#TECH: MDEC to host Malaysia's 2-in-1 virtual gaming event

				Wed 9 Nov 2022 \| 11:00 – 11:45 PANEL SESSION : SOUTHEAST ASIA – DIGITAL CONTENT TALENT POWERHOUSE Cita Ballroom Description The digital content sector, broadly covered as animation, games, visual effects and its related production, development, distribution and commercialisation ecosystems, is essentially a creative industry driven by innovative studios and talented individuals and teams. The very nature of these individuals, skillsets and capabilities are the fuel of the creative industry. The Southeast Asian landscape for these talents is as diverse as the multi-ethnic cultures, languages and traditions of over 680 million people in the region. This panel session will talk about recent research, led by MDEC in partnership with more than ten regional industry associations and over 150 studios and schools.
Nazliyah Ali Sector Head, Industry Partnership, Talent Corp Malaysia				Nazliyah primarily oversees the Oil, Gas and Energy (OGE) and Communications Content and Infrastructure (CCI) in TalentCorp’s Industry Partnership department. She has established profound relations with key players, large organisations, and leading associations of the OGE and CCI sector to drive collaborations for talent development. With over 12 years of client management, business development and sales experience in property development, advertising and banking, Nazliyah started out in TalentCorp in 2012 working on the Malaysian professional and student diaspora programmes, before transferring to Industry Partnership where she continues to engage employers, focusing on addressing mismatches between the talent market supply and demand. Prior to TalentCorp, Nazliyah was a Client Management Manager at a public relations agency where she managed prominent corporate accounts in several sectors. Nazliyah holds an Honours Degree in Business Administration (Marketing) from Universiti Teknologi MARA.

Eka Chandra AINAKI, Indonesia				Eka Chandra is the Secretary General of AINAKI and CEO of IOTA Studio. He has been involved in the creative industry for more than 10 years. Their latest development is a platform called IOTA Kids which helps studios or creators monetize their IPs in Indonesia and the SEA market.

Cris Dumlao SIKAP, Philippines				Cris Dumlao is one of the founding members of SIKAP and its current Vice President. She has 20 years industry experience, having produced content being shown in the Asian region. She is also a multi-award creative entrepreneur, representing the Philippines in pitch competitions worldwide. Cris is currently an independent animation producer, a 3D animation specialist, and an animation consultant for Kampilan Productions, LLC and Animation Vertigo, Inc.

Nop Dharmavanich TACGA, Thailand				Nop Dharmavanich is an animation director, Motion graphics designer, and brand builder, the founder of award Tomogram studio and former President of the Thai animation and computer graphics association (TACGA) Nop graduated from Savannah college of art and design majoring in Computer Art. He has worked in almost all aspects of the industry from interactive, motion design, animation, and VFX. One of his well-known works as a director was “The story of Mahajanaka” an animation that involved more than 14 animation studios in Thailand. Nop was a president of TACGA from 2018-2022, which gave him opportunities to work with many private and public organizations, both domestic and international, in developing and strengthening the animation industry, studios as well as digital content education in Thailand. Now, he is a vice president of TACGA and a committee of the National Film Board of Thailand.

Jasni Zain (Moderator) Head, Research & Partnerships MDEC				Jasni is the Head of Research & Partnerships for Digital Content Development within the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). Currently overseeing industry research and exploring partnerships opportunities, he also has led national and industry strategy formulation and funding programs for industry and studios within the space of animation, games, visual effects and new media. He has over 22 years experience across a range of industries, and has served the last 13 years in the public sector concentrating on tech, outsourcing, national economic planning and the creative content industry.

Wed 9 Nov 2022 \| 11:00 – 11:45 PANEL SESSION : SOUTHEAST ASIA – DIGITAL CONTENT TALENT POWERHOUSE Cita Ballroom Description The digital content sector, broadly covered as animation, games, visual effects and its related production, development, distribution and commercialisation ecosystems, is essentially a creative industry driven by innovative studios and talented individuals and teams. The very nature of these individuals, skillsets and capabilities are the fuel of the creative industry. The Southeast Asian landscape for these talents is as diverse as the multi-ethnic cultures, languages and traditions of over 680 million people in the region. This panel session will talk about recent research, led by MDEC in partnership with more than ten regional industry associations and over 150 studios and schools.
Nazliyah Ali Sector Head, Industry Partnership, Talent Corp Malaysia Nazliyah primarily oversees the Oil, Gas and Energy (OGE) and Communications Content and Infrastructure (CCI) in TalentCorp’s Industry Partnership department. She has established profound relations with key players, large organisations, and leading associations of the OGE and CCI sector to drive collaborations for talent development. With over 12 years of client management, business development and sales experience in property development, advertising and banking, Nazliyah started out in TalentCorp in 2012 working on the Malaysian professional and student diaspora programmes, before transferring to Industry Partnership where she continues to engage employers, focusing on addressing mismatches between the talent market supply and demand. Prior to TalentCorp, Nazliyah was a Client Management Manager at a public relations agency where she managed prominent corporate accounts in several sectors. Nazliyah holds an Honours Degree in Business Administration (Marketing) from Universiti Teknologi MARA.

Eka Chandra AINAKI, Indonesia Eka Chandra is the Secretary General of AINAKI and CEO of IOTA Studio. He has been involved in the creative industry for more than 10 years. Their latest development is a platform called IOTA Kids which helps studios or creators monetize their IPs in Indonesia and the SEA market.

Cris Dumlao SIKAP, Philippines Cris Dumlao is one of the founding members of SIKAP and its current Vice President. She has 20 years industry experience, having produced content being shown in the Asian region. She is also a multi-award creative entrepreneur, representing the Philippines in pitch competitions worldwide. Cris is currently an independent animation producer, a 3D animation specialist, and an animation consultant for Kampilan Productions, LLC and Animation Vertigo, Inc.

Nop Dharmavanich TACGA, Thailand Nop Dharmavanich is an animation director, Motion graphics designer, and brand builder, the founder of award Tomogram studio and former President of the Thai animation and computer graphics association (TACGA) Nop graduated from Savannah college of art and design majoring in Computer Art. He has worked in almost all aspects of the industry from interactive, motion design, animation, and VFX. One of his well-known works as a director was “The story of Mahajanaka” an animation that involved more than 14 animation studios in Thailand. Nop was a president of TACGA from 2018-2022, which gave him opportunities to work with many private and public organizations, both domestic and international, in developing and strengthening the animation industry, studios as well as digital content education in Thailand. Now, he is a vice president of TACGA and a committee of the National Film Board of Thailand.

Jasni Zain (Moderator) Head, Research & Partnerships MDEC Jasni is the Head of Research & Partnerships for Digital Content Development within the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). Currently overseeing industry research and exploring partnerships opportunities, he also has led national and industry strategy formulation and funding programs for industry and studios within the space of animation, games, visual effects and new media. He has over 22 years experience across a range of industries, and has served the last 13 years in the public sector concentrating on tech, outsourcing, national economic planning and the creative content industry.

Dean Reinhard
Sr. Technical Account Manager,
Epic Games

Tue 8 Nov 2022 | 09:50 – 10:45

KEYNOTE : REAL-TIME ANIMATION – PIPELINE OR PIPE-DREAM
Cita Ballroom

Description
A journey from concept to creation across the Epic Games Ecosystem which include tools such as Unreal Engine 5, Quixel, Reality Capture, Sketchfab and Artstation. This keynote session will look at the amazing work that creators across South East Asia and the globe have been doing across the full virtual production spectrum, ranging from storyboarding and pre viz, through to In Camera VFX (ICVFX) and final pixels, directly inside the Unreal Engine tools.

Dean Reinhard is an evangelist and technical account manager for Epic Games in Southeast Asia and leads the company’s growth in non-game markets such as AEM (Architecture, Engineering, Manufacturing) and M&E (Media & Entertainment). Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company and developer of the Unreal Engine, the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D tool.

As a technologist, engineer, and developer for over 10 years, Dean is passionate about helping everyone — business leaders, product designers, entertainers, newscasters, or architects — hone their creativity through cutting edge technology. He has helped to generate a range of different projects for clients, while winning multiple awards across VR/AR and physical prototyping in the process. In his current role at Epic Games, Dean will be driving the use of Unreal Engine especially in non-games sector, helping companies elevate and disrupt the way creative teams work. He is also a serial entrepreneur, having founded MeshMinds — a company at the intersection of art and technology — and Elevate Tech, which specialises in predictive maintenance. Prior to this, he has also held strategic leadership roles at iris Worldwide and Leo Burnett, among others.

				Wed 9 Nov 2022 \| 14:15 – 15:00 PANEL SESSION : UNDERSTANDING THE METAVERSE – FUD & FOMO (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt & Fear Of Missing Out) Cita Ballroom Description Learn how IP & Brand Owners can work together with Metaverse Platforms and what are the future prospects.
George Wong CEO Reactive Labs				George Wong is the Head of Malaysia & Singapore of The Sandbox, a leading decentralized virtual world and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands. Concurrently, he’s the Chief Executive Officer for Reactive Labs, a blockchain advisory covering corporate structuring, tokenomics & Web 3.0 implementation, the Sub-committee Chairperson for NFTs & Metaverses in ACCESS Blockchain Association Malaysia, the Chief Technology Officer for Finnax Asia and the Honorary Secretary for Women in Blockchain Asia. His early MNC corporate career in Sony Malaysia, saw him managing up to a MYR120 million business portfolio, winning internal domestic and & international awards for explosive business growth & marketing innovation. Prior to this, he has ventured more than 20+ start-ups and initiatives from retail to publishing & most notably in the investment and blockchain space. He has managed a variety of investment-related firms, supported the growth of a regional investment community, and even successfully completed an ICO in 2018

Noriman Saffian Head of Monsta MetaLabs Monsta				Noriman Saffian is the Head of Monsta MetaLabs. With 12 years of experiences in the animation industry, he’s been involved in multiple Monsta’s IP (BoBoiBoy, Mechamato, Papa Pipi) projects from the production to the marketing of the animated shorts, TV series, full length animated movies and even branded content. He now leads a new division in Monsta, that builds and develops immersive digital experience of Monsta’s IP in the metaverse for audiences to interreact, socialize and play.

Jazni Zain (Moderator) Head, Research & Partnerships MDEC				Jasni is the Head of Research & Partnerships for Digital Content Development within the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). Currently overseeing industry research and exploring partnerships opportunities, he also has led national and industry strategy formulation and funding programs for industry and studios within the space of animation, games, visual effects and new media. He has over 22 years experience across a range of industries, and has served the last 13 years in the public sector concentrating on tech, outsourcing, national economic planning and the creative content industry.

Wed 9 Nov 2022 \| 14:15 – 15:00 PANEL SESSION : UNDERSTANDING THE METAVERSE – FUD & FOMO (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt & Fear Of Missing Out) Cita Ballroom Description Learn how IP & Brand Owners can work together with Metaverse Platforms and what are the future prospects.
George Wong CEO Reactive Labs George Wong is the Head of Malaysia & Singapore of The Sandbox, a leading decentralized virtual world and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands. Concurrently, he’s the Chief Executive Officer for Reactive Labs, a blockchain advisory covering corporate structuring, tokenomics & Web 3.0 implementation, the Sub-committee Chairperson for NFTs & Metaverses in ACCESS Blockchain Association Malaysia, the Chief Technology Officer for Finnax Asia and the Honorary Secretary for Women in Blockchain Asia. His early MNC corporate career in Sony Malaysia, saw him managing up to a MYR120 million business portfolio, winning internal domestic and & international awards for explosive business growth & marketing innovation. Prior to this, he has ventured more than 20+ start-ups and initiatives from retail to publishing & most notably in the investment and blockchain space. He has managed a variety of investment-related firms, supported the growth of a regional investment community, and even successfully completed an ICO in 2018

Noriman Saffian Head of Monsta MetaLabs Monsta Noriman Saffian is the Head of Monsta MetaLabs. With 12 years of experiences in the animation industry, he’s been involved in multiple Monsta’s IP (BoBoiBoy, Mechamato, Papa Pipi) projects from the production to the marketing of the animated shorts, TV series, full length animated movies and even branded content. He now leads a new division in Monsta, that builds and develops immersive digital experience of Monsta’s IP in the metaverse for audiences to interreact, socialize and play.

Jazni Zain (Moderator) Head, Research & Partnerships MDEC Jasni is the Head of Research & Partnerships for Digital Content Development within the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). Currently overseeing industry research and exploring partnerships opportunities, he also has led national and industry strategy formulation and funding programs for industry and studios within the space of animation, games, visual effects and new media. He has over 22 years experience across a range of industries, and has served the last 13 years in the public sector concentrating on tech, outsourcing, national economic planning and the creative content industry.

Gunasegaran Sinniah,
Director
Pixibit Pte. Ltd.

