Conference Host

​Davina Leonard

Davina's creativity and enthusiasm has led her to emcee dynamic one to three day conferences in all areas from real-estate networking events, sustainability awards ceremonies, visual effects creative clinics to international white paper releases.
Davina's performance training and experience in front of a live audience lends itself to presenting radio shows and webcasts. 
Davina has solo written two seasons of the Kenyan teen drama 'Paa' Born to Fly, her Edinburgh Fringe one woman show 'Making It!' and the Kalasha Award winning 'Lest We Forget'. 
Davina made her professional stage debut at Phoenix Theatre, Nairobi at just 17 years old, she has starred in many stage plays and even written her own one woman show which she performed every day for a month at the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival, before touring it. 
She studied her MA in Classical & Contemporary Text (Acting) at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow.

Contributors - Day I

Federica Murana

While studying for the Master's Degree in Publishing & Journalism at the University of Verona (Italy) in 2019, I got the opportunity to dive deep into the new forms of media and, specifically, the vast universe of the 3D world thanks to an internship at 3Dflow, the Italian company behind the photogrammetry software 3DF Zephyr. After graduation, I became part of the company as Sales Executive, and over time, I learned how photogrammetry works, going from the first photo acquisition to data processing into the software, and its variety of usages for many different industries that give this approach endless possibilities.

​
3Dflow

​Chris Blaser

I am a Creative Director, VFX Supervisor and Digital Artist from Zurich, Switzerland. I founded my first small company for 3D graphics, web design and digital art in 1995 alongside my education as a car mechanic. In 2000 I opened my GmbH with focus on 3D visualization, web and graphic design and interactive media.
At the same time I finished my Bachelor as Multi Media Producer at the SAE. In 2003 I got the chance to enter the fashion and perfume sector, among other commissioned work for product and architecture visualizations. In 2006, the focus shifted to visualization and visual effects with the assignment to work on a feature film; “Anuk - The Way of the Warrior” by Swiss director Luke Gasser. With the founding of the individual company g3D art-e-motion it went in the direction of mandate orders in and around the film and advertising sector. Since 2016, in addition to VFX supervising, creative directing for Xtended Reality, concepts for museums and virtual productions as well as 3D scanning and the adaptation of the real into the virtual world is a part of my work. Since November 2024, he is a member of the Visual Effect Society (VES)
​
​
Chris Blaser VFX

​Nicole Kesselring
​
Nicole Kesselring studied biology and geography at the University of Zurich. She has been working as a GIS project manager at the GIS Competence Center at the Urban Planning Authority of Zurich for several years. During this time, she worked predominantly with 3D data, showcasing the development of the city from the past to the future. She is particularly interested in preparing and presenting data in such a way that it can also be understood and used by people who are not familiar with GIS.

City of Zurich

Contributors - Day II

​Marco Iozzi

I've been working in the Entertainment industry since 1999 after studying Visual Communication Design.
Today i work as a Concept Artist / Designer and Key Art Illustrator in Art Departments or for VFX after many years as a Matte Painter and 3D Artist.
In my spare time i practice traditional drawing, painting and photography, and experiment with music and sound design.

In 2008 i was honored to receive a VES AWARD in Los Angeles for leading a team of VFX artists on a BBC TV Series.

marcoiozzi.com

​Alexander Richter

Hi! I'm Alex, an Award-Winning Technical Director & Coach in Visual Effects, Animation and Games. My skills are solving technical problems, simplifying workflows and mentoring future Technical Directors.
 
The biggest decision I made was to switch from studying law to media and computer science. There I discovered my passion for film and technology which led me to study Technical Directing at the renowned Filmakademie BW in Germany.
 
This incredible education helped me work on blockbusters such as Avatar: The Way of Water, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Monsters at Work, and The Amazing World of Gumball at the biggest studios like Weta FX, Framestore, and Mackevision.
 
We won the Oscar for "Best Visual Effects" for Avatar: The Way of Water and my work on the Open Source Pipeline "Plex" for the short film Breaking Point won the VES Award.
​​
After teaching at ArtFx, FMX, and the CG Master Academy, I'm excited to share my knowledge and experience with artists and technicians around the world. I'm excited to create exciting opportunities for you to succeed. You'll get to work on incredible projects in the largest production studios.
​
​Alexander Richter TD

Matthias Bühler

After graduating from ETH Zurich (MSc Arch ETH), Matt has worked in landscape architecture and architectural visualization. As part of the CityEngine development team and later CityEngine Tech Support Lead he has a profound knowledge of 3D Modeling, Rendering, Visualization, Digital Sets and VFX in general. He also has hosted countless international presentations, workshops and trainings. At Scanline VFX, a high-end Visual Effects vendor, he worked in the creation of 3D landscapes and cities movies such as 'Independence Day Resurgence'.

vrbn was founded to push 3D design and content creation technologies in multiple sectors, such as Games, VFX, Architecture, XR, AI and the Metaverse.

vrbn

​Tiaan Franken

Tiaan Franken is a seasoned Executive Technical Director and Multimedia expert with over 20 years of experience in the animation and VFX industry. He currently leads the 3D/ Technical department at Chocolate Tribe, where he has successfully executed renowned adverts and films. Tiaan is particularly passionate about pipeline development, rigging, and CG creature work. His expertise has enabled him to streamline workflows and deliver projects on time and to the highest standard. With his love for technology and creativity, Tiaan has made a significant impact on the industry through his innovative ideas and leadership skills.

Chocolate Tribe