JOIN US AT THE TECH BIZ ART CONFERENCE

Gabo Arora (UNVR)

Talk: 10.45 am at Stage 1, Schinkelhalle

Do we become better persons with VR?
With movies like Waves of Grace, UNVR filmmaker Gabo Arora showed the impact of 360 degree. His conclusion: If you want to move something, use VR. Because it’s empathetic – and has the power to turn us into better people.

About Gabo Arora

Gabo Arora is Creative Director & Senior Advisor at the United Nations; Founder & President of LightShed, a virtual reality and social impact start-up; and an award-winning filmmaker represented by Vrse.works. His current focus is on new technologies that promote social causes and make decision-making processes more inclusive.

Among these projects, he has developed a viral video campaign for the climate change summit, and worked with internet influencers to promote accountability on global humanitarian aid assistance. His most recent work was as a co-creator, director and producer of the UN’s first-ever virtual reality film series focusing on vulnerable populations.

His work has screened at Sundance and other major film festivals. He is a World Economic Forum 2016 Arts and Cultural leader at Davos and a Term-Member at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Thomas Bedenk (Exozet)

Talk: 11.30 am,  Stage 2, T-Werk

What turns The Settlers of Catan into a great social VR boardgame experience?
Exozet creates a concept study to bring The Settlers of Catan, Germany’s most famous board game, to VR. The Oculus Touch controllers enable social presence. Thomas highlights potentials and hands on learnings of adopting a board game to VR.   

About Thomas Bedenk

Thomas Bedenk is freelance Virtual Reality Consultant for Exozet, amongst others. From 2009 until 2015 he was Creative Director, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Brightside Games. He studied Media Design in Nuremberg and Human Factors in Berlin. He is teaching various game related subjects at game schools and universities.

Before focusing on the games industry he was freelance interactive designer and developer for about 10 years and worked on special effects in the movie industry for a while. He started his love for games playing Pac-Man against his twin brother on the Atari 800XL and developed his first own games 1996.

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Monika Bielskyte (Host Stage 1)

About Monika Bielskyte

Creative director & strategist in the intersection of culture & technology. Focus on immersive media technologies & new, digital formats of reality (AR/VR/MR). Also, nomad, connector, public speaker.

In 2016 I spoke & moderated panels at SXSW, IDEO, NEW MUSEUM. My talks as well as consulting are always about bridging technological advance with connectivity creativity it should facilitate. Exploring how people perceive the future around the globe, making sense of this multiplicity of vision, & helping to prototype the possible futures is what I do: visual futurism & world design in the context of bleeding edge of scientific discovery, but also political, social, environmental innovation.

Diversity & sustainability in our creative thinking & building is what I am most passionate about. I want to see entertainment morph into edutainment. I want to participate in designing ideas, content & experiences so compelling, that they bleed back to reality to make our future a more inspiring space to exist in.

Past work/clients include: ACURA, ALEX MCDOWELL / 5D INSTITUTE, ASTON MARTIN, CERN, CISCO, INTEL, HANSON ROBOTICS, LANVIN, MJZ, NIKE, RESET CONTENT, RICK OWENS, RIDLEY SCOTT ASSOCIATES, RUPERT SANDERS / GHOST IN THE SHELL / DREAMWORKS, SAMSUNG.Currently developing AFE / ALL FUTURE EVERYTHING – documentary VR series & digital platform focused on innovation, as well as marketplace for future products & experiences.

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Kristian Costa-Zahn (UFA Lab)

Panel: 12pm at Stage 2, T-Werk

Do I have to forget everything I know about storytelling?
Storytelling changes with VR. Old knowledge about movie editing may be useless. Even older knowledge about classic theatrical dramaturgy will have a virtual renaissance.

About Kristian-Costa-Zahn

Kristian Costa-Zahn is Head of Creation and Executive Producer of the UFA digital studio “UFA LAB”.

He graduated as a Master of Arts with an interactive feature film in 2003. The following years he worked as a conceptual and graphic designer and film director. At that time he received his first awards for his multimedia film projects for Adidas and Deutsche Post.

