All conference attendees welcome.

This year’s HPA Tech Retreat TR-X Monday session kicks off with the bold theme “Imagine No Limits”, a call to reimagine what’s possible in the world of Media & Entertainment. Our industry is evolving at breakneck speed, and while change can feel overwhelming, “Imagine No Limits” reminds us that it isn’t something to fear. The tools reshaping our workflows may seem daunting at first, but they’re opening doors to extraordinary opportunities and inspiring creators to reach new heights. Together, we’ll explore where the future of our industry is headed and how no idea is too ambitious when we dream up new workflows and build the technology to bring them to life. Hear from trailblazers and future-thinkers who are redefining the rules, while also reflecting on past “no limits” visions to see how far we’ve come. By the end of the day, you won’t just walk away with insights. You’ll carry fresh sparks of inspiration to fuel conversations and collaborations that flow into the evening’s networking.

• Kari Grubin, TPN
• 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 4,500 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., and the new Mountain Media Center in Englewood Colorado. 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 mobile units, 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 in Sacramento California.

  Chiolis is a past 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

  Craig German has spent most of his career in the entertainment industry, and for the past 20 years has held senior executive positions in post production and at Hollywood film and television studios, with his most recent role as CEO of Crafty Apes, a VFX studio that works on Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster movies and premier TV shows. Prior to that, he spent three and a half years building and leading the Worldwide Post Production organization at Amazon Studios. Craig is currently advising corporate and startup clients on business strategy, product roadmap, market assessment, and sales outreach.

• Bob Beitcher, Motion Picture and Television Foundation

• Moderator: Matt Klein, Light Iron
  

  Matt Klein

  Light Iron

  Matthew is a creative and technical leader specializing in post-production. With a passion for developing technologies that empower filmmakers to tell impactful stories, he has super-charged workflows across dailies, editorial, VFX, and DI. As Director of Software Development at Light Iron and previously as a Senior Software Developer at Company 3, Matthew’s innovative software solutions have been utilized on hundreds of feature films and episodic projects. He also has the great privilege of co-chairing the HPA’s Young Entertainment Professionals (YEP) program, and is a member of the Television Academy’s Science and Technology Peer Group.

• Maggie Jensen, The Walt Disney Company
  

  Maggie Jensen

  The Walt Disney Company

  Maggie got her start at a Microsoft partner firm, where she learned Power BI for manufacturing companies while she was finishing up her masters degree in information systems at Brigham Young University. In her final year of the program she interned with the studio technology team at the Walt Disney company, where she returned after graduation, working as a business intelligence engineer. Maggie has loved the transition into the media & entertainment industry, and has thoroughly enjoyed being part of the YEP program. She believes data is the new language of business and is excited to be involved in using technology and data to propel filmmaking into its next era.

• Ben Abergel
• Casey Spellman, Paramount
• Maya Roseman, Flawless AI
  

  Maya Roseman

  Flawless AI

  Maya Roseman is a film professional who is working on bridging the gap between the familiar post-production and finishing work that she has done for the last 9 years and today’s new and innovative workflows and products that the tech industry is offering the film industry.
  A native of the Pacific Northwest, Maya’s career spans years working in the entertainment space. Her professional journey began with globalization and fulfillment, then to post-production and finishing work as a producer on numerous episodic, unscripted, and theatrical marketing campaigns. Now she has moved into the software/tech space as a Post Producer in the FFX Department at Flawless.
  Maya holds a B.A. in Film and Television Production from Howard University and an M.F.A. in Producing from UCLA. As a forever student, Maya takes the time to stay connected and learn new areas that are part of where the industry is headed. She is a recent HPA Young Entertainment Professional alumnus, Class of 2025. When not working on movies, she is likely watching them or catching up on reading with a good cup of coffee.

• Moderator: Lori H. Schwartz, StoryTech
  

  Lori H. Schwartz

  StoryTech

  Lori H. Schwartz, affectionately known as the “Tech Cat (Technology Catalyst),” is a leading voice at the crossroads of media, technology, and storytelling. As Founder and CEO of StoryTech, she guides brands and executives through the fast-changing innovation landscape with curated tech tours, salon-style gatherings, and strategy sessions.

  A longtime champion of turning complex trends into practical insights, Lori is recognized for creating VIP experiences at global events such as CES, NAB Show, Infinity Festival and now the HPA Retreat! She brings leaders face-to-face with transformative ideas in AI, immersive media, and next-gen connectivity, helping them understand not just what’s coming, but how to act on it.

  As a sought-after host and moderator, Lori is known for her mix of insights, humor, and authority. She has led hundreds of panels and fireside chats with senior executives, producers, and technologists, bridging Hollywood creativity with Silicon Valley innovation.

  A frequent CNN contributor, Lori also designs conversations that spark community and collaboration across industries. Her mission is simple: to help organizations and audiences embrace change with confidence, curiosity, and imagination and have fun doing it.

  She is the proud mom of GEN Zer and animator, Sadie Bee, who teaches her new stuff daily.

