2024 AIS Evolve Summit Guests

Richard Berger joined MovieLabs as CEO in 2017, arriving with an extensive digital strategy background and a proven and unique ability to bring companies together to solve the most challenging problems and achieve profound industry change. He is responsible for the overall direction of MovieLabs and oversees technology initiatives on behalf of the major studios. Rich led the development of the “2030 Vision” which has become the industry’s reference for the future of media creation. Rich is a 25-year veteran of the Media and Entertainment Technology industry. Before joining MovieLabs, he served as SVP of Worldwide Digital Strategy & Advanced Platforms, where he built a reputation for innovation, particularly around emerging digital platforms and formats such as Movies Anywhere and UHD (4K-HDR). He also was one of original founders of UltraViolet and helped launch the DECE consortium. Other roles during his 19 years at Sony included SVP New Media & Technology, where he was responsible for establishing digital policy across all Sony Pictures digital distribution businesses. Rich also worked at Sony Music Entertainment’s New Media Department where he developed Sony Music’s first Enhanced CDs. Rich is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the Television Academy, and has been awarded over 30 patents. He holds a Master’s degree in Interactive Telecommunications from NYU - Tisch School of the Arts and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Rutgers College.
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Rick Champagne leads Global Media & Entertainment Industry Management for NVIDIA. In this role, Rick works closely with customers and industry partners in the Film, TV, and Broadcast industries to promote the advancement and adoption of new technologies. With a long history of managing products such as the Autodesk 3ds Max and Maya Entertainment Creation Suites, Softimage, Mudbox, and Painter, Rick has been in the service of Artists and Technologists for over two decades. Rick maintains close ties to industry as a member of the Visual Effects Society, HPA, and serves on the Board of Governors of the Advance Imaging Society, and as a committee member of ASWF. Rick holds a Master's in Business Administration.
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Rob Bredow is an Academy Award-nominated VFX Supervisor who serves as SVP, Chief Creative Officer of Industrial Light & Magic. Bredow has a particular focus on the creative strategy for the storied visual effects company where he is responsible for the company’s overall creative teams, innovation, and technology. Rob also serves in the role of SVP, Creative Innovation for Lucasfilm where he serves as a creative producer on select films and series. Some of Bredow’s previous projects include VFX Supervisor and Co-Producer on Solo: A Star Wars Story, writer and director of Lucasfilm’s story-based virtual reality experiment Trials on Tatooine, and films dating back to Independence Day.
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A creative and entrepreneurial marketing executive with over 25 years of experience leading an established entertainment company. Successful ventures include all facets of movie/TV production and digital/mobile marketing. His teams have produced versatile award-winning promotional campaigns across multiple platforms for all six major stdios. Their work also includes the creative for many TV networks including: ABC/Disney, A&E, CBS, FX, FXX, HBO, NBC, PBS, TBS, TNT, truTV, and Cartoon Network. They have been integrally involved in the marketing and promotion for groundbreaking network television programming such as: The Bear, The Simpsons, The Office, American Ninja Warrior, American Horror Story, Sons of Anarchy, Modern Family, Family Guy, Seinfeld, The Goldbergs, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Movie marketing campaigns include creative for all major studios in trailers and TV spots as well as digital campaigns. As President/CEO, he has created innovative platforms that both maximize efficiencies and present opportunities for entertainment studios and networks to generate new revenue with their content in digital and mobile. DGE has developed proprietary and patented AI driven content management systems TVPro CMSTM and MoviePro CMSTM. These systems enable streamlined production for the short form premium content platforms TV BitesTM and Movie BitesTM. Davis has also led DG Entertainment into the world of original sports programming in a strategic partnership with Triller and sports streaming service DAZN. Produced content includes Mano a Mano, I AM Boxing 2, Off The Canvas and Ring Report. DGE’s capabilities include complete media marketing for movies/TV, content creation, content management, graphic design, video/audio post production, podcasts, SAG-AFTRA signatory contracts and complete voice over solutions for film and TV.