He works for UFA GmbH since 2006 and was one of the co-founders of UFA LAB. He brought the following projects to life among others: the transmedia project Wer rettet Dina Foxx (ZDF, 2011), the YouTube Original Channel eNtR berlin (2012/13), the virtual reality experience Virtual Testdrive for smart (2015/16) and the journalistic Facebook format Jäger & Sammler (2016) for funk.

His projects won various national and international awards, among others “New York Festivals Gold World Medal“ (2x), “Best Cross-Platform Fiction” und “Best Interactive Project” at Banff World Media Festival and two “Telly Awards”. His most renowned success so far was winning an “International Digital Emmy” for his latest transmedia project, the Dina Foxx sequel „Dina Foxx – Deadly Contact“ (2014).

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Alysha Naples

Talk: Nov. 16, 10am at Stage 1

What are great questions to ask about VR?
About in which direction we should go with VR. That we have a responsibility to make the right choices. That VR can be a wonderfully social medium. We just have to make it that way.

About Alysha Naples

Alysha Naples has spent a lot of time in the future, simultaneously pushing the frontiers of design within emerging tech while forging the path to adoption within industry and education. Her core philosophy is that products are a reflection of the cultures in which they were created, and that transformative products require an investment in building and nurturing authentic and diverse work cultures.

Most recently, Alysha served as Magic Leap’s Senior Director of User Experience and Interaction. In this role, she helped define new interaction modalities for the next generation of interfaces (VR and AR). She believes that the upcoming paradigm shift away from screen-based interactions will provide an opportunity to reassess the role of computing in our lives. Alysha works to propagate the idea that we must design experiences for individual people to help them achieve their dreams — in whichever reality they choose.

Alysha has spoken internationally on design, education, innovation, women in tech, and the role of experience in virtual and augmented realities. She is a dual US-Italian citizen and hopes to someday live in one of Europe’s great bicycling cities. She likes french fries, milkshakes, dancing, fashion, snowboarding, and board games. Alysha is pursuing certification as a Co-Active Coach and is excited to bring new tools to her work.

Cyril Tuschi

Talk: Nov. 16, 2pm at Stage 1

Why is China crazy for VR?
Berlin documentary filmmaker Cyril Tuschi shows how VR in China is bigger than we’re expecting. The largest country of the world is also the largest and most promising market. And still a great mystery.

Panel: Nov. 16, 3pm at Stage 1

Is location based VR the future of theme parks?
Location based VR is already a big thing. Theme parks use VR solutions to power up their rollercoasters. VR arcades and ambitious multiplayer solutions promise to change the spatial and haptic experience. What can location based games deliver? Where are the limits? 

About Cyril Tuschi

Cyril Tuschi converted from filmmaking to VR.  In 2015 he founded the virtual reality start-up You-VR. Together with international partners Vonderland hedevelops a chain of location-based VR pleasure-grounds.

After philosophy studies in Frankfurt in the late 1980s, Cyril Tuschi opened a nightclub in Frankfurt. In 1992 he enrolled at the Film Academy Baden-Wuerttemberg. His Kafka-adaptation Nightland (1995) won the New York Academy Camera Prize in 1996 at the Berlinale. Tuschi produced his feature debut Slight Changes in Temperature and Mind (2004), which won the audience award at the filmfestival of german film – Ludwigshafen.

2011 the feature length documentary about the Russian imprisoned billionaire Khodorkovsky won the main prize at the documentary festival Munich and the French critiques prize at Valenciennes Filmfestival. With Lala Films he focuses on script development and international co-productions of fictional & documentary topics of political and moral urgency and the lust, to roam aesthetically and storytelling-wise, through uncharted territory. In development: a documentariy about Hippie Kindergarden: Kinderladen. On the fictional side the drama The Immortals about scientists who invent a technique to stop cells from dying.

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James Jensen (THE VOID)

Talk: 2.20pm, Stage 1, Schinkelhalle

The Void wants to conquer the world – what’s their content strategy?
Predominant player on the exciting market of location based VR is The Void. The American start-up is expanding rapidly, planning theme park like VR attractions for collaborative play all over the world. Recently they partnered up with Sony and co-developed a Ghostbusters-themed VR experience. For the first time in Europe, co-founder James Jensen explains the content strategy and technological innovation of THE VOID.

