track: Cities & Climate

category: Panel

event_type: panel

format: Panel

name: The City That Plays: Digital Twins Reimagining LA & Beyond

Platinum Badge

type: platinum

Innovation Badge

type: innovation

Jack Rendler

company: Aura

title: CEO, Thought Leader, Author

alt_text: Jack Rendler

speaker_type: Speaker

details: Co-founder | CEO, AURA Engine - Author of Terrestrial Architecture - Futurly Master Class, PA Academy. Jack Oliva-Rendler attended the Southern California Institute of Architecture, winning an Undergraduate Thesis Prize, and earned his Master’s at Harvard GSD.  He received a Mars City Design award for Urban Design in a competition judged by NASA and Dassault Systems. His work explores multi-scaler ecological solutions in Digital 3D modeling, GIS, and algorithmic methods, addressing planetary, bio-regional, and community scales. Specializing in fractal formulations using Mandelbulb 3D and Grasshopper, Jack has launched algorithmic fractal modeling courses with Futurly and PA Academy. His book Terrestrial Architecture is available on his website.

type: person

Marcela Oliva

company: LA Trade Tech College - Architecture & Environmental Design

title: Professor, Architecture And Environmental Design

alt_text: Marcela Oliva

details: LATTC's Architecture and Environmental Design Lead is Marcela Oliva, an award-winning educator and expert in smart cities, digital twins, and sustainable design. Under her leadership, the program has achieved national recognition, and she also serves on advisory boards for organizations like City Plants and is a board member for USGBC LA. Marcela served as the Knowledge Architect for the $9 Billion Building Program at the Los Angeles Community College District, spearheading the development and implementation of the nation's largest Digital Twin/Virtualization BIM/GIS System in alignment with National Intelligence Standards. She is the founder of UCLA Extension Courses: Transforming Community and Design for Social Justice. Board of USGBC California - 2012 Educator of the Year

Duane Waliser

company: NASA/JPL

title: Chief Scientist, Earth Sciences and Technology Directorate, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

alt_text: Duane Waliser

details: Duane Waliser is Chief Scientist of the Earth Science and Technology Directorate, which formulates, develops, and operates a wide range of Earth science remote sensing instruments for NASA’s airborne and satellite program. His research interests lie in Earth system process understanding, weather-climate linkages and their prediction; and interactions between the Earth’s water, energy and carbon cycles. His recent foci at JPL involves working within NASA and across agencies to enable and enhance societal benefits from our growing understanding, observing and modeling capabilities of the Earth System.

Kathleen Cohen

company: The Collaboratorium, Inc.

title: Xr/Ai Strategist

alt_text: Kathleen Cohen

details: Kathleen Cohen is an XR/AI Immersive Strategist with over 25+ years building both user and guest experiences in media, gaming, world-building, theme parks and location-based entertainment. Her consultancy, The Collaboratorium, focuses on three areas; XR/AI Client Projects, Research and Public Engagement. Kathleen’s clients range from media & entertainment IP, themed attractions, megacity projects to health & wellness IP. Kathleen’s background includes being a Creative, Producer, and Executive Producer with studios such as DreamWorks Interactive, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, as well as IBM Centers for Innovation. She is also the Jury Chair and lead voice of the Aurea Award, which is an annual, immersive XR awards show held at Europa-Park's themed attraction in Germany.

description: Los Angeles is a vibrant playground for innovation where data, design, and community imagination converge. Powered by cutting-edge Earth-observing satellite systems, digital twins are transforming how LA plans for resilience, equity, and the joy of the games. Join us to explore groundbreaking projects—from wildfire recovery to creating green space networks—that leverage user-friendly immersive technology to connect AI, local stories, and spatial data. Discover how these immersive tools are shaping a smarter, more resilient city ready for the Olympics and the complex challenges ahead.

experience_level: Intermediate

sort: CITY THAT PLAYS: DIGITAL TWINS REIMAGINING LA & BEYOND

source: Official

Data

sort: DATA

alpha: D

Futurism

sort: FUTURISM

alpha: F

Design

sort: DESIGN

track_display_name: Cities & Climate


track: Film & TV

category: Mentor Session

format: Mentor Session

name: Sales, Acquisitions, and Distribution Mentor Session: Yulissa Morales (Epic Pictures / Dread)

Film & TV Badge

type: filmtv

Yulissa Morales

company: Epic Pictures Group

title: VP of US Distribution and Creative

alt_text: Yulissa Morales

details: A first-generation Colombian- American who has found a home in the industry, Yulissa Morales is driven by her love of all things film. With years of experience in acquisitions and development, as well as distribution and marketing, Yulissa prides herself in helping all films succeed. A supporter of indie film, and underrepresented voices, she has overseen the releases of over 100 films so far. She has been described by peers as a team player, valued leader, and impeccable dresser.

description: Meeting with this mentor is highly recommended if you're interested in Development, Narrative Filmmakers, Producers/Production, Publicity & Marketing, "Sales, Acquisitions, & Distribution".

experience_level: Beginner

sort: SALES, ACQUISITIONS, AND DISTRIBUTION MENTOR SESSION: YULISSA MORALES (EPIC PICTURES / DREAD)

track_display_name: Film & TV track sponsored by Crunchyroll


name: Sales, Acquisitions, and Distribution Mentor Session: Andreas Olavarria (Level 33 Entertainment)

Andreas Olavarria

company: Level 33 Entertainment

title: President/CEO

alt_text: Andreas Olavarria

details:
	Andreas Olavarria has spent more than 30 years working in the motion picture industry. He is currently the president and CEO of Level 33 Entertainment, a worldwide film sales and distribution company he founded in 2010. Level 33 distributes and sells independent film content across all media platforms including theatrical, VOD, DVD and streaming.

