INNOVATOR SPOTLIGHT SERIES

A Monthly Education Event For the Student Community

The Infinity Festival Innovator Spotlight Series is an engaging platform that highlights creators, innovators, and thought leaders. This series focuses on specific topics that align with the festival’s dedication to storytelling through technology.

The monthly event is hosted at various venues around Hollywood, offering educational insights and unique networking opportunities for our dynamic community. It was a great place to connect with enthusiasts from the tech and entertainment industries.

Attendees included students, faculty and alumni from various universities, as well as industry professionals and members of the tech and Hollywood communities.

The Innovator Spotlight Series kicked off with a dynamic exchange of ideas between students and industry professionals. Randy Greenberg, a seasoned figure in the film industry, shared invaluable insights into business strategy, creative processes, and the integration of evolving technology with Intel’s Rick Hack. They did a deep dive into his projects, highlighting his work on the blockbuster franchise “The Meg.”

Our second Innovator Series event featured an intimate conversation with three-time Academy Award winner and VFX legend Rob Legato, hosted by Variety’s Senior Entertainment Technology & Crafts Editor Carolyn Giardina for an in-depth conversation. Rob captivated our audience through telling compelling stories of coming to Hollywood  and building a fascinating career in VFX and directing. His personal accounts of working with iconic directors like Martin Scorsese, James Cameron and Ron Howard were priceless!

Intel’s Christian Cloud, joined Sony Imageworks’ Associate VFX Supervisor, Ben Aguillon, and FX Supervisor, Spencer Lueders, for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”.

Ben and Spencer spoke on their years of experience working in various capacities, expanding on the importance of honoring the Ghostbusters franchise while improving the cinematic experience with an ever-evolving toolbox of technical advancements. Students took this incredible opportunity to inquire about the use (or non-use!) of AI in the production process and asked about different techniques and tools to get the Stay Puft marshmallow to look perfect.

We hosted the fourth event in our Innovator Series: “A Journey in Creative Technology.”

Rick Hack from Intel facilitated an engaging conversation with Michael Ford, CTO of Sony Pictures Imageworks, and Michael Lasker, VFX Supervisor & Creative Director for CG Features. They discussed their career highlights and offered unique insights into the evolving world of feature animation.

The well-attended event was a tremendous success, featuring both “Michaels” sharing their perspectives on the shifting landscape of feature animation, exemplified by projects like “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and other recent productions.