Panel: 3pm, Stage 1, Schinkelhalle

Can VR get better than this?
Location based VR is a virtual reality you can explore while wandering from room to room, you can feel with your full body and share with many people simultaneously. Theme parks use VR devices to power up their rollercoasters. VR arcades and ambitious multiplayer solutions promise to change the spatial and haptic experience. What can location based games deliver? And where are the limits?

About James Jensen

In 2014, the digital entertainment veteran James Jensen met up with Curtis Hickman and Ken Bretschneider to help develop a 3D walkthrough of their Evermore theme park with a small game development team. While working on that project James mentioned a concept that he had been working on for over 17 years for a possible attraction at the park, mapping a virtual world over a physical space.

Ken provided seed funding to start development and Jamesbrought together the team and resources to develop the first proof of concept. By the end of 2014 James and his team finished the proof of concept and proved it was possible to map a virtual world over a matching physical space, THE VOID was born.

From then until the present day THE VOID progresses way beyond just the first concept, providing new methods for VR, utilizing custom Rapture HMD, Haptic vest, infinite 5D sound stages and ground breaking global tracking methods.

Ela Darling (CAM 4)

Talk: 11.15 am at Stage 1, Schinkelhalle

VR live streaming – a game changer for porn?
Most people get their por…, visual stimulation for free in the internet. One of the reasons why sex workers earn less and less for making adult movies. VR streaming can be a game changer. Ela Darling believes in the immense potential of VR porn.

About Ela Darling

Ela Darling is the world’s first Virtual Reality cam girl and a pioneer of VR in the adult industry. As the co-founder and face of VRTube.xxx, Ela joined forces with CAM4 to bring VR live cams to a global scale – empowering performers to monetize across a new medium. Together, they have created a unique service that offers users an experience that far surpasses what was possible with any 2D analog.

Since earning her Master’s degree at the age of 21 and transitioning from a career as a Reference Librarian, Ela has spent the last 7 years as a feminist, porn star, and political activist. She is the President of the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee (APAC) and is on the committee for the Performer Availability Scheduling Service (PASS). In her free time, she plays Dungeons and Dragons with other smutty friends.

I’ll attach a photo as well (you can crop it if it’s too risque). You can try my VR if you go to www.cam4.com/vr and follow downloading instructions for your device.

Markus Gabriel (Uni Bonn)

Talk: 11.45 am at Stage 1, Schinkelhalle

Is real reality nothing more than just another VR?
Representing New Realism, philosopher Markus Gabriel explains virtual reality. Is it a truly new reality? A mediated universe, equal to what we now call “Real Life”? Or even something completely different?

About Markus Gabriel

Prof. Dr. Markus Gabriel holds the Chair in Epistemology, Modern and Contemporary Philosophy at the University of Bonn. He has widely published in metaphysics, epistemology and recently philosophy of mind. His two best known books are Why the World does not Exist (Cambridge: Polity 2014) and I am not a Brain (forthcoming; published in German as Ich ist nicht Gehirn). He has held visiting professorships among other places at Berkeley, Sorbonne, Rio de Janeiro.

Ernst Feiler (Ufa)

Talk: 10.30 am at Stage 2, T-Werk

What is Mixed Reality?
Microsoft’s evangelist presents the potential of HoloLens. Especially maintenance use-cases show how working environments will adopt and integrate AR and MR quickly. Then a quick but intensive panel with Ernst Feiler (Ufa) and Sven Slazenger (Interlake) discusses how the technology is used by partners.

About Ernst Feiler

Ernst Feiler graduated in 1981, qualified as a video technician from the School of Broadcast Engineering in Nuernberg, Germany. After several years as a video technician in public television, Ernst Feiler studied ‘direction and dramaturgy’ at dffb (German Film and Television Academy). Mr Feiler then progressed to fulfill roles as a producer, lecturer and supervisor of post-production in digital media. With previous employment experience in the expansion and construction of a major German engineering service provider, Ernst Feiler eventually joined UFA SERIAL DRAMA. Here, Mr Feiler is Head of Technology and is generally responsible for the integration of new technologies and distribution platforms in the industrial series production process. UFA SERIAL DRAMA, Mr Feiler developed and initiated the introduction of a pure IT-based HD workflow as well as the production support and cloud-based streaming service, ScreenerONE. As part of developing partnerships between UFA SERIAL DRAMA and companies, such as Stargate Studios, ARRI, Adobe, Microsoft, Filmlight, Uncharted Territory and Arvato Ernst Feiler is responsible for the conception, development and launch of new services and industry standards.