Tue 8 Nov 2022 | 12:00 – 12:45

THE FUTURE OF AR’s IMMERSIVE MEDIA

Cita Ballroom

Description
Discover the advantages of using new media with Augmented Reality to enhance businesses and lives of individuals. This presentation highlights realistic future ideas of digital innovations that can enhance the creativity and development of content with realistic outcomes using emerging 5G-enabled smart technologies. This session showcases works with Mixed Reality enabled 360 productions and its usage.

Gunasegaran Sinniah is the Director of Pixibit Pte Ltd and is involved in new media training and content development using AR/VR Immersive Experience. Pixibit Pte Ltd develops and facilitates experiential trainings for live long learners in Singapore.

Don Anderson
CEO/Founder
Kaddadle

Tue 8 Nov 2022 | 14:15 – 15:00

UNLOCKING THE METAVERSE

Cita Ballroom

Description

Much has been written and said about Web3 and the Metaverse revolution in the last 12 months. In this session, Asia Metaverse Society founder Don Anderson provides a deep dive examination of the roots and origins of the Metaverse, from the early days of virtual reality to avatar-led experiences like Second Life and Korea’s Cyworld.

Don is founder and CEO of Singapore-based media and entertainment consultancy Kaddadle.

With more than 25 years in the media and entertainment space, Don previously served as Head of Family & Learning Partnerships at YouTube APAC, overseeing the platform’s partnerships in the region and working with the region’s top children’s entertainment and learning creators including broadcasters, animation studios, independent producers and leading toy brands and learning institutions.

Don was responsible for leading the launch of YouTube Kids, the world’s leading video app and site, in more than 16 markets in Asia, and led YouTube APAC Premium and Music Subscriptions Marketing. He has held senior leadership roles at Cartoon Network, CNN, ESPN STAR Sports, We Are Social and FleishmanHillard over the past 15 years.

A native Canadian, former journalist and teacher, Don holds an MBA from Macquarie Graduate School of Management, a BA in Journalism from Ryerson University, new media certification from the Canadian Film Centre. Don actively serves in the community, and is Chair and Co-founder of the AsiaVR Association and the Asia Metaverse Society.

Sinan Ismail
Founder
Durioo+

Tue 8 Nov 2022 | 15:15 – 16:00

Durioo+ JOURNEY AND LEARNINGS FROM PRODUCER TO OTT PLATFORM OWNER

Cita Ballroom

Description

In a single year, Durioo+ recruited thousands of paying subscribers, licensed hundreds of episodes of content, and created 12 original IPs. How? Follow Sinan (the founder of Durioo+, Didi & Friends and Omar & Hana) as he provides knowledge about developing intellectual property, obtaining funding from Silicon Valley investors, operating an OTT platform, and prospects for content creators to license or co-produce with Durioo+.

Sinan Ismail is the founder of Durioo+ (YC W22). A safe streaming platform for Muslim children. He is also the co-founder of Digital Durian, a company that produced IP’s such as Omar & Hana and Didi & Friends.

Lyon Liew
Lead Technical Director
Pixar Animation Studios

Tue 8 Nov 2022 | 16:15 – 17:00

STORY & TECH: MY JOURNEY IN PIXAR

Cita Ballroom

Description
A look at the effects of technology on the art of storytelling and how it can alter the relationship between storytelling and the idea of the story itself.

Lyon Liew is currently a Lead Technical Director at Pixar. Born in Malacca, he grew up loving movies. After graduating, he was hired by Lucasfilm Animation and began working on Clone Wars. Since then, he has done several stints at other studios including Animal Logic and Industrial Light & Magic.

Melinda Ozel

Expressionist Scientist

Consultant & Lecturer

Wed 9 Nov 2022 | 12:00 – 12:45

FACE THE FACS (Virtual)

Cita Ballroom

Description

Understanding the science of facial expressions to create compelling stories for the screen.

Melinda Ozel is a consultant and educator on all things face-related. Melinda worked as a researcher at Meta and Affectiva where she used her expression expertise to advise the tracking and simulation of facial behavior. She now help companies in film, game, & tech create compelling animated characters and build high-fidelity face tracking technology.

Harry Teper

Executive Vice President

Your Family Entertainment (YFE)

Wed 9 Nov 2022 | 15:15 – 16:00

‘JANGAN MALU-MALU’ – GETTING YOUR SHOW PICKED UP!

Cita Ballroom

Description

It’s never easy when you face rejection after rejection when pitching your show. “Jangan Malu – Malu – Getting your show picked up!” will give you insights from an executive who has been on both sides of the business, and a brief overview of the content Kartoon Channel and Kidaverse intend to acquire and co-produce.

Harry Teper is the Executive Vice President of YFE based in London. His responsibilities include launching Kartoon Channel and Kidaverse, an on-demand service for Asia, Japan, Western Europe, LATAM, and Brazil. In collaboration with management, he develops products that resonate and cut through the clutter. Prior to joining YFE in June, he served as senior vice president of content development, digital and programming at Blue Ant’s ZooMoo network, where he developed, acquired, coproduced and commissioned content and was the Managing Director of Omens Studios London.

Paul Robinson

President, Kartoon Channel, Worldwide

Genius Brands International

Wed 9 Nov 2022 | 17:15 – 18:15

CLOSING KEYNOTE : GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS FOR WORLDWIDE SUCCESS

Cita Ballroom

Description

What makes a hit and what strategies can you deploy to make your show a success worldwide, including partnerships, co-production and building engagement.

Paul’s background is in media and digital having been Head of Strategy at the BBC, Managing Director of Walt Disney Television International and CEO of NBC Universals jv KIdsCo TV. He is now President of Kartoon Channel from Genius Brands, the US based Nasdaq quoted company. Paul a specialist in digital, channels, production, and kids’ media.


Tue 8 Nov 2022 \| 09:50 – 10:45 KEYNOTE : REAL-TIME ANIMATION – PIPELINE OR PIPE-DREAM Cita Ballroom Description A journey from concept to creation across the Epic Games Ecosystem which include tools such as Unreal Engine 5, Quixel, Reality Capture, Sketchfab and Artstation. This keynote session will look at the amazing work that creators across South East Asia and the globe have been doing across the full virtual production spectrum, ranging from storyboarding and pre viz, through to In Camera VFX (ICVFX) and final pixels, directly inside the Unreal Engine tools. Dean Reinhard Sr. Technical Account Manager, Unreal Engine Dean Reinhard is an evangelist and technical account manager for Epic Games in Southeast Asia and leads the company’s growth in non-game markets such as AEM (Architecture, Engineering, Manufacturing) and M&E (Media & Entertainment). Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company and developer of the Unreal Engine, the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D tool. As a technologist, engineer, and developer for over 10 years, Dean is passionate about helping everyone — business leaders, product designers, entertainers, newscasters, or architects — hone their creativity through cutting edge technology. He has helped to generate a range of different projects for clients, while winning multiple awards across VR/AR and physical prototyping in the process. In his current role at Epic Games, Dean will be driving the use of Unreal Engine especially in non-games sector, helping companies elevate and disrupt the way creative teams work. He is also a serial entrepreneur, having founded MeshMinds — a company at the intersection of art and technology — and Elevate Tech, which specialises in predictive maintenance. Prior to this, he has also held strategic leadership roles at iris Worldwide and Leo Burnett, among others.

