Networking Education Technology: NET Roundtables

• Thursday, July 18, 2024
• 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm

This is a pre-paid event

• HPA Members – $45
• Non-Members – $75 (opens June 17)
• Registration Opening Soon

Schedule

4:30 pm – Check-in Opens
4:30 pm – 5:15 pm – Networking and Drinks
5:15 pm – 5:20 pm – Welcome Remarks
5:20 pm – 5:45 pm – Roundtable #1
5:45 pm – 5:50 pm – Rotate to a new roundtable
5:50 pm – 6:15 pm – Roundtable #2
6:15 pm – 6:45 pm – Networking Break, Refresh your drink while you’re up
6:45 pm – 7:10 pm – Roundtable #3

Sheraton Universal

• Starview Room
• 333 Universal Hollywood Dr, Universal City, CA 91608
• Valet parking: $24.00 per car for day use; Self-park: $16.00 per car for day use
  

Get Directions

Pauline Koh
Senior Product Manager – Technical, AWS

Table Topic: Discussing Rendering Performance Improvements with New Hardware Architectures
(Co-moderating w/ Darwesh Singh, Bolt Graphics)

Pauline is a senior product manager – technical, at AWS; working on AWS Deadline Cloud, and Open Job Description. In the past, Pauline has worked in tech and games at Lytro and Stadia at Google; and in the render and lighting teams at VFX and feature animation studios. Pauline has spent a lot of time looking into new technologies and techniques to deliver the best performance, for CG and VFX applications.

Darwesh Singh
Founder & CEO, Bolt Graphics

Table Topic: Discussing Rendering Performance Improvements with New Hardware Architectures
(Co-moderating w/ Pauline Koh, AWS)

Darwesh Singh is driven by a passion for learning and a dedication to pushing boundaries. He made waves early on by founding Bolt Graphics after a decade of designing data centers and cloud environments. His mission? To tackle performance issues with heavy-duty tasks like simulations and 3D graphics while also reducing power consumption.

Starting his career at just 14, Darwesh quickly became known for his ability to solve complex tech problems. Over the years, he’s worked on everything from installing racks to designing advanced data systems for enterprise-level organizations. Darwesh has collaborated with major players like CGI and Cognizant, helping Fortune 500 companies navigate the ever-changing tech landscape.

In 2014, Darwesh’s innovative spirit led him to develop a solution for hardware-accelerated ray tracing after witnessing the lengthy rendering times for visual effects in movies. This breakthrough laid the groundwork for Bolt Graphics, which he founded in 2020. Under Darwesh’s leadership, Bolt Graphics secured its first funding round in 2021, quickly followed by a second in 2022, as the demand for cinema-quality visual effects grew and existing solutions lagged in performance and efficiency.

Bolt Graphics’ mission is to revolutionize the tech landscape by addressing the increasing power consumption and costs associated with traditional rendering technologies. After two years of dedicated development, the company unveiled its first patent-pending ray tracing IPs, Lightning and Thunder, at CES 2023.

Today, Darwesh continues to drive Bolt Graphics forward, constantly asking, “Why do we do it this way?” and “How can we do it better?” His vision for a more efficient and environmentally sustainable approach to technology continues to challenge the status quo and inspire innovation across the tech industry.

Brian Kenworthy
VP, Media Operations, TMT Insights

Table Topic: Following an Ethical Path in AI
(Co-moderating w/ Kylee Peña, Adobe)

AI is seeing high adoption rates by those viewing it as “the assistant” (vs. as a replacement), enabling efficiency and convenience at scale. Media leaders, technologists, and creators are learning to harness its potential and developing business use cases. We’d like to nurture a discussion around the below question: With AI advancing so rapidly, how can a company make practical choices about what AI tools to use in their workflows? How can a company make sure that by using AI tools they’re following an ethical path as it relates to copyright and privacy concerns?

Brian brings more than 25 years of experience as a technology, product, operations, and media executive, leading successful deployments of complex software and business systems across global internal and customer operations. His talents include building scalable mechanisms for cloud-based editing, VOD, and AI/ML packaged solutions services.

Brian’s background includes executive leadership at major companies, including AWS, Netflix, Deluxe, and Pixelogic.