Susanne Dickel (IntoVR)

Talk: 2pm at Stage 2

Should journalists stick to simple VR solutions?
An early adopter of 360 degree videos, journalist Susanne Dickel knows when to use immersive imagery for news coverage. She explains how it’s suitable for everyday work, what can be done – and what cannot.

About Susanne Dickel

Susanne Dickel, Co-founder of IntoVR, is one of the experienced 360° journalists in Germany. She created about 40 non fiction 360° videos in 4K quality. After first experiments in early 2015 she travelled last year several times to Serbia, Croatia, Greece and France to cover the situation of the refugees. For one of those videos she received a nomination for the German Web Video Awards which is the most important prize in the field of German online video. It is the short documentary “Making People Happy” about a former US marine who works now as a volunteer in Greece. He talks about his experiences, how he helped to pull people out of the water and tries to cheer them up by playing the violin. Susanne Dickel was awarded by German „Medium Magazin“ as „Top 30 under 30“ in 2015 – a list of young influencers – because of her work with 360° Video.

Pieter van Leugenhagen (YONDR)

Talk: 2.30pm, Stage 2, T-Werk

How will VR change our trips and holidays?
VR is changing the tourist industry. We already check out hotel rooms or holiday apartments in VR. In the future, we will travel with VR. The Yondr is working on a platform that let’s you upload and check out exotic places and foreign countries.

About Pieter van Leugenhagen

Pieter began his career at MTV, then worked in public relations before starting his first business in digital media in 2010. Meanwhile the agency has grown into a solid company and in 2014, they jumped into the virtual reality business by starting YONDR.

As a Co-Founder & Business Strategist of YONDR, he’s a true believer of what tech giants see as the next big computing platform: ‘virtual reality’. YONDR is Belgium’s first immersive media agency that produces high-end 360° videos for a virtual reality experience. Pieter has a clear vision on the business opportunities of VR and is convinced that this time it will be more than just a gimmick.

Yondr is located in both Europe (Antwerp – BAn all-round entrepreneur with a business-driven mindset. He’s a strategic thinker and a born opportunity seeker with nearly a decade of relevant experience in digital marketing and communication.elgium) and the USA (New York). Besides the EU and USA office, they are growing a worldwide network of VR professionals to serve clients on a global base and to scale on the agency, the operational and production process.

Meanwhile, they have managed to build an impressive portfolio, consisting international hero brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Barco, Sunweb, New Balance, Nike, Decathlon, …

They are true believers of creating new business solutions based on the technology of virtual reality. But it doesn’t stop right there. Yondr worked on several successful VR projects in the travel industry. With that proven trackrecord they believe there’s a huge opportunity within this business. Pieter will give his thoughts, based on market research and explain how virtual reality is reshaping the way people pre-experience the destination of their dreams.

Kathleen Schröter (Fraunhofer HHI)

Panel: 12pm, Stage 2, T-Werk

Do I have to forget everything I know about storytelling?
Storytelling changes with VR. Old knowledge about movie editing may be useless. Even older knowledge about classic theatrical dramaturgy will have a virtual renaissance.

About Kathleen Schröter

Since 2007 Kathleen Schröter is working for the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. After working for the internal marketing consulting of Fraunhofers Headquarter, she moved on to Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institutes’ newly formed 3D Innovation Center as its Executive Manager in 2011.

Still managing the Innovation Center under its new name 3IT – Innovation Center for Immersive Imaging Technologies, she is also Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications since October 2014. Kathleen is regularly hosting and moderating various events with a focus on digital media & immersive technologies.

Furthermore, she is founding member of the 3Dguild and member of the ENEMA Committee of the AIS – the Advanced Imaging Society. In 2014 she had the honor to be chairwoman of the BEYOND film festival jury and co-hosting and moderating BEYONDs Symposiums in 2014 and 2016, a 3D, future design & technology festival at the well-known ZKM, Center for Art and Media.