Tue 8 Nov 2022 | 09:50 – 10:45

KEYNOTE : REAL-TIME ANIMATION – PIPELINE OR PIPE-DREAM
Cita Ballroom

Description
A journey from concept to creation across the Epic Games Ecosystem which include tools such as Unreal Engine 5, Quixel, Reality Capture, Sketchfab and Artstation. This keynote session will look at the amazing work that creators across South East Asia and the globe have been doing across the full virtual production spectrum, ranging from storyboarding and pre viz, through to In Camera VFX (ICVFX) and final pixels, directly inside the Unreal Engine tools.

Dean Reinhard
Sr. Technical Account Manager,
Unreal Engine

Dean Reinhard is an evangelist and technical account manager for Epic Games in Southeast Asia and leads the company’s growth in non-game markets such as AEM (Architecture, Engineering, Manufacturing) and M&E (Media & Entertainment). Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company and developer of the Unreal Engine, the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D tool.

As a technologist, engineer, and developer for over 10 years, Dean is passionate about helping everyone — business leaders, product designers, entertainers, newscasters, or architects — hone their creativity through cutting edge technology. He has helped to generate a range of different projects for clients, while winning multiple awards across VR/AR and physical prototyping in the process. In his current role at Epic Games, Dean will be driving the use of Unreal Engine especially in non-games sector, helping companies elevate and disrupt the way creative teams work. He is also a serial entrepreneur, having founded MeshMinds — a company at the intersection of art and technology — and Elevate Tech, which specialises in predictive maintenance. Prior to this, he has also held strategic leadership roles at iris Worldwide and Leo Burnett, among others.


Tue 8 Nov 2022 \| 12:00 – 12:45 THE FUTURE OF AR’s IMMERSIVE MEDIA Cita Ballroom Gunasegaran Sinniah, Director Pixibit Pte. Ltd. Description Discover the advantages of using new media with Augmented Reality to enhance businesses and lives of individuals. This presentation highlights realistic future ideas of digital innovations that can enhance the creativity and development of content with realistic outcomes using emerging 5G-enabled smart technologies. This session showcases works with Mixed Reality enabled 360 productions and its usage. Gunasegaran Sinniah is the Director of Pixibit Pte Ltd and is involved in new media training and content development using AR/VR Immersive Experience. Pixibit Pte Ltd develops and facilitates experiential trainings for live long learners in Singapore.

Tue 8 Nov 2022 | 12:00 – 12:45

THE FUTURE OF AR’s IMMERSIVE MEDIA

Cita Ballroom

Gunasegaran Sinniah,
Director
Pixibit Pte. Ltd.

Description
Discover the advantages of using new media with Augmented Reality to enhance businesses and lives of individuals. This presentation highlights realistic future ideas of digital innovations that can enhance the creativity and development of content with realistic outcomes using emerging 5G-enabled smart technologies. This session showcases works with Mixed Reality enabled 360 productions and its usage.

Gunasegaran Sinniah is the Director of Pixibit Pte Ltd and is involved in new media training and content development using AR/VR Immersive Experience. Pixibit Pte Ltd develops and facilitates experiential trainings for live long learners in Singapore.

Tue 8 Nov 2022 | 14:15 – 15:00

UNLOCKING THE METAVERSE

Cita Ballroom

Don Anderson
CEO/Founder
Kaddadle

Description

Much has been written and said about Web3 and the Metaverse revolution in the last 12 months. In this session, Asia Metaverse Society founder Don Anderson provides a deep dive examination of the roots and origins of the Metaverse, from the early days of virtual reality to avatar-led experiences like Second Life and Korea’s Cyworld.

Don is founder and CEO of Singapore-based media and entertainment consultancy Kaddadle.

With more than 25 years in the media and entertainment space, Don previously served as Head of Family & Learning Partnerships at YouTube APAC, overseeing the platform’s partnerships in the region and working with the region’s top children’s entertainment and learning creators including broadcasters, animation studios, independent producers and leading toy brands and learning institutions.

Don was responsible for leading the launch of YouTube Kids, the world’s leading video app and site, in more than 16 markets in Asia, and led YouTube APAC Premium and Music Subscriptions Marketing. He has held senior leadership roles at Cartoon Network, CNN, ESPN STAR Sports, We Are Social and FleishmanHillard over the past 15 years.

A native Canadian, former journalist and teacher, Don holds an MBA from Macquarie Graduate School of Management, a BA in Journalism from Ryerson University, new media certification from the Canadian Film Centre. Don actively serves in the community, and is Chair and Co-founder of the AsiaVR Association and the Asia Metaverse Society.

Wed 9 Nov 2022 | 12:00 – 12:45

FACE THE FACS (Virtual)

Cita Ballroom

Description

Understanding the science of facial expressions to create compelling stories for the screen.

Melinda Ozel

Expressionist Scientist

Consultant & Lecturer

Melinda Ozel is a consultant and educator on all things face-related. Melinda worked as a researcher at Meta and Affectiva where she used her expression expertise to advise the tracking and simulation of facial behavior. She now help companies in film, game, & tech create compelling animated characters and build high-fidelity face tracking technology.

Tue 8 Nov 2022 | 16:15 – 17:00

STORY & TECH: MY JOURNEY IN PIXAR

Cita Ballroom

Lyon Liew
Lead Technical Director
Pixar Animation Studios

Description
A look at the effects of technology on the art of storytelling and how it can alter the relationship between storytelling and the idea of the story itself.

Lyon Liew is currently a Lead Technical Director at Pixar. Born in Malacca, he grew up loving movies. After graduating, he was hired by Lucasfilm Animation and began working on Clone Wars. Since then, he has done several stints at other studios including Animal Logic and Industrial Light & Magic.