• Edward Dawson-Taylor, CG Pro
  

  Edward Dawson-Taylor

  CG Pro

  Edd is a CG / VFX Supervisor leaning into the cutting edge of AI. He has worked for the likes of ILM, Disney, MPC and Digital Domain on blockbuster movies such as; Jurassic World, The Lion King, and Jungle Book. As an artist and supervisor in movies, TV and interactive, Edd has worked across multiple disciplines, from creatures to environments. Widely recognized as an artist and cutting-edge technologist, he has led teams of artists and developers in creating beautiful worlds and enhancing CG software and pipelines. As a pioneer in the world of Virtual Production, Edd co-founded the school CG Pro, where he creates and teaches dynamic live courses focused on Unreal Engine, VFX tools, and the emerging world of Virtual Production. Edd also runs CG Pro Studio, a cutting-edge and highly creative real-time and AI creative service company.

• Andy Cochrane, The AV Club Productions, Inc.

Christie®, in collaboration with CBS VFX, presents a deep dive into “Virtual Projection,” a new workflow that integrates high-fidelity RGB projection with real-time software tools to support modern virtual production. The session will explore how CBS VFX is deploying this system at their Hollywood “Stage-3” to enhance the capabilities of existing virtual production setups, improve color accuracy and lighting control, and reduce both setup time and post-production costs. Through a detailed case study, the team will discuss technical challenges, implementation strategies, and early results from on-set testing.

• Craig Weiss, CBS VFX
  

  Craig Weiss

  CBS VFX

  Craig Weiss is an award-winning executive creative director and visual effects supervisor at CBS Studios, where he leads innovation across visual effects and virtual production. With over two decades of experience, Weiss has developed and supervised VFX for major television series, earning multiple industry honors. His background includes pioneering work in VR and AR experiences, including an Emmy-nominated interactive project for Netflix’s Stranger Things.

  At CBS, Weiss oversees virtual LED production at the Gower Stage in Hollywood and leads the development of a new projection-based virtual production volume at Stage 3 on the Paramount lot, driving advancements in real-time production workflows.

• Joseph Conover, Christie
  

  Joseph Conover

  Christie

  Joseph Conover is a veteran audio-visual advisor and technology team leader with a passion for creating and delivering best-in-class entertainment experiences.
  

  He has vast global experience with large venue immersive entertainment and media. Mr. Conover currently leads Christies Strategic Development and Partnership efforts in North America with a primary focus on 3DLP projection and virtual production solutions.

  Mr. Conover previously owned his own company providing technical solutions. After the sale of this company to Sharp Electronics, he held various leadership positions at Sharp & Panasonic before taking his current role at Christie.

  Christies Immersive Entertainment Group provides technical consultation and design for many clients whom wish to deliver world class projection mapping and immersive experiences through innovative solutions as well as supporting our partners in the live event production industry.

• Moderator: Jason Dachman
• Phil Orlins, ESPN
• Ken DeGennaro, NBA
• More panelists TBA

As physical and digital worlds converge, experiential pipelines are becoming central to delivering content at scale. From immersive theaters and arenas to pop-ups and hybrid venues, demand is surging. This panel explores how pipelines are being reimagined to handle diverse asset needs: 3D environments, real-time rendering, LED stage design, volumetric capture, and more. With a “No Limits” approach, we’ll look at how infrastructure, workflows, and collaboration models are evolving for the future to meet the challenge.

• Moderator: Lori H. Schwartz, StoryTech
  

  Lori H. Schwartz

  StoryTech

  Lori H. Schwartz, affectionately known as the “Tech Cat (Technology Catalyst),” is a leading voice at the crossroads of media, technology, and storytelling. As Founder and CEO of StoryTech, she guides brands and executives through the fast-changing innovation landscape with curated tech tours, salon-style gatherings, and strategy sessions.

  A longtime champion of turning complex trends into practical insights, Lori is recognized for creating VIP experiences at global events such as CES, NAB Show, Infinity Festival and now the HPA Retreat! She brings leaders face-to-face with transformative ideas in AI, immersive media, and next-gen connectivity, helping them understand not just what’s coming, but how to act on it.

  As a sought-after host and moderator, Lori is known for her mix of insights, humor, and authority. She has led hundreds of panels and fireside chats with senior executives, producers, and technologists, bridging Hollywood creativity with Silicon Valley innovation.

  A frequent CNN contributor, Lori also designs conversations that spark community and collaboration across industries. Her mission is simple: to help organizations and audiences embrace change with confidence, curiosity, and imagination and have fun doing it.

  She is the proud mom of GEN Zer and animator, Sadie Bee, who teaches her new stuff daily.

• Matthew Celia, Light Sail VR
  

  Matthew Celia

  Light Sail VR

  Matthew Celia is an Emmy award-winning visionary creative technologist and immersive storyteller with over two decades of experience in film production and technology. As the co-founder and creative director of Light Sail VR, Matthew has directed and produced over 200 immersive projects, including groundbreaking experiences for major brands such as SNL, Google, Meta, and Paramount Pictures. His work blends narrative authenticity with cutting-edge technology, pushing the boundaries of storytelling in virtual and augmented reality.

