information, gather information from those at the table, or simply moderate arguments between others. Popular tables might end up surrounded by layers of attendees and others might have only a few. There are no restrictions on topics other than length (so they may be printed; long topic titles will be abridged). There are no restrictions on moderators other than being registered at the retreat. All requests to moderate tables are accepted; if another moderator has chosen the same or a similar topic, the moderators will be informed so they may consider combining their tables. A moderator may choose to have tables at either or all, and if more than one, on the same or different topics. A single company or organization is welcome to provide moderators for as many roundtables as it would like. Once a roundtable is confirmed, it must be moderated, even if someone else seems to have a more attractive topic. Topics and moderators, however, may be changed.

6. What is the Innovation Zone?

The Innovation Zone is not a trade show but rather a curated area where the latest, often unseen technologies or applications are demonstrated.  Participants for the Innovation Zone must apply, and the applications are reviewed by the Innovation Zone manager and HPA Tech Retreat Committee.  The Innovation Zone is focused on new technology or applications. The retreat will provide table(s), chair(s), power, and security. No “booths” are permitted. No corporate signage is permitted; the retreat will provide a simple paper sign with the name of each demonstrator’s company or organization. Information about the technology or application is accepted and appreciated. White papers are encouraged. Relevant product literature is fine. Demonstrators are encouraged to join forces to show systems. In the past competitors have helped set up each other’s demonstrations.Many popular products were first introduced at the HPA Tech Retreat, -Panasonic’s Varicam and Sony’s HDCAM SR- among them. Other innovations shown at the retreat have yet to make it to mass manufacture, including a 72-frame-per-second HDTV camera and a system for automatically converging and color balancing multiple projectors forming a single image. Some are one of a kind, like a tiny Lucas Digital (ILM) camera-attitude sensor used in Star Wars: Episode 3. A slot in the main program at the end of the first day is reserved for demo introductions. Each demonstrator is allowed a very brief period (about a minute) to introduce the demonstration. That is followed by the first scheduled demo session, which includes a cocktail reception for attendees and their registered guests. There is another scheduled demo session at the end of the last day. In between, attendees may schedule demos at mutually convenient times.

7. Health & Safety

HPA is committed to your health, safety, and comfort while attending the HPA Tech Retreat. Please read our Event Policy before registering, and do not hesitate to contact us at hpa@hpaonline.com with any questions or concerns.

We are currently following the most recent state and government guidelines for COVID-19 protocols. Currently, there are no health restrictions in place, but we strongly recommend that attendees continue to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. We also encourage all attendees to be up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.

In the event of any health concerns during the event, health and safety personnel will be available onsite. Please check-in with the Registration counter for assistance.

Innovation Zone Listings

The following companies have provided descriptions for the technology they will be bringing. More to come!

Absen

Experience the pinnacle of visual performance with Absen’s Polaris 2.5 Pro, a state-of-the-art LED display designed for the most demanding stages and rental applications. This innovative 2.5mm LED product is a game-changer in the industry, offering unparalleled visual fidelity and precision.

Crafted with UltraBlack Technology, the Polaris 2.5 Pro delivers extraordinary contrast and brightness, ensuring that every image is vivid and lifelike. The small-sized, non-reflective LEDs used in this technology contribute to a deeper black and more nuanced color reproduction, providing an immersive viewing experience.

The precision alignment of the Polaris 2.5 Pro guarantees a seamless and flawless display, critical for high-quality staging and broadcasting environments. Its superior contrast enhances the depth and clarity of on-screen content, making it ideal for building LED walls for extended reality (xR) stages.

The Absen Polaris 2.5 Pro is not just about exceptional visual performance; it’s also about reliability and versatility. Its robust build and advanced features make it suitable for a variety of staging and rental applications, ensuring that your event, show, or presentation is not just seen, but truly experienced.

Choose the Absen Polaris 2.5 Pro for a visual display that transcends expectations, where cutting-edge technology meets artistic expression.

Adobe

Adobe is a leader in enterprise-level video editing, offering solutions that empower organizations to enhance creative output through AI-integrated, user-friendly tools. From Firefly generative AI to Text-Based Editing in Premiere Pro and constant ground-breaking research, push the limits of creativity and workflow with innovative, award-winning features.

AOTO

AOTO is the premium LED volume provider for Virtual Production and XR. With an extraordinary color and on-camera shooting performance, AOTO has innovated a series of award-winning LED products, specially designed for the Hollywood film level production requirements. The AOTO US office is located in Irvine, CA, and AOTO also has branch offices in UK, Spain, India, Japan, China (Hong Kong and Shenzhen).

As the award-winners of the “NAB Product of The Year 2023”, “Infocomm Best of Show 2023”, “AV Awards Digital Signages of the Year Finalist” and “IF Design Award”, RM series is probably one of the best LED tiles for virtual production and XR stages. We’ve been proud that our clients have successfully full-filled over 60 VP studios worldwide, and AOTO has been chosen as the LED manufacture for “The Batman” in the virtual production.

Each of below item in RM series is Unique targeting at different applications.

RM1.5E | RM1.9 | RM2.3 | RM2.3E | RM2.6

RM1.5C | RM1.9C | RM2.3C (Launching in ISE 2024, Industry Game-Changer)

Further more, we have developed the industry-leading LED ceiling SW3.7, LED floor AE2.3 as a whole solution packages.

Arch Platform Technologies

Work from anywhere, any time – Arch incorporates enterprise-grade security. Your entire facility is in a secure virtual private network. Workstations and resources are accessible at any time, from anywhere. Each facility’s dashboard with all workstation, storage and other IT infrastructure resources, along with analytics, are available via a single-pane-of-glass.

ARRI

Synchronizing Physical and Virtual Worlds: Unleashing the Power of Real-Time Digital Twins in Production

Seamlessly bridging physical and virtual environments is key to realizing the full potential of digital twins in production workflows. When digital assets mirror the properties of their physical counterparts in real-time, efficiency gains are maximized.

ARRI’s technical showcase demonstrates this synchronized approach. The new SkyPanel X interacts in real-time with its digital twin, enabling an unmatched level of control. Our virtual camera prototype is designed for integration throughout the pipeline—from previz and configuration to virtual production, VFX, and post.

By synchronizing physical and digital in real-time, ARRI is pioneering new levels of flexibility and control in virtual production. Our platform unleashes the full power of digital twins to optimize workflows across the production spectrum.

Ateliere Creative Technologies

ATELIERE CONNECT
Ateliere Connect is a cloud-native media supply chain solution that helps media companies of all sizes manage and deliver their video content to multiple endpoints, with 75-90% less storage costs, native component-based workflows, and simplified recipe-based packaging & delivery.

Dramatically reduce long-term storage costs by de-duplicating your video assets, so you only store the difference between file types (MB) rather than multiple large video files (hundreds of GB/TB).

Process a full feature title in as little as 2 minutes with our cloud-native parallel processing transcoder – the fastest in the world.

Easily find titles through tag-oriented metadata and fast search. Sort your title catalog with composition playlists (CPLs), made with video, audio, subtitle, and artwork components. Consolidate and store all title versions as an IMF package.

Cloud-native, file QC catches up to 90% of common issues automatically, providing the reassurance you need during large-scale processing.

Conform files for delivery, transform metadata, package each required media collection and automate downstream package delivery endpoints to reduce human error and ensure consistency.

Autodesk

Autodesk Flow

Imagine a world where fragmented pipelines are gone and data is connected. That vision becomes a reality with Autodesk Flow.

