NEW YORK, NY — Now it's New York’s turn to weigh in on the VFX crisis as a VFX Town Hall will be streamed live from Collider, the new Manhattan-based digital production event for the visual effects, animation, and interactive industries.
The event marks the first New York City-based town hall gathering of professionals and artists from the visual effects industry.
Dubbed VFX Town Hall: COLLIDER 2013, the event will be staged live at the COLLIDER conference venue, the Hotel Pennsylvania. It starts at 6 PM EDT on Monday, June 10.
The event will feature a distinguished panel of industry experts discussing the current state of the visual effects industry. Viewers can join the live broadcast of the VFX Town Hall: COLLIDER 2013 by visiting http://collider.circles.io.
In addition to a panel of experts on stage in New York, VFX Town Hall: COLLIDER 2013 will also feature a Google+ Hangout session with representatives from major VFX production centers around the world taking part, including Sydney, London, Berlin, Mexico City and others.
Moderated by veteran 2D compositor and visual effects artist Mariana Acuña - known to many as @vfxchick on Twitter and moderator of an earlier VFX town hall held this last Pi Day (March 14) - the discussion will provide a forum for all viewpoints and will include the following panelists:
- Scott Ross, Co-Founder, Digital Domain
- Eric Robertson, EP/Owner, Mr. X Gotham
- Yana Lehman, Founder, Post New York Alliance (PNYA)
- Cecilia Fredericks, National Business Agent, IATSE 829
- Robin Shenfield, CEO, The Mill
- Michelle Higa Fox, Founder/CD Slanted Studio
As part of the event, viewers from around the world will have the opportunity to vote on the topics discussed. On-site visitors can use their smart phones to register their votes on key issues, while those watching online can vote from whatever device they're using. The results of these polls will be available for commentary and observation instantly, and will be archived along with the entire content of the Town Hall discussion.
"The VFX Town Hall at COLLIDER promises to be a unique experience," says Acuña. "There are so many vital issues at stake in our industry right now, and so many different opinions on the subject, that no two town hall gatherings are ever going to be exactly alike. Basing this discussion in New York will provide a distinctly East Coast perspective to the rest of the country and the world. This is an ideal opportunity to keep the conversation moving in the right direction."
"COLLIDER is happy to be able to provide this opportunity for visual effects professionals from around the world to share opinions and ideas," adds Stephen Price, Creator and Executive Producer of COLLIDER. "The VFX Town Hall at Collider will broaden and amplify the conversation about the state of the industry and, more importantly, where it is going."
The backend for both the VFX Town Hall and Google+ Hangout streams will be handled by Circles.io. The COLLIDER Conference is presented and produced by Stash Media, Inc. and runs June 9 to 11.