Debby Shepard (AltspaceVR)

Talk: 5.30pm at Stage 1, Schinkelhalle

How do we become human in Social VR?
Will we get lost or will we get closer? The way people experience VR seemes disconnected from the outside and therefore isolated. But social VR gives the promise to connect people. This talk will show how AltspaceVR is bringing people together all over the world to talk, laugh, play, share and connect.

About Debby Shepard

Debby Shepard heads up market development in Europe for AltspaceVR, a social virtual reality company building the next generation communications platform. Most recently, Debby led product, marketing, and art and design for AltspaceVR. She is passionate about the potential of virtual reality to bring people together regardless of distance.

Prior to AltspaceVR, Debby held product management positions at Skype, Cisco Systems, and Amazon Lab126 where she helped bring Amazon Echo to market. Debby Shepard graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

Daniel Sproll (realities.io)

Panel: 5pm, Stage 2, T-Werk

How crazy can VR get?
We’re talking about VR projects that stand our with being experimental in a time when nearly everything is kind of an experiment. How far can we go with VR? How far can we go with art? 

About Daniel Sproll

A background in cognitive science, Daniel started his forays into VR over 4 years ago as a researcher studying human navigation behavior. In the wake of the latest VR renaissance Daniel joined RE’FLEKT as UX Researcher and Designer, working on a wide range of VR & AR projects: data visualization, interactive 360 video and as VR UX lead for the Audi showroom experience.

As a member of the team behind Colosse he won gold at the Oculus Mobile VR Jam. In December 2015 Daniel co-founded realities.io with the goal of making amazing real world places explorable for everyone in VR. After spending half a year at the Boost VC accelerator in Silicon Valley, realities.io is now working out of Berlin.

Daniels design process is rapid prototyping guided by his scientific background in embodiment, perceptional psychology and neurophysiology.

Fabien Siouffi (Fabbula)

Panel: 5pm at Stage 2, T-Werk

Where is my mind? How crazy can VR get?
We’re talking about VR projects that stand our with being experimental in a time when nearly everything is kind of an experiment. How far can we go with VR? How far can we go with art? 

About Fabien Siouffi

Fabien is the founder of Fabbula, a creative practice exploring the new medium of VR. He edits the Fabbula magazine and newsletters, run creative VR workshops and curates experiential artworks. His interest in experimental VR often takes him to worlds populated with speculations, fabulations, thought experiments and altered perceptions.

Philipp Wenning (INVR)

Panel: 12.15pm at Stage 2, T-Werk

Do I have to forget everything I knew about storytelling?
Storytelling changes with VR. Old knowledge about movie editing may be useless. Even older knowledge about classic theatrical dramaturgy will have a virtual renaissance.

About Philipp Wenning

Fabien is the founder of Fabbula, a creative practice exploring the new medium of VR. He edits the Fabbula magazine and newsletters, run creative VR workshops and curates experiential artworks. His interest in experimental VR often takes him to worlds populated with speculations, fabulations, thought experiments and altered perceptions.

Oliver Eberlei (Holocafé)

Panel: 2.20pm at Stage 1, Schinkelhalle

Is location based VR the future of theme parks?
Location based VR is already a big thing. Theme parks use VR solutions to power up their rollercoasters. VR arcades and ambitious multiplayer solutions promise to change the spatial and haptic experience. What can location based games deliver? Where are the limits? 

About Oliver Eberlei

Oliver created his first commercially successful game at the age of 14. Back then, commercially successful meant doubling the monthly allowance. Success was easier that way. Nowadays he is the creator and development lead of the Holocafé, a Virtual Reality Arcade that focuses on custom built, local multiplayer VR games. The Holocafé is hoping to make social Virtual Reality Entertainment accessible for everyone and its experiences allow groups of friends to go on VR adventures together in the same physical – and virtual – space. He is also the owner of the independent game development studio Hammer Labs which developes games for PC, Consoles and VR and helps building the local german indie developer community by hosting the Indie Arena Booth at gamescom.

Steffen Kottkamp (Europa-Park)

Panel: 2.20pm, Stage 1, Schinkelhalle

Is location based VR the future of theme parks?
Location based VR is already a big thing. Theme parks use VR solutions to power up their rollercoasters. VR arcades and ambitious multiplayer solutions promise to change the spatial and haptic experience. What can location based games deliver? Where are the limits? 