We’re building Flow to unify people, workflows, and data across the production lifecycle – from earliest concept to final delivery – so teams can access and manage their assets wherever and whenever they need them, regardless of the tools they use. Harnessing the power of an open ecosystem, open standards, and connected data, Flow helps studios streamline manual processes, collaborate more efficiently, and unlock new opportunities for innovation and creativity. Powerful visualization tools transform disorganized data into compelling insights, helping teams identify risks, solve problems, and make the right creative decisions.

Avid

Enhance your editing speed and productivity with Media Composer®. Recent and continuing updates provide cutting-edge AI tools, namely PhraseFind AI and ScriptSync AI. These highly acclaimed time-saving features have been further optimized, harnessing advanced AI technology that operates seamlessly without requiring internet connectivity, ensuring the utmost security of your data. 

Utilize the Media Composer® Panel Software Development Kit (SDK) to incorporate a broader array of custom and third-party applications, services, and libraries into the video editing user experience of Media Composer®. With this advancement, Avid’s technology partners and customers have the flexibility to enhance their workflows by accessing, creating, and seamlessly integrating the components that align with their editors’ preferences and requirements directly within Media Composer®. 

Avid Huddle is a new SaaS solution that empowers creative teams to collaborate more efficiently from anywhere on any device with familiar tools. Teams can review, discuss, and comment on content as if they were working in the same room. 

AI-powered MediaCentral creative support will revolutionize the search process by providing contextual recommendations based on written text. It can automatically generate summaries of spoken content, even across multiple languages with translation capabilities, and include transcripts with time-coded markers. 

Bitpress

Bitpress has a singular mission to revolutionize post production with automation tools that quickly and seamlessly transform content libraries into distribution-ready assets for any platform. Harnessing the power of machine learning and massive cloud scale our cutting edge workflows elevate quality and enable rapid monetization of content. The Bitpress team are trailblazers in post production automation. We draw on decades of engineering and operations expertise to develop industry-first solutions for common high-volume challenges. We are dedicated to building transparent and trusted client partnerships and collaboration with clients and technology partners through adaptability and a forward-thinking mindset.

The Bitpress suite of tools offer Unique solutions using intelligent automation, machine learning, and AWS infrastructure for unparalleled speed and processing capacity.

AudioPress™ delivers audio synchronization for any standard, length, or language. Capable of completing tens of thousands of jobs per day.

AdPress™ transforms ad break management, finding the natural breaks in the story for an improved user experience.

VideoPress™ transforms video analysis automating the path to optimal picture quality and digital distribution.

SubPress™ delivers highly efficient subtitle and closed caption synchronization, seamlessly automating conform processes for any language.

Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia.

Bolt Graphics, Inc.

Bolt is launching Thunder, the world’s fastest graphics processor with numerous optimizations for film rendering and virtual production. Thunder renders production scenes twice as fast as the leading GPU competitor while consuming half the power. It also comes with native support for user-expandable memory, remote memory, OpenUSD, MaterialX, and rack-scale connectivity. Thunder’s already being integrated into clouds, appliances, and game engines and DCC tools.

castLabs

castLabs’ single-frame forensic watermarking technology allows content owners to embed unique, imperceptible information into each individual video frame. This essential layer of security enables content owners to identify, track, and trace unauthorized leaks sources for remedial action, even from a mere screenshot or photo of a playing video. The watermark can be recovered under distorted conditions, low resolution, or cropping, thanks to advanced image processing built on AWS. This, along with strong resilience against watermark countermeasure attacks, provides a crucial level of robustness to combat content leaks across production and pre-release workflows, safeguarding content like video frames or other image-based digital production assets including storyboards, artwork, and more.

castLabs’ secure remote desktop solution with copy protection is tailored to content creators within the production and post-production industry with a new level of content protection for their virtualized cloud workflows. It serves as an indispensable tool for geographically dispersed teams, enabling secure collaboration on sensitive pre-release video production content. Operating via a browser-based environment utilizing real-time WebRTC technology, it grants content creators access, editing, and review capabilities with comprehensive security, including protection against screen recording. The AWS-based solution incorporates advanced end-to-end DRM and features our single-frame forensic watermarking technology.

Cinnafilm

PixelStrings and Tachyon Live

Cinnafilm is the leading provider of innovative video and audio transformation and optimization solutions for the media and entertainment industry. At the 2024 HPA tech retreat, Cinnafilm will be showcasing the latest developments in its PixelStrings media processing platform. PixelStrings provides the world’s most advanced tool set for the automated processing of file-based media, including Standards Conversions, Archive Rejuvenation, and Content Retiming. PixelStrings and its component technologies have received three HPA Engineering Excellence Awards over the course of the past twelve years. PixelStrings is available with a range of deployment and pricing options to suit customer needs, including a fully hosted SaaS implementation as well as various options for deployments on customer infrastructure.

Also at this year’s tech retreat, Cinnafilm will be previewing their new Tachyon Live product line for conversion of live I.P. video streams, in the cloud or on the ground. Tachyon Live converts between common I.P. video contribution formats such as NDI and SMPTE 2110, while also performing high-quality standards conversions if required.

CloudSoda

CloudSoda Cloud Data Management Platform

The CloudSoda Cloud Data Management Platform revolutionizes data management, optimizes operations, enhances collaboration, and delivers advanced business intelligence—seamlessly accelerating content ingestion, workflows, and collaboration to ensure data efficiency.

Better yet, our platform offers lightning-fast data transfers—all while supporting Windows, Linux, and Mac for seamless data flow. Users can easily automate data movement with policy-based management, adhering to SLAs and reinforcing security with built-in checksums and encryption. Best of all, CloudSoda is highly versatile—compatible with leading cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and GCP, simplifying integration with S3-compatible storage services.

Our platform also unlocks the advantage of cost transparency through our Dry Run feature, customized pricing, and exercise precision control with custom cloud tagging. And lastly, users can deploy as virtual machines, on-premises, cloud, or cloud-hosted services. Our open API ensures seamless third-party integration, enhancing connectivity within your ecosystem.

We are committed to being the world’s leading and most secure cloud data management platform—purpose-built to dismantle data barriers, enabling organizations to work faster, smarter, and cost-effectively. Elevate your data strategy with CloudSoda and embark on a journey toward achieving unparalleled data excellence.

CODEX | PIX

PIX is an Academy® award-winning media asset management platform, delivering industry leading service for secure asset review and approval, with powerful collaboration throughout the end-to-end production pipeline process of media creation, on a global scale. PIX won a Technical Oscar for their technology in 2019.

CODEX is an Emmy award-winning manufacturing and design company that creates custom products for the media and entertainment industry, including high-performance media and workflow systems in support of the leading camera vendors for feature, television, and commercial production. Products include unique software applications that enable quick and easy data file management and shared desktop storage solutions that connect the creative community.

Colorfront

Colorfront proudly presents our groundbreaking SDR to Dolby Vision Workflow, a game-changing innovation that promises to redefine how content owners approach the revitalization of their legacy catalogs. Our cutting-edge technology empowers content owners to future-proof their libraries by seamlessly converting SDR content into stunning Dolby Vision, all while preserving the original creative intent.

Creative Solutions

Videndum Creative Solutions will debut two new technologies from our SmallHD and Teradek brands. SmallHD will debut a 32″ Professional Reference HDR Video Monitor designed to provide accurate and consistent color reproduction for final color and critical on-set monitoring. The product is designed to address the requirement for reference displays that meet both HDR and SDR color grading and mastering specifications and will feature a quantum-dot OLED panel, allowing the monitor to achieve 1000-nit peak luminance, deep blacks, wide color gamut, and the extended contrast ratio necessary for professional HDR and SDR color-critical monitoring applications. Teradek will also debut Teradek TV, an all-in-one live feed and instant recordings review platform that connects creatives, producers, executives, and other remote collaborators in real-time. Teradek TV can connect on-set cameras, DIT stations, or post-production workstations securely to the cloud, quickly sharing high-quality, low-latency video feeds anywhere in the world. A fully scalable solution, Teradek TV allows for permission-based visibility across studio-level production slates in real-time, with live feeds, downloadable instant proxies for dailies, editorial, and VFX, cross-platform color management, and metadata support. Our highly secure platform uses premium military-grade encryption to block unauthorized access to content and utilizes user-specific watermarking on every frame.