• Evo Heyning, Realitycraft
  

  Evo Heyning

  Realitycraft

  Evo Heyning is an award-winning producer, creative technologist, and R&D leader specializing in immersive media, XR, and AI-enabled futures design. Evo began her career as a writer/producer of independent film and interactive game web projects in the 1990s, writing speculative fiction scripts on our futures with AI in the early 2000s before pursuing a masters in AI/XR design systems for production of new media.

  As CEO of Realitycraft, Evo focuses on creative tech uses & advanced research and development in workflows and production strategies, generative AI, interactive media, and participatory systems, driving innovation at the intersection of creative technology and social impact. Evo experiments with gaussian splatting and reality capture for volumetric and the future of holographic interfaces and lightfields for immersive storytelling.

  With over 20 years of art and filmmaking experience, Evo has designed and produced immersive experiences that bridge real and virtual worlds, including more than 500 hours of live, interactive virtual events and groundbreaking XR and VR projects. Evo has won many film festivals including this year’s releases with the Virtual Worlds Museum Spotlight Series and AI film shorts produced for art and culture fests worldwide. Evo is now filming season two of the Spotlight Series with In Kenzo and SEHU at the VWM in addition to documentaries, concept design shorts and short stories for TV, XR and immersive web.

  Her media production work has spanned sectors from public health—contributing to the Affordable Care Act’s launch campaign—to education, cleantech, and civic technology, consistently leveraging emerging media to solve real-world challenges such as Journey to Wild Cacao and Silence in Paradise. Evo has worked on blockbuster film projects to indie shorts, documentaries and features with small teams worldwide.

  Evo’s academic contributions include teaching XR, AI, and engagement design to producers, Fortune 1000 companies, and government agencies, as well as authoring Promptcraft, a guidebook on creative production with AI tools. She is a frequent speaker and moderator at global conferences, sharing insights on virtual engagement, collaborative worldbuilding, and the future of public media systems.

  Previously, Evo co-founded Toyshoppe Systems, a practical effects and R&D studio that contributed to over 100 major media projects, including sci-fi films, theme parks, and AR/VR product development. Her leadership extends to serving as Vice President and Board Member of XR Guild, where she advocates for ethical engagement in the XR industry.

  Currently, Evo’s R&D at Realitycraft is centered on developing sustainable, AI-powered solutions for affordable, climate-resilient housing, exemplified by her latest project, GrowAHome.org— endeavors connecting resilient housing futures and the people creating innovative solutions along with immersive educational series utilizing XR and AI tools. Her work continues to shape the future of immersive media, generative AI, and collaborative technology systems.

  Evo is recognized for her visionary approach to technology, her commitment to open, accessible media ecosystems, and her ability to translate cutting-edge research into transformative, real-world applications.

• Alyssa Landry
• Jillian Austin

• Robert Tercek, Co-Founder of The Futurists Network & Nura Studios AI
  

  Robert Tercek

  Co-Founder of The Futurists Network & Nura Studios AI

  For 30 years, Robert Tercek has inspired and led the teams that expanded the boundaries of entertainment around the world. A pioneer of digital media, Tercek specializes in launching new systems: the world’s first streaming video on mobile devices in more than 30 countries; the earliest multiplayer game platform on the Web for Sony; and the first pan-regional multichannel TV platform in Asia for StarTV. Today he is the co-founder of Nura Studios, which provides artists with a comprehensive AI toolkit and agentic workflow to create scripted episodic video series. He has served in senior executive leadership roles for Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and MTV: Music Television; and he has co-founded five startup companies. His 2016 book Vaporized, about the growth of the dematerialized economy, was selected as the International Book of the Year by the editors of GetAbstract. He is a Special Advisor to the Carson Foundation and the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Art at the University of Nebraska.

• 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 4,500 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., and the new Mountain Media Center in Englewood Colorado. 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 mobile units, 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 in Sacramento California.

  Chiolis is a past 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

  Craig German has spent most of his career in the entertainment industry, and for the past 20 years has held senior executive positions in post production and at Hollywood film and television studios, with his most recent role as CEO of Crafty Apes, a VFX studio that works on Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster movies and premier TV shows. Prior to that, he spent three and a half years building and leading the Worldwide Post Production organization at Amazon Studios. Craig is currently advising corporate and startup clients on business strategy, product roadmap, market assessment, and sales outreach.

