Wednesday, November 13th, 2019

2:50 PM – 3:30 PM - Haas Conference Center, Room 172-173

The VR-AR-Immersive - Innovators & Disruptors - Entertainment, Technology & Brand Vision

Boo Wong, Global Director of Emerging Technology, The Mill

Christina Heller, CEO, Metastage

Ed Lantz, President & CTO, VORTEX Immersion Media, Inc.

John Canning, Executive Producer – New Media & Experiential, Digital Domain

Dan Ferguson, Co-Founder, EVP Digital, Groove Jones

Piotr Uzarowicz, Head of Partnerships, Arcturus

Steven Masur, Senior Partner, MGA, Moderator

Boo Wong is Global Director of Emerging Technology at The Mill. A nine-year veteran of the company, Boo leads the award-winning Immersive and Interactive teams in creatively implementing technology in virtual and physical spaces. Boo is an expert in identifying budding technologies and defining the best ways of working with them. Her production expertise allows her projects to fill a range of briefs, from practical applications to eliciting deep, emotional impact. Outside the immersive sector, Boo has produced Emmy-nominated commercial work in addition to VFX for feature films. Notable titles include Academy Award-winning documentary The Cove, Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winner And God

Grew Tired of Us, Academy Award-nominated Murderball, as well as dramas Carol and The Switch. Boo’s work has earned accolades from a variety of awards, including Cannes Lions, VES, D&AD, Broadcast Design, Siggraph, Clio, LIA, British Arrows, Ciclope, AICP, APA, BTA Craft, Andys, ADC, The One Show, Graphis, and the Webbys. Boo is consistently called upon as an industry expert, speaking at conferences such as Engadget Alternate Realities and Montreal International Game Summit. She has also participated as a juror at leading festivals including Prix Ars Electronica, Siggraph, Brand Film Festival and the AICP Next Awards.

Christina Heller is the CEO of Metastage, a new volumetric capture studio in LA. With more than 15 years in content creation and distribution, Christina Heller has deep experience in handling cutting edge media technology. Prior to leading Metastage, Heller was the Co-Founder and CEO of VR Playhouse, an immersive production company based out of Los Angeles. During her tenure, she oversaw 60 projects with major brands, agencies, and technology players, with work showcased at Sundance, SXSW, and Cannes. She works as an advisor with VR Base, an incubator space in Amsterdam and Berlin that specializes in assisting VR and AR startups, and was called one of the 5 women changing the virtual reality scene by Craig Newmark. She is passionate about introducing new people to world of immersive technology and keeping good vibes at the places she leads.

Ed Lantz is an entertainment technology engineer, entrepreneur, immersive experience designer and innovator in giant-screen digital cinema. He left aerospace engineering in 1990 to transform old-style planetariums into 360-degree immersive visualization environments, designing over a dozen dome theaters worldwide while at Spitz, Inc. including the Library of Alexandria in Egypt, National Space Center in Leicester, UK, the Glasgow Science Center in Glasgow, Scotland and Papalote Museo del Nino in Mexico City. He also led the product development of the SciDome digital planetarium which has sold over 100 units worldwide. Ed co-founded Vortex Immersion Media in 2007 to bring immersive and interactive experiences into mainstream entertainment markets. Vortex produces immersive media experiences for themed entertainment, digital planetariums, and numerous Fortune 500 companies including Condé Nast, EMC2, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Nestle, NFL, Nike, Nokia, Sprint and Turner Broadcast. Vortex also operates the Vortex Dome, the first commercial immersive media production studio and events venue located in downtown Los Angeles. Ed has published numerous articles in journals and trade publications on immersive media and virtual reality, is a public speaker on various panels and keynote talks including at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Digital Hollywood and has organized a panel and three courses at ACM/SIGGRAPH in addition to guest-editing an issue of Computer Graphics. Ed's research focus is on the unique cognitive properties of next-generation multisensory “sentient” environments, the merging of virtual and real storytelling worlds, and the development of fulldome theaters as next-generation entertainment and performance venues. Ed holds two U.S. patents on immersive theater technologies, was awarded a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering with minor in Quantum Physics and Electromagnetics from Tennessee Tech University, and is a founder of the trade association IMERSA. He co-authored DIGSS 1.1 (Digital Immersive Giant Screen Specifications) in cooperation with the Giant Screen Cinema Association, is a member of ACM/SIGGRAPH and IEEE, and chairs the Board of nonprofit organizations c3: Center for Conscious Creativity and Create Now.

