
Digital Hollywood: The AI & Entertainment Summit
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
3 – 3:50 PM Eastern Time Zone
Session II: A Virtual Event
A New Era of Visualization: AI – VFX – XR - Immersive Engines + Creative Platforms
Step into the future of entertainment, where AI, VFX, XR, and immersive engines collide to redefine storytelling for the digital age. This isn’t just a tech showcase—it’s a bold leap into uncharted creative territory, designed for entertainment executives ready to push boundaries. Picture AI-driven scripts sparking fresh narratives, VFX crafting jaw-dropping worlds, XR blurring the lines between reality and imagination, and immersive platforms delivering experiences that captivate like never before. From virtual production pipelines to next-gen creative tools, we’re unveiling the arsenal shaping Hollywood’s next chapter. It’s a high-stakes playground where innovation meets artistry, and the only limit is your vision. Join us to explore this new era, spark bold ideas, and raise a glass to what’s next—because the future of visualization isn’t just here, it’s electric.
Speakers:
Lucien J. Harriot, President & VFX Supervisor, Mechanism Digital
Roos van der Jagt, Double O Roos, Visionary Filmmaker and Multidisciplinary Artist
Evette Vargas, CoFounder, Indigo Reign Films
Rich Sutton, Managing Partner, DMRS Advisory, LLC, Moderator
Roos van der Jagt is a visionary filmmaker, AI producer, and creative strategist with over 15 years of experience at the intersection of cinema, storytelling, and emerging technologies. As founder of Earth Rising, she develops speculative formats that fuse generative AI, immersive platforms, and narrative design to push the boundaries of digital storytelling. Her work has been featured at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), Cannes, and NYU’s GenART and MIT AI Cinema Hackathon. She is currently developing Miss Algorithmique: The Feminist Oracle Voice of the Future, a transmedia project exploring algorithmic voice, synthetic intimacy, and feminist tech aesthetics.
Roos is a CPP (Creator Partnership Program) member with ImagineArt, Pixverse, Hailuo, and SkyReels, actively shaping the future of AI video, voice, and cinematic content. At Digital Hollywood 2025, she presents a keynote proposal for ImagineArt’s brand integration into the international film industry, focusing on AI-powered positioning strategies, creative trust-building, and the future of visual storytelling. Her contribution bridges artistic experimentation and strategic brand value — with a sharp eye on what's next.
Lucien Harriot is a futurist, VFX Supervisor, and President of Mechanism Digital—a New York City-based studio he founded in 1996. With nearly three decades of experience in visual effects, animation, and next-gen media, Lucien is a trailblazer in the convergence of AI, VFX, XR, and immersive storytelling. His award-winning studio serves a broad range of clients, from feature films and episodic content to medical education and global marketing campaigns. Lucien is a recognized expert in the integration of generative AI into creative pipelines. He consults privately with studios and agencies, helping them adopt advanced AI workflows to elevate storytelling, production efficiency, and visual fidelity. He also authored the new AI chapter in the upcoming 4th edition of the Visual Effects Society Handbook, drawing on insights from his ongoing GenAI2.0 webinar series. Known for his agile problem-solving and forward-thinking approach, Lucien leads teams of technical artists across both studio and on-set environments. Under his leadership, Mechanism Digital continues to push boundaries with AR/VR, immersive platforms, and AI-enhanced post-production. Lucien is a member of the Visual Effects Society and the Producers Guild of America, and a regular speaker at industry events. His mission: to bridge emerging technologies with creative production—and to help shape the future of digital storytelling.
Rich Sutton, Managing Partner, DMRS Advisory, LLC: Highly regarded and with proven success in digital media, Sutton has more than 30 years of experience in management, marketing, startups, turnarounds and working to grow world-class brands. Sutton's been Chief Revenue Officer at Everyday Health, Trusted Media Brands and The Daily Mail. Previously, he was Senior Vice President of consumer markets at WebMD, where he tripled and broadened the company’s client base. Prior to joining WebMD, Sutton served as Senior Vice President for Warner Bros. Entertainment where he led digital media sales and client marketing for Warner Bros. Online for more than 13 years. Sutton’s work with brands has been recognized by Ad Age, Forbes, AAAA, and Adweek, among other industry publications, and online and marketing awards. He is the author of “Best Practices in Branded Entertainment” for the Association of National Advertisers, as well as several White Papers for Trusted Media Brands, including: “The Future of Digital Video” and “Can Video and Native Formats Rule Mobile Advertising?”. In 2018 Digiday named Sutton "Top Boss.” Partnered with Doug McFarland, Sutton today is Managing Partner of DMRS Advisory, LLC. www.dmrsadvisory.com With a wide range of clients, start-ups to Fortune 100 companies, DMRS Advisory consults on business growth, go-to-market strategy as well as fundraising. Rich lives on Long Island with his wife of 30 years Wendy who consistently beats him at Scrabble. Sutton’s side hustle is commercial voice over work: www.richsuttonvoiceover.com