Kylee Peña
Sr. Product Marketing Manager for Professional Editorial, Adobe

Table Topic: Following an Ethical Path in AI
(Co-moderating w/ Brian Kenworthy, TMT Insights)

Kylee Peña is Sr. 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 for all kinds of storytellers. Kylee has over 15 years of experience in post-production and hundreds of television and film credits as both a creative and technical professional on shows such as Jane the Virgin, Colony, and Scorpion. At Adobe, she is part of the team engaging with the professional post-production community to drive the future of Premiere Pro.

An industry thought leader, Kylee has been published across various journals and included on panels worldwide. She was named a TVN “Woman to Watch in Technology”, nominated for RISE Influencer Award, and part of the team honored for HPA Engineering Excellence Award for Text-Based Editing in Premiere Pro.

Kylee is an active member of the Television Academy’s Science and Technology peer group and Hollywood Region Governor for the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. She holds a bachelor’s degree in media arts from Indiana University and a master’s degree in integrated design, business, and technology from University of Southern California.

Anthony Magliocco
Owner, Entertainment and Media Technology Marketing, Inc.

Table Topic: Preservation and Restoration Technologies
(Co-moderating w/ Linda Tadic, Digital Bedrock)
How will all the new technologies impact the cost and complexities of Preserving and Restoring Motion Pictures and Television content?

Anthony’s career includes over forty years leading high technology companies communications and business development with the content creation and distribution segments of the media and entertainment industry. Positions included sales, marketing, product management, and general management. Ten of those years spent bringing high-speed networking and telecommunications technology to the entertainment business. A large party of Anthony’s working life included working with International companies supporting their US operations or their export business.

EMTM my company is now celebrating 13 years in business, clients include Visual Effects Software and a VFX studio.

Pro-bono leadership work includes
SMPTE Los Angeles Board of Managers, Peer Group Governor of the Television Academy, Secretary, and Co-Chair of the Visual Effects Society Los Angeles Section, HPA Awards Committee, Marketing Committee UCLA Film and TV Archives and leadership roles for the Temple University Alumni Association in Los Angeles.

Anthony continues expanding endeavors in cinematography, photography, lighting, and audio production. He has been producing content for musical groups, non-profit organizations and students trying to enter the entertainment business.

Linda Tadic
Founder/CEO, Digital Bedrock

Table Topic: Preservation and Restoration Technologies
(Co-moderating w/ Anthony Magliocco, Entertainment and Media Technology Marketing, Inc.)
How will all the new technologies impact the cost and complexities of Preserving and Restoring Motion Pictures and Television content?

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.

Ely Stacy
Technical Solutions Manager, Disguise

Table Topic: Supporting Open Standards in Virtual Production

Ely Stacy leads the Technical Solutions team at Disguise, specifying and integrating dozens of Virtual Production and XR stages and training operators in the Disguise Virtual Production Accelerator. He has a wealth of experience, supporting some of the largest projects Disguise has been delivering this year; from complex system integrations to challenging new innovative real-time engine workflows.

Matt Klein
Senior Software Developer, Light Iron

Table Topic: Bridging the Gap: Interoperability and Metadata in Media Workflows
Presented by HPA Young Entertainment Professionals

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 a Senior Software Developer at Light Iron and previously at Company 3, Matthew’s innovative software solutions have been utilized on hundreds of feature films and episodic projects. He is also an enthusiastic volunteer for the HPA and SMPTE, and a member of the Television Academy’s Science and Technology Peer Group.

Andrew Såulf
Colorist, Finishing Artist, Sayonse Color

Table Topic: Growing and guiding media and entertainment careers with mental health challenges

Finding success and stability in Media and Entertainment with mental health challenges. – “I am Bi-Polar 1 and I think there is a lot to talk about regarding people with the full spectrum of mental health issues and the struggle to operate successfully in the film and entertainment industry. On the other side of it there are things that people who hire or manage people with mental health issues that can help growth and success in those they work with. I’ve been in the business for over 20 years and have learned a lot of skills and viewpoints in navigating the industry with my disorder and I believe I could spark a lot of great conversations on the topic.”