	Olavarria has overseen the acquisition, marketing and distribution of more than 300 independent feature films, including the recent 200+ screen theatrical release of Hemingway adaptation ACROSS THE RIVER AND INTO THE TREES starring Liev Schreiber and Josh Hutcherson; the zombie-comedy ALL YOU NEED IS BLOOD featuring Mena Suvari and Eddie Griffin; and the outrageous comedy/fantasy TIMESTALKER from Alice Lowe and co-starring Nick Frost.

	Olavarria began his career working in production at The Walt Disney Studios and went on to work as an executive at 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

description: Meeting with this mentor is highly recommended if you're interested in Producers/Production, "Sales, Acquisitions, & Distribution", Narrative Filmmakers.

sort: SALES, ACQUISITIONS, AND DISTRIBUTION MENTOR SESSION: ANDREAS OLAVARRIA (LEVEL 33 ENTERTAINMENT)


track: Music

category: Fireside Chat

format: Fireside Chat

name: Moving Culture: Music Brand Campaigns with an Eye for Equity

Music Badge

type: music

Vatana Shaw

company: United Talent Agency (UTA)

title: Agent, Music Brand Partnerships

alt_text: Vatana Shaw

details:
Vatana Shaw is a Music Brand Partnerships agent within the Los Angeles office of leading global talent, sports, entertainment, and advisory company, UTA. Forward-thinking with over 15 years of experience in talent & asset management, talent partnerships, and brand strategy, Shaw’s passion lies in nurturing the growth of artists. As a key player at UTA, Shaw specializes in brokering global endorsement deals between music artists and Fortune 500 companies, collaborating with a diverse roster of esteemed artists.

Through strategic planning and a deep understanding of both the music and branding landscapes, she ensures each partnership is tailored to maximize impact and resonance. With an intuitive grasp of audience discovery processes, brand objectives, and talent management, she is committed to elevating every deal to its highest potential and using her unique ability to see around corners and exceed expectations.

description:
Vatana Shaw, Music Brand Partnerships Agent at United Talent Agency, curates deals that are equally impactful to artists as they are to the broader social ecosystem, striking a balance to ensure artist contentment, impactful authenticity, and relevant representation by finding the equilibrium between big payouts and equity.

In this session, Shaw draws from her ample dealmaking experience to discuss the ever-evolving new music economy and the strategy behind identifying equitable opportunities for artists at all stages in their career.

sort: MOVING CULTURE: MUSIC BRAND CAMPAIGNS WITH AN EYE FOR EQUITY

track_display_name: Music


name: Producers Mentor Session: David Lawson (Rustic Films)

David Lawson

company: Rustic Films

title: Producer

details:
David Lawson moved to LA in 2006 and worked as a PA in music videos. After climbing the ladder, he made the leap to features with the 2012 film RESOLUTION.

In 2017, after working as Head of Production for Snowfort Pictures, he with collaborators Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, formed RUSTIC FILMS. His features include SOMETHING IN THE DIRT, SYNCHRONIC, THE ENDLESS, SHE DIES TOMORROW, and others.

He guest lectures at USC Film School, Florida State University, and AFI’s Master programs. He is an advisor for Sundance’s Collab Producing Class as well as a mentor for the Startwith8 program.

description: Meeting with this mentor is highly recommended if you're interested in Development, Producers/Production.

sort: PRODUCERS MENTOR SESSION: DAVID LAWSON (RUSTIC FILMS)


GRAMMY U Meet Up

category: Meet Up

format: Meet Up

Ily Aguilar

company: GRAMMY U

title: GRAMMY U Texas Chapter Representative

alt_text: Ily Aguilar

details: Ily Aguilar is a Public Relations major at Texas State University pursuing a career in digital marketing and live events. As the GRAMMY U National Projects Representative, she works closely with the GRAMMY U team on tentpole programming for members globally, as well as artist teams to host GRAMMY U SoundChecks across Chapters all year. In addition, she serves as the Promotions Director at KTSW 89.9, Texas State’s student-run radio station, where she leads and hosts events in San Marcos, Texas.

Mykel Merritt

company: Recording Academy / GRAMMY U

title: GRAMMY U Texas Chapter Representative

alt_text: Mykel Merritt

details: Mykel Merritt is a Public Relations major at the University of Texas at Austin with a passion for music marketing and digital storytelling. He serves as the GRAMMY U Texas Chapter Representative, where he collaborates on initiatives that support emerging music professionals and develops social media content that helps inform and connect them to the music industry. Mykel is also a Social Media Representative for Universal Music Group’s °1824 marketing team, where he supports artist campaigns across major record labels.

description:
Are you an aspiring music industry professional or emerging artist? Come learn more about GRAMMY U, the Recording Academy's membership program for full-time college students, or those aged 18-29, pursuing a music career.
GRAMMY U Representatives Ily Aguilar (National Projects Rep) and Mykel Merritt (Texas Chapter Rep) will kick things off by discussing the member benefits that come with GRAMMY U, which is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year. Afterward, network with Recording Academy staff, Texas Chapter Board members, and fellow industry peers who are excited to take the next step in their music careers.

sort: GRAMMY U MEET UP