About Steffen Kottkamp

Steffen Kottkamp is an educator, journalist, and psychologist. After years of working for kids TV (five years alone as program director of Kika, the German public channel for children) he changed the industry. Steffen became director for media and digital development at Europa-Park in the city of Rust and General Executive Manager for the in-house media production MackMedia. He’s responsible for all digital production, both home entertainment and theme parks worldwide.     

Eva Wolfangel (Tech Journalist)

Panel: 3.30pm at Stage 2, T-Werk

Harassment – a problem for social VR? 
The internet is a wonderful, but cruel place. Harassment is distinctly and visibly. Will sexism, racism or other isms gain ground in social VR platforms? Is harassment even more painful in immersive environments? How can administration, technical solutions and a social code of ethics make everyone feel welcome? 

About Eva Wolfangel

Eva Wolfangel writes as a feature- and science journalist for DIE ZEIT, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Spiegel and other magazines about future technologies and how they will change our lifes. In addition she runs her own project in data driven journalism: with DebateExplorer she investigates the influence of lobbyism on debates by means of artificial intelligence and shows how text mining could change future journalism. As a member of „Masterclass Science Journalism“ of Robert Bosch Foundation and Reporterforum she develops a new format of longform story for mobile reading.

Susanne Stürmer (Filmuniversität Babelsberg)

Panel: 4.30pm, Stage 1, Schinkelhalle

How will Berlin-Brandenburg become a home for AR and VR?
Potsdam has a rich history in film, history, and television. Today it’s also a cluster of creative start-ups and technical innovation. This session is about how academia, industry and politics join forces to foster VR and AR in Brandenburg.

About Susanne Stürmer

Prof. Dr. Susanne Stürmer was appointed president of the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF in October 2013. Since 2011 Stürmer was a professor of new-media production in the university’s film and TV production department. Previously, she held leadership positions at UFA GmbH, serving as managing director since 2006. She studied economics, and graduated with a degree in this discipline. She is currently a board member of the German Producers Alliance, and is deputy chair of media.net Berlin-Brandenburg.

Jürgen Schwertl (Microsoft)

Talk: 10am, Stage 2, T-Werk

What is Mixed Reality?
Microsoft’s evangelist presents the potential of HoloLens. Especially maintenance use-cases show how working environments will adopt and integrate AR and MR quickly.

About Jürgen Schwertl 

Joining Microsoft in 1990, Jürgen has spent numerous years in Windows Program Management helping to shape Windows releases over almost a quarter century. As member of the Developer eXperience group he is now actively engaged with ISV and media partners enabling them to take advantage of the latest Microsoft innovations.

Friedrich Kirschner (HFS Ernst Busch)

Panel: 12pm at Stage 2, T-Werk

Do I have to forget everything I know about storytelling?
Storytelling changes with VR. Old knowledge about movie editing may be useless. Even older knowledge about classic theatrical dramaturgy will have a virtual renaissance.

About Friedrich Kirschner 

Friedrich Kirschner is director and software developer. He uses computer games and real time animation techniques as a basis for animated short films, interactive installations and participative performances. His work has been shown at animation festivals, theaters and exhibitions, as for example the Laboral Gameworld exhibition in Gijón, Deutsches Theater and Hebbel Theater in Berlin, the Ottawa International Animation Festival and the Seoul Media Art Biennale. He was director of the Machinima film festival in New York in 2008. Since February 2012 he is professor for digital media at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Art.

Luke Robert Mason (Host Stage 2)

About Luke Robert Mason 

Luke Robert Mason is a British-born science communicator and the Director of Virtual Futures – an events series that brings together artists, cultural theorists, fiction writers, philosophers and technologists to re-address the potential of looking at our future through a techno-philosophical lens. He is passionate about engaging the public with emerging scientific theory and technological development and has contributed to Futurism.com, BBC Click Radio, The Guardian, Discovery Channel, VICE Motherboard and Wired Magazine.

Matthias Pieper (Camera Drone Services)

Talk: 11am, Stage 2, T-Werk

How do drone shots add value to your 360° production?
A professional drone system with an experienced pilot offers whole new on set possibilities concerning storytelling and creativity. And it’s cost efficient, says Matthias Pieper and gives creative examples and talks about safety issues. 