1. Art in the age of AI, Ehsan Shokrgozar, AWS
2. Control is everything: SMPTE ST2138 can simplify your life, Chris Lennon, Ross
3. Why display uniformity matters, Eric Dalton & Kevin Burke, Eizo
4. AI personalization and the new viewer experience, Steven Sabonjohn, EPAM
5. Financing your growth with venture capital or private equity, Ethan Jacks, MediaBridge
6. Metadata is the new currency, Soyoung Lee, Twelve Labs
7. JALI facial animation & intelligent automation technology, Sarah Watling, JALI
8. Film restoration and legacy media, Tony Martinez, Evercast
9. Building open & interoperable media workflows, Andreas Hoeschle, Pixitmedia/Datacore
10. Abolish the timeline, Melody Kellis, Amazon Selling Partner Services
11. A new framing of forensic watermarking in Hollywood, James Hynard, Castlabs
12. Private 5G and CBRS for live broadcast and remote production, Jim Jachetta, VidOvation
13. Not every frame deserves forever, Nick Pearce, ad signal
14. Why high-fidelity 3D still can’t scale to millions of users, Joe Bogacz, Miris

Tuesday, Feb. 17, will feature the Retreat’s Supersession, led by founder and former HPA president Leon Silverman. With the theme “WTF is Going On in the Media Industry?” the session will take an immersive and provocative look at the forces reshaping the business of media creation. Designed to go beyond discussion, the Supersession will incorporate live demonstrations, real-world case studies, and unexpected perspectives to help attendees better understand the rapid shifts in technology, economics, and audience behavior. Tuesday also includes a keynote from VFX veteran Ed Ulbrich as well as breakfast roundtables, Innovation Zone demonstrations, and evening networking events.

• Ed Ulbrich, Moonvalley
  

  Ed Ulbrich

  Moonvalley

  Ed Ulbrich helps shape the future of content creation through next-generation, commercially safe AI video models. At Moonvalley, he partners with studios, streamers, brands, and artists to redefine how film, television, advertising, and live entertainment are made.

  A longtime leader in visual effects and digital production, Ed has guided major creative and technology organizations including Digital Domain, Method Studios, and Metaphysic. His work spans Oscar-winning films such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Titanic, and What Dreams May Come, and blockbusters including Top Gun: Maverick, Black Panther, and Avengers: Infinity War.

  He also produced Ender’s Game and the groundbreaking Tupac “hologram” performance with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg at Coachella.

• Eric Iverson, United Talent Agency
• Nik Kleverov, Native Foreign
  

  Nik Kleverov

  Native Foreign

  Nik Kleverov is a pioneering storyteller and thought leader making history with many firsts in AI. He is Chief Creative Officer of Native Foreign, a renowned agency celebrated for its innovative approach to brand storytelling. His career has taken him from creating iconic title sequences (Netflix’s Narcos) to viral commercial work, including the first ever AI brand film (for Toys”R”Us). Nik’s work highlights his expertise in merging creativity with technology. He is also a public speaker who has become a leading voice on how AI is reshaping the future of storytelling.

Panelists TBA

• Renard Jenkins, I2A2 Technologies, Studios & Labs
• Christina Lee Storm, Secret Level

• Jessie Hughes, Leonardo.Ai
  

  Jessie Hughes

  Leonardo.Ai

  Jessie Hughes is an internationally-recognised new media artist, technologist, scholar and screenwriter, her works having exhibited most notably at Sundance, SXSW, Cannes and the Tate Modern. She’s collaborated with the likes of Meta, Oculus and Adobe, in a decade of leading imaginative emerging technologies. Jessie Hughes is the Senior Creative Technologist at generative AI leader Leonardo.Ai, pioneering creative tools for a new era. She is an awarded early-adopter of new technologies.

• Eliza Tan, Adobe
• Bernie Su, Director & Producer
• Chad Nelson, OpenAI
• Pojo Riegert, CrunchLabs

Panelist TBA

• Mark Tuner, MovieLabs
• Jim Helman, MovieLabs
• Chris Vienneau, MovieLabs

• Seth Hallen, Hallstone Ventures
  

  Seth Hallen

  Hallstone Ventures

  Seth Hallen is Founder and Managing Partner of Hallstone Ventures and is a visionary leader in media and entertainment technology with over 25 years of global executive experience across the emerging media technology landscape. Now an active investor and advisor, Seth supports AI-driven startups bringing his expertise and vast network to the founders.

  Former President of the Hollywood Professional Association for 9 years and a current member of the Television Academy’s AI Task Force, Seth is helping shape the future of content creation. He champions AI as a creative partner-an accelerator for human imagination-and continues to drive innovation by bridging technology and storytelling.

  Through decades of leadership, Seth has built high-performing teams, forged strategic industry relationships, and consistently delivered transformative growth. His mission is clear: empower creators, anticipate disruption, and inspire ethical, tech-enabled progress in the entertainment industry.

• Ethan Jacks, MediaBridge Capital Advisors
  

  Ethan Jacks

  MediaBridge Capital Advisors

  Ethan co-founded MediaBridge Capital Advisors in 2012 with partner John Bowen. MediaBridge is a leading boutique investment bank, focused on mergers and acquisitions and capital raises in the media technology sector. MediaBridge principals, including Courtney Spencer, a partner since 2018, have closed over 50 major transactions in media technology sector. Ethan began his career in digital media in 1999 at Avid Technology, serving as EVP of Corporate Development, Chief Legal Officer and interim Chief Financial Officer. Ethan helped drive Avid’s strategy to grow both organically and through strategic M&A, leading a total of 15 acquisitions that fueled Avid’s growth in market value from $400 million to $2.5 billion. Previously Ethan practiced corporate law for 10 years, including as a partner at McDermott, Will & Emery. Ethan holds a B.S. and MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, and a J.D. from Georgetown University.

