Charlie Fink, Metaverse Consultant, Forbes Columnist, Author, Adjunct: Charlie Fink writes the weekly Forbes column “This Week in XR" and co-hosts its eponymous companion podcast. He is the author of the upcoming Dissecting the Metaverse (Fall 2022), Remote Collaboration and the Future of Work (2020), and the critically acclaimed AR-enabled books Charlie Fink’s Metaverse (2017), and Convergence, How The World Will Be Painted With Data (2019). He teaches XR at Chapman University Film School in Orange, CA. Fink's forty year career at the convergence of popular culture and technology began at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1987 where he famously came up with the idea for “The Lion King" and became the studio’s youngest creative Vice-President. Fink's work in technology began in 1992 when he joined Tim Disney’s pioneering location-based VR company, Virtual World Entertainment, as its COO. In 1995, AOL recruited him to be Senior Vice President & Chief Creative Officer of AOL Studios (1995-1999). Fink was President of American Greetings Interactive and Blue Mountain (2000-2004). His other experience includes exits from several startups and running the New York Musical Festival. Fink's consulting clients include both tech giants and start ups trying to find their place in the rapidly evolving metaverse ecosystem.

Ellenor Argyropoulos is an award-winning Australian director and photographer now based in Los Angeles, Ellenor co-founded Mermaid Toast with Aphra Williams. Their agency specializes in film and commercial content, driven by a dynamic female team that embraces innovative storytelling through cutting-edge technology. She has served as a consultant for the ASC’s Motion Imaging Technology Council’s AI Committee and recently participated in a panel discussion alongside industry giants like James Cameron and Rob Legato from ILM. My commitment to pioneering in film extends to my latest venture: an online course at Mermaid Toast designed to teach filmmakers how to integrate AI tools for creating impactful pitch decks and trailers. Recognized by industry luminaries such as George Miller, Rose Byrne, Bruno Papandrea, and Sam Neill, her work constantly pushes creative boundaries and sets new standards in cinematic innovation. Mermaid Toast is redefining the landscape of independent filmmaking by leveraging the power of community and advanced AI technology. Our upcoming platform is set to revolutionize the industry by enabling directors to create AI-generated movie trailers, facilitating powerful pitches, and securing funding for their projects. Additionally, Mermaid Toast cultivates a global community of industry professionals, fostering collaboration and unlocking new opportunities. Our educational initiatives, including the comprehensive five-week online course "A Filmmaker's Guide to Using AI for Powerful Pitching," empower filmmakers to harness AI in their creative processes. Through Mermaid Toast, Aphra and I are dedicated to empowering a vibrant community of global storytellers, pushing the boundaries of modern filmmaking and nurturing the next generation of filmmakers.

Zak Penn, renown Hollywood writer, director and producer is widely known for directing Incident at Loch Ness and The Grand, the screenplay for The Incredible Hulk, co-creating screenplays for X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, and the story for The Avengers. With Michael Karnow, Penn is the co-creator of the television series Alphas on the Syfy network. He has directed the documentary film, Atari: Game Over and in addition, Penn is also a jury member for the digital studio Filmaka, a platform for undiscovered filmmakers to show their work to industry professionals.

Rob Minkoff was born and raised in Palo Alto, California where he developed a love for theater, film, and animation. Upon graduating Cal Arts' Character Animation Program, Rob began his career at the Walt Disney Studios in the Animation Department as a Character Designer, Animator, and Story Artist, working on such seminal films as THE LITTLE MERMAID and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Rob made his feature directorial debut with Disney's Academy Award winning THE LION KING, featuring the songs of Elton John and Tim Rice, and the voice talents of James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane. After a twelve year career at Disney, Rob left to explore the world of Live-Action with Columbia Pictures' STUART LITTLE and its sequel, STUART LITTLE 2, starring Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Michael J. Fox. In 2007 Rob traveled to China to direct the Martial Arts Action-Adventure, THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, featuring Chinese superstars Jackie Chan & Jet Li. Rob then returned to animation for the 3D CGI MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN based on Jay Ward’s classic characters. The film stars Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Allison Janney, Stanley Tucci and Stephen Colbert.  Rob is currently producing an all-new Animated Feature, BLAZING SAMURAI, based on Mel Brooks’ classic, BLAZING SADDLES. The film stars Michael Cera, Samuel L. Jackson and Ricky Gervais.

Ted Schilowitz, Futurist, Paramount Global: Ted spends his time and pursues his passion in a unique role in the entertainment industry. Ted works across the leadership and the technology teams across Paramount Global, including CBS, CBS Sports, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Plus, MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, PlutoTV and Comedy Central, exploring emerging tech for entertainment with an emphasis on Virtual and Mixed Reality and Web 3.0/ MetaVerse pursuits. Prior to joining Paramount, Ted was the Futurist at 20th Century Fox, where he worked on the evolving art, science and technology of advanced interactive visual storytelling. He was part of the creation team for the Martian VR and Wild VR experiences, which premiered at CES and Sundance as groundbreaking projects that pushed the envelope of Virtual Reality storytelling, Ted was part of the creation teams for the Alien, Planet of the Apes and Predator VR experiences at Fox, and at his current home at Paramount Pictures, he’s been instrumental in bringing the Grease Mixed Reality experience, the Light as a Feather mixed reality experience and the Quiet Place Virtual Reality experience to life. Ted was an integral part of the product development team at Red Digital Cinema as the company’s first employee. The Red One and Epic cameras have made a significant impact on the Motion Picture Industry, winning a Sci-Tech Academy award. Many of the world’s biggest movies are now being shot with these ultra high resolution digital movie cameras. Ted is one of the founders and creators of the G-Tech product line of advanced hard drive storage products. As one of the most recognized brands in that industry, they are implemented worldwide at the highest levels on cinema, episodic television, sports and news production. In his role as Chief Creative Officer at Barco Escape, he spearheaded an experimental immersive cinema project for movie theaters worldwide. Titles include Paramount Pictures Star Trek Beyond and 20th Century Fox Maze Runner & Maze Runner 2. Before being part of the founding teams at Red Digital Cinema and G-Tech, Ted was on the team that developed and launched the Macintosh desktop video division of AJA Video Systems, creating professional video products in tandem with Apple. These products are used on a massive scale worldwide for video production and post at the highest levels, on many of the world’s biggest movies, TV series and sporting events. Ted has presented worldwide at numerous conferences on the advancements in next generation visual experiences for the movie, television and, interactive entertainment industries. He’s been featured in Wired, Variety, NY Times, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, The Hollywood Reporter, NBC, CNET, Studio Daily, Videography, Film and Video, DV Magazine, TV Technology, HD Video Pro, Engadget, Gizmodo, Millimeter, American Cinematographer, MacWorld, Post Magazine, Popular Science, and countless other publications discussing his areas of passion and exploration. In 2019, Ted was honored at the Variety Hall of Fame event with the Variety Innovation Award.