Tue 8 Nov 2022 | 15:15 – 16:00

Durioo+ JOURNEY AND LEARNINGS FROM PRODUCER TO OTT PLATFORM OWNER

Cita Ballroom

Sinan Ismail
Founder
Durioo+

Description

In a single year, Durioo+ recruited thousands of paying subscribers, licensed hundreds of episodes of content, and created 12 original IPs. How? Follow Sinan (the founder of Durioo+, Didi & Friends and Omar & Hana) as he provides knowledge about developing intellectual property, obtaining funding from Silicon Valley investors, operating an OTT platform, and prospects for content creators to license or co-produce with Durioo+.

Sinan Ismail is the founder of Durioo+ (YC W22). A safe streaming platform for Muslim children. He is also the co-founder of Digital Durian, a company that produced IP’s such as Omar & Hana and Didi & Friends.

Wed 9 Nov 2022 | 15:15 – 16:00

‘JANGAN MALU-MALU’ – GETTING YOUR SHOW PICKED UP!

Cita Ballroom

Description

It’s never easy when you face rejection after rejection when pitching your show. “Jangan Malu – Malu – Getting your show picked up!” will give you insights from an executive who has been on both sides of the business, and a brief overview of the content Kartoon Channel and Kidaverse intend to acquire and co-produce.

Harry Teper

Executive Vice President

Your Family Entertainment (YFE)

Harry Teper is the Executive Vice President of YFE based in London. His responsibilities include launching Kartoon Channel and Kidaverse, an on-demand service for Asia, Japan, Western Europe, LATAM, and Brazil. In collaboration with management, he develops products that resonate and cut through the clutter. Prior to joining YFE in June, he served as senior vice president of content development, digital and programming at Blue Ant’s ZooMoo network, where he developed, acquired, coproduced and commissioned content and was the Managing Director of Omens Studios London.

Wed 9 Nov 2022 | 17:15 – 18:15

CLOSING KEYNOTE : GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS FOR WORLDWIDE SUCCESS

Cita Ballroom

Description

What makes a hit and what strategies can you deploy to make your show a success worldwide, including partnerships, co-production and building engagement.

Paul Robinson

President, Kartoon Channel, Worldwide

Genius Brands International

Paul’s background is in media and digital having been Head of Strategy at the BBC, Managing Director of Walt Disney Television International and CEO of NBC Universals jv KIdsCo TV. He is now President of Kartoon Channel from Genius Brands, the US based Nasdaq quoted company. Paul a specialist in digital, channels, production, and kids’ media.

Wed 9 Nov 2022 \| 16:15 – 17:00 PANEL SESSION : FUNDS & GRANTS – SHOW ME THE MONEY (Hybrid) Cita Ballroom
Vincent Paolo Naval (Virtual Appearance) FPO Program Supervisor, FDCP Film Philippines Office Vincent Paolo Naval is from the Film Philippines Office under the Film Development Council of the Philippines. He has been with the agency for a year and have been exposed to much of the industry of Film Financing and Grants. He currently works on the financial and service assistance programs of the film commission in the Philippines and would be happy to share with what they have to offer, from Film Grants, Locations, and even production assistance.

Walid Omar Executive Producer Lil Critter Workshop Walid Omar founded Lil Critter Workshop after a successfully running a studio for 12 years. He has executive produced and funded two original Lil Critter series, Hogie the Globehopper (Netflix, Discovery Kids) and the Asian TV Award-winning Buck and Buddy (CITV, Cartoon Network APAC) and grown the Lil Critters Workshop studio in Kuala Lumpur as a go-to destination for animation service work. The former MIPTV Producer to Watch is setting up a UK animation development studio in the UK this year.

Tang Chi Sim Founder & CEO Omens Studio Chi Sim is a tech and media entrepreneur who was technical co-founder of Amoeba Interactive and earth9.com, which he helped built and exited, and currently devotes his time as Founder and CEO to award-winning animation and digital media company Omens Studios and film company Taipan Films. Chi Sim is primarily responsible for financing, business and product development. A graduate of the National University of Singapore’s Computer Science department, Chi Sim previously worked as an engineer at Microsoft before venturing into entrepreneurship. He enjoys the creative process and holds a patent for collaborative group information management.

Mohan Low (Moderator) Director MDEC Director of Digital Creative Content at MDEC, he helps drive the mission to develop the digital creative content industry in Malaysia. He has over 15 years of experience in the digital content space, leading teams across games development, games commercialization and ecosystem building. Mohan has launched over 30 games during the course of his career. His passion has also led him to mentor over a 100 game projects and organize gaming culture events. He currently works towards building Malaysia into a regional digital content hub.

Wed 9 Nov 2022 \| 09:45 – 10:45 DIGITAL CONNECTIONS: GLOBAL KIDS’ MEDIA TRENDS Cita Ballroom
Sam Harris Director Auger Insights Sam is a deeply experienced researcher and strategist with a background in media, youth audiences, and platform development. Using a range of classic and modern research methodologies – and utilising his background in marketing, consulting, and content creation – Sam regularly works with brands to unlock powerful insights about core consumers and their ever-evolving needs.

Ligia Talludec Director 121 Insights Brazil A language specialist and trained UX and qualitative researcher with over 15 years of experience in the industry, Ligia is praised for her ability to combine fresh, innovative thinking with marketing clarity to answer big business questions. For over a decade, Ligia was part of Kantar’s qualitative team, focused on International and institutional inter-company projects. She is a champion for UX and CX areas, conducting F2F and online IDIs to test different interfaces (from e-commerce websites to mobile prototype apps), working with highly demanding key clients in the Technology Industry

Bonnie Wang Researcher & Semiotician Freelancer Bonnie is an experienced strategist, qualitative researcher and semiotician with an education background in visual sociology, strategy and management in HK and Europe. She started her career with consumer and market knowledge in P&G Germany, before joining The Behavioural Architects to understand the irrationality of human behaviour. After 4.5 years in Flamingo connecting brands with Chinese culture, she worked at InnateMotion helping brands defining their social purposes, before she started freelancing in London and Shanghai. Bonnie specialised in media and entertainment, fashion, beauty, tech, and placemaking. Some of her key clients include Dior, Adidas, Dyson, and Mercedes

Pam Goldfarb Liss Founder LitBrains With more than 30-years of experience, Pam enjoys the never-know-what’s-coming-next fun of interviewing consumers especially kids, teens and their parents. She has interviewed on subjects from pasta, hamburgers and tax software to prescription drugs, hospital stays, baby bottles and online privacy with clients including Philips Avent, Barilla, Bayer, Coca Cola, Deluxe, General Mills, Google, Glaxo-Smith-Kline (GsK), Horizon Organic, Microsoft, Nickelodeon, Procter & Gamble, United Healthcare and Zillow. An industry advocate devoted to ensuring kids and teens are not just productive in focus groups but feeling safe and encouraged to be. For more than a decade, Pam created and taught a course: ‘Moderating Kids and Teens’ at RIVA Market Research Institute. Now, Pam has taken this course online with more live and on-demand workshops on moderating with kids and teens in her new Mission Kid Possible powered by LitBrains-Igniting Ideas! at www.litbrains.com. Pam is also an active industry speaker and presenter. She has served four years as a board director on the Qualitative Research Consultants Association. Pam also participates in other annual events devoted to creativity including the Creative Education Foundation and its Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) and also enjoys attending their partner event, the Florida Creativity Institute.

