THURSDAY, MAY 7
Coffee Q/A with Sony Entertainment's Assistant Writer: Damir Konjicija - 9:30am - 10:30am
ROOM: 505 (BROADCAST STUDIO)
Damir Konjicija
Damir fell in love with writing as a young student at the Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville, KY, where his first plays were staged as part of an annual new works festival. He continued his studies at the University of Illinois, earning his BFA degree in Theatre. His first full-length play, Srebrenica, written during his senior year of college, received the 2009 Rosa Parks Playwriting Award from the John F. Kennedy Center. Shortly after graduation, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of writing for television. He spent two seasons working on The Goldbergs (ABC), first as a Production Assistant, then a Writer's Assistant. Most recently, he won the Sitcom Teleplay Award at the 2014 Austin Film Festival and wrote material for the second season of TripTank on Comedy Central, set to air next summer, which will mark his TV writing debut.
Sony Pictures Entertainment - http://www.sonypictures.com/
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in more than 130 countries.
Epic Games - 11:00am - 12:00pm
ROOM: 500 (THE SCREENING ROOM)
Deke Waters
Deke Waters is a Sr. Producer at Epic Games with over 15 years of games industry experience. Deke's responsibilities at Epic include overseeing production of the Unreal Engine Marketplace and two GDC 2015 demos - "Kite," an open world Unreal Engine 4 technology demo and "Thief in the Shadows," a VR demo collaboration with Weta Digital.
Deke started his career as a Customer Support Rep for Red Storm Entertainment / Ubisoft. He worked his way up to Producer and shipped several games under the Tom Clancy franchise. Deke then moved to MTV where he helped launch video game related websites, blogs, and videos to MTV's online audience. Since then, Deke returned to creating games where he ship AAA titles for Lucasarts, Id Software / Bethesda, and Microsoft. Deke was also on the initial prototype team responsible for creating experiences using Microsoft's HoloLens.
Deke currently lives in Cary, NC with his wife Tiffani and their two dogs, Lucy and Rafi. When he's not gaming at home, you can usually find Deke camping in his 27ft Airstream - which of course has its own xbox!
Epic Games - http://epicgames.com/
Founded in 1991, Epic Games is the creator of the Unreal, Gears of War and Infinity Blade series of games. Today Epic is building Fortnite, the new Unreal Tournament, and multiple unannounced games. Epic's Unreal Engine technology brings high-fidelity, interactive experiences to PC, console, mobile, the Web and VR. For more information, visit epicgames.com and check out @EpicGames. Unreal Engine is freely available at unrealengine.com.
Gearbox Software- 12:30pm - 1:30pm
ROOM: 500 (THE SCREENING ROOM)
James Lee
James Lee is a game developer with over 20 years of industry experience. He has worked with startups to AAA developers, starting out at Origin Systems/EA working on the Wing Commander franchise as a Cinematic Artist/Animator. He is currently working with Gearbox Software as a Senior Art Producer, managing both internal and external art production for animation, characters and cinematics.
Gearbox Software - http://gearboxsoftware.com/
We are an award-winning, independent developer of interactive entertainment based near Dallas, Texas. Founded in February 1999 by game industry veterans and led to this day by its founding developers, Gearbox Software has distinguished itself as one of the most respected and recognized independent video game makers in the world.
The diverse and passionate members of the Gearbox Software team share a common identity – we feel we were made to set our time and talent towards bringing joy, fun and happiness to our customers through our craft.
Since its inception and our first release, Half-Life: Opposing Force, the talented developers at Gearbox Software have had the pleasure of creating video games for some of the most exciting and revered brands on the planet. The Gearbox Software team has also created original, owned and managed brands including the award winning, best-selling Brothers in Arms series and the record-setting, genre breaking Borderlands franchise. In addition, Gearbox Software has acquired other major video game properties including the Duke Nukem and Homeworld brands. With all of its owned franchises, the people of Gearbox Software enjoy driving and managing a deep portfolio of licensed and internally produced ancillary products including video games, comic books, action figures, apparel, art prints, fictional novels, non-fiction reference books, and linear media content for film and television.
Ultimately, Gearbox Software is a family of talented, inventive and passionate individuals who want to collaborate with smart, committed, capable people with a quality of character that seek to inspire and be inspired – that care about creativity, happiness and the desire to make wonderful, engaging and exciting things that our customers feel is very valuable so that we may learn the lessons of experience together and share together in the rewards from a job well done.
The Road to Disney Presented by Walt Disney Animator: Danny Gonzales - 1:45pm - 2:45pm
ROOM: 500 (THE SCREENING ROOM)
Danny Gonzales
Daniel currently is an animator on feature films for The Walt Disney animation Studios. He has worked on titles such as "Toy Story 3", "Frozen" and"Wreck it Ralph". He recently concluded his work on Disney's newest film, "BIG HERO 6", and has begun working on, "Zootopia" due out in 2016.