CuttingRoom

CuttingRoom, an innovative cloud-native video editing tool, is capturing the interest of an industry eager for advanced video workflow solutions.

CuttingRoom provides collaborative cloud-based video editing to video editors, TV producers, and journalists. Users can access all their content and stories from anywhere and simultaneously.

With CuttingRoom, content creators can produce engaging video content with motion graphics, leveraging live streams and cloud sources. Its responsive interface and swift video processing capabilities, from ingest to publishing, make it a go-to solution for scalable, remote, and collaborative video editing.

CuttingRoom boasts features like real-time collaboration, direct content capture from live streams, the CuttingRoom Reporter iPhone app, and cloud services. Users can create and import multi-layer graphics, adjust video frames, and generate clips in various formats. The seamless integration with social media ensures efficient content distribution to a broad audience.

CuttingRoom’s compatibility with multiple cloud storage and media platforms and easy integration with MAM systems enhance its flexibility. It’s designed for universal access, requiring only an internet connection. As a true cloud-native SaaS, it’s maintenance-free.

CuttingRoom distinguishes itself with its ease of use, from quickly sourcing footage to utilizing professional editing features and publishing across platforms.

DataIntell

As a centralized dashboard across on-premises storage and cloud platforms, DataIntell graphically analyzes data use, storage, and cost. This allows IT teams and content creators to simply monitor, understand, and optimize storage and data usage across the entire enterprise.

DataIntell software allows for quick and easy classification of folders and files into “projects” representing a department, a client, a specific project, group, or other unifying principle. Knowing the size, number of files, changes over time and storage cost of each project is extremely beneficial for budgeting, optimizing data organization, and understanding storage consumption and cost specific to each project.

DataIntell identifies unused files and provides views into data changes, file duplication, and space utilization over time. Storage usage trend graphs allow decisions on storage expansion to be made based on actual statistics and patterns. DataIntell also calculates how much a group of files would cost to store on a particular tier or type of storage, which means IT teams can anticipate and move data to the most cost-effective storage location. Sort and find data based on intelligent insights, filter searches using charts, download search results, and even create custom lists using our tagging feature.

Dolby

HYBRIK

Dolby Hybrik is a cloud-based media processing system that provides transcoding, media analysis, and quality control to deliver superb video optimized for every screen. Hybrik’s media workflow produces outstanding results, distributing the workload across thousands of machines to deliver the fastest throughput at the lowest cost. The workflow can be customized through a public API, allowing seamless integration with customer operations. Customers like Sony Pictures, HBO, and Paramount depend on Hybrik for their cloud media workflow because of its superior performance, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Dolby has added innovative new capabilities to Hybrik, including dialogue enhancement, SDR to HDR conversion, and real-time cloud preview.

EditHero Inc.

Edit Hero redefines media post-production by blending advanced AI with user-friendly functionality. Tailored for professionals across the media spectrum, it automates and refines editing processes, from conforming sequences to comparing cuts, delivering unparalleled accuracy and speed. With flexible deployment options, including cloud and on-premises solutions, Edit Hero is the future of post-production, enabling you to focus on creativity and leave the complexities to us.

EditShare

EditShare offers innovative solutions to enhance collaborative media workflows for storytellers. At HPA, we’re thrilled to showcase how our tools can elevate production and post-production processes, especially for remote and cloud-based work. Swift Link revolutionizes remote connections, delivering a significant speed boost—up to 10 times faster—for users working from diverse locations. It allows seamless preview and editing of proxies and high-res media, optimizing connections without altering existing equipment or workflows. EditShare One, our new user experience, streamlines creative processes, introducing features like Producer View for task assignment and feedback delivery, fostering collaboration across multiple locations.

Enhancing productivity, EditShare integrates AI speech-to-text transcriptions within the FLOW panel, accelerating work and facilitating rough cuts in Adobe Premiere. This automated process promotes efficient editing and collaboration. The integration between FLOW and MediaSilo further extends collaboration capabilities, enabling users to share links, create presentations, and collaborate seamlessly across the production team. EditShare continues to pioneer solutions that empower users in the evolving landscape of media production.

EIZO Inc.

EIZO will be demonstrating two new ColorEdge monitor features available for current and new models aimed at the Media & Entertainment user. On our CG3146 HDR reference display will be the Pixel Inspection function that enables the user to select any pixel on the display to determine the color values of the signal source. This capability can help users validate the current display settings as well as reduce the steps required to troubleshoot the source of color mismatches.

On our CG2700X 4K GUI and artist display we will demonstrate ColorNavigator’s new API functionality, which enables ColorEdge users to add monitor control capability in the interface of their favorite, familiar applications, reducing the steps required to switch color modes, check color settings and start calibration on models with built-in calibration sensors, among many other capabilities. EIZO will demonstrate a sample implementation of the API color mode change functionality in a Davinci Resolve plug-in.

Pixel Inspection is currently being rolled-out for specific ColorEdge models via firmware upgrade and will be included in new units in production starting in December. ColorNavigator API functionality is currently in Beta and will be released in Q1 2024.

Eluv.io

The Content Fabric is an open and decentralized, streaming, content distribution, and storage network built for the third generation Internet. The Fabric delivers live streams with deterministic end-to-end latencies under 3 seconds globally to standard streaming clients (DASH/HLS over HTTP), and provides a complete full-featured media stack to publish, store and deliver premium live streaming, PVOD, and FAST Channel streaming at scale, including personalization, access control, content protection and proof of engagement.

We will be demonstrating the Fabric implementing three major use cases:

A reference implementation for end-to-end content provenance and proof of authenticity protocol as specified by the C2PA, and covered in our talk on the main stage on Wednesday.

A new publishing, streaming and electronic sell through capability supporting premium EST sell through with additional media elements, directly from studio to owning consumer via the Media Wallet.

Dynamic and personalized content distribution with per session encryption, forensic watermarking, and authorization, allowing studio grade content to be stitched with ads and other personalized outputs in FAST channels without compromising security and with scaling of the personalization (via Fabric protocol).

Emotion Systems

As regular attendees of the HPA Tech Retreat, we at Emotion Systems are excited to announce our presence at this year’s retreat in Palm Springs.

The HPA Tech Retreat is a place where all of our industry’s finest can congregate and discuss all the current trends and issues facing broadcast and television. Having a space that encourages and enables roundtable discussions and technology demonstrations is vital in allowing us to easily meet the right community and engage with them in meaningful, forward-thinking discussions. 

At Emotion Systems, we specialise in automating file-based audio workflows in your media supply chain, taking those repetitive processing tasks out of the edit suite and automating them, in turn, improving the efficiency of content delivery and saving you precious time and money for more creative work. 

Our recent focuses lie in both the innovation of content delivery automation with our Examine and Conditional Workflow modules, as well as immersive audio and all the requirements that our customer base has to adhere to.

Come and visit us at the Innovation Zone and at our Breakfast Table on the 22nd, where we will be discussing all things automation, from CALM and immersive audio, to upmixing and more.

Evercast

Evercast offers secure, low-latency video conferencing and streaming, with use cases spanning from pre- to post-production. The Emmy award-winning platform allows creatives to connect from anywhere in the world and collaborate as if they were shoulder-to-shoulder in the same room. Evercast is a member of the Motion Picture Association’s Trusted Partner Network (TPN), with a security protocol approved by all major film and television studios worldwide.