Haruna McWilliams Head Of Accounts Tokyoesque Haruna is a Strategist with 20+ years with global experience in Japan, UK, US, Singapore and now the Netherlands. A native Japanese, who grew up in Europe and was educated at an international school, made her very curious about how cultures around the world are different but also similar. Her experience in advertising, branding and media also made her an expert in ‘making sense’ of what’s happening in cultures and societies, and predicting where cultures are shifting to. She is currently Head of Accounts at Tokyoesque, where she makes Japan make sense for the world, and vice versa.

Alexander Brown Marketing Assistant Tokyoesque Alex is the marketing assistant at Tokyoesque. Having graduated in 2021 with a Master of Arts in Japanese from the University of Edinburgh, during which time he studied in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, he has since worked in manga translation with Amimaru before joining Tokyoesque at his current position. The cultural studies aspect of his degree, and also his time spent studying and working in Kyoto, allowed him to tackle manga translation with a wealth of cultural knowledge to draw upon, helping him to rapidly advance to higher projects.

Debbie Bray Co-Founder Hook Research Debbie has been carrying out qualitative research for 20 years for the UK’s biggest media brands. She is a youth audience expert and her experience means that she is regularly asked to talk at conferences and contribute thought leadership about the media lives of young consumers. Debbie has supported the biggest youth audience content owners in the UK and globally – working across a range of new and classic IPs to help her clients produce content that speaks to the ever-evolving tastes of young people around the world.

Nick Fisher Co-Founder Hook Research Nick has 20 years experience in media consultancy. In this time, he has specialised in research, strategy and creative development for media providers. He has a huge deal of kids experience, having worked with many of the major kids platforms and channels around the world (Warner, BBC, Disney, Viacom). In particular, Nick has developed a deep expertise in the global animation landscape, having worked on a vast range of heritage and new IP launches over the course of his many years in the industry.

Tue 8 Nov 2022 \| 17:15 – 18:15 PANEL SESSION : THE BUSINESS OF DIGITAL COMICS – FUTURE TRENDS AND THE NEXT BEST THING! (Virtual) Cita Ballroom
Stu Levy Founder & CEO TOKYOPOP Stu Levy is an international entrepreneur, producer, director and writer across mediums including graphic novels, film, television and new media. Founder of the pioneering media company TOKYOPOP, Stu is known for establishing the manga market in North America. As a producer, Stu has a number of live-action and animated feature films and television shows in various stages of development, including adaptations of Alex Unlimited and Mail Order Ninja. He produced English adaptations of television and home video anime series including the hits Initial D, GTO, and Rave Master. His first major studio feature film as Executive Producer was Priest, released theatrically worldwide in 2011 through Sony Pictures. Stu has directed two feature films (his feature documentary Pray for Japan and his award-winning feature debut Van Von Hunter), the 8-episode docu-reality series America’s Greatest Otaku, and several music videos. Stu wrote the Princess Ai and Juror 13 graphic novels, as well as Karma Club and Sailor Moon novels. Fluent in Japanese and a licensed California attorney, Stu served as chair of the Producers Guild of America’s International Committee, its Online Video Committee, and the PGA Producers Showcase (ProShow); and a Board Member of its New Media Council. His philanthropic activities over the years have included Japan’s Tohoku tsunami recovery, projects with Make-a-Wish Foundation, and literacy advocacy. Besides speaking at numerous industry events and guest lecturing to students, Stu’s a melted ball of paddy for his two little children, an avid endurance athlete who compares himself to the Energizer bunny sans ears, a very amateur composer, and an iPhone-photo-trigger-happy foodie.

Hieu Tran Co-founder & Head of Operations INKR Global Hieu is the co-founder and head of operations at INKR Global (inkr.com), a fast-growing digital comics platform with a simple mission: to make comics universally accessible. They help bring amazing comics and manga to the world by working directly with the creators and publishers, helping to localize the content and distribute it on their platform. INKR is currently with over 100+ leading publishers and creators from Japan, Korea, China, US, South East Asia, distributing over 1,700 diverse comics, and they hope to work with more and more talented creators and publishers around the world.

Usamah Zaid Yasin (Speaker/Moderator) Founder & Executive Director WAU Animation Usamah Zaid is the Founder & Executive Director of WAU Animation, the studio behind Ejen Ali, the highest viewed animation series across all FTA TV stations in Malaysia. Partnering with Media Prima, a local media giant, Ejen Ali stormed into the scene alongside 2 gaming apps and has won numerous accolades, including “Best Short Animation” at the Malaysia Film Festival. Usamah has been in the industry for over 16 years. Prior to WAU, he was one of the pioneers of Les’ Copaque and co-created Malaysia’s iconic twins, Upin & Ipin after graduating from Multimedia University with a degree in Film and Animation.

Tue 8 Nov 2022 \| 11:00 – 11:45 PANEL SESSION: FRAMED MEMORIES – TELLING YOUR STORY THROUGH MUSIC Cita Ballroom Andrew Bong CEO, Media Music Composer & Producer, Ventura Interactive, Laundry Music Andrew Bong is a media music composer & producer from Sarawak (Borneo), Malaysia. He is known for his music works in Upin & Ipin: Keris Siamang Tunggal (in The Best Animated Feature Film Oscar 2020 shortlist). To date (2022), he has composed music for many Malaysian animations. The titles include Framed Memories, Kuihpocalyse, and The Dalang’s Last Tale, featured in Hollywood Variety news as the Spectrum Trilogy (a co-production with the best animation studio in Singapore) (2019). These animated short trilogy garnered many awards and became official selections in many film festivals such as the Spark Animation 2019 (Oscar-qualifying). Andrew’s recent music scoring works include “Sebayan”, “Borih: The Bidayuh Paddy Priestess”, and “The Pillar of Strength”. He also penned the music score for MIFFEST (Malaysia International Film Festival 2022) opening film, Driving Mr.Palarae starring Bront Palarae (Stone Turtle) & Calvin Wang (Crazy Rich Asian). In July 2022, he wrapped up an original score for a Taiwanese feature film that premiered recently at The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN 2022 Edition) in Korea, “Warning From Hell”, directed by Danny Pang.