About Matthias Pieper 

Entrepreneur, technician, producer, drone pilot – Matthias Pieper is offering the very rare combination of technical know-how, flying skills, creativity and more than 10 years of international Producer experience. This experiences led to efficient working methods, set insights, very good customer communications, professionalism, improvisation skills, flexibility, technical developments, autonomy and responsibility.

In addition to projects for big brands as a freelance producer, Matthias Pieper successfully founded several enterprises with a media context. Matthias Pieper got his technical competences from his mechanical engineering studies at the technical University Südwestfalen, his qualification as a physical technical assistant and 22 years of model making experience with top podium rankings.  Furthermore Matthias has a Bachelor of Arts in media science in the field of TV- production.

Vincent Deforges (25hprod)

Talk: 5.15 pm at Stage 1, Schinkelhalle

What to do with a 360 camera in space?
VR goes to space. 16 sunrises, a transmedia documentary about a French astronaut, sends a 360° camera to the International Space Station. The French-German co-production is ambitious, technical and political restrictions are enormous.

About Vincent Deforges 

Vincent Deforges is a veteran in the field of TV and movie production. In The Twenty-Fifth Hour production, Vincent is in charge of international co-productions and sales. Before that he was President and founding shareholder of the audiovisual rights distribution company Double V (1992-2014). He signed a first distribution agreement with Westinghouse (Ninja Turtles) and Trimark which became Lionsgate. In 1997, he sold the Orion catalog (over 200 films, including The Silence of the Lambs and a couple of Woody Allen films) to CLT-UFA. The following year Vincent founded the distribution company SND cinema. Three years later, after the acquisition of the Martin Scorsese masterpiece Gangs of New York, the company was sold to M6. From 2004 to 2013, Double V was the independent French company leader in the sale of foreign series on French channels, including the series Dexter, Sanctuary and Sea Patrol.

Arne Peters (ESL – Turtle Entertainment)

Talk: 3.30pm, Stage 2, T-Werk

Harassment – a problem for social VR?
The internet can be a cruel place. Harassment is distinctly and visibly. Will sexism or racism gain ground in social VR platforms, too? Is harassment even more painful in immersive environments? Are there technical solutions for the douchebag problem?

About Arne Peters 

Arne Peters has been working in the games and technology industry for most of his life, working in management positions at companies like Intel, cdv, Atari and Nintendo. Starting on the game development and producing side, he later moved into publishing and business development. At Intel Corporation he was responsible for the games and content strategy for the EMEA region, working with studios and publishers on developing games for the latest PC technologies and growing the PC ecosystem. Prior to joining ESL (Turtle Entertainment), Arne Peters was Managing Director at 505 Games.

Sara Lisa Vogl (VR Base Berlin)

Talk: 5pm, Stage 2, T-Werk

How crazy can VR get?
We’re talking about VR projects that stand out with being experimental in a time when nearly everything is kind of an experiment. How far can we go with VR? How far can we go with art? How crazy can we get?

About Sara Lisa Vogl 

Arne Peters has been working in the games and technology industry for most of his life, working in management positions at companies like Intel, cdv, Atari and Nintendo. Starting on the game development and producing side, he later moved into publishing and business development. At Intel Corporation he was responsible for the games and content strategy for the EMEA region, working with studios and publishers on developing games for the latest PC technologies and growing the PC ecosystem. Prior to joining ESL (Turtle Entertainment), Arne Peters was Managing Director at 505 Games.

Vladimir Storm (vrsh.in)

Talk: 5pm, Stage 2, T-Werk

How crazy can VR get?
We’re talking about VR projects that stand out with being experimental in a time when nearly everything is kind of an experiment. How far can we go with VR? How far can we go with art? How crazy can we get?

About Vladimir Storm 

For the last 4 years Vladimir has been focusing on VR / AR / MR, computer graphics, video games, UX design, computer human interactions and AI. Besides, he has 10+ years experience in software / game development and graphic / interaction / game design. He has worked on various software / game / art projects, managed teams, developed project design and branding. He worked as a creative / art director / strategist for various art / tech projects.