Andrew Såulf, CSI is an award winning colorist and finishing artist situated in the vibrant Arts District of downtown Los Angeles. With an impressive career spanning more than two decades in the film and TV industry, Andrew’s journey commenced as a camera operator for broadcast television at a remarkable age of 16. He further honed his skills by completing his film studies in New York before making the pivotal shift to post-production in Los Angeles. Andrew’s expertise lies in color grading and finishing services tailored for television, commercials and film, reflecting his unwavering commitment to the visual narrative of diverse content forms. Andrew is diagnosed with Bipolar I disorder and ADHD-PI and maintains his career thanks to medication, 3 years of Psychotherapy and a passion for mental health.

Alexa Lowndes
Industry Consultant

Table Topic: Streamlining Media Supply Chains: Leveraging Workflow Automation for Enhanced Efficiency and Optimal Outcomes
(Co-moderating w/ Prem Sundaram, Chief Commercial Officer & Co-Founder, Flomenco)
Are you using Workflow automation tools to accelerate your work?  If not, perhaps you should be! In this round table we want to explore what media workflows we are automating, what tools we are are using, and what we see as challenges and opportunities for tomorrow.  From Production to Distribution and everything in between, the media supply chain is complex and the goal of this round table is to give you some workflow automation ideas and insights to take back to your work.

Alexa has 10 years of experience in Post Production. She started her career at Deluxe and gained knowledge of creative production operations while at Company 3. Alexa currently consults at Apple TV+ in video operations, where she continues to lead teams in order to streamline mastering and archival processes. Her most notable accomplishments are reflected in the success and career growth of those around her. She prides herself in identifying both strengths and weaknesses in her teammates and resources, while taking an advocate approach to improve the operations and efficiency of any organization and promote talent within the industry.

Prem Sundaram
Chief Commercial Officer & Co-Founder, Flomenco

Table Topic: Streamlining Media Supply Chains: Leveraging Workflow Automation for Enhanced Efficiency and Optimal Outcomes
(Co-moderating w/ Alexa Lowndes, Industry Consultant)
Are you using Workflow automation tools to accelerate your work?  If not, perhaps you should be! In this round table we want to explore what media workflows we are automating, what tools we are are using, and what we see as challenges and opportunities for tomorrow.  From Production to Distribution and everything in between, the media supply chain is complex and the goal of this round table is to give you some workflow automation ideas and insights to take back to your work.

Flomenco is a no-code workflow automation tool designed for the media industry. As Chief Commercial Officer, Prem is responsible for customer and partner relationships, as well as product and marketing strategies for the company.   With over 25 years of experience planning, developing and managing sophisticated software and technology products, Prem is an expert in creating technology product visions, product road-maps, software development plans, as well as communicating complex ideas and translating between executives and technology teams.  As a software entrepreneur he enjoys seeing technology projects from vision to creation.

Prem has consulted for, and founded, many companies himself ranging from automotive insurance (Avinew), collaboration software (Weavy), banking (1st Century Bank), electronics recycling (Circular Materials), technology accelerators (FPX), productivity software (NoteDex), and now most recently media (Flomenco).  He holds an MBA from UCLA and a Master’s in Materials Science from the University of Cambridge.

He enjoys mentoring tech startups and bringing his insights from other industries into the world of media.

Eliot Sakhartov
Business and Technology Strategist for Media and Entertainment, Microsoft

Table Topic: AI-llywood: The New Global Stage
This topic explores how AI can revolutionize Hollywood and other film industries by making global collaborations seamless and enhancing content creation across borders.

Eliot has over 20 years of professional technology experience in Media and Entertainment. At Microsoft he has been applying artificial intelligence (AI) to media and entertainment workflows and business problems, such as content discovery, personalization, moderation, monetization and analytics. He has led several AI projects and initiatives at Microsoft and collaborated with industry partners and customers to innovate and transform their businesses with AI. Leading the Business and Technology strategy for named Media and Entertainment customers, matching business problems with technology solutions.

Before joining Microsoft, Eliot was the Director of Technology for Funny or Die, Director of Technology at Endemol Shine North America and Manager of TV Production Technology at NBCUniversal. During his time at NBCUniversal he delivered technology solutions from digital workflows to unified communications to all in-house produced shows like The Tonight Show, The Office, House, Jerry Springer, SNL, Battlestar Galactica and more.