John Canning, is the Executive Producer – New Media & Experiential at Digital Domain. While their name might not be commonly known, you definitely know Digital Domain’s work - they create visual effects for feature films, including the recent Avengers Infinity War movie. They also create visuals for advertising, games, training, and immersive content, including their own original content. Prior to Digital Domain, John was the VP of Interactive Experiences for NBCUniversal, creating VR and other digital experiences for The Voice, Million Second Quiz, The Blacklist, and others. In the past, he’s also spent several years at both Microsoft and Disney. On the side, he’s the Chairman of the New Media Council at the Producers Guild of America. He’s also an independent producer, cinematographer, and photographer for good causes.

Piotr Uzarowicz, Head of Partnerships, Arcturus: Piotr Uzarowicz drives relationships with studios and clients for Arcturus. He is responsible for developing our business and managing clients in the emerging technology of volumetric video. Piotr built his career helping properties and brands understand and capitalize on the latest digital innovations. At Sony Pictures he developed and produced breakthrough and award-winning digital content supporting theatrical releases like Skyfall, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Django Unchained as well as television shows like Helix, Breaking Bad, and Community. Earlier, he was the first hire for the Edelman Worldwide digital team and grew his team to a multi-million dollar division of the global agency. He strategized campaigns and content for Fortune 500 clients including the very first digital marketing use of social platforms Piotr was responsible for the launch of Xbox, the introduction of AXE body spray to the US market, and was recognized with award-winning work for a multitude of clients.  Arcturus is a technology studio that developed HoloSuite, the only capture-agnostic post production platform for volumetric video. Because volumetric video is an emerging technology, Arcturus also provides production services and helps others navigate new realities. Recent work includes Hulu’s “Light as a Feather” VidCon activation on Magic Leap and Madonna’s volumetric holograms at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, the first ever live broadcast of a volumetric performance.

Dan Ferguson, Co-Founder, EVP Digital, Groove Jones: Dan is a strategic marketing executive with 30 years' experience in the digital space. He is a founding Partner at Groove Jones, a creative technology company that is recognized as industry leaders in the development of unique digital experiences leveraging the latest in AR and VR technologies. A creative technologist at heart, Dan has inspired some of the world’s most recognized brands to innovate and engage with their audiences, including Amazon, AT&T, Ford, FX Networks, Kraft, LEGO, Microsoft Toyota, and Universal Studios. Brandweek Magazine named Dan “Marketer of the Next Generation" for his work with digital brand engagement and he was a finalist for the 2019 Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” award.

Steven Masur, Senior Partner, MG+: Steven Masur has over 22 years of experience advising emerging and established businesses on new opportunities and business challenges. He focuses his practice on corporate finance, M&A, intellectual property, entertainment, emerging businesses and strategic guidance. Steve has extensive experience in angel and venture capital finance, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and cross-border transactions in Europe and Asia. He is passionate about helping new businesses plan a path to success, and helping older businesses bridge the gap to new markets. Steve brings a unique mix of legal, business, and strategic experience to bear on client matters. He has counseled enterprise level clients including Shazam, Virgin Mobile, Liberty Media, Yamaha, Nielsen Buzzmetrics, Bob Vila and Conde Nast Publications in corporate, digital media, and new business matters. He has also helped emerging businesses in a wide variety of sectors, and is especially knowledgeable in media, entertainment, advertising, consumer products, food and technology, including mobile, games, digital music, social media, augmented and virtual reality, software and hardware. Steve has been recognized as a “Rising Star” and a “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers. He serves on a variety of corporate and nonprofit boards and industry associations, and lectures and writes about major issues in venture capital, emerging businesses, entertainment law, technology and corporate strategy.