Irwan Junaidy (Speaker/Moderator) Chief Creative Officer The R&D Studio Irwan Junaidy graduated with an architecture degree from the UK. He has a passion for telling stories and building make-believe worlds, particularly those that are inspired by the people, arts and cultures of South East Asia. Irwan is the co-founder of The R&D Studio, an award-winning content development studio based in Malaysia. The studio produced Wizards of Warna Walk – the first long form scripted live action television series by Disney in South East Asia. He also directed the animated short films Batik Girl and The Dalang’s Tale, which has travelled to over 70 film festivals and won 12 international awards around the world.
Mclelun Lee Mixed Media Artist / Developer The R&D Studio Mclelun studied computer programming but has a passion and talent for design and arts who happens to be colour-blind. He enjoys painting, game development and experimenting with a variety of softwares.

				Tue 8 Nov 2022 \| 11:00 – 11:45 PANEL SESSION: FRAMED MEMORIES – TELLING YOUR STORY THROUGH MUSIC Cita Ballroom
Andrew Bong CEO, Media Music Composer & Producer, Ventura Interactive, Laundry Music				Andrew Bong is a media music composer & producer from Sarawak (Borneo), Malaysia. He is known for his music works in Upin & Ipin: Keris Siamang Tunggal (in The Best Animated Feature Film Oscar 2020 shortlist). To date (2022), he has composed music for many Malaysian animations. The titles include Framed Memories, Kuihpocalyse, and The Dalang’s Last Tale, featured in Hollywood Variety news as the Spectrum Trilogy (a co-production with the best animation studio in Singapore) (2019). These animated short trilogy garnered many awards and became official selections in many film festivals such as the Spark Animation 2019 (Oscar-qualifying). Andrew’s recent music scoring works include “Sebayan”, “Borih: The Bidayuh Paddy Priestess”, and “The Pillar of Strength”. He also penned the music score for MIFFEST (Malaysia International Film Festival 2022) opening film, Driving Mr.Palarae starring Bront Palarae (Stone Turtle) & Calvin Wang (Crazy Rich Asian). In July 2022, he wrapped up an original score for a Taiwanese feature film that premiered recently at The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN 2022 Edition) in Korea, “Warning From Hell”, directed by Danny Pang.

Irwan Junaidy (Speaker/Moderator) Chief Creative Officer The R&D Studio				Irwan Junaidy graduated with an architecture degree from the UK. He has a passion for telling stories and building make-believe worlds, particularly those that are inspired by the people, arts and cultures of South East Asia. Irwan is the co-founder of The R&D Studio, an award-winning content development studio based in Malaysia. The studio produced Wizards of Warna Walk – the first long form scripted live action television series by Disney in South East Asia. He also directed the animated short films Batik Girl and The Dalang’s Tale, which has travelled to over 70 film festivals and won 12 international awards around the world.

Mclelun Lee Mixed Media Artist / Developer The R&D Studio				Mclelun studied computer programming but has a passion and talent for design and arts who happens to be colour-blind. He enjoys painting, game development and experimenting with a variety of softwares.

				Wed 9 Nov 2022 \| 16:15 – 17:00 PANEL SESSION : FUNDS & GRANTS – SHOW ME THE MONEY (Hybrid) Cita Ballroom
Vincent Paolo Naval (Virtual Appearance) FPO Program Supervisor, FDCP Film Philippines Office				Vincent Paolo Naval is from the Film Philippines Office under the Film Development Council of the Philippines. He has been with the agency for a year and have been exposed to much of the industry of Film Financing and Grants. He currently works on the financial and service assistance programs of the film commission in the Philippines and would be happy to share with what they have to offer, from Film Grants, Locations, and even production assistance.

Walid Omar Executive Producer Lil Critter Workshop				Walid Omar founded Lil Critter Workshop after a successfully running a studio for 12 years. He has executive produced and funded two original Lil Critter series, Hogie the Globehopper (Netflix, Discovery Kids) and the Asian TV Award-winning Buck and Buddy (CITV, Cartoon Network APAC) and grown the Lil Critters Workshop studio in Kuala Lumpur as a go-to destination for animation service work. The former MIPTV Producer to Watch is setting up a UK animation development studio in the UK this year.

Tang Chi Sim Founder & CEO Omens Studio				Chi Sim is a tech and media entrepreneur who was technical co-founder of Amoeba Interactive and earth9.com, which he helped built and exited, and currently devotes his time as Founder and CEO to award-winning animation and digital media company Omens Studios and film company Taipan Films. Chi Sim is primarily responsible for financing, business and product development. A graduate of the National University of Singapore’s Computer Science department, Chi Sim previously worked as an engineer at Microsoft before venturing into entrepreneurship. He enjoys the creative process and holds a patent for collaborative group information management.

Mohan Low (Moderator) Director MDEC				Director of Digital Creative Content at MDEC, he helps drive the mission to develop the digital creative content industry in Malaysia. He has over 15 years of experience in the digital content space, leading teams across games development, games commercialization and ecosystem building. Mohan has launched over 30 games during the course of his career. His passion has also led him to mentor over a 100 game projects and organize gaming culture events. He currently works towards building Malaysia into a regional digital content hub.

				Wed 9 Nov 2022 \| 09:45 – 10:45 DIGITAL CONNECTIONS: GLOBAL KIDS’ MEDIA TRENDS Cita Ballroom
Sam Harris Director Auger Insights				Sam is a deeply experienced researcher and strategist with a background in media, youth audiences, and platform development. Using a range of classic and modern research methodologies – and utilising his background in marketing, consulting, and content creation – Sam regularly works with brands to unlock powerful insights about core consumers and their ever-evolving needs.

