2022 AIS Summit at Skywalker Ranch Guests

Buzz Hays is one of the world’s leading experts on advanced imaging production and technology in the media and entertainment industry. Buzz and his team are responsible for Google Cloud's Content Creation Solutions development in the Media and Entertainment Vertical. He works closely with the top M&E customers of Google Cloud to tailor and build solutions to transform traditional methodologies into cloud native workflows from production to post-production to archive migration. Buzz has been involved in technology for media and entertainment for over 30 years with Google, Lytro, Sony, and Lucasfilm THX. He has produced numerous film and television projects for Disney, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. He is a member of SMPTE, he is the founding Chairman of the Advanced Imaging Society, and he is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences where he serves on the Science and Technology Council.
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Evan Jacobs joined Marvel Studios in 2014 as the stereoscopic supervisor for Captain America: Winter Soldier.  Since that time, his role has expanded to oversee the finishing of all Marvel theatrical, streaming and marketing projects.  As the demand for Marvel content has continued to grow, his role expanded further to oversee the internal Marvel Finishing unit, which is tasked with the color-correction of all Marvel’s D+ streaming projects. His teams’ work on WandaVision was honored with an HPA award nomination for Outstanding Color Grading.  His 3D work has been recognized by the Advanced Imaging Society with awards for Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange and Avengers: Endgame.  Jacobs also served as the 2^nd Unit VFX supervisor on 2015’s Ant-Man. Before joining Marvel, Jacobs worked as a visual effects supervisor on films such as Olympus Has Fallen, Resident Evil: Extinction, and Ben 10: Alien Force, which was nominated for an Emmy Award for visual effects. Early in his career, Jacobs had the good fortune to learn from some of the most well respected visual effects artists in the industry, working his way up through the trenches at leading effects houses of the day such as Boss Film Studios and Fantasy II Film Effects.  He went on to serve as miniatures supervisor on the Tim Burton film Ed Wood and then in 1994, he co-founded Vision Crew Unlimited, a company specializing in miniatures and mechanical effects. Evan served as the company’s Executive Producer and Visual Effects Supervisor, contributing to many films such as The Mummy, Dinosaur, Armageddon, and Titanic.   His company was also a leader in the advertising market, providing notable effects in commercials for Mazda, Lexus, Dr. Pepper, Nissan, Jeep, Dodge, Toyota, and Coca-Cola to name but a few. In 1998, Jacobs was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Effects for a Miniseries for HBO's From the Earth to the Moon. After eight successful years operating Vision Crew, Jacobs and his partners shuttered the company and Jacobs went on supervise visual effects for the indie feature What the #$*! Do We Know?! which became the third highest grossing documentary of 2004. Jacobs then joined Digital Domain in Venice, CA where he served as the 3D Department Manager for two years before returning to visual effects supervision in 2005. Jacobs is an active member of the AMPAS, PGA and VES, and has spoken at industry conferences such as Australian Effects and Animation Festival and Post/LA as well as being an instructor for the Entertainment Studies Extension Program at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) for three years.
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Michael Kaplan is the Global Leader for Media & Entertainment & Pro VR Business Development at NVIDIA. He oversees the group responsible for customer interfacing in the broadcast, post and VFX market as well as pro VR industry partners and customers, assisting with technology adoption and strategy. Michael can be reached at michaelk@nvidia.com or www.linkedin.com/in/mekkaplan or followed on Twitter @mekkaplan.
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Ramy Katrib is an award-winning filmmaker and CEO / Founder of DigitalFilm Tree (DFT), an 18 year old post-production and software development company. Ramy started his career in media & technology over 25 years ago, as filmmaker, negative cutter, and telecine colorist. In all the organizations and projects he propels, Ramy champions a multidisciplinary work culture, led by world-class creatives and technologists working hand in hand to solve huge problems. DFT played a key role in transitioning the media and entertainment industry to digital post and file-based workflows, on projects like Cold Mountain and Scrubs. Today DFT is the leading provider of IP based production, post, story visualization services and software solutions. DFT clients include ABC, A&E, CBS, Disney, Fox, HBO, Netflix, Turner, Warner Bros, and first-time storytellers alike.
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Innovator, Leader, Athlete, Disrupter, Creator. Christian “CK” Kennel, wears all of these titles, and myriad more, and uses these attributes on a daily basis to bring technology and creative teams together to find solutions to the problems that plague them. After successful runs at some of Hollywood’s largest studios, CK has brought his talents back to FOX Entertainment to build a world-class technology department in the heart of the historic Pico Lot, providing best of breed solutions to all FOX Entertainment properties, be they films from MarVista, programming from FAST channel leader Tubi, or geographically disparate challenges from Studio Ramsey. With extensive experience both in front of and behind the camera, CK can assess and leverage new and emerging technologies to speed the FOX creative process from pre-Production to delivery on your screen, and every step between. If there is one guiding principle that CK espouses, it’s finding the fun along the way because if you love what you do it’s not “work”.
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