This year at the HPA Tech Retreat, Evercast will showcase the future of remote spatial collaboration: a new Evercast app for the Apple Vision Pro. Experience Evercast’s signature streaming technology—up to 4K resolution, 10-bit 4:4:4 color, and collaboration tools like draw and chat—from within the immersive environment of an Apple Vision Pro. Customize your workspace as you conference with your team, review concept art or edits, compare multiple simultaneous streams, and provide live feedback. Navigate between streams and features simply by using your eyes and hand gestures. Surround yourself with panoramic projection, and share your view with remote participants via headset streaming. 

Evertz

Evertz, a global leader for solutions for the media and entertainment industry, will showcasing tools used for remote production. The technology that will be showcased a full remote production – with remote feeds in our Burbank office that are streamed using our XPS Edge platform (with SRT) to our BRAVO Studio virtual production suite that is in the cloud. BRAVO Studio provides a complete production environment that includes ingest/record, video/audio switching, graphics (via key/fill or HTML5), clip playback, and intelligent co-pilots. Metadata and Highlight Factory co-pilots leverage machine intelligence (MI) to automatically create clips and playlist based on data that can be quickly taken to air or to a live editor. The co-pilots enable small production teams to generate high quality productions and content from anywhere. Other technology to be showcased will be cloud-based multiviewers (sVIP and cVIP) and edge devices (SCOPRION) all orchestrated, controlled, and monitored by MAGNUM-OS

FilmLight

Baselight 6.0, latest version of the premier colour grading solution from FilmLight.

More creative grading tools, advanced look development, streaming options including:

  • Chromogen look development tool
  • X Grade, a totally new method of creative primary correction without secondaries
  • Face Track, which uses an underlying machine learning model to find and track all the faces in a scene

Flanders Scientific, Inc.

XMP310 – 31.5″ QD-OLED HDR Mastering Monitor

The XMP310 is a 31.5″ UHD resolution HDR and SDR reference monitor built around the same industry leading QD-OLED panel technology as our HPA Award Winning 55″ XMP550. With 1,000nits peak luminance, 1.5Million:1 contrast, and an exceptionally wide color gamut the XMP310 is ready to handle your most demanding HDR and SDR monitoring needs.

Traditionally, achieving display consistency between 31-inch mastering displays and larger format screens has been a daunting challenge due to the historical use of different display technologies at these sizes. However, the XMP310 (31.5-inch), XMP550 (55-inch), and XMP650 (65-inch) overcome this challenge with a shared use of the same cutting-edge QD-OLED panel technology being driven by the same advanced color management system. This helps to ensure exceptional interoperability within and across various monitoring environments.

From production to post-production, these matching reference displays empower DPs, DITs, editors, colorists, and clients to devote more time to creative endeavors and less time to managing display matching challenges.

The XMP310 is available to pre-order now at a special introductory price of just $9,995.00 at ShopFSI.com

Frame.io

Streamline studio production collaboration with Frame.io, control your cloud storage with Storage Connect, secure sensitive IP with enterprise security features like Forensic Watermarking, and create a parallel production and post workflow with cutting-edge Camera to Cloud functionalities such as Real-Time Uploads supported by devices like the Teradek Serv and Accsoon SeeMo Pro.

Fraunhofer IIS

easyDCP Subtitler – The easyDCP Subtitler offers an AI-based solution for semiautomatic transcription and translation of subtitles. It integrates seamlessly into movie production workflows, such as easyDCP, by adding subtitles in multiple languages to a movie. As AI is a very dynamic technology, the used AI framework can be selected by the user, allowing e.g. the use of OpenAI Whisper, DeepL or Google Translate. The easyDCP Subtitler typically runs in a Cloud environment enabling multiple editors to execute QC or polishing the subtitles. Subtitles can also be edited in a post process manually in a browser-based editor in one language or in two languages simultaneously using side-by-side comparison.

GB Labs

GB Labs will be launching Nebula Cloud Controller at HPA. Nebula, a cutting-edge cloud solution, revolutionizes editorial workflows with high-performance, versatile cloud storage tailored for media professionals. Designed to seamlessly facilitate collaboration, Nebula empowers teams to work cohesively, whether in-office, remotely, or moving between locations. Its design ensures the continuity of familiar editorial workflows, enhancing efficiency and flexibility.

Powering a truly Globally Unified File System, Nebula ensures that every user always accesses the same version of each file, fostering synchronization and preventing version conflicts. Nebula stands out for its safety and security, boasting eleven nines of reliability and employing full data encryption during transmission and while at rest.

Initially created as an add-on to GB Labs servers and hybrid-working solution, Unify Hub, Nebula Cloud Controller takes this innovation a step further by enabling media departments to achieve a fully cloud-based workflow, eliminating the need for on-premises hardware. This not only streamlines operations but also enhances scalability.

Furthermore, Nebula distinguishes itself with a user-friendly interface, ensuring an intuitive experience. Remarkably affordable, Nebula is a comprehensive solution for active projects and/or archive storage that seamlessly blends performance, security, and ease of use, making it an indispensable asset for modern editorial workflows.

Gloshine USA Inc

MV Pro, the epitome of visual excellence in our xR Virtual Professional Display Screen. MV Pro ensures unparalleled image clarity and color accuracy, presenting every detail of your visual content with breathtaking realism. Immerse your audience in a visual journey that transcends expectations, redefining the art of storytelling through innovative display technology.

CF Pro, the ultimate support solution crafted for seamless integration with MV Pro, BM, DN, PL series. Engineered to support a single panel with a maximum curve of ±40 degrees, CF Pro provides unparalleled flexibility and creativity in your presentation setups. Its streamlined design enhances stability and precision, allowing you to focus on your content effortlessly. Ideal for professionals seeking a versatile solution, CF Pro empowers you to push the boundaries of visual presentations with ease, delivering captivating displays that leave a lasting impression.

AR X, engineered for XR virtual applications, offering a seamless and reflective-free surface. With high-strength, wear-resistant, and non-slip properties, AR X ensures a reliable platform for showcasing your creative content. Whether in studios, galleries, or events, AR X allows you to captivate audiences in innovative ways. Redefine visual presentations with AR X, where technology and creativity converge for an immersive and unforgettable visual experience.

Grass Valley USA, LLC

Grass Valley’s LDX C150 fills out the superfecta of the 100 series cameras. The camera has our latest 3-imager UHD optical block capable of delivering full resolution high speed UHD (HDR/WCG) as either SDI or 2110 directly from the camera head, all in a box form package under 6.5lbs. This small wrapped technology is perfect for any difficult installation or use case where size and weight are critical.

As the latest LED volume production environments, the C150, like its siblings, is exceptionally adept at delivering images from high refresh rate displays. This capability is supported by imagers that are exceedingly resistant to parasitic light sensitivity (PLS) and Grass Valley’s V-Shift function providing millisecond accurate image exposure timing to select specific slices while having no impact on downstream timing.

The C150 also outputs the required full resolution triple-speed UHD (3x or 6x 3G-HD) phases accompanied by your choice of UHD/HD full resolution single speed live images. This makes the camera a useful source for your live switched production and slow motion replay.

Behind this latest camera is our Creative Grading control system which brings both tactile control for in-the-moment adjustments and a user-friendly GUI which enhances camera setup and system management.

Hammerspace

Hammerspace is a software solution that provides a global data environment across the Hybrid Cloud to give users, applications, and cloud services local access to data, no matter where it is stored.

Hammerspace solves the problems associated with software builds, visual effects, and render pipelines that may be distributed across not only multiple storage silos in a single datacenter, but also across multiple data centers and different Cloud regions. All users in all locations globally access the same files with low latency, local access to shared data resources.