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As Vice President, Worldwide Content Relations for Dolby, Ron Geller is responsible for global strategy to support the adoption of Dolby technologies among studios, content creators, and others in the content community. Ron is a media and entertainment industry veteran with broad global experience. He has played a key role in a wide variety of initiatives, including the launch of new television channels, television production joint ventures, and other significant projects involving interactive television, broadband and mobile content, post production, media supply chain services, and satellite communications. Prior to Dolby, Ron worked at Sony Pictures Entertainment for ten years where he held business development and operations roles in traditional television and digital media. Ron then worked in the post production and media services sector for Ascent Media Group and Deluxe Digital Media. He started his career at Hughes Communications marketing satellite transponders to television and radio networks. Ron received a BS in finance and marketing from Syracuse University and an MBA from the University of California at Los Angeles.
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Experienced executive of 25+ years, with extensive experience designing, operating and supporting world-class motion picture production infrastructure and services supporting unique production and post-production workflows. Prior experience and extensive knowledge of film production and post-production pipelines and associated systems. Intimately familiar with large-scale data center infrastructure as well as cloud environments. Possessing the ability to balance the urgent needs of feature production today with long-term solutions tomorrow. Able to identify commonalities among the various stakeholders’ technology infrastructure needs and collaboratively work to bring the organization together where it makes sense, without disrupting their unique approaches for success.
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Simon Crownshaw serves as Worldwide Media and Entertainment Strategy Director for Microsoft. He provides leadership and direction to teams across studios, broadcasting, sports, interactive and live events and the solutions that power those focus areas. In addition to supporting the hundreds of global customers and helping them harness the power of Microsoft to enable media workflows, he is focused on media cloud adoption and the critical data, AI and metaverse elements that will redefine content creation and delivery in the future. Simon has almost 20 years of experience across all elements of the digital media landscape. Before joining Microsoft, he led technical solutions and strategy at multiple studios including the Walt Disney Company across production, postproduction, and the entire media supply chain. He has also been involved in cutting edge solutions that have leveraged game engine processing, and advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning. His philosophy is civilized content creation and to enable creative talent to be able to use whatever technology they want wherever they want to use it. He also sits on the boards of MovieLabs, Hollywood Professionals Association, and the Entertainment Technology Center at USC. Simon is a champion and advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the technology and media industries. He is also helping the industry examine a more focused effort on sustainability with clients across the world.
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Soyoung is a co-founder at Twelve Labs, an AI research and product company based in the Bay Area building multimodal foundation models for video understanding. Twelve Labs is named to CB Insights' most promising 100 AI companies and Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies. Being one of the founders, Soyoung heads the go-to-market and business development for Twelve Labs. Prior to Twelve Labs, Soyoung was an auditor and consultant at PwC, where she worked with technical and business teams at Fortune 500 technology companies on their cybersecurity and compliance practices.
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Steve May’s tenure at Pixar Animation Studios spans more than 25 years, where he is currently Chief Technology Officer. In this role, he leads all technology at the studio, including software R&D, information systems, RenderMan, and the development of visual effects tools and processes for each film. Steve began his tenure at Pixar Animation Studios in 1998 as a technical director on TOY STORY 2. For Pixar’s next film, MONSTERS, INC., he helped to pioneer the fur technology and overall look for the character Sullivan. He went on to work as a supervising technical director for FINDING NEMO, CARS, UP, and BRAVE. Prior to Pixar, Steve was a member of the research faculty at The Ohio State University. He received a Ph.D. in computer science and engineering as well as bachelor’s of science and master’s of science degrees from The Ohio State University.
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As Aardman's Chief Technology Officer, Steven Shapiro oversees technical teams to develop a technology strategy that reflects the long-term plans of the studio. Steven plays a key role as Aardman hones its creative skills bringing character, story and craft to opportunities enabled through new platforms and emerging technologies. Steven joins Aardman from The Walt Disney Studios where, as Principal Architect, Motion Picture Innovation, he focused on applying innovation to support productions across all The Walt Disney Pictures live action studio banners, from Marvel Studios to Disney Live Action MPP (Motion Picture Productions). Prior to this, he helped build the Production Technology team at Marvel Studios in his role as Director. He has more than 20 years of experience in media and entertainment technology, working on more than 30 features and episodics, managing teams and contributing in the areas of visual effects, gaming, image and colour pipelines, stereography and conversion, finishing, FX art and more.
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