Deep Panels Set Apart World Animation and VFX Summit

It was just two days, but the third annual World Animation and VFX Summit seemed to jam several lifetimes worth of experience in for the attendees.

Staged at the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, the summit presented a strong and rewarding program of panels that delved directly and deeply into the animation and VFX industries’ most relevant issues and groundbreaking projects.

Led by keynotes from Mr. Peabody and Sherman director Rob Minkoff, Maxon CEO and president Paul Babb and Nickelodeon Studios senior VP of animation production David Steinberg, the bench of panelists was deep.

Attending and speaking at the Summit were:

• David Silverman, Director (The Simpsons, The Longest Day Care);
• Don Hahn, Producer (Maleficent, The Lion King);
• Julia Pistor, Executive Producer (Max Steel, Rugrats movies);
• Tony Bancroft, Director (Mulan, Bunyan & Babe);
• Jody Simon, Partner and Chair of Production Company Practice, Fox Rothschild LLP;
• Julie Kane-Ritsch, Head of Animation and Family Entertainment, The Gotham Group;
• Nancy Newhouse Porter, Partner and Co-founder, Newhouse Porter Hubbard;
• Dean DeBlois, Director (DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon 2);
• Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi, Directors (LAIKA’s The Boxtrolls);
• Jorge Gutierrez, Writer and Director (Reel FX’s The Book of Life);
• Paul Young, Co-founder of Ireland’s (Cartoon Saloon’s Song of the Sea);
• David Jesteadt, Director of Distribution, GKIDS;
• Melissa Boag, VP of Kids and Family Entertainment, Shout! Factory;
• Simon Crowe, Founder and President, SC Films;
• Chris McKay, Animation Co-Director & Editor (The LEGO Movie, Robot Chicken);
• Chris Miller, Co-director (The LEGO Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs);
• Dan Lin, Producer (The LEGO Movie, Ninjago);
• Pablo Plaisted, Cinematographer (The LEGO Movie, Happy Feet 2);
• Glen Keane, Director (Duet) Supervising Animator (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid);
• Karen Dufilho, Executive Producer, Google ATAP;
• Max Keane, Production Designer; (Duet);
• Rachid El Guerrab, Technical Project Lead, Google ATAP;
• David Steinberg, SVP of Animation Production, Nickelodeon Studios;
• Mary Bredin, Exec VP, Guru Studio;
• Pascal Blais, Founder, Pascal Blais Studio;
• Rob Davies, Partner and VP of Development, Atomic Cartoons;
• Shabnam Rezaei, Co-Founder, Big Bad Boo Studios;
• Anja Sosic, Producer, Human Ark (Poland);
• Chuck Powers, Chief Creative Officer, Kartun Studios (Malaysia);
• Dirk Hampel, Founder, B-Waters Studio (Germany);
• Trevor Lai, Founder/CEO/Creative Director, UP Studios (China);
• Paul Babb, President and CEO of Maxon US;
• Andy Blazdell, President, CelAction;
• Brandon Parvini, Creative Director, Ghost Town Media;
• Daniel Gregoire, Founder/CEO/Previs Director, Halon;
• Harold Moss, Founder and Creative Director, Flickerlab;
• Ron Frankel, Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Proof Inc.;
• Claudia Katz, Co-founder and Exec VP, Rough Draft Studios;
• Halle Stanford, Exec VP of Children’s Ent., The Jim Henson Company;
• Kara Vallow, Producer (Family Guy);
• Aaron Parry, EVP and COO, Stereo D;
• Cort Lane, VP of Animation Development and Partnerships, Marvel TV;
• David Voss, Senior VP, Mattel Playground Productions;
• Troy Underwood, Director, Current Series, Disney TV Animation;
• Daren Ulmer, President and Chief Creative, Mousetrappe;
• Frank Drucker, Head of Broadcast Production, All Things Media;
• Richard Taylor, Media Director of Themed Entertainment, RGH

With the opening-night party and two days of panels completed, the summit wrapped up with a tour of Cartoon Network Studios, Mousetrappe and RGH Themed Entertainment.

We’d like to thank our sponsors: MDEC, DreamWorks Animation, CelAction, Mattel Playground Productions, Atomic Cartoons, Maxon, Illumination Entertainment, RGH, Stereo D, Sony Pictures Animation, Mondo, Big Bad Boo Studios and Natural Talent, Inc.

We look forward to seeing everyone at next year’s summit.