Networking Education Technology: NET Roundtables

• Thursday, September 26, 2024
• 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm

This is a pre-paid event

• HPA Members – $45
• Non-Members – $75 (opens August 21)

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
  

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Pinar Demirdag
Co-Founder, Cuebric

Table Topic: How do we welcome AI to workflows without disrupting human dignity?
(Co-moderating w/ Laura Thommen)

“Arguably, Pinar Seyhan Demirdag knows more about the creative potential of AI than anyone on the planet. “ – CommArts

Pinar Seyhan Demirdag, co-founder of Cuebric, is at the forefront of AI-driven creativity. As an AI director and visionary, she is a sought-after opinion leader for the conscious application of technology. Pinar holds the distinction of being LinkedIn’s official voice on generative AI, with her course “What is Generative AI?” is translated to 6 languages and has engaged millions of views.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 a feature film 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 Camera. 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, 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, NAB, TV Academy, Eyeo Festival, TEDx, Spirit of Humanity Forum, Production Summit, and others.

Laura Thommen
 Industry Consultant

Table Topic: How do we welcome AI to workflows without disrupting human dignity?
(Co-moderating w/ Pinar Demirdag, Cuebric)

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.

Craig German
Industry Consultant

Table Topic: Thinking Beyond Hollywood to Navigate the New Media Landscape
(Co-moderating w/ Maddie Hong)
The availability of video content has reached unprecedented levels, yet Hollywood is experiencing a decline in domestic film production.  The impact of this decline was compounded by the COVID pandemic and last year’s strikes. Professionals across the industry are considering diversification into sectors such as social media, gaming, education, or corporate communications. This roundtable discussion centers on what these new opportunities could look like and what role government, studios, and financial institutions might play through this industry transformation. The conversation invites participation from those who have already branched out, are rethinking their careers, or want to broaden the concept of what “Hollywood” is.  Participants will be encouraged to share their recent experiences and brainstorm new ideas, and the roundtable leaders use these discussions to inform future HPA programming and support.

Craig has spent most of his career in the entertainment industry, and for the past 20 years has held executive positions in post production and at Hollywood film and television studios, most recently until November 2023 as CEO of Crafty Apes, a visual effects company 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.

Maddie Hong
Media Production & Creative Technologies

Table Topic: Thinking Beyond Hollywood to Navigate the New Media Landscape
(Co-moderating w/ Craig German)
The availability of video content has reached unprecedented levels, yet Hollywood is experiencing a decline in domestic film production.  The impact of this decline was compounded by the COVID pandemic and last year’s strikes. Professionals across the industry are considering diversification into sectors such as social media, gaming, education, or corporate communications. This roundtable discussion centers on what these new opportunities could look like and what role government, studios, and financial institutions might play through this industry transformation. The conversation invites participation from those who have already branched out, are rethinking their careers, or want to broaden the concept of what “Hollywood” is.  Participants will be encouraged to share their recent experiences and brainstorm new ideas, and the roundtable leaders use these discussions to inform future HPA programming and support.

Rosanna Marino
COO, IDC LA

Table Topic: Evolution of Content Restoration and Global Distribution

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).

Mark Chiolis
Director, Business Development, Mobile TV Group

Table Topic: Affordable Production. An Oxymoron or the New Brass Ring We Strive For?
(Co-moderating w/ Kathryn Brillhart)

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. 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 in Sacramento California.

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.

Kathryn Brillhart
Virtual Production Supervisor

Table Topic: Affordable Production. An Oxymoron or the New Brass Ring We Strive For?
(Co-moderating w/ Mark Chiolis, Mobile TV Group)

Kathryn Brillhart is a Cinematographer, Director, and Producer who leverages volumetric capture, visualization techniques, and supervising visual effects to enhance projects. For the past decade, she has helped to redefine best practices and standards in virtual production and has advocated for diversity in the film industry through her role on the Global Board of Directors for the Visual Effects Society. Kathryn is a member of the Virtual Production Committee within the ASC Motion Imaging and Technology Council as well as the Alliance of Women Directors and Women in Media.  With recent advancements in machine learning and generative AI, Kathryn participates in open source AI communities exploring integrations in both her independent and mainstream workflows.

Her recent work and role as Virtual Production Supervisor, incorporates real-time game engine and virtual production techniques to achieve in-camera visual effects, including such projects as Warner Bros. Black Adam (2022), Netflix’s Rebel Moon (2023), Camille (2025), and Amazon Studios’ Fallout (2024).

