program board

fmx/09 offers a variety of presentations and panels in special series that focus on different hot topics and point of views. Experienced professionals and renowned members of the cg community create, curate and host such series in fmx/conference, initializing their topics and inviting speakers for fmx/09. We are happy to announce and welcome this year's program board:

Oliver Deussen (University of Konstanz)
Oliver Deussen studied computer science University of Karlsruhe. He is a Professor of Computer Graphics and Media Informatics at University of Konstanz since 2003. He is interested in modelling of complexity, in artistic rendering methods, so-called Non-Photorealistic Rendering and Information Visualization. He tries to establish a scientific program at FMX that aims at combining recent advances in computer graphics with cool applications in film, game industry and education.

Kevin Geiger (Animation Options LLC)
Kevin Geiger has nearly 15 years of technical, artistic and organizational experience in the animation and special effects industry, including 12 years with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Cal Arts. As the President & CEO of Animation Options, an award-winning animation producer with Simplistic Pictures, and Director of the non-profit organization Animation Co-op, Kevin Geiger is a well-connected source of information and support within the animation community.

Christophe Hery (ILM)
Christophe Hery joined ILM in 1993 as a senior technical director, and quickly moved on to become a computer graphics supervisor. Since 2000, as a research and development lead, Hery has been supporting the facilitiy's shaders and providing rendering guidance. In 2003, Hery was the recipient of a Technical Achievement Award for the development of practical methods for rendering skin and other translucent materials using subsurface scattering techniques.

Katja Koeppl (Stuttgart Media University)
For four years Katja Koeppl (formerly Hofmann) has chaired the field of Visual Design and Post Production at the Stuttgart Media University (HdM). Before she was active as a post production coordinator at the Babelsberg Film Studios and has managed inhouse workflows for movie productions such as "The Bourne Supremacy" and "Beyond the Sea". Katja participated in more than fifty film and video productions as a DoP, Editor and Digital Artist.

Alex McDowell
An innovator in immersive design, Alex McDowell integrates digital technology and traditional design technique, and re-imagines the creative process in his production design practice (Fight Club, Minority Report, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Terminal, Watchmen), allowing for unprecedented control of the final work. In 2006, McDowell was named a Royal Designer for Industry by the RSA, the UK’s most prestigious design society. Outside film, McDowell brings art and science into a new convergence, most recently in the robotic opera Death and the Powers as Visiting Artist with MIT Media Lab; and as co-director of the 5D: Future of Immersive Design conference which redefines the role of the designer at the intersection of art, technology and storytelling in narrative media. He is currently designing a digital animated feature at Dreamworks.

Joseph Olin (Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences)
Joseph Olin brings more than 25 years of experience in video games and consumer products to his position as President of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), the videogame industry’s largest association of game creators and publishing executives. Since taking the helm of the non-profit organization in July 2004, Olin has championed the video game industry by raising awareness of individuals, games, companies, organizations/associations and changing issues by promoting innovation and commitment. As President of the AIAS, he is the voice of the Academy and oversees the annual D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit, the Interactive Achievements Awards (IAA) and the Into the Pixel video game art exhibit. Olin has been successful in advancing the international presence of the Academy and Into the Pixel by bringing it to New Zealand, Germany, Mexico and speaking at international video game and related industry conferences.

Peter Plantec
Peter Plantec is a freelance consultant in virtual human design and animation. His book “Virtual Humans” has been a worldwide best seller. With advanced degrees in both Art and Psychology, Plantec has contributed a unique perspective to the field. He has also served as Art Director for Marlin Studios, Arlington, Texas (game development,) and has taught animation at Silicon Studios in Santa Monica, CA. As co-founder of Virtual Personalities inc., he initiated Sylvie, the first commercially available virtual human interface. Considered one of the world’s “Big Thinkers” (Ray Kurzweil), Plantec is also contributing editor of STUDIOmonthly magazine in New York, where he writes the monthly column "Plantec's POV" He also writes The Digital Eye column for VFXWorld.com in Hollywood. He currently sits on several international film conference advisory boards including: 5D, VIEW and Design Cinema, and he also Co-Chairs Mundos Digitales in La Coruña, Spain.

Eric Riewer (Gobelins, l’école de l’image)
Eric Riewer became the head of the animation department of Gobelins, l’école de l’image based in Paris in 1998, following in the footsteps of Pierre Ayma who founded the department in 1974. Prior to joining Gobelins, he worked as the head of training for the Canal Plus media group based in Paris. As of September 2006, he is the manager of international relations for the whole Gobelins school.

Robert Rose (University of Applied Sciences Augsburg)
CUTUP started as a band of artists during the early eighties in Augsburg. Rose and his friends organised factory art parties, the YO!nites, with animated projections and freestyle sessions as an early form of VJing. In 1994 Bartholdy, Krois and Rose founded the CUTUP GmbH in Cologne, and Rose became Creative and Managing Director. CUTUP was not only a successful media agency, but also a design collective and an experimental art laboratory. Five years later CUTUP became a Bertelsmann company and grew succesfully to 42 employees with even more freelancers.
From 1998 - 2000 Rose developed a new course of studies, Virtual Design, at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, before he was assigned to the Faculty of Design at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Augsburg in 2000, where he’s responsible for TIME BASED MEDIA.

Eric Roth (Visual Effects Society)
Eric Roth brings more than 15 years of strategic management, communications and public affairs experience to his position as Executive Director of the Visual Effects Society (VES). During the past 4 years he has helped grow the VES by 50% and is frequently consulted on worldwide visual effects trends by journalists and vfx practitioners of all stripes. VES now has approximately 1800 members in 19 countries comprised of the most talented visual effects artists worldwide in film, TV, animation and video games.
Prior to joining VES, Eric was a former Chief of Staff at Los Angeles City Hall, in addition to directing the Government Affairs Department for the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG).

Wolfgang Schmidt-Sichermann (online4motion)
Wolfgang has more than 10 years of experience on internet technology, strategic customer relationship management and business development as well as a photographer and artist. He has authored multiple books, many of them dealing with flash, and taught at the Export Academy Baden-Wuerttemberg as well as the University of Bamberg. In 1997 he founded online in4mation GmbH and started the flashconference as the first international conference for flash in Europe with a focus on innovative, unknown, cutting edge features, artists and technology enthusiasts.
As an innovator in technology and communication, Wolfgang integrates top notch technology with web based approaches for networking, project management and location based services. He also writes his own blog and is well connected within the events industry.

Inga von Staden (Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg)
Inga von Staden studied Agricultural Science in Jerusalem and Film in New York and has since worked in the media and event business. In 1995 she migrated to the digital media landscape holding a wide range of jobs as author, conceptor, creative producer, consultant and lecturer. 1999 she set up “projectscope”, a media consultancy. After founding and directing the European MEDIA funded program “Academy of Converging Media” at Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie, Berlin (dffb) in 2001, she worked for the regional media council, „Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg“ from 2004-2007, coordinating the new media sector. Today Inga von Staden works as an innovation consultant and directs the 4-year-studies program „Interactive Media“ at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, training students to work for and with all media platforms. Her special interests are the impact of digital technology on media and applying media to empower sustainable action.