Because the Hammerspace Global Data Environment is a hybrid cloud solution that spans both datacenter and Cloud storage resources in a single global filesystem, media production workflows can burst into Cloud compute and storage resources on demand. This enables them both the flexibility and the efficiency of being able to rapidly provision additional resources to parallelize and accelerate workflows.

Kino AI

Kino is an AI tool that automatically indexes media assets. With Kino, you can use natural language to search for a specific moment within thousands of hours of footage. Kino is an on-premise solution, all AI models run locally and no cloud is required. Kino is totally secure and compatible with any filesystem. The founders of Kino are documentary filmmakers who studied engineering at MIT.

LucidLink

LucidLink empowers creative professionals to be their most creative by removing technological friction from remote and cloud workflows. Team members can work from anywhere, accessing their most important files instantly. It is designed to support workflows from production, post, VFX, animation, and more.

Revolutionizing how creatives access media assets stored in the cloud, this SaaS solution eliminates the need to download or sync files and works with any NLE tool and creative application. Creatives can work with major operating systems, including macOS, Windows, and Linux. Distributed TV and film teams easily collaborate simultaneously on projects like working off a local drive. This cloud-native file system utilizes any Amazon S3 compatible storage and Microsoft Azure Blob. Data is secure with a Zero-Knowledge, AES 256 encryption model, the customer holds the keys.

LucidLink delivers high-performance remote collaboration to top studios and brands like Paramount, A&E Networks, HAVAS, Spotify, and VICE. It seamlessly integrates into production and post-production workflows for maximum efficiency and productivity. LucidLink has won awards, including NAB Product of the Year in 2023 & 2022, TVTech’s Best of Show Award 2023, NAB Show, TV Europe, Best in Show at IBC 2022, and HPA Honorable Mention in Engineering Excellence, 2022.

Matrox Video

Matrox® ORIGIN

Matrox ORIGIN is an asynchronous media framework built on a cloud-native architecture that reconciles live production requirements with the capabilities of the cloud, operating IT infrastructure as it was intended to run—asynchronously. Providing a time-aware asynchronous framework that processes, interconnects, and executes as quickly and as soon as possible—applying real-time constraints only where needed: at real-time inputs and outputs and for control inputs, Matrox ORIGIN’s software-only, asynchronous framework can achieve highly scalable, responsive, low-latency, easy-to-control, and frame-accurate media facilities to support live productions both on-premises and in the cloud.

What makes Matrox ORIGIN unique?

  • Reconciles live production needs with IT infrastructure and gains the most benefit in cloud
  • Works equally well on-premises and in the cloud
  • Enables transitions to the cloud at a pace that makes sense for the business
  • Facilitates best-of-breed software vendors
  • Optimizes OpEx models to experiment, allowing to fail fast and learn fast
  • Scale up, down, and out easily and effortlessly

Megapixel

At HPA 2024, Megapixel will present its HELIOS® LED Processing Platform + 100G SMPTE ST 2110 ingest module. Engineered for excellence, HELIOS is the trusted LED Processing Platform of numerous Hollywood productions and virtual production stages globally thanks to its rock-solid reliability, enhanced color control, and support for ACEScg as standard. Released in 2023, the new ST 2110 ingest module allows HELIOS to ingest up to 8K60 12-bit natively or 4x 4K60, enabling ultra-large canvas sizes. HELIOS is bandwidth-driven rather than raster-driven, allowing non-standard canvas size support such as 16K x 2K and 32K x 1K ensuring the platform can comfortably support any size virtual production stage.

Alongside HELIOS, Megapixel will showcase Ventana, a first-of-a-kind LED tile specifically designed for professional grading and critical viewing applications. Built on Megapixel’s Mosaic Power+Data Mesh Platform, Ventana brings together years of research and development to create an ultra-high-performance video tile like no other. Currently offered in a proprietary surface treatment, Liquid Black, this glossy finish provides a familiar OLED TV experience delivering ultra-deep black levels never before seen in an LED tile.

Mod Tech Labs

MOD Opti is an advanced, automated optimization toolkit specifically designed for film professionals working with real-time content in Unreal Engine. It ensures that even the most complex scenes are delivered with consistently high-quality visuals at the desired framerate.

Beginning with the Stage Profiler, creating a unique Stage Profile for each virtual production setup, ensuring optimal display settings and creating a benchmark. Content is analyzed and content performance is simulated using the Stage Profile. The Scene Profiler suggests content that is the least performant from the background forward. The end user chooses the content and it is auto-optimized with MOD for frame rate and visual quality, ensuring consistent playback quality. Finally, each camera receives an optimized map, ensuring the highest visual quality for every perspective, simplifying the delivery process and enhancing overall production efficiency.

In essence, MOD Opti takes the complexity out of optimizing Unreal Engine scenes for real-time content. It guarantees consistent, high-quality playback without performance issues, streamlining workflows and enhancing team productivity.

NAGRA

NAGRA NexGuard forensic watermarking provides traceability and security of pre-release content, from camera to screen.

At HPA Tech Retreat 2024, NAGRA will showcase its latest solutions specifically designed to trace any pre-release leaks in the film and TV industry:

  • Protecting dailies during movie production, with native integration of NexGuard into QTAKE Video Assist and advanced settings for detecting on very short leaks.
  • Securing editing workflow before distribution to third parties with NexGuard plugin for AVID MediaComposer.
  • Protecting any video collaboration/publishing, with native integration of NexGuard audio and video watermarking in Adobe/Frame.io platform and NexGuard video watermarking in Sony CI Media Cloud.
  • Protecting mezzanine files at scale, before distribution to licensees, with NexGuard Cloud Software Suite for ProRes, XDCAM and J2K mezzanine formats.

NAGRA will also feature how to quickly investigate forensic watermarks on suspected leaked content, thanks to the NexGuard Detection Service. The demonstration will showcase workflow with detections down to one frame.

NetApp Berkeley Communications

NetApp is focusing engineering efforts around media-specific workloads, featuring a new line of quad-level cell (QLC) flash storage. The NetApp C-Series appliances boast 2-4ms latencies for file block and object workloads, and feature the world-leading storage operating system, ONTAP.

ONTAP gives you a single pane of glass management interface for both on-premise, and cloud storage – thanks to NetApp’s partnership with the leading hyperscalers, AWS, Azure, and GCP.

With ONTAP, you can manage where your data resides, move data throughout your global namespace easily, share and replicate via the cloud, and have up to 8 real-time 4K video streams per box. ONTAP’s feature rich operating system has baked in multi-protocol, integrated data transfer and replication, integrated data protection and automation, site-based caching, ransomware protection all with 6 “9’s” of availability guaranteed.

  • Smart – Automatic tiering to cloud, simplified application provisioning, proven storage efficiency, and space efficient copies.
  • Powerful – consistent high performance, non-disruptive scalability, flexible deployments and easy data mobility.
  • Trusted – backup and disaster recovery, non-disruptive operations, robust security and ransomware protection and rigorous data compliance.

The ONTAP OS on a NetApp system handles your data lifecycle while your team can focus on the future of your business.

OpenBID

OpenBID radically speeds up VFX bidding and project scoping, offering seamless integration with Google Workspace™. Tailored for VFX supervisors and producers, OpenBID accelerates the bidding process by marrying the familiar nature of Google Sheets™ with dozens VFX specific features, ensuring unmatched efficiency and collaboration.

At the heart of OpenBID lies its ability to speed up communication. Its Google Sheets™-based interface facilitates real-time collaboration, keeping teams in perfect sync on every aspect of a project. OpenBID adapts to projects of all sizes, offering versatile customization from automated crew planning to multi-bid cash flow projections with scenario switching.

