POP 03 SPEAKER SERIES: VR + EXPERIMENTAL FILM

An in-depth panel moderated by Patrick McGuire, Head of Content at VICE Canada, and featuring Loc Dao (Chief Digital Officer of the National Film Board of Canada), Yelena Rachitsky (Creative Producer and Head of Education, Oculus Story Studio), Ryan Oliver (Lead Producer, Developer-Owner, Pinnguaq Technology Inc.), and Ana Serrano (Chief Digital Officer, Canadian Film Centre). Patrick McGuire Head of Content, VICE Canada Patrick McGuire is a journalist and documentary producer who is currently Vice Canada's Head of Content. As Vice launched their Canadian TV network VICELAND this year, Patrick has been overseeing original television production as well as the brand's the youth-targeted digital and print journalism, which spans a network of 10 online channels and a monthly print magazine. He is also the producer of Vice Canada's first VR project, Cut-Off. Yelena Rachitsky Creative Producer and Head of Education at Oculus Story Studio Yelena Rachitsky is a Creative Producer at Oculus, pushing forward the efforts on creative outreach initiatives as well as sourcing and producing experiences for the Oculus platform. Prior to Oculus, she was the Creative Producer of the annual Future of Storytelling (FoST) Summit, an invitation-only event that gathers top executives, marketers, creatives, and technologists with the vision and influence to change how people communicate and tell stories in the digital age. Rachitsky is also a consultant for the Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontier program and spent four years in the documentary division at Participant Media, working on Food, Inc. and Waiting for Superman. Loc Dao Chief Digital Officer, National Film Board of Canada Loc Dao is co-founder of the groundbreaking NFB Digital and CBC Radio 3 studios and Chief Digital Officer of the National Film Board of Canada. The combination of his experience in digital strategy, editorial, web development, content production and architecting large-scale internet delivery systems brings a rare multi-dimensional approach that pushes the boundaries of what can be done with story, form and platform. Dao has received over 60 awards, including Canada's Top Digital Producer for 2011 at the Digi Awards, nine Webby Awards, two New York Festivals Grand Prizes, three Online Journalism Awards, a Prix Italia, the FWA Site of the Year 2012 and a Cannes Cyber Lion. His NFB credits include the interactive documentaries Bear 71, Welcome to Pine Point, Circa 1948, Waterlife, The Last Hunt and Cardboard Crash VR which have been credited with inventing the new form of the interactive documentary. Ana Serrano Chief Digital Officer, Canadian Film Centre Ana Serrano is the Chief Digital Officer of the CFC and Founder of CFC Media Lab, the world-renowned institute for interactive storytelling created in 1997. Most recently, she launched Canada's first digital entertainment accelerator, IDEABOOST, and serves as its Managing Director. To date, Serrano has directed the development of over 130 digital media projects and mentored over 50 start-ups. She has received numerous awards from the digital media, film, and theatre industries in both Canada and the US, including a Digital Media Trailblazing Award in 2015 from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Ryan Oliver Lead Producer, Developer, and Owner at Pinnguaq Ryan Oliver is Lead Producer and Developer of Pinnguaq Technology Inc. Based in Toronto, Iqaluit and Vancouver, Pinnguaq — which means “play” in Inuktitut — creates unique and exciting experiences that push the boundaries of cultural expression and technology. Focusing on film, virtual reality, gaming, education and app development, they combine a passion for culture and technology in projects that seek to both stimulate and entertain.