Tuesday, November 12th, 2019

Noon – 1:00 PM

Session II: Herscher Hall, 3rd Floor, Room 303-304

The Next Generation of AR/MR-Transforming Digital Interactions; Content, Devices, Platforms

Clay Weishaar, Creative Director, Unit 9

Ariella Lehrer, Ph.D., President, HitPoint Studios

Megan Lubaszka, Regional Creative Media Leader, Gensler

Christine Lawton, Partner, NOLAN HEIMANN LLP

Barry Sandrew, Executive Producer, AR Studios a Division of NexTech AR Solutions and Founder, Legend3D

Moderator, Nancy King, Brand Strategist, NewView Marketing

Megan Lubaszka is a Regional Creative Media Leader at Gensler, the largest architectural firm in the world. Megan has been instrumental in incorporating Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality into Gensler’s daily architectural practice, working both on the development side of VR/AR applications and the socialization and user experience side of the technology. She writes a weekly newsletter called Reality Check that identifies trends in VR/AR and co-hosts weekly VR Jams in which architects from any Gensler office can come together as avatars in the same 3d model for a “virtual site walk” with the building’s

design team. Megan has guided over 3,000 people through their first Virtual Reality experience. She holds a B.Arch and M.Arch from the Tulane School of Architecture in New Orleans and worked as an architectural designer of retail stores, shopping centers, banks, international theme parks & mixed use projects.  She is a LEED AP through the US Green Building Council and an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, the World Future Society, and serves on the long-range planning committee of the Los Angeles chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute. In her free time, Megan is a board advisor to the Inception Orchestra, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, that is changing the face of music education through original composition and Virtual Reality. http://meganlubaszka.com/about-megan-lubaszka/

Clay Weishaar, Creative Director, Unit 9. His work has been honored by Cannes Lions, the One Show, D&AD, and the FWA. He serves on the judging panel for the CSS design awards.  His work has been featured on the Creators Project, Fast Company, Creative Applications, Mashable, and many others. Brands he has worked with include Nike, Apple, Google, Netflix, and Airbnb  Most recently he has creative directed a variety of VR projects these include IBM, Ford, and Adidas.

Barry Sandrew, Executive Producer, AR Studios a Division of NexTech AR Solutions and Founder, Legend3D: Barry Sandrew, Ph.D., after leaving his position as staff neuroscientist at Harvard and Mass General Hospital, invented the first all-digital technology and process for colorizing black and white feature films. He subsequently founded American Film Technologies and produced colorized films for Fox Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Paramount, Sony, Japan’s Tsuburaya, BBC and several other major global media and distribution companies. He founded Legend Films in 2000 and after being introduced to digital 3D in 2007, Dr. Sandrew created a conversion process and pipeline that eventually became the gold standard of 3D conversion, an accomplishment that stands today. In 2010, following the release of Alice in Wonderland, he changed the name of Legend Films to Legend3D, in order for the company to focus entirely on the stereoscopic conversion of feature films and commercials. Learn more about how Legend3D has become today’s highest-quality producer of 3D conversion in the industry and a key innovator in 3D conversion technology here.

Ariella Lehrer, Ph.D., President, HitPoint Studios: A well-known game industry veteran, Ariella has dedicated her career to creating unique interactive experiences that seek to expand the market for new technologies. Her growing portfolio of products has consistently engaged new customers, in particular women and children, for more than three decades. Lehrer currently serves as President of HitPoint Studios, a talented team of 25 engineers, designers, and artists in Western Massachusetts. HitPoint works with clients such as Microsoft, Google, Disney and Electronic Arts to build engaging apps, solve complex technical problems, and maximize the potential of new technologies such as Augmented Reality. Lehrer has a PhD. in Cognitive Psychology from Claremont Graduate University and writes about interactive design and technology on her blog, www.ariellalehrer.com.

Christine Lawton is a partner at IP firm Nolan Heimann LLP where she specializes in digital and emerging media, branded product, consumer technology and retail transactions, and launched the firm’s IP Monetization and Business Strategy practice group. She has 15+ years’ executive experience launching and monetizing businesses at the convergence of entertainment, technology and retail, helping Disney, DreamWorks, Universal and Fox innovate consumer experiences. With business, creative, financial and legal expertise across all aspects of the complex structural  transactions necessary to launch and support B2B and B2C businesses, Christine applies rare combined perspective and oversight capabilities to digital, entertainment, media, retail, consumer tech, branded merchandising, and traditional licensing and distribution businesses. Christine has guided home entertainment, television, video game, mobile, digital distribution platform, music, toy, and retail relationships, and has structured, negotiated and drafted financing, acquisition, marketing, promotion, distribution, publishing, hardware, software and consumer products agreements. At Fox, Christine led a 20-person, global, home entertainment legal and business advisory team, including a digital legal licensing unit. Also at Fox, she structured and negotiated partner relationships to launch Fox’s Innovation Lab for immersive technologies. At Universal Studios Home Entertainment, she ran a 13-person Business & Legal Affairs department. In that role she structured and negotiated partnerships valued up to $100M, manufacturing and distribution relationships valued annually at $10M-$50M, and multi-year alliances with Lionsgate, Summit and DreamWorks that shepherded the home entertainment releases of The Hunger Games, Twilight, and Shrek franchises. At DreamWorks, Christine was head of Business Affairs for worldwide home entertainment, domestic syndicated television, and worldwide pay and free television. At Disney, Christine was Director of Business & Legal Affairs at Buena Vista Home Video, responsible for video licensing, acquisition, manufacturing and distribution, and promotional partnerships.

Nancy King, Consultant with NewView Marketing: bridges that gap between client and agency with a keen understanding of the issues that confront today's marketing executive. Ms. King formed her own marketing consulting company, NewView Marketing in 2000 after years of successful client side experiences in a variety of different industries from toys to technology to food and entertainment. She has held the position of Vice President of Marketing at Mattel Toys, FreeConference.com and Youbet.com among others. For more information, go to: newviewmarketing.com Ms. King has taught advanced marketing at the University of Montana School of Business Administration and holds a BSBA in marketing and finance from Boston University and an MBA from Northeastern University.