Robert Overweg (Triple)

Talk: 3.45pm, Stage 1, Schinkelhalle

What if the main goal of our industry would be bettering peoples lives?
We can achieve this by creating better experiences in entertainment by focussing more on giving room for our creativity. But we can also make people better by actually improving their physical and mental wellbeing. Giving a industry wide overview of what’s currently happening and what’s on the horizon.

About Robert Overweg

Robert Overweg is an artist and expert in the field of Virtual Worlds. He guides some of the most leading international companies in making the digital transformation. Robert believes design and technology can be used as catalysts for change. He has shown this possibility to empower and change throughout his career. Robert gives lectures, creates art, offers companies guidance in concept development, strategy and the execution of this. He has done this for several A-brands like Vodafone and RTL. Robert has also built the concept and innovation department from the ground up at technology company Triple in the Netherlands. But there is more, design and technology can also facilitate in making the world a better place. As an expert in Virtual Worlds, Robert has developed several branches in VR. With Beyond Sports he creates VR solutions for professional sports teams. Pioneering together with the Dutch National team, Ajax and others. With Beyond Care the focus is on makings people’s lives better through Virtual Reality. By improving treatments, reducing pain, or desensitising traumatic experiences through VR. As an international speaker, he asks his audience to embrace technology, but with a critical view, just like he tries to maintain.

Jim Rüggeberg (Illusion Walk)

Talk: 4.30pm, Stage 2, T-Werk

What happens when we can’t catch up with the hype?
A new technology like VR emerges. Start-ups everywhere, our imagination runs wild, we feed on gossip and promises. And that’s dangerous for business, says Jim Rüggeberg. Especially when reality can’t keep up with what’s promised.   

About Jim Rüggeberg

Managing partner Dipl. Kfm. Jim Rüggeberg is CEO of Illusion Walk and a passionate entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in different managing positions. He worked in sales, marketing, innovation management, and recently as CEO of an international premium tool brand with a € 250 million turnover. “In near future we will see many different types of holodecks. It will be the great challenge to combine technology and content into immersive experiences.”  

Dominic Eskofier (euVR)

Talk: 3.00pm, Stage 2, T-Werk

State of VR: What’s the market like and how do we solve the medium’s technical challenges?

Latency is just one of the metrics that needs to be perfect for an immersive and comfortable experience. A talk about estimated market sizes and how to maximize framerate and visual quality of your VR app by using popular game engines, NVIDIA’s SDKs and modern GPUs.

About Dominic Eskofier

Dominic has been involved in the VR industry ever since Palmer Luckey showed him the original duct-taped prototype of the Oculus Rift back in 2012. After this, he became a huge Virtual Reality enthusiast and advocate: He co-founded and still moderates the largest community for Virtual Reality on the net, he started the Virtual Reality Germany meetup group and is a co-founder of EUVR, a European non-profit organization that helps push the envelope for European VR devs, manufacturers and consumers. Furthermore, he co-founded his own VR company – realities.io – together with two more VR experts which they successfully brought through an accelerator program in Silicon Valley at Boost VC, the premier fund and accelerator for Virtual Reality. During this time, he not only learned how VR is driving a ton of innovation in the world’s tech hub, but was also able to expand his VR network with personal contacts to the largest internet sites for VR, to developers, to investors and many more.Recently, he started his new job at Nvidia who were searching for a long time for someone to build their European VR business, so he’s now the central spokesperson for all things VR in Europe and is striving to grow the European ecosystem.

Sven Slazenger (Interlake)

Talk: 10.30am, Stage 2, T-Werk

What is Mixed Reality?
Microsoft’s evangelist presents the potential of HoloLens. Especially maintenance use-cases show how working environments will adopt and integrate AR and MR quickly.

About Sven Slazenger

Sven Slazenger leads the Interlake team in Potsdam office. He is responsible for daily business operations. With a Masters in Communication Sciences from Munich’s Ludwig Maximillian University, he oversees all customer relations, sales and marketing. Sven believes in the importance of building strong relationships with Interlake’s customers. He is actively involved with the German Association for Service Providers in the Online Industry (BDOA) and the Swiss German Business Club (SDW). In his spare time, Sven enjoys gourmet travels and boating.