A standout service of OpenBID is its connection to over 500 pre-qualified VFX vendors. This exclusive network streamlines vendor selection, perfectly aligning project requirements with vendor expertise and availability, and opening doors to new collaborations and cost-saving opportunities.

Further enhancing its capabilities, OpenBID optionally integrates with AI technologies like ChatGPT-4 and DALL-E, saving valuable time.

OpenBID is the ultimate tool for both independent and large-scale productions, designed to boost workflow efficiency, hasten bidding processes, and offer the comfort and security of a familiar Google Sheets™ environment. It’s the smart choice for fast moving VFX professionals eager to save time and eliminate miscommunication.

PACE Anti-Piracy

Fusion Security Suite (native code hardening, obfuscation, and anti-tamper), an automated application protection tool that is designed to protect your software. The Fusion Security Suite includes Fusion Code Protection to protect software and intellectual property from being reverse-engineered or misused, and to firmly anchor software licensing into plugins and applications to defend against cracks. The Suite also includes White-box Works, a white-box cryptography solution allowing cryptographic keys to be safely stored in software and targeted protection for algorithms.

Since 1985, PACE Anti-Piracy Inc. has been an innovator in delivering easy-to-use robust protection products and flexible licensing solutions to software publishers worldwide. PACE is best known for its iLok Licensing Platform, the standard in software licensing in the Pro Audio and Post Production industry. PACE’s developer tools include the JUCE audio and UI development framework for rapid prototyping and deployment of mobile and desktop plug-ins and apps targeting all major operating systems and plug-in formats.

Stop by the Innovation Zone where PACE will be demonstrating its latest AI-powered Fusion Code Protection; as well as its advancements in secure ecommerce licensing solutions.

Perfect Memory

Perfect Memory is a Knowledge Operating System.

We’ve designed a collaborative and scalable solution to solve the most important content issues facing businesses: asset management to preserve, enhance and monetize content.

Thanks to our powerful and agnostic technology, which combines the best of semantic AI and Knowledge Graph, all professionals can truly unleash the power of their data and content.

We guarantee to our users a fast, intuitive and comprehensive access to data and content, whatever their nature and origin.

Our Knowledge Operating System enables to:

  • Pilot from raw data to valuable information
  • Manage from valuable information to optimized exploitation
  • Expose from optimized exploitation to monetized content

Adapted to your context and business challenges: our software includes a starter plug-in that will meet your specific use cases through tailor-made integration.

All your digital resources become your best business assets.

#KnowBetter

Perifery

Perifery AI+, a cutting-edge AI-driven solution, is set to transform how businesses manage and utilize media content. AI+ introduces AI-enhanced captioning and metadata support for both on-prem and cloud-based media and supports various media access managers and Perifery storage solutions, including the ability to generate transcriptions, summarizations and more, completely offline in fully secure air gapped environments. All of this makes AI+ the most versatile tool in media management arsenal. Perifery AI+ stands at the forefront of media management technology, offering unparalleled efficiency and accessibility. By harnessing the power of AI, it not only streamlines content management processes but also opens new avenues for global audience engagement, ensuring your media content is always ahead of the curve.

Planar

Planar is a global leader in display technology; delivering proven and trusted solutions including fine pixel pitch LED video walls and commercial-grade large-format LCD displays for virtual production studio environments. Planar’s camera-ready LED video walls are ideal for up-close filming, feature fast scan and compatibility with a variety frame rates to help content creators effectively take audiences where they’ve never been before.

OptiTrack is the leading motion capture technology provider in the world. Together, OptiTrack cameras and Motive software track and capture the motion of small active or retroreflective markers attached to people and objects, and deliver real-time motion data with industry-leading accuracy for CGI animation, location-based virtual reality, and cinematic virtual production video camera tracking.

Puget Systems

Laptops: Puget Systems is excited to announce it has reinvested into laptops and is now carrying a mobile workstation capable of handling demanding editing, animation and VFX workloads on-the-go. This product will include the recently announced Intel 14th Gen processors as well as NVIDIA’s latest 40 series GPU’s, even the extremely powerful RTX 4090.

Software Defined Storage: We’re also excited to announce our expansion into a brand new product segment, Software-Defined Storage (SDS). This solution leverages OS Nexus’ Quantastor platform to provide scalable and agile media asset storage for both onsite and remote employees. We’re now offering a 12-Bay and a 24-Bay 2U, capable of up to 1.5TB of RAM. These solutions provide growing and established studios with simple, flexible storage with end-to-end security.

Quantum

Quantum technology, software, and services provide the solutions that today’s organizations need to make video and other unstructured data smarter – so their data works for them and not the other way around. With over 40 years of innovation, Quantum’s end-to-end platform is uniquely equipped to orchestrate, protect, and enrich data across its lifecycle, providing enhanced intelligence and actionable insights. Leading organizations in cloud services, entertainment, government, research, education, transportation, and enterprise IT trust Quantum to bring their data to life, because data makes life better, safer, and smarter. Quantum is listed on Nasdaq (QMCO) and the Russell 2000® Index.

Rohde & Schwarz USA

R&S®CLIPSTER 6 MK2: Our latest hardware platform – with all-round increased processing performance.

The Clipster 6 MK2 platform features our latest software offering advanced support for Dolby Vision workflows using GPU-based floating point HDR color transforms and an internal, software-based content mapping unit (iCMU). Latest software implementations supporting Dolby Atmos Home bitstreams, real-time downmix playback and proxy rendering. Software and hardware configurations from play only to full mastering, enabling feature, performance and scalable economic flexibility.

R&S®CLIPSTER features a color-processing engine with mathematically designed high precision color transformations between color formats. Define Source Parameters (clip based) – Target Color Format, including Color Primaries, White Point, Transfer Characteristic and Encoding Range.

The Clipster 6 MK2 platform features a hardware based JPEG2000 accelerator, with Clipsters new dynamic firmware performance for JPEG2000 workflows has improved by 100%.

Samsung Electronics

2024 New Samsung OLED TV

  • Improvement regarding HDR PQ color for both BT2020 and P3 gamut ranges and EOTF accuracy

2024 New Samsung 8K TV

  • Introduce Samsung’s new Quantum processor on brand new 8K TV about Quantum Super Resolution, Motion and detail improvements

Sand Technologies

People Power & Platforms: Learn how Sand Technologies and Nomad Media have innovated with AI, in content and asset management intuitively transformed via the Nomad platform powered by AWS. Applying Sand Tech’s industry leading AI applications in how media supply chain is optimized, costs are reduced and innovation can thrive with “people first principles”.

Scale Logic

CaraOne is the next generation AI solution that understands your video and audio content and helps you find that media instantly. With CaraOne you can find shots based on concepts and emotions, quickly locate statements in interviews by their meaning, and get inspiration while you’re editing.

Unlike traditional search engines that rely on metadata and tags, CaraOne understands the content of your media, making it easier to find exactly what you need. With its intuitive interface and lightning-fast search capabilities, CaraOne can help you streamline your post-production process and save time and money.

All of this can be done directly on your local media storage so you don’t have to worry about logging, uploading or transferring files.

  • Eliminates the need for tagging
  • Makes research of content much easier for editing
  • Search content with ease and fast
  • Cost savings of not repurchasing stock footage
  • Eliminates recreating content you can’t find
  • Will learn your content to evolve with you

Seagate

Seagate® provides a portfolio of media storage solutions. With Exos enterprise storage systems, and Lyve™ products and services, our Workflow-optimized portfolio creates a reliable foundation that is affordable, flexible, scalable, and secure.