Born in 1988, Daniel moved from his hometown in San Diego, California to attend San Francisco’s California College of the Art. Daniel has received attention for his artwork at an early age. His entrée’s in the Museum of Latin American art and The U.S. District court for the southern District of California, that are still on display, would be the start of a promising career of fine art, teaching, directing, and animation.
By Daniel’s college sophomore year he was working at Pixar Animation Studios and soon after found himself working in Los Angeles for the Walt Disney Animation Studios. When not working Daniel has been creating his personal work and teaching art at various institutions in his spare time.
Walt Disney Animation Studios - http://www.disneyanimation.com/
Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio behind "Tangled," "Wreck-It Ralph," and "Frozen" brings imagination to life through animated films. Our filmmakers work together to create the magic of animation. Bring your unique talents, passions and innovative ideas to our team, and prepare to play in a creative, artist-friendly environment.
Exploring Career Options Presented by Viviana Baldarelli from Jumpstart - Knowledge Adventure, Inc. - 3:00pm - 4:00pm
ROOM 500 (THE SCREENING ROOM)
Viviana Baldarelli
Sr. Game Developer - Software Engineer at JumpStart - Knowledge Adventure, Inc.
Jumpstart - Knowledge Adventure, Inc. - http://www.jumpstart.com/
Since 1991, JumpStart has set the standard in kids’ educational games by making learning fun. JumpStart has a strong history of creating the finest educational products for use in the home and the classroom. Today, JumpStart designs and produces games under two primary brands, JumpStart® and Math Blaster®. Each of these brands boasts hundreds of awards and an impressive twenty year history of quality products that have earned the trust of millions of teachers and parents. Recently, JumpStart entered into a strategic partnership with DreamWorks Animation to provide superior online and mobile educational games under the Madagascar™ and How To Train Your Dragon™ brands. JumpStart, a Knowledge Adventure company, is privately held and based in Torrance, California.
Rockbox Presented by Tom Demetriou - 4:00pm - 5:00pm
ROOM: 532
Tom Demetriou
Co-Founder of Rockbox. I’m a writer by trade and grew up in the advertising industry, watching A-list, L.A.-based directors, DPs and editors turn my scripts in TV commercials.
I won a Cannes Lion in 2008 for an American Airlines spot: https://writertomd.squarespace.com/#/american/
I wrote the No. 2 (Nielsen-ranked) Super Bowl commercial in 2007 for Nationwide Insurance: https://writertomd.squarespace.com/#/nw-kfed/
Other recognition included:
- TBS’ Funniest Commercials of the Year 2007
- Wall Street Journal’s Best Ads of 2007
- TNS Media Intelligence most effective ad in 2007 featuring a celebrity
Prior to starting Rockbox, I was Executive Creative Director of Barkley, one of the largest independent ad agencies in the nation. The list of brands I’ve worked on includes American Airlines, Nationwide Insurance, Dairy Queen, Discovery Channel, Texas Tourism, 24 Hour Fitness, Bell Helicopter, Sonic, Sundance Channel and E! Entertainment TV.
The hardest job I have, and the one that matters most, is being a great husband and Dad. I have 3 children, ages 11, 8 and 3. My wife is my best friend and my kids are the light of my life.
I graduated from Penn State in 1991 with High Honors and from The Creative Circus writing program in 1997.
Rockbox - https://www.rockbox.tv
We’re a young, lean company that makes smart video content for clients who value that. Rockbox culture is no bullshit and it’s the heartbeat of our small, startup team. We take the work seriously, but not ourselves. Be nice. Have fun. Listen. Be humble. Stay humble. Learn from the people around you. Make your work as killer as you possibly can. Create like an artist. Act like a pro. That’s what we’re about.
Q/A Session with NBCUniversal's Assistant Location Manager: Nick Jamison - 4:30pm - 5:30pm
ROOM: 500 (SCREENING ROOM)
Nick Jamison
Assistant Location Manager
Event logistics | Contract negotiation | Location-based photography | Scheduling | Budgeting
NBCUniversal - http://www.nbcuniversal.com/
NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks.
Our Credo:
We are in business to create and deliver content so compelling it entertains, informs and shapes our world.
We believe that the talent, creativity and diversity of our people are our greatest resources. We emphasize teamwork because we are smarter, more dynamic and better together.
We believe in doing the right thing and treating people the right way. We think integrity and honesty are the foundation of a productive working environment. We take our business seriously, but do not take ourselves too seriously.
We are passionate about what we do and take pride in what we create. We have a pioneering spirit and are willing to take risks and embrace new technologies. We like to keep score and win.
As we grow our businesses together, we will not just anticipate the future, but rather create, invent and deliver it.