• Vince Pizzica, Pacific Strategic Partners
  

  Vince Pizzica

  Pacific Strategic Partners

  Vince Pizzica is a globally recognized leader in the information and communications technology (ICT) and media sectors, with over four decades of experience driving strategic transformation and innovation. Throughout his career, he has held key executive roles, including Chief Technology Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, and President of a €1.5 billion enterprise. Notably, Vince was instrumental in the successful turnaround of Thomson SA, later rebranded as Technicolor SA, where he spearheaded corporate restructuring and strategic acquisitions.

  Currently, Vince serves on the boards of several private equity-backed and venture-funded companies, including MediaKind, Sohonet, and CREE8, contributing his expertise to businesses navigating digital disruption. His global career has taken him across China, Europe, and North America, equipping him with invaluable cross-cultural insights.

  An engineer by training, with a Master’s degree in Telecommunications from the University of Essex, Respected for his forward-thinking approach and his ability to guide organizations through complex transitions, Vince remains a trusted advisor and thought leader in the ever-evolving intersection of business and technology.

• Joe Harkins, MediaTech Investor
  

  Joe Harkins

  MediaTech Investor

  Joe Harkins is a venture capital and media technology investor based in Los Angeles. He invests in visionary founders and fund managers across the media, entertainment, and technology landscape. Joe’s background is in corporate development, where he led mergers and acquisitions and completed both sell-side and buy-side transactions.

  Joe began his media career as an artist, working in visual effects for feature films, commercials, and music videos for 15 years before moving into corporate development and investing. He contributed VFX to more than two dozen tentpole films across all major studios, including Oscar winners Hugo, Avatar, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

  He is an active member of the Visual Effects Society and SIGGRAPH and holds a degree in Computer Animation. Joe also earned an MBA from Pepperdine University and is a member of the international business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma.

• Katie Hinsen, Sphere
  

  Katie Hinsen

  Sphere

  As Senior Vice President, Post Production at Sphere Entertainment Co., Katie oversees all post production operations for Sphere Studios – the immersive content studio dedicated to developing multi-sensory entertainment experiences exclusively for Sphere. In this role she leads a team of digital artists and technicians specialized in large format and high-resolution production who are delivering first-of-its-kind visual and audio content leveraging Sphere’s next-generation technologies. This includes the venue’s exterior – the “Exosphere” – the world’s largest LED screen; the interior display plane – the world’s highest-resolution LED screen; and the world’s most advanced audio system, Sphere Immersive Sound, powered by HOLOPLOT.

  Katie is an international award-winning executive with credits on over 125 major productions, and has spent much of her career focused on the development and implementation of emerging technologies that are transforming the entertainment world. Prior to joining Sphere Entertainment in 2024, Katie served as Director of Technology for Marvel Studios, where she worked to reimagine the content creation process. Her early career experience includes roles as a finishing artist, engineer, editor, VFX artist, and colorist.

  She is the co-founder of Blue Collar Post Collective, a grassroots initiative supporting emerging talent in post production. She is also a recipient of a Leadership Award from Women in Technology Hollywood, an organization that inspires, empowers and educates to create an equitable and inclusive Media and Entertainment technology community.
  Katie is originally from Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Panelists TBA

The Annie and Leon Show

• Leon Silverman, MovieLabs
• Annie Chang, NBCUniversal

Sponsored by The Studio B&H

1. AI assistant editors, Brian Kenworthy, AWS
2. The live stream distribution mess: let’s fix this together, Chris Lennon, Ross Video
3. Why display uniformity matters, Eric Dalton, Eizo
4. AI personalization and the new viewer experience, Steven Sabonjohn, EPAM
5. Financing your growth with venture capital or private equity, Ethan Jacks, MediaBridge
6. Human+Machine: redefining creative workflows, Soyoung Lee, Twelve Labs
7. Synthetic users in the loop, Michael Ronen, Wonderland
8. The end of the EDL? frame matching, AI, & the rise of version intelligence, Jason Brahms, Edit Hero
9. Building open and interoperable media workflows, Andreas Hoeschle, Pixitmedia/Datacore
10. Building real media pipelines in the production cloud era, David Colantuoni, Storj
11. A new framing of forensic watermarking in Hollywood, James Hynard, Castlabs
12. Private 5G and CBRS for live broadcast and remote production, Jim Jachetta, VidOvation
13. Beyond the render: expanding cloud in post & VFX, Stephanie Deguzman, Suite Studios
14. Beyond the booth: using events to tell tech co.’s stories, Lori H. Schwartz & Carin Mazaira
15. Partnership: can you compete without it? Sarah Macfarlane, The DPP
16. AI: enriching metadata, de-riching operational budgets, Nick Pearce, ad signal
17. Why high-fidelity 3D still can’t scale to millions of users, Joe Bogacz, Miris

See program below for dedicated Innovation Zone hours

• Kari Grubin, HPA

• 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. Most-recently, he received the Television Academy’s Charles F. Jenkins Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award. He once piloted the Fuji blimp and has been known to wear shoes.