Our industry-leading hard disc drives (HDDs), utilizing heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology for unprecedented density, will be announced right around the time of the HPA Tech Retreat. This technology will further enable us to reach 50TB+ in the standard 3.5” form factor, within the next few years.

We released a version of our self-healing Exos CORVAULT, utilizing HAMR Technology, enabling us to squeeze 2.5PB into 4 rack units. And, in 2024, we plan to release a 3.0PB 4U version.

We also now have a 1.5 PB 5U version of Exos CORVAULT. Its 1m depth is optimized for more constrained data center layouts.

Seagate Lyve Services allow production teams to accelerate their workflows from footage, backup, and transfer to post-production and import to the cloud for content repositories. The secure data transfer devices and cloud-storage are available on-demand, and the cloud ingest service enables content to be uploaded to the customer’s cloud of choice, as well as offering replication to an identical device in a different location.

SGO

SGO’s Mistika Workflows is a next-gen (post)production pipeline automation solution, that redefines the media creation journey – from onset to the final delivery. Seamlessly streamlining some of the most common challenges in post-production, including handling complex deliverables, diverse files, formats, and metadata. Some of the most common automation include:

  • Streamlined VFX Editorial: Fully automated VFX pulls in three steps, saving valuable time and enhancing workflow efficiency.
  • Advanced Metadata Management: Seamlessly integrated end-to-end metadata, adhering to the latest industry standards.
  • Automated Color Pipeline: ACES, HDR, CDL, LMT, 3D LUT
  • Next-gen Asset Management: Intricate classifier workflows driven by metadata, revolutionizing asset organization for enhanced productivity.
  • Running MWF in AWS Instances Unattended: Innovative setups catering to live production environments, ensuring seamless uploads to AWS cloud storage.
  • Automated Multiplatform Deliveries: From dailies creation to final master deliveries, streamlining content distribution across diverse platforms.
  • Batch FX Processing with Custom Templates: Advanced and unique automation capabilities, enabling efficient batch processing tasks.
  • Seamless Validation and Deliveries Content Management & QC: Flawless deliveries with comprehensive quality control, minimizing errors and rework.

Mistika Workflows’ mission is to revolutionize media content production workflows, breaking free from traditional methods and embracing a future of seamless efficiency and creativity.

Signiant

The Signiant Platform is an integrated set of SaaS products that make media content flow easier and more efficient. The platform is built on a fast file transfer foundation already used to connect more than 50,000 companies of all sizes and over one million users.

While Signiant is known for its accelerated transfer solutions, we are innovating in many areas that extend the platform beyond file transfer. For example, Media Engine allows users to find, preview, and interact with content across diverse and distributed storage without having to move or transform the assets.

At the HPA Tech Retreat, Signiant will be showcasing new capabilities for playing and clipping media that resides in customer storage directly from a web interface. This is made possible by platform services that create browser-compatible streams from various professional media formats on-demand, eliminating the need for making or storing pre-generated proxies.

Furthermore, Signiant will be demonstrating an innovative AI-powered semantic search. It enables users to search content using natural language queries, simplifying the process without the need for manual tagging or external tools. This technology, built on Transformer Architecture, integrates with the existing Signiant Platform.

Sohonet

ClearView Rush

Sohonet will be demonstrating the latest addition to their remote collaboration toolkit – ClearView Rush. ClearView Rush is a secure and user-friendly platform designed to streamline the post-production workflow for reviewing dailies and editorial cuts.

This dailies review platform offers an intuitive interface for effortless navigation and selection of the best shots, ensuring swift distribution across production teams. With studio-grade security features, including regular external security reviews, ClearView Rush guarantees the utmost protection of valuable assets. Users can enhance content protection through personalised and forensic watermarks and leverage a modern inbox view for seamless content management (eg circle takes only, by scene, by date, only camera A, etc). An “iPad-first” UX built with the creative executive in mind and 24×7 white glove concierge support, ClearView Rush offers a comprehensive dailies and cuts review solution, empowering users with total control over access privileges while ensuring immediate assistance and a fully managed white-glove service for smooth implementation and user support.

ClearView Rush is part of the continuing integration, redesign and evolution of the software products Sohonet gained through their acquisition of 5th Kind. Designed to integrate into studio workflows, Rush provides seamless content sharing between production teams and studio departments.

Sony Electronics Inc

We bring media workflows and teams together in the cloud. Our mission is to create a place where remote teams can work with their content in a platform built for media workflows. Our focus is on building solutions that empower teams to work faster, smarter, and more collaboratively in a reliable and secure environment that ultimately makes your life easier.

We are curious and open-minded – always learning. We live to innovate. We are invigorated by new challenges and problems to solve. Our creativity and ingenuity show in our work. We think big and small – scalability is in our DNA. This flexibility lets us be nimble and responsive to our customer’s needs and advances in modern processes and technologies.


As a global leader in motion picture production, creative technology and entertainment, by working closely with the industry and creative leaders, Sony understands the exciting possibilities as well as the technical challenges of virtual production. This unique combination of industry insight and technological innovation has enabled us to create VERONA – the most advanced expression yet of Crystal LED technology, giving content creators and performers a uniquely expressive canvas for the next generation of virtual production.

Crystal LED VERONA Ideally suited to demanding virtual production applications, our latest-generation VERONA modular Crystal LED video walls deliver breathtaking images with truly impressive brightness and clarity.

VERONA’s extraordinary black levels, low reflection, high brightness, wide color gamut and high refresh rate, plus installation-friendly features, let content creators compose immersive and realistic visual experiences on any scale.


Stop by the Sony Electronics booth to see the Sony VENICE 2 and the new A95L – a television monitor with professional settings such as color calibration and removing motion blur.

SRI International

SRI International offers precision Sarnoff™ video patterns for end-to-end testing of complete 4K systems, including BT.2100 and BT.2111 High Dynamic Range (HDR), Wide Color Gamut (WCG), BT.2020, HLG, PQ, and ICtCp uncompressed content, either preloaded on SRI’s 4Kp60-capable test pattern generator (TG-400) or as media files. SRI’s products support all commonly used color spaces, including PQ/2020, HLG/2020, S-Log3/2020, ICtCp/2020. SRI’s Sarnoff Test Patterns visually reveal errors in workflows and monitors, verifying color space interpretation, bit depth, low light and high light performance, and more. At the HPA innovation zone, demos will include new test patterns that test viewing environment lighting and projector gamma value.

Streambox

Streambox provides streaming solutions for cloud-based workflows, enabling multi-site facilities to create virtual workspaces by sharing physical assets, supporting real-time collaboration between remote creatives, and conducting ad hoc sessions between facilities and their clients. Ev

Our unique Spectra VM product for AWS M&E workflows provides project critical features such as video acquisition, native integration with all popular SaaS creative apps, low-latency, reference quality monitoring, and air gapped workflows. High quality signals, up to 4K 12-bit 4:4:4 video and 16 channels of audio, can be shared to multiple destinations anywhere in the world.

All of our solutions provide encrypted, pristine signal quality, super low latency, and rock-solid transport, all essential features that make cloud based workflows such as color grading, editing, VGX and sound production feel like an on premises experience.

Telestream

Telestream’s Inspect 2110 – As Broadcast media networks transition from SDI to IP, engineers and operators lose visibility of the high volume of activity on their network and the continual changes to their content. Inspect 2110 provides the required visibility by monitoring content and key parameters on ST 2110 and ST 2022-6 networks. It offers monitoring by exception to alert users with warnings and alarms. Inspect 2110 is an essential and trusted tool for Engineering, System Integration, and Operations teams because it monitors your networks in the background 24/7.

