Tribeca Talks: Future of Film - Interactive Technology in Storytelling

Tribeca Talks

45 MINUTES |

TRIBECA TALKS: FUTURE OF FILM - INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY IN STORYTELLING

Entertainment media is finally evolving, and its technology which is revolutionizing it for the truly digital age. Join us in conversation with the world’s leading interactive video technology, WIREWAX, and globally-renowned tastemakers Netflix, Digital Reign amongst others, to unveil how they’re poised to ride this new wave of digital entertainment. We’ll get inside the minds of those who are leading the march and using interactive video to deepen audience involvement and depart from passive video consumption. Panelists include Dave Schlafman, Interactive Originals at Netflix, Evette Vargas, CEO of Digital Reign, Jon Dakss, EVP and Chief Digital Officer, MGM/EPIX, Casey Pugh, Head of Creator Labs at Vimeo and Steve Callanan, CEO and co-founder of WIREWAX. Moderated by WIREWAX Co-Founder Dan Garraway.

PANELISTS

Dan Garraway

Dan Garraway

Dan started in the humble origins of website design and development at university, going on to form a company which delivered the first video-dating website in the UK. During this time he traversed the industry to work in both television production and web technology at a time of tangible convergence. Dan joined Steve in 2008 at a time of unprecedented growth in online video content and became a co-founder of WIREWAX, where he now leads US growth.

Steve Callanan

Steve Callanan

An electronic engineer by education, Steve started his career as the youngest TV producer in the UK. His company also became the largest producer of short-form, branded video content delivering hundreds of hours of content for the biggest online publishers. During this time, Steve developed the first motion-tracking, interactive video technology in 2010. This became the basis for WIREWAX, a multi-award-winning video technology powered by artificial intelligence which now serves over 25,000 users, including some 750 global brands.

Dave Schlafman

Dave Schlafman

Dave Schlafman is a five-time Emmy-nominated producer and director with over thirteen years experience producing content, digital products and interactive experiences for companies such as Nickelodeon, PBS, and most recently Netflix. Dave has spent his career working with TV networks, game studios, and tech companies, exploring the intersection of storytelling, design, and technology. Currently, Dave is the Interactive Originals Design Manager at Netflix where his team is collaborating with creators and producers to design and build next generation story experiences on the global platform.

Casey Pugh

Casey Pugh

Casey Pugh is an Emmy-winning developer and designer immersed in the online video industry for the past 11 years. As Head of Creator Labs at Vimeo, Casey leads the vision, strategy and execution for pushing the video platform beyond its existing storytelling boundaries. In 2009, he created Star Wars Uncut, a crowd-sourced remake of classic Star Wars movies that won a 2010 Primetime Emmy. Casey was an early employee of Vimeo and co-founder of VHX, a technology solution for creators building and distributing premium over-the-top (OTT) video channels, which was acquired by Vimeo in May 2016.

Evette Vargas

Evette Vargas

Evette Vargas is an award-winning creator and immersive storyteller. Named by the New York Times as an "Artist to Watch," Vargas' work includes series for Amazon, MTV, Bravo; interactive content for Fast And Furious and Lord Of The Rings trilogy; and exec producing, writing and directing her digital series Dark Prophet, starring Henry Rollins, which contended for two Emmys. Vargas is penning the Mix Master Mike feature biopic and drama series Tinacious. Vargas wrote The Current War VR Experience, a companion for the film, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Vargas created the Immersiveplay, the industry standard for immersive scriptwriting for Final Draft.

Jon Dakss

Jon Dakss

Jon Dakss leads all EPIX digital product development and user experience design, and is also responsible for building new digital experiences for MGM. Since joining EPIX in 2016, Dakss has continued the network’s leadership in technical innovation, introducing industry-leading digital products including EPIX Cast which sends movies from the mobile app to any smart TV, and the first premium streaming app for a connected car in partnership with Honda. Previously, Dakss was VP, Media Labs at NBCUniversal leading NBCU’s Converged Media team, Co-Founder and CTO of WatchPoint Media and VP Technology & Partnerships at GoldPocket Interactive.