• Lori H. Schwartz, StoryTech
  

  Lori H. Schwartz

  StoryTech

  Lori H. Schwartz, affectionately known as the “Tech Cat (Technology Catalyst),” is a leading voice at the crossroads of media, technology, and storytelling. As Founder and CEO of StoryTech, she guides brands and executives through the fast-changing innovation landscape with curated tech tours, salon-style gatherings, and strategy sessions.

  A longtime champion of turning complex trends into practical insights, Lori is recognized for creating VIP experiences at global events such as CES, NAB Show, Infinity Festival and now the HPA Retreat! She brings leaders face-to-face with transformative ideas in AI, immersive media, and next-gen connectivity, helping them understand not just what’s coming, but how to act on it.

  As a sought-after host and moderator, Lori is known for her mix of insights, humor, and authority. She has led hundreds of panels and fireside chats with senior executives, producers, and technologists, bridging Hollywood creativity with Silicon Valley innovation.

  A frequent CNN contributor, Lori also designs conversations that spark community and collaboration across industries. Her mission is simple: to help organizations and audiences embrace change with confidence, curiosity, and imagination and have fun doing it.

  She is the proud mom of GEN Zer and animator, Sadie Bee, who teaches her new stuff daily.

• Mark Harrison, DPP
  

  Mark Harrison

  DPP

  Dr Mark Harrison
  Founder and Chief Content Officer, DPP Ltd

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

  Mark ran an independent production company, before joining the BBC as Head of Arts, and then Head of Multiplatform Production. He was leader of the BBC’s End-to-End Digital programme, before becoming Director of Transformation for BBC Design & Engineering.

  In 2015 Mark founded the DPP – the international network for media and technology – and became its CEO. In 2024 Mark passed the CEO role to Rowan de Pomerai, and is now Founder and Chief Content Officer.

• Moderator: Matthew Goldman, Sinclair
  

  Matthew Goldman

  Sinclair

  Matthew Goldman is Vice President Strategic & Technical Initiatives at Sinclair, Inc. He has been actively involved in the development of digital television systems for over 30 years. In the 1990s, he was a prominent participant in the Moving Picture Experts Group where he helped create the MPEG-2 Systems standard, the baseline transport technology used in direct broadcast satellite, digital cable, and terrestrial broadcasting. Mr. Goldman was a co-developer of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) standard. In the mid-2000s, he defined the broadcasting industry’s first compressed-domain program splicer. Four of his projects were later recognized by Technology & Engineering Emmy® Awards. A technical paper on high dynamic range video that he co-wrote received the Best Paper Award of the 2015 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Broadcast Engineering Conference. He is an author of the 2007 and 2017 editions of the NAB Engineering Handbook, and has been published in the IEEE Proceedings and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) Motion Imaging Journal. Mr. Goldman received Bachelor (high honors) and Master of Science degrees in electrical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He holds six patents related to digital video transport. A SMPTE Fellow and past President of the Society, he is also a senior member of the IEEE, and an inductee of the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers. Mr. Goldman currently is Chairperson of the North American Broadcasters Association Technical Committee.

• Karyn Temple, Motion Picture Association

• Tom Graham, Dolby Laboratories

• Josh Pines, Picture Shop
  

  Josh Pines

  Picture Shop

  joshua pines – chief troublemaker and luddite
  picture shop

  joshua is currently in charge of imaging and color science projects at picture shop, which provides the motion picture industry with digital color correction processes for both theatrically released films and broadcast/streaming episodics.

  picture shop recently acquired the post production facilities previously under the corporate umbrella of technicolor. joshua joined technicolor after more than 10 years at industrial light & magic, where he supervised their film scanning/recording department from its inception, and worked extensively with both traditional and digital cinema technologies. he started his career teaching film courses at the cooper union in new york city after earning his degree in electrical engineering there. he began working in visual effects at MAGI in 1982 at the tail end of their work on “tron”, went on to lead the computer graphics division at r/greenberg associates in new york city, and then supervised film effects and film recording at degraf/wahrman in los angeles before working for over a decade at industrial light & magic. he has received two technical achievement awards from the academy of motion picture arts and sciences and the herbert kalmus award from smpte, has had his gender identity confirmed when smpte named him a “fellow”, and has credits on several zillion feature films.

  joshua has always thought that computers could be a useful tool in making movies better, and he still hopes that one day this may come true.

• Matt Lathrop, Walt Disney Studios, StudioLAB
  

  Matt Lathrop

  Walt Disney Studios, StudioLAB

  Matt Lathrop is the Software Engineering Lead in StudioLAB at the Walt Disney Studios, where he has been for the past three years. In this role, he works on supporting productions across the company with new innovative technologies from the industry. Before joining Disney, Matt gathered experience in various innovation groups across multiple industries, focusing on solving complex problems and driving technological advancements. He holds a BS in Computer Science from Stanford University.