Herb Dow, ACE
Chief Evangelist for DeweyVision.ai

Table Topic: AI & Restoration/Archiving
(Co-moderating w/ Andy Pratt, MCAF)

Herb Dow is an entertainment technology marketing and sales consultant with a long history in the Hollywood post-production industry. He worked for many years as a film editor and was instrumental in pioneering the design and implementation of the Ediflex, one of the first and most successful pre-digital non-linear editing systems. Herb then helped build Encore Non-linear into the largest Avid editing system rental business in the world. As Senior Vice President of Lightworks, Herb donated over 30 editing systems to film schools across the US and began a lasting connection with the filmmakers of the future. He played a vital role in creating a visual effects division at Encore Video, which quickly became a major force in the industry, creating the effects for hit shows like “Ally McBeal,” “X-Files,” and “Charmed”. Later in his career, Herb served as Senior Vice President of Media.net, the first fiber provider to the worldwide entertainment community, and as Chief Evangelist for Bebop Technology, the first cloud post-production provider for the entertainment industry. Herb is a member of American Cinema Editors, UCLA Television and Film Educational Board, and F.O.C.U.S. Institute of Film Board of Advisors. He has also taught at UCLA Extension and Loyola Marymount, sharing his valuable knowledge on electronic post-production and the art of film editing. Herb has earned numerous awards throughout his career, including the 1984 Emmy Award (shared with Adrian Ettlinger) for “Design and implementation of Electronic Editing for filmed programs” and the 2016 HPA Lifetime Achievement Award.

Andy Pratt
Co-Founder, MCAF

Table Topic: AI & Restoration/Archiving
(Co-moderating w/ Herb Dow, DeweyVision)

Andy Pratt has been involved with the motion picture and television industry for over 45 years. He was employed by Deluxe Laboratories Hollywood from 1971 until 1992, working in a number of areas within the laboratory. In January 1992 he moved his family to Seattle and began his work at Alpha Cine Laboratories as night supervisor. His purpose was to bring the laboratory up to Hollywood standards. He completed that project in December of 1992.

From January 1993 to December 2006 he started and ran Andy Pratt Negative Cutting. In 1998 he was asked by the two film laboratories in Vancouver, Canada to open a facility there. For the next four years Andy grew and ran both businesses. With the advent of Hi-Definition Television, his company developed a process for cutting television shows that had been shot on film but only finished in standard definition video. With that process, those shows could be repurposed for Hi Definition television. In 1999 he opened a satellite facility in Burbank to facilitate the growth of the television business that was termed “Future Proofing.” In 2002 he sold the Canadian business, and renamed the Seattle business Image Treasury. By this time, the Seattle business was doing work with MGM, Paramount, and Warner Bros. During this same time, he negotiated an agreement with MGM to move and store all their movie trims and outs in Seattle. Image Treasury moved into a 48,000 square foot facility.

In 2003 Image Treasury developed the first archival web streaming platform that provided the content owners with visual access to all the material related to a given movie.

In January 2007 Deluxe bought Image Treasury with the agreement that Andy Pratt would continue to run both the facility in Seattle and in Burbank. The combined group was renamed Deluxe Archive Solutions. In 2016 the Burbank operation was closed and all operations were moved to Seattle, where DAS continued to provide services to a variety of content owners.

On June 26, 2020 Andy and his three partners purchased the operation from Deluxe Entertainment Services and renamed it Media Content Archives Forever (MCAF), where they continue to provide services for the major studios and content owners in a number of different arenas.

Maricruz Saucedo
Vice President of Supply Chain and Operations Strategy, AEG

Table Topic: Procurement Value Technology Companies Provide Organizations
How technology companies can effectively communicate the value of solutions to procurement teams by focusing on their core priorities, such as cost efficiency, scalability, and risk management?

Maricruz Saucedo is the Vice President of Supply Chain and Operations Strategy for AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. In this role, she is responsible for directing and planning all aspects of the company’s supply chain initiatives, policies, and objectives. Saucedo and her team also are responsible for growing AEG’s Supplier Diversity Program to ensure it provides ongoing equitable access and stewardship to small businesses owners, as well as BIPOC, women, veteran, and LGBTQ-owned businesses.

Saucedo’s passion lies in identifying risk and creating strategies that lead to long-lasting, effective solutions. Prior to joining AEG, two years ago, she worked at various organizations where she led post-production, promo operations, and procurement initiatives for well-known short-form and long-form programming. Saucedo began her career in sports production.

Saucedo holds a Bachelor of Science degree from The Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree from the University of Saint Francis, both in Organizational Leadership.

Nadia Voukitchevitch
Creative Collective by Nadia Films

Table Topic: Building Your Skills for Successful Brand Pitches in 2025
Join us for fun, innovative and useful tips on how to build upon your skill set for successful brand pitches by maximizing resources available to you in 2025.

Born in New York City to a mixed family Nadia is a global citizen who speaks five languages. With a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and Masters from Pacific Oaks, Nadia has produced for over 25 years with global advertising agencies producing award winning TV commercials for multicultural markets, and features like “America’s Family,” music videos, shorts, and multi-media projects. Nadia volunteers for non-profits for causes dear to her heart that involve advocating for social justice.