Eliot has founded 2 startups in the media space and holds patents in digital advertising. He lives in Burbank with his wife and daughter, recently received his brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and can be found roaming the aisles at Costco.

Galina Klebanow
Senior Producer, Fox Entertainment

Table Topic: Broadcast Television in the Age of Streaming: Strategies for Legacy Media Conglomerates to Compete in a Digital Landscape

Galina Klebanow is a Senior Producer at Fox Entertainment, specializing in Marketing Systems and Operations. With a BA in Film and Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz and an MBA from USC Marshall School of Business, Galina has a strong foundation in both creative and business aspects of the entertainment industry. Starting her career in unscripted television production over 15 years ago, Galina joined Fox Broadcasting Company’s Creative Marketing team in 2013 and has since held various producing roles within the company. In 2022, Galina was appointed to a strategic role to lead the enhancement of Marketing Systems and Operations, focusing on identifying inefficiencies and spearheading innovative solutions.

Galina’s experience spans the entire television production lifecycle, providing a comprehensive perspective on the industry. She is excited to bring this expertise to the Hollywood Professional Association panel, contributing insights on the evolving landscape of media and marketing.

JP Castel
Chief Strategy Officer, Evercast

Table Topic: Collaborative Audio: New Human Connections
(Co-moderating w/ Roman Soto, Audiomachine)
Fostering meaningful human connections and collaborations in the audio space and exploring new integrations and avenues of doing so in order to find the upward trends in an AI dominated time.

JP Castel is an independent producer who studied filmmaking at UCLA and started his career at Paramount Studios working under legendary producer Robert Evans. He then went on to produce several independent projects including KRISHA, which premiered at SXSW and won both the John Cassavetes Independent Spirit award and the IFP Gotham award before it was acquired by A24. JP’s recent features include INIT!ATION, which premiered at SXSW and was acquired by Saban Media in 2021, and MY ANIMAL, which premiered at Sundance 2023 and was acquired by Paramount Studios. In 2020, JP joined Evercast as a technical producer and now drives product initiatives and strategic expansion as CSO.

Roman Soto
Composer, Cellist, and Producer, Audiomachine

Table Topic: Collaborative Audio: New Human Connections
(Co-moderating w/ JP Castel, Evercast)
Fostering meaningful human connections and collaborations in the audio space and exploring new integrations and avenues of doing so in order to find the upward trends in an AI dominated time.

Jim Helman
CTO, MovieLabs

Table Topic: MovieLabs 2030 Update
(Co-moderating w/ Katrina King, AWS)

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.

Katrina King
Global Strategy Leader – Content Production, AWS

Table Topic: MovieLabs 2030 Update
(Co-moderating w/ Jim Helman, MovieLabs)

Katrina King is a motion picture technologist and production technology executive with over twenty years experience supervising production and technology for motion pictures, television and live events. She has authored more than ten patents in film and tv production, interactive streaming and cloud based post-production. Katrina led the AWS Color in the Cloud project which recently won the 2022 HPA Engineering Excellence Award. She is currently Global Strategy Leader for Content Production at AWS and leads AWS’ Content Production Industry Innovation Center.

Laura Thommen
Industry Consultant

Table Topic: How Business Development and Sales Have Evolved in Media & Entertainment Market
Presented by HPA Women in Post

Laura is a highly respected sales leader and has spent her career in the tech industry, working with manufacturers such as Apple, Avid, Adobe, DDN Storage and Litton Data Systems (now Northrop Grumman).  For the past 30+ years, she has sold hardware and software solutions globally to the Media and Entertainment Industry. Laura has turned company goals into measurable results through strategic planning, diligence, and continuously evolving with the market and technologies. Laura is the founder and principal consultant at LLC Thommen, LLC, a global consulting firm founded in 2020 focused on the Media and Entertainment Industry. She is a Committee Member of the Hollywood Professional Alliance WIP (Women In Post), a founding member of the YEP (Young Entertainment Professional) Program, a committee member of HPA NET, a committee member of the HPA Programming Committee and a SMPTE Hollywood Section Manager. Laura earned her MBA from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Southern California.