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PRESENTATIONS;

Potential of Immersive Storytelling in a Transmedia Age
Carolyn Collins Petersen
Kate McCallum
Will Nix

Masters of the Universe
Michael McConville
Dayna Thompson
Mike Smail
Ben Gondrez

 

Virtual Production Tools for Immersive Media
Eric Hanson

The Future of Immersive Venues
Ed Lantz
Jenni Ogden
Brett Leonard
Hilary McVicker

Event Reflections, Recap, and Future Visions
Ryan Moore

 

SPEAKERS;

Michael Daut - host (principal, Michael Daut Productions) is an award-winning immersive media specialist and independent writer/producer/director in Los Angeles, CA. Michael brings a wealth of experience within the giant screen cinema, theatrical, 4D immersive, and digital fulldome industries. Prior to establishing his own production company, he served at Mousetrappe, an experience design and production studio. For over 20 years at Evans & Sutherland, he was instrumental in developing a library of digital fulldome shows. Michael’s current clients include K2 Studios, a giant screen film production and distribution company, Sotto Studios, an experiential solutions agency, and Moodswings, LLC, creators of the visual music show Mesmerica, currently playing in digital dome theaters across North America.

Carolyn Collins Petersen is panel chair for "The Potential of Immersive Storytelling in a Transmedia Age" at DomeFest West. She is CEO of Loch Ness Productions, a unique multimedia production and distribution company, specializing in cosmically creative content for fulldome theaters. She has also written a number of science-related books and articles, and has expanded her work to development of exhibitions for such facilities as the Griffith Observatory, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Shanghai Astronomical Museum. Carolyn serves on the IMERSA board of directors, and has presented a number of talks and panels at IMERSA events.

Kate McCallum, is a forward-thinking award-winning multi-media and arts producer, writer, and media strategist with an emphasis in IP development, transmedia and new media technology platforms. She is a member of the TV Academy and the PGA: Producers Guild of America where she served as a Board Delegate for two three-year terms on the PGA New Media Council, three years on the PGA National Board, was awarded the 2019 Marc A. Levey Award for exceptional service to the PGA, and as Co-Chair helped spearhead the launch of the PGA Social Impact Entertainment Task Force.

William Nix has extensive experience in the entertainment, media, sports, and intellectual property fields, and is also a Partner in the social and environmental impact investment firm, LOHAS Advisors and Capital. He is a member of the Producer’s Council of the PGA, and a founding member of the PGA Social Impact Entertainment Task Force. William is also the Co-Executive Director and a founding member of the SIE Society, the leading alliance in Social Impact Entertainment whose mission is to connect, equip and amplify SIE organizations and creative producers around the globe.

Michael McConville is the director of customer outreach for Evans & Sutherland and Spitz, Inc. He is instrumental in setting the conference and professional development strategies for the companies and continuing to build and strengthen a worldwide community of more than 600 planetariums. A skilled researcher and an expert storyteller, Michael brings nearly twenty years of planetarium and teaching experience to his role. During his tenure, Michael presented more than 3,000 live shows and hosted hundreds of outreach events and star parties – including more than 15,000 visitors for Florida’s largest solar eclipse event in 2017.

Dayna Thompson, Planetarium Director, has provided support and guidance for all planetarium activities at Ball State University since 2012. She holds a MS in Physics and has over 10 years’ experience in STEM outreach. Ms. Thompson has created various live planetarium programs and has worked on over 8 full-length fulldome planetarium programs in various roles such as: script writer, director, program manager, 3D content programmer, sound recorder and editor. Two of her programs, “Saturn & Beyond” and “Halloween: Celestial Origins,” are available for planetariums world-wide.

Mike Smail is the Director of Theaters & Digital Experience for the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. Mike leads a small but mighty team of science communicators, visualizers, and technical experts who connect people to the universe and each other in the Adler’s two dome theaters, flat-screen theater and myriad other digital exhibit spaces. Whether for the visiting public, schools, or private rentals, Mike delights in creating unique immersive environments that satisfy the needs and exceed the expectations of audiences.

Ben Gondrez is a creative technologist who is always looking for unique and innovative ways to utilize technology to enhance educational, artistic, and professional purposes. Ben is currently a member of the Interative Technology team at Denver Museum of Nature & Science where he utilizes his skillset to create and maintain unique interactive museum exhibit experiences. Formerly, Ben was the Digital Dome Manager at Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. In this position, he facilitated bi-monthly DomeLab meetings where local artists were able to learn fulldome production techniques and experiment in the dome

Eric Hanson is CEO of Blueplanet VR, and a faculty member at the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. With a background in design, architecture, photography, and feature film visual effects, Eric currently creates volumetric VR content for the Oculus Quest spanning landscape, natural history, and cultural heritage. His VFX work can be seen in “The Day After Tomorrow”, “Cast Away”, “Fantasia 2000”, and “The Fifth Element”, among others. At USC he leads curriculum in Cinematic VR and Visual Effects, but mostly wishes he could sleep more.

Ed Lantz is an entrepreneur, entertainment technology engineer, producer and immersive experience designer. Ed left aerospace engineering in 1990 to transform old-style planetariums into immersive visualization environments, designing over a dozen dome theaters worldwide including the Library of Alexandria’s Planetarium in Egypt, Domodigital at Papalote Museo del Niño in Mexico City, and the National Space Centre planetarium in Leicester, UK. His company Vortex Immersion Media produces immersive and interactive experiences for Fortune 500 brands, top artists and audiences worldwide and is developing a network of branded immersive venues.

Jenni Ogden is an award-winning creative producer and entrepreneur with three decades of experience in the entertainment industry. Jenni has worked extensively in the music industry, themed entertainment, live theatre, immersive and interactive experiences, volumetric capture, and virtual live concerts. Her work encompasses storytelling and experiences across formats and platforms, and immersive design in all forms, from location-based entertainment to VR, and new and emerging formats and technologies in entertainment.

Brett Leonard has been at the forefront of the digital media revolution for over 25 years, whether it be as Director/ Writer of the groundbreaking cult-classic film Lawnmower Man, which introduced the concept of Virtual Reality to popular culture - or being the first to pioneer modern stereoscopic techniques and photo-realistic CGI in his hit IMAX 3D film “T-Rex” - or introducing American audiences to Russell Crowe and many other talents both in front of and behind the camera - Brett’s work as a visionary Director/Producer/Futurist has always pushed the edge of innovation in the entertainment industry, and continues to do so with a project slate at his company Studio Lightship, focused on creation of VX (Virtual eXperience) executed in a hybrid approach with Film and Television. Studio Lightship is dedicated to defining a process and platform for truly interactive narrative VX StoryWorlds for the emerging era of Immersive Entertainment.

Hilary McVicker is Communicatrix at The Elumenati – a title that translates to VP of Sales and Marketing at most companies. An early background in new media led to several years in the game industry, notably as part of the teams that produce GDC, the industry’s largest event, and international extensions of the brand and its networks in China, Europe and the UK. With a perspective gained from working with industry innovators and groundbreakers, she joined The Elumenati in 2008 as the next step in a career focused on the business of interactive technologies and their meaningful application.

Ryan Moore, executive director and co-founder of Dome Fest West, worked with the Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival where he worked on its Dome Film Series. After a successful event and a great turnout, Moore was inspired to branch out and create a festival dedicated entirely to dome films.