Her company, Nadia Films launched a new division: Creative Collective, a diverse multilingual group of content creators who are brand focused and can work with any budgets worldwide.

She loves photography, to fly airplanes, write poems, sing, cook, and is passionate about documentary filmmaking. She’s currently directing a docuseries on Powerful & Inspiring Asian Women. In 2020 she married her Partner over Zoom, has a son and two dogs. Nadia is a member of WIF, HPA, WIA, Asians in Advertising, Círculo Creativo, Film Fatales, Vidiots.

Matthew Herson
Principal World Wide Specialist – Storage Tech Leader, AWS

Table Topic: AI: Crafting Cinematic Worlds in Hours, Not Years
(Co-moderating w/ Steve Cronan)
Dive into the future of storytelling with us as we explore how advanced AI models are revolutionizing the creation of immersive experiences. From video and audio to 3D animations, discover how AI is shifting the landscape from traditional filmmaking to personalized, on-demand narratives. Join the conversation on what’s possible today and what groundbreaking innovations await tomorrow.

Matthew Herson is a highly experienced technology leader with over 20 years of expertise in technical execution and architectural innovation. In his current role as the Principal World Wide Specialist – Storage Tech Leader at Amazon Web Services (AWS), he is instrumental in driving cutting-edge advancements in storage solutions. His work focuses on leading diverse teams, developing comprehensive go-to-market strategies, and spearheading the launch of groundbreaking products, including Data and AI Solutions. With a strong track record of leadership and innovation, Matthew continues to play a key role in shaping the future of technology in the cloud and storage industries.

Steve Cronan
Tech Executive & Advisor

Table Topic: AI: Crafting Cinematic Worlds in Hours, Not Years
(Co-moderating w/ Matthew Herson, AWS)
Dive into the future of storytelling with us as we explore how advanced AI models are revolutionizing the creation of immersive experiences. From video and audio to 3D animations, discover how AI is shifting the landscape from traditional filmmaking to personalized, on-demand narratives. Join the conversation on what’s possible today and what groundbreaking innovations await tomorrow.

Steve Cronan has over 20 years of experience developing systems that optimize digital workflows for studios and hundreds of major productions. His work has spanned the intersection of technology and storytelling, including building digital asset management systems for industry giants. Now, Steve focuses on helping companies scale both operationally and technically while embracing the transformative power of AI. As a thought leader in the space, he provides valuable insights into how AI can revolutionize content creation, allowing studios to craft cinematic worlds faster and more efficiently than ever before.

Matt Klein
Senior Software Developer, Light Iron

Table Topic: Building a Post-Burnout Future: Wellbeing Strategies for the Media and Entertainment Industry
(Co-moderating w/ Luis Lagera, VFX Coordinator)

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.

Luis Lagera
VFX Coordinator

Table Topic: Building a Post-Burnout Future: Wellbeing Strategies for the Media and Entertainment Industry
(Co-moderating w/ Matt Klein, Light Iron)

Luis Lagera is a freelance VFX Coordinator for Mathematic Studio. He was previously working client-side on projects such as Star Trek: Discovery and The Peripheral. When not obsessing over Shotgrid, Luis likes to weightlift and ride rollercoasters all around SoCal.

James Blevins
Co-Founder, MESH

Table Topic: MovieLabs 2030 Vision: Global Artist Collaboration in Real-Time
(Co-moderating w/ Mike Bott, Hammerspace)

Currently, James is a thriving virtual production line producer. Most of his clients are in pursuit of efficient bidding, scheduling, crewing and bidding. James and the MESH team have answers. The MESH team most recently built the virtual art department for Megalopolis. His previous work as Post-Production Supervisor for Lucasfilm Productions has given him world class experience in ground breaking shows using virtual production elements. He also spent four and half years at Netflix where the job of post production and distribution intertwined in a unique way. There he developed skills as an early employee of the world’s fastest growing studio. His time with Walt Disney Studios and fifteen years in the VFX industry had properly prepared him to take advantage of Netflix’s innovative approach to production technology. His passion to enable all the disciplines of storytelling keeps him young and vivacious. He is a proud member of some of the finest institutions in film and television production and distribution including:

The Television Academy
Motion Picture Editors Guild
Hollywood professional Association, Board Member

Mike Bott
Principal Systems Engineer, Hammerspace

Table Topic: MovieLabs 2030 Vision: Global Artist Collaboration in Real-Time
(Co-moderating w/ James Blevins, MESH)

Mike has worked with high-performance large-scale storage systems in media and HPC environments since the mid-90’s. He has a long track record of success working for manufacturers such as Qumulo, Isilon, DDN, and a variety of systems integrators. Mike has also built and managed systems and software engineering organizations in data transport and gaming businesses. He enjoys developing integrations, people, tools, teams, software, games, and companies. Mike is currently with Hammerspace as Principal Systems Engineer.