• Kelsey McCullough, Walt Disney Studios, StudioLAB
  

  Kelsey McCullough

  Walt Disney Studios, StudioLAB

  Kelsey is the Senior Manager of Product Development for Walt Disney Studios, StudioLAB, where she has been for the last 4+ years. She leads the delivery of innovation projects for Disney Studios in collaboration with StudioLAB’s partner companies. Prior to this role, she spent 8 years in product management and data analytics for Disney’s theme park technology group. She holds a MS in Applied Math and Statistics from Georgetown University.

• Mariana Fernandez, Accenture
  

  Mariana Fernandez

  Accenture

• Mathieu Mazerolle, Foundry
  

  Mathieu Mazerolle

  Foundry

  Mathieu Mazerolle has over 28 years of engineering and product experience in the visual effects, cloud, and gaming industries, with a strong focus on innovation and driving the development of new technologies. He is currently the Director of Product, New Technology, at Foundry. Throughout his career, Mathieu has leveraged his technical and and market insights to deliver impactful solutions at leading organizations, including Amazon Web Services, Electronic Arts, Autodesk, Digital Domain, and Ubisoft.

• Thomas True, NVIDIA
  

  Thomas True

  NVIDIA

  Thomas True is a senior applied engineer for professional media workflows in NVIDIA’s Enterprise Products Group. In this role he works at the intersection of video I/O and the Graphics Processing Unit(GPU) where he focuses on the integration of GPU and networking technologies into broadcast, video and film applications ranging from pre-visualization to post production and live to air. Thomas has a M.S. degree in Computer Science from Brown University in Providence, RI and a B.S. Degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY.

With the increasing rate of change in our business, how can we possibly keep up, while doing the right thing collectively to ensure the level of interoperability that is demanded of us? Part of the answer is to work cooperatively in a “rising tide” spirit, but these days, that has to happen rapidly.

SMPTE has streamlined many of its processes and provided tools for us that are beginning to really bear fruit. Its Rapid Industry Solutions (RIS) organization has made meaningful impact. RIS-OSA has cranked out a collection of badly needed solutions that address interoperability among media services, key in today’s hybrid cloud world.

Key among those is its current work on the next big SMPTE standards suite – ST 2138 (Catena). Leveraging well-accepted and adopted industry standards such as Zero Trust, gRPC, REST, ProtoBuf and a host of others, Catena has been able to be developed quickly into the industry’s newest (and only) open-source standard for control of media devices and services. Using SMPTE’s Public Committee Draft (PCD) process to get documents and code out in front of implementers rapidly, alongside freely accessible Github repositories has been a boon to providing solutions quickly to the industry.

It will be a dive into what’s been going on in SMPTE and RIS, with a focus on Catena, along with a sneak peek at what’s planned for the remainder of 2026.

• Chris Lennon, Ross Video
  

  Chris Lennon

  Ross Video

  Chris Lennon serves in Ross Video’s Office of the CTO as Director, Standards Strategy. He is responsible for Ross’ activities in standards and trade organizations, as well as its global thought leadership program.

  Chris also serves as Executive Director of the Open Services Alliance (OSA), a global industry organization focused on interoperability among microservice oriented media systems, now a part of SMPTE’s Rapid Industry Solutions. The OSA produced the media industry’s first microservices standards and continues to lead the way in this rapidly evolving area.

  Chris has held a variety of leadership positions in the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), including Standards Director, Western US Governor, Local Section Chair, and Chair of multiple Technology Committees. He is a SMPTE Fellow and recipient of SMPTE’s prestigious 2008 Citation. He currently is a manager of the SMPTE Rocky Mountain Section and serves on the IABM Board.

• Doug Walker, Autodesk
  

  Doug Walker

  Autodesk

  Doug is a Distinguished Engineer at Autodesk where he is the Technology Lead for Color Science, working on products such as Flame, Maya, 3ds Max, and Arnold. He is active in open source projects, serving as the Chief Architect on the OpenColorIO Technical Steering Committee and collaborating on color-related features in OpenUSD and MaterialX. 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.

• Scott Dyer, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  

  Scott Dyer

  Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

  Scott Dyer is a Senior Imaging Engineer at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and currently serves as Chair of the ACES Project within the Academy Software Foundation. He holds a B.S. in Motion Picture Science from the Rochester Institute of Technology and has spent his career exploring the intersection of color science, imaging technology, and open-source standards.

  Outside of work, Scott enjoys creating art out of playing cards and can occasionally be found representing the United States in international mölkky tournaments.

• Jeff Sengpiehl, Qualstar
  

  Jeff Sengpiehl

  Qualstar

  Jeff Sengpiehl is an executive in the Media / Broadcast Integration sector and Facilities and cloud infrastructure space for content creation and delivery, currently serving as Chief Technology Officer for the data storage powerhouse, Qualstar.

  With several years spent between various industry segments in Post Production Rentals and Facilities and Broadcast, Sengpiehl accrued more than 30+ years in the M&E industry with key executive roles as Vice President of Engineering, Panavision / Light Iron, Chief Engineer at Sim International, and CTO / Chief Technologist at Key Code Media. He’s also the founder and moderator for several social media and email technology groups, specialized for post-production products and services.