TrackIt

CloudWise by TrackIt is a Cloud Managed Services offering specifically designed for Media & Entertainment deployments hosted on AWS. It offers a comprehensive suite of managed services including monitoring, support, and environment optimization designed to help media companies manage their AWS infrastructure and reduce operating costs.

CloudWise is built on TrackIt’s in-house custom tagging and monitoring software applications designed to track important media performance metrics and displayed through customized dashboards and programmable alerts. A custom portal and ticketing process provides access to 24/7/365 global support from AWS-certified engineers through a fast response and remediation service-level agreement (SLA).

Specifically for Editorial, VFX, and animation deployments including Studio in the Cloud and AWS Thinkbox Deadline, there are exclusive TrackIt designed latency tools. These applications monitor and report the elapsed time between a request and the associated response returned on AWS. Thresholds are established and alerts are sent when the latency time falls below acceptable levels. This assures the responsive feel of editing and VFX applications similar to on-premise installations.

CloudWise also offers monthly cost analysis and coverage reports, annual architecture reviews, quarterly security assessments, and monthly hours of additional engineering consulting.

The Studio B&H

Hybrid SMPTE 2110 Integration:

This year we will be showcasing hybrid workflow integrating baseband signal flow to SMPTE 2110 IP infrastructure. the Studio-B&H in collaboration with multiple partners will demonstrate solutions to deploy and migrate any type of production equipment into an IP environment.

Twelve Labs

Twelve Labs’ foundation models give you deep AI powered video understanding allowing you to perform complex downstream tasks. Unlike language models that only process text, our multi-modal foundation models take the challenging approach of truly understanding video through spatial-temporal relationships that consider visual and audio elements simultaneously.

With a video-first approach our model architecture, training data, and machine-learning systems are optimized to process and understand your video. Our models extract all the information inside of video content creating rich video embeddings to power downstream tasks for any applications you need. This enables video search, generate, and classify in end applications trusted by teams across industries including sports broadcasting, film and TV production, advertising, news, security, and more.

Our high-performance models are domain customizable, secure, and easy to integrate into your existing systems, workflows, and internal applications.

Wacom

For more than 40 years, Wacom devices have been used to create some of the most exciting digital art, films, special effects, fashion and designs around the world.

Now, together with our virtualization partners, Wacom is working to iterate on the remote desktop technology creators rely on – better connecting artists, designers, and developers securely to workstations and servers with capabilities that outperform the standard home office.

One major issue with traditional virtualization is forfeiting use of your Wacom device locally. With Wacom Bridge – that’s a concern of the past. With a remote connection active on one display, and local applications on a secondary display, your Wacom tablet or screen can be used to control software on both ends of the connection, simultaneously. This provides artists the ability to use their Wacom devices on virtual systems as if it was their own local machine, experience local device settings in a remote environment in creative apps, and bridge the latency gap with a unique technology, Wacom Inkline. These features together give remote film and television creatives an experience that’s as local as it gets.

Yamdu

Creativity invites chaos. That’s why we built Yamdu. It’s the all-in-one production hub for the media industry. Yamdu’s innovative approach extends beyond film and TV productions to commercials, online marketing, reality TV, and more. It offers a centralized platform to store all production information, eliminating silos between departments, simplifying data collection, and reducing paper waste in the industry. The wide feature set ranges from script editing, breakdowns, over scheduling and call sheets to management of cast, crew, and locations to specilized features for sustainability and travel & living coordination.

All available in the cloud with a granular access rights system in place.

ZEISS Cinema

Meet ZEISS Cincraft Scenario. The only real-time camera tracking system that works indoors and outdoors, and on film sets, with green and blue screens and in LED volumes. The only system that adapts to natural markers, reflective markers, and even digital markers on LED screens. Cincraft Scenario also provides camera tracking data for real-time use and records it for post-production, while integrating lens characteristics to skip the cumbersome lens calibration process.

(All times are Pacific and tentative until the final program)

NEW for 2024! Innovation Zone open Monday through Wednesday during the Tech Retreat

Sunday, February 18

  • 8:00 am
    Begin load in of equipment to the hotel
  • 9:00 am – 5:30 pm
    Innovation Zone opens for set up

Monday, February 19

  • 7:00 am – 9:00 am
    Final time for arrival and set up of demos at the hotel
  • 9:30 am
    Set up of demos must be complete
  • 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
    Innovation Zone is open

Tuesday, February 20

  • 8:30 am – 7:15 pm
    Innovation Zone is open (concurrent with sessions, booth does not need to be staffed at all times)
  • 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm
    Innovation Zone will be open during lunch
  • 5:30 pm – 7:15 pm
    Innovation Zone Cocktail Reception (sponsorships available)

Wednesday, February 21

  • 8:30 am – 8:30 pm
    Innovation Zone open
  • 12:00 pm – 1:58 pm
    Innovation Zone will be open during lunch
  • 6:00 – 8:30 pm
    Innovation Zone with cocktails (sponsorships available)
  • 8:30 – 10:00 pm
    Innovation Zone break down.

Thursday, February 22

  • 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
    Innovation Zone break down. If anything is left until Friday, arrangements must be made directly with the hotel for storage and a fee may be charged.

Special Attractions

Dolby Living Room of the Future

Check out the latest innovations in the Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos consumer experience, coming soon to a living room near you.
Hours
Sunday 2pm – 6pm
Monday – Thursday – See schedule posted on-site

Located in Rancho Mirage

Artificial Realities – Coral by Refik Anadol

Presented by Fuse Technical Group
Hours
Sunday 2pm – 6pm
Monday – Thursday – See schedule posted on-site

Located in Celebrity B and C

Welcome Activities

The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa is officially, entirely, 100% HPA for the 2024 Tech Retreat. This means no non-Retreaters allowed and we’ll be able to offer the hotel’s many experiences exclusively to Tech Retreat attendees. Foster connections while having fun in our experiential offerings. See what we have lined up so far and check back for more details and activities to come!


HPA Golf Tournament

Tee-Off with us for the first ever HPA Golf Tournament! Add a single ticket or bring a group for a foursome when registering for the Tech Retreat. Already registered? Purchase Golf Tickets Here.

Single Golfer – $195
Foursome – $780

Tickets include Green fees, cart rental, box lunch, two drink tickets, and prizes.

Sunday February 18
11:00 am Check In
12:15 pm Tee off
5:15 pm End (Prizes to be given out 6 pm at Welcome Drinks)


Pickleball Paradise

HPA will be hosting a casual round robin pickleball tournament for all skill levels as well as a beginners’ clinic on 12 fresh new courts. Pickleball play is complimentary for registered attendees and sponsored by Bolt Graphics. Spaces are limited and advanced rsvp is required.

Sunday, February 18 – 1:00-3:00 pm
(times subject to change)

RSVP

Yoga

Unwind before the conference or take your fitness goals to the next level by attending yoga led by an expert instructor on the beautiful Monte Luna Event Lawn. This hour-long class is limited to 25 participants and advanced rsvp is required.

Sunday, February 18 – 2:00-3:00 pm
(times subject to change)

RSVP


HPA Membership at the Pool

Come meet the HPA Membership at the pool for drinks and networking.

Sunday, February 18 – 1:00-5:00 pm
(times subject to change)

Sweets Social Hour

Hosted by the Westin Rancho Mirage in Pinz & Pints.

Sunday, February 18 – 3:30-4:30 pm
(times subject to change)


Pool Cabana Sponsorship

Come enjoy great weather by the pool! Enhance your day with a cabana rental.
Want a dedicated spot to meet up with your team or invite clients during the Tech Retreat?
Pool Cabana sponsorships are available for 2024 Tech Retreat. Food/drink service available at an additional charge.

More Information


Make the most of your Tech Retreat experience and explore all these additional offerings!

Additional Sunday activities TBA.

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