Ligia Talludec Director 121 Insights Brazil				A language specialist and trained UX and qualitative researcher with over 15 years of experience in the industry, Ligia is praised for her ability to combine fresh, innovative thinking with marketing clarity to answer big business questions. For over a decade, Ligia was part of Kantar’s qualitative team, focused on International and institutional inter-company projects. She is a champion for UX and CX areas, conducting F2F and online IDIs to test different interfaces (from e-commerce websites to mobile prototype apps), working with highly demanding key clients in the Technology Industry

Bonnie Wang Researcher & Semiotician Freelancer				Bonnie is an experienced strategist, qualitative researcher and semiotician with an education background in visual sociology, strategy and management in HK and Europe. She started her career with consumer and market knowledge in P&G Germany, before joining The Behavioural Architects to understand the irrationality of human behaviour. After 4.5 years in Flamingo connecting brands with Chinese culture, she worked at InnateMotion helping brands defining their social purposes, before she started freelancing in London and Shanghai. Bonnie specialised in media and entertainment, fashion, beauty, tech, and placemaking. Some of her key clients include Dior, Adidas, Dyson, and Mercedes

Pam Goldfarb Liss Founder LitBrains				With more than 30-years of experience, Pam enjoys the never-know-what’s-coming-next fun of interviewing consumers especially kids, teens and their parents. She has interviewed on subjects from pasta, hamburgers and tax software to prescription drugs, hospital stays, baby bottles and online privacy with clients including Philips Avent, Barilla, Bayer, Coca Cola, Deluxe, General Mills, Google, Glaxo-Smith-Kline (GsK), Horizon Organic, Microsoft, Nickelodeon, Procter & Gamble, United Healthcare and Zillow. An industry advocate devoted to ensuring kids and teens are not just productive in focus groups but feeling safe and encouraged to be. For more than a decade, Pam created and taught a course: ‘Moderating Kids and Teens’ at RIVA Market Research Institute. Now, Pam has taken this course online with more live and on-demand workshops on moderating with kids and teens in her new Mission Kid Possible powered by LitBrains-Igniting Ideas! at www.litbrains.com. Pam is also an active industry speaker and presenter. She has served four years as a board director on the Qualitative Research Consultants Association. Pam also participates in other annual events devoted to creativity including the Creative Education Foundation and its Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) and also enjoys attending their partner event, the Florida Creativity Institute.

Haruna McWilliams Head Of Accounts Tokyoesque				Haruna is a Strategist with 20+ years with global experience in Japan, UK, US, Singapore and now the Netherlands. A native Japanese, who grew up in Europe and was educated at an international school, made her very curious about how cultures around the world are different but also similar. Her experience in advertising, branding and media also made her an expert in ‘making sense’ of what’s happening in cultures and societies, and predicting where cultures are shifting to. She is currently Head of Accounts at Tokyoesque, where she makes Japan make sense for the world, and vice versa.

Alexander Brown Marketing Assistant Tokyoesque				Alex is the marketing assistant at Tokyoesque. Having graduated in 2021 with a Master of Arts in Japanese from the University of Edinburgh, during which time he studied in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, he has since worked in manga translation with Amimaru before joining Tokyoesque at his current position. The cultural studies aspect of his degree, and also his time spent studying and working in Kyoto, allowed him to tackle manga translation with a wealth of cultural knowledge to draw upon, helping him to rapidly advance to higher projects.

Debbie Bray Co-Founder Hook Research				Debbie has been carrying out qualitative research for 20 years for the UK’s biggest media brands. She is a youth audience expert and her experience means that she is regularly asked to talk at conferences and contribute thought leadership about the media lives of young consumers. Debbie has supported the biggest youth audience content owners in the UK and globally – working across a range of new and classic IPs to help her clients produce content that speaks to the ever-evolving tastes of young people around the world.

Nick Fisher Co-Founder Hook Research				Nick has 20 years experience in media consultancy. In this time, he has specialised in research, strategy and creative development for media providers. He has a huge deal of kids experience, having worked with many of the major kids platforms and channels around the world (Warner, BBC, Disney, Viacom). In particular, Nick has developed a deep expertise in the global animation landscape, having worked on a vast range of heritage and new IP launches over the course of his many years in the industry.

				Tue 8 Nov 2022 \| 17:15 – 18:15 PANEL SESSION : THE BUSINESS OF DIGITAL COMICS – FUTURE TRENDS AND THE NEXT BEST THING! (Virtual) Cita Ballroom
Stu Levy Founder & CEO TOKYOPOP				Stu Levy is an international entrepreneur, producer, director and writer across mediums including graphic novels, film, television and new media. Founder of the pioneering media company TOKYOPOP, Stu is known for establishing the manga market in North America. As a producer, Stu has a number of live-action and animated feature films and television shows in various stages of development, including adaptations of Alex Unlimited and Mail Order Ninja. He produced English adaptations of television and home video anime series including the hits Initial D, GTO, and Rave Master. His first major studio feature film as Executive Producer was Priest, released theatrically worldwide in 2011 through Sony Pictures. Stu has directed two feature films (his feature documentary Pray for Japan and his award-winning feature debut Van Von Hunter), the 8-episode docu-reality series America’s Greatest Otaku, and several music videos. Stu wrote the Princess Ai and Juror 13 graphic novels, as well as Karma Club and Sailor Moon novels. Fluent in Japanese and a licensed California attorney, Stu served as chair of the Producers Guild of America’s International Committee, its Online Video Committee, and the PGA Producers Showcase (ProShow); and a Board Member of its New Media Council. His philanthropic activities over the years have included Japan’s Tohoku tsunami recovery, projects with Make-a-Wish Foundation, and literacy advocacy. Besides speaking at numerous industry events and guest lecturing to students, Stu’s a melted ball of paddy for his two little children, an avid endurance athlete who compares himself to the Energizer bunny sans ears, a very amateur composer, and an iPhone-photo-trigger-happy foodie.

Hieu Tran Co-founder & Head of Operations INKR Global				Hieu is the co-founder and head of operations at INKR Global (inkr.com), a fast-growing digital comics platform with a simple mission: to make comics universally accessible. They help bring amazing comics and manga to the world by working directly with the creators and publishers, helping to localize the content and distribute it on their platform. INKR is currently with over 100+ leading publishers and creators from Japan, Korea, China, US, South East Asia, distributing over 1,700 diverse comics, and they hope to work with more and more talented creators and publishers around the world.

Usamah Zaid Yasin (Speaker/Moderator) Founder & Executive Director WAU Animation				Usamah Zaid is the Founder & Executive Director of WAU Animation, the studio behind Ejen Ali, the highest viewed animation series across all FTA TV stations in Malaysia. Partnering with Media Prima, a local media giant, Ejen Ali stormed into the scene alongside 2 gaming apps and has won numerous accolades, including “Best Short Animation” at the Malaysia Film Festival. Usamah has been in the industry for over 16 years. Prior to WAU, he was one of the pioneers of Les’ Copaque and co-created Malaysia’s iconic twins, Upin & Ipin after graduating from Multimedia University with a degree in Film and Animation.

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