  Sengpiehl is a proven workflow / systems design consultant, and advisor and cooperates as advisor with several consultation groups, and is skilled in Mentoring of co-workers and staff to thrive in fast-evolving M&E environments – to make the best possible choices.

  Since the early 2000’s he has been an Industry Thought Leader with the ability to unite the creative, operations and operations stakeholders in environments of change – Helping all to reach excellence for the organization, the client, and themselves – even in times of crisis and uncertainty. He is also a live and web event host and panelist bringing clarity and education on technology and process for the industry at large.

• Heidi Shakespeare, Memnon
  

  Heidi Shakespeare

  Memnon

  Heidi Shakespeare is the CEO of Memnon and a visionary leader with over 25 years experience driving growth in the broadcast and digital archiving industries. A recognized thought leader in the evolution of media migration solutions, Heidi has played a pivotal role in transforming how organisations preserve and access audiovisual content in an increasingly digital world.
  She has consistently championed the importance of technological innovation in a field often rooted in legacy formats. Recognizing the transformative power of AI, Heidi has ensured that the solutions developed under her leadership incorporate the latest advancements—creating intelligent, future-ready systems for digitizing, enriching, and preserving media content.
  Under her guidance, Memnon has expanded its global presence by developing cutting-edge media migration facilities, reinforcing its reputation as a leader in preserving the world’s cultural and historical heritage.
  Heidi began her career in advertising, where she developed a strong foundation in strategic communication and client engagement. During a sabbatical, she travelled the world and worked as a trapeze artist—an experience that reflects her adventurous spirit and resilience, qualities that continue to shape her leadership today.
  Prior to joining Memnon, she held senior leadership roles at Iron Mountain and Bonded Services Group, gaining deep expertise in managing complex archiving initiatives. Through her commitment to innovation, access, and preservation, Heidi is helping ensure that invaluable content from the past is not only safeguarded but accessible for future generations.
  Alternative:
  Heidi Shakespeare is the CEO of Memnon and a visionary leader with over 25 years of experience in the broadcast and digital archiving industries. A recognized thought leader in media migration, she has transformed how organizations preserve and access audiovisual content in an increasingly digital and AI-driven world.

  Heidi has championed technological innovation in a field rooted in legacy formats, leading the development of intelligent, future-ready systems for digitizing, enriching, and preserving media archives. Under her leadership, Memnon has significantly expanded its global presence and forged strategic partnerships with blue-chip industry powerhouses such as AWS, Globant, and Veritone. These partnerships reflect Heidi’s deep understanding of customer needs and long-term objectives—aligning Memnon with trusted global brands to elevate customer experience, drive strategic brand alignment, and boost global brand awareness.

  Beginning her career in advertising, Heidi developed a strong foundation in strategic communication and client engagement. Prior to Memnon, she held senior roles at Iron Mountain and Bonded Services Group, where she led complex archiving initiatives. Through her unwavering commitment to innovation, access, and preservation, Heidi is ensuring that vital content from the past remains discoverable and accessible for generations to come.

• Carin Forman, AWS
• Tim Stockhaus, Metamartis
• Ari Abelson, Open Origins
  

  Ari Abelson

  Open Origins

  Ari Abelson is the Co-Founder and President of OpenOrigins. OpenOrigins is building the technology that enables organizations to protect their IP, visual media and new content in a world of AI. Formerly, Ari worked as a digital researcher, working on disinformation and misinformation projects in collaboration with the Dstl, Ministry of Defence, LSHTM and Facebook.

• Andrea Kalas, Iron Mountain

• Seth Hallen, Hallstone Ventures
  

  Seth Hallen

  Hallstone Ventures

  Seth Hallen is Founder and Managing Partner of Hallstone Ventures and is a visionary leader in media and entertainment technology with over 25 years of global executive experience across the emerging media technology landscape. Now an active investor and advisor, Seth supports AI-driven startups bringing his expertise and vast network to the founders.

  Former President of the Hollywood Professional Association for 9 years and a current member of the Television Academy’s AI Task Force, Seth is helping shape the future of content creation. He champions AI as a creative partner-an accelerator for human imagination-and continues to drive innovation by bridging technology and storytelling.

  Through decades of leadership, Seth has built high-performing teams, forged strategic industry relationships, and consistently delivered transformative growth. His mission is clear: empower creators, anticipate disruption, and inspire ethical, tech-enabled progress in the entertainment industry.

1. Set-to-cloud workflows, Zach Willner, AWS
2. AI and archives, Andrea Kalas, Iron Mountain
3. Round-the-world post: unifying global creative teams, John Harris, Projective
4. AI personalization and the new viewer experience, Steven Sabonjohn, EPAM
5. Financing your growth with venture capital or private equity, Ethan Jacks, MediaBridge
6. Synthetic users in the loop, Michael Ronen, Wonderland
7. A new framing of forensic watermarking in Hollywood, James Hynard, Castlabs
8. Private 5G and CBRS for live broadcast and remote production, Jim Jachetta, VidOvation
9. Why high-fidelity 3D still can’t scale to millions of users, Joe Bogacz, Miris