VR Forums & Panels

Running time: Varies mins

Ready to dive into the realm of Virtual Reality with all of its opportunities, challenges, fun, and fascination? Join leaders and luminaries, who are shaping the emerging world and industry of Virtual and Augmented Realities, as they explore timely and entertaining topics. Artists, innovators, and audiences alike are welcome and wanted in these lively sessions designed to heighted your sense of what’s happening and what’s possible. Fri, Mar. 3 3:30pm - 5:00pm SJ Stage How to Make a Great VR Game/Immersive Experience. Discover the amazing tips and tricks our expert panelists provide on how to make a truly spectacular interactive experience in VR, both immersive cinema and gaming. Panelists: Ashley Pinnick, Co-Founder, California Rex Denny Unger, CEO, Cloudhead Games - Call of the Starseed Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Founder, Enhance Games - Rez Infinite Timoni West, Principal Designer, Unity Labs - Unity Labs VR Team Trevor Blom, Lead Programmer, Vertigo Games - Arizona Sunshine Moderator: Robert Hernandez, Associate Professor of Professional Practice, USC Annenberg School of Journalism Sat, Mar. 4 10:30am - 12:00pm Uchida Hall What’s Too Real? Controversial yet Compelling VR. Join us to explore controversial yet compelling aspects of VR in areas such as adult film, violence, and horror. Our panelists provide a variety of expertise and will discuss the hottest topics, best practices, and overcoming challenges in these intriguing and rapidly growing areas of VR. Panelists: Justin Denton, Director, Dark Corner Studios - Burlap Guy Shelmerdine, Director, Dark Corner Studios - Mule David Malone, CEO, VRHush - Alter Ego Ela Darling, Head of Content, Cam4VR - Live Cam 360 VR Moderator: Christina Heller, Co-Founder/CEO, VR Playhouse Sun, Mar. 5 1:30pm - 3:00pm Uchida Hall The Future of VR As the world of VR and AR continues to expand at a rapid and momentous rate, we explore what the future holds in store for artists, creators, and audiences. Panelists: Moderator: Tony Parisi, Head of VR/AR Strategy, Unity Jean Yves Chainon, Founder & CEO, JYC Production Studio Jenn Duong, Director of VR, 1215 Creative - Co-Founder of SH//FT Shiraz Akmal, CEO, Spaces VR Larry Cutler, CTO, Baobab Studios Delix Alex, Product Manager, Panasonic Moderator: Tony Parisi, Head of Strategy, Unity Sun, Mar. 5 4:00pm- 5:30pm Uchida Hall Business of VR Art and Business have always been strange bedfellows. Yet VR, like film, makes business integral to the ability to make and experience the art, the media. Industry experts discuss the various portions of Business of VR including funding, distribution, marketing, and monetization. Panelists: Natacha Merritt, Investment Director, Westsummit Capital - Investor Marco DeMiroz, General Partner, The VR Fund - Investor Guy Primus, CEO & Co-Founder, The VR Company - The Martian Daniel Gregoire, Director, Matter VR Ryan Pulliam, Co-Founder/CMO, Specular Theory Sat, Mar. 11 1:30am - 3:00pm SJ Stage VR Verticals VR plays an increasingly important and thrilling role in not only entertainment, but also across industries such as medical, defense/military, journalism, education and more. Join industry experts and futurists who dive into the various impacts VR and AR are having throughout society. Panelists: Ando Shah, Founder & CEO, Tesseract Shauna Heller, Founder, Clay Park VR - 360 High School Challenge Kevin Mack, Creator, Shape Space VR - Blortasia/VFX Oscar Winner Amir Rubin, CEO, Sixense - STEM Motion Controller Moderator: Sarah Hill, Co-Founder, StoryUP Studios