This Week in LA: Travis Knight and Butch Hartman Among Honorees At World Animation & VFX Summit
Six animation artists and executives will be honored this week at the 5th Annual World Animation & VFX Summit, presented by Animation Magazine. The event will take place Monday, October 31, and Tuesday, November 1, at the California Yacht Club, in Marina del Rey, California.
The honorees who’ll receive an award this year are:
- Betty Cohen (TV network and digital media executive, and founding president of Cartoon Network/Adult Swim/Boomerang)
- Butch Hartman (Emmy and Annie-nominated and BATFA-winning creator of the Nickelodeon series The Fairly Oddparents, Danny Phantom, and T.U.F.F. Puppy)
- Michael Hirsh (co-founder of Nelvana, Cookie Jar Entertainment, and Teletoon Canada)
- Travis Knight (president and CEO of Laika; director/producer of Kubo and the Two Strings; lead animator on The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman and Coraline)
- Ellen Poon (vfx artist, supervisor and producer, including Inception, Monster Hunt, Frozen, Zootopia, and Moana)
- Pierre Sissmann (chairman, CEO and founder of Cyber Group Studios)
In addition to the ceremony (for which tickets are still available for $125 per person), the two-day event will feature a full slate of panels, discussions, and networking opportunities. Some of the panel topics include:
- The Current Reality for the Reality Markets: VR, AR, Domes & Cinema 4-D
- Where Animation meets VFX: A Case Study of Star Trek Beyond
- Demystifying the Process of Co-Productions and Distribution in Asia
- So You Want to Make an Animated Hit Series?
- Success Stories: Making it as an Indie Toon Studio
For more details on the speakers, programs, and attending, visit the event’s web site. Here is a video wrap-up of last year’s event: