Webinar:
SMART COLLABORATION – Embracing New Technical Tools in Animation
Tuesday, 3 May, 16:00 – 17:00 pm (CEST), Online via Zoom

SPEAKER: Kim Adams & Julia Parfitt (Nexus Studios London / Los Angeles) and Phil Stewart (Head of Realtime, Blue Zoo, London)
Host: Prof Lilian Klages

In this second year of KKI Talks at the ITFS and APD, we want to take a deeper look at how new tools and technologies can be an enriching driving force in international co-sector and cross-sector collaboration and take a glimpse into the future of storytelling using such technologies. Our speakers Kim Adams and Julia Parfitt (Nexus Studios London / Los Angeles) and Phil Stewart (Head of Realtime, Blue Zoo, London) have been experimenting with tools such as Unity, Unreal and Blender and will share case studies to demonstrate the opportunities that these new tools can bring and how they can affect storytelling in animation. They will also discuss the pros and cons of integrating them into the production pipeline.

Participation in the webinar is free of charge. Click here to register!
APD participants do not need to register separately and get access via the online platform.

Speaker:

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Julia Parfitt, Executive Producer, Nexus Studios

Julia joined Nexus Studios over twenty years ago and has played a pivotal role in helping to realise its growth as a global player. In her early years she produced some of the studio’s most notable work, including the most awarded ad of the decade Honda ‘Grrrr’, recipient of the highly coveted, Cannes Film Grand Prix Award, as well as the Grammy-nominated music video for Franz Ferdinand ‘Take me Out’, no name but a few.

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Bio Julia Parfitt

Julia joined Nexus Studios over twenty years ago and has played a pivotal role in helping to realise its growth as a global player. In her early years she produced some of the studio’s most notable work, including the most awarded ad of the decade Honda ‘Grrrr’, recipient of the highly coveted, Cannes Film Grand Prix Award, as well as the Grammy-nominated music video for Franz Ferdinand ‘Take me Out’, no name but a few.

Julia also held the post of Head of Production at Nexus, where she brought her versatile and proactive skillset for almost a decade and oversaw the diverse creative output of the entire studio, ranging from high-profile film work such as the Oscar-nominated ‘This Way Up’, the title sequence for ‘Catch Me If You Can’ with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, several award winning commercials for the likes of Chipotle and Coca Cola, and ground-breaking XR experiences for the global consumer tech leaders.

Most recently, in the role of Executive Producer, Julia has established and nurtured long-standing relationships with further global brands such as Amazon Studios, Netflix, Headspace, Facebook, Google and Duolingo. She often works across platforms and is most interested in exploring how working at the cutting edge of technology can be enhanced with exceptional design and powerful storytelling, which has led her to spearheading a host of projects developed using Real-Time technology. 

In 2019, Julia was named ‘Pitch Superwoman’, a UK industry award that recognises trailblazing women and their contributions. Julia is also dedicated to finding and mentoring new talent, and with a strong desire to create a diverse and greener production landscape, she is a passionate advocate for sustainable practices.

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Kim Adams, Director of Real-time production, Nexus Studios

Kim Adams is the Director of Real-time production at Nexus Studios, where she is leading studio initiatives in real-time animation production across original TV and film, branded content and immersive storytelling, and supporting the growth of Nexus Interactive Arts. Kim’s 25+ years experience spans the entertainment, software, tech, and hardware industries. She is the Co-Founder of Adventure Lab, a social VR platform that connects audiences with virtual, live hosted, interactive adventures.

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Bio Kim Adams

Kim Adams is the Director of Real-time production at Nexus Studios, where she is leading studio initiatives in real-time animation production across original TV and film, branded content and immersive storytelling, and supporting the growth of Nexus Interactive Arts. Kim’s 25+ years experience spans the entertainment, software, tech, and hardware industries. She is the Co-Founder of Adventure Lab, a social VR platform that connects audiences with virtual, live hosted, interactive adventures.

Before co-founding Adventure Lab, Kim led a team at Facebook in developing the AR “Storytime” app for Facebook’s Portal video device. Leading from ideation through launch, she developed the interactive product, built a creative team, produced the first slate of original stories, and developed key partnerships and a strategy for program expansion.

Kim was the Head of Production and Executive Producer at Oculus Story Studio, shepherding the development of the Emmy Award-winning narrative VR project, Wolves in the Walls. Previous to that, Kim was at Google Spotlight Stories, where she was a part of the leadership team and produced some of the first VR projects released world-wide; Rain or Shine with partner Nexus Productions, and Special Delivery, with Aardman Animations.

From 2009-2013, Kim was a Producer at Pixar Animation Studios, where she led the creation of Pixar’s “Toons” / Short Film division, heading a team of 125 across two companies / countries. Working between Walt Disney Studio, Pixar Canada, and Pixar, Kim partnered with eight new directors and produced 13 short films within the beloved Toy Story and Cars franchises while shepherding the development of a multitude of additional Pixar projects.

Previous to Pixar, Kim served as a visual effects producer on several films including Apocalypto, and worked on the Oscar-nominated visual effects for Master and Commander.

A member of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, The Television Academy, The Producers Guild of America, and Women in Animation, Kim has spoken on the topics of creative innovation, VR, and diversity across the globe for organizations (Directors Guild of America, Television Academy), at conferences (FMX, CES, Hollywood Digital, Harvest Innovation Summit, Games4Change), and universities (UCLA, USC, and Stanford). She received an MFA from the prestigious Producer’s Program at UCLA.

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Phil Stewart, Head of Realtime, Blue Zoo

Phil is Head of Real-time at Blue Zoo, researching, developing and testing new technology and workflows to help the studio achieve it’s ambition of working in the best ways for the benefit of the business and artists. From researching rendering tech and programming a VR-puppet in Unreal Engine, to doing push-ups to test a new Motion-Capture suit, the department strives to stay ahead of the game.

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