Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality Conference: Keynotes

Opening Keynote:
"The Journey into Virtual and Augmented Reality"

by Philip Lelyveld - VR/AR Initiative
Program Manager, USC Entertainment Technology Center

Philip Lelyveld runs the Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality Initiative at the University of Southern California’s Entertainment Technology Center (ETC), a think tank within the School of Cinematic Arts.

The ETC@USC is funded by the six major Hollywood studios plus related service, technology, internet, and consumer electronics companies to advise them on emerging technology-related opportunities, connect them with start-ups and communities of interest, help accelerate adoption of promising technologies, and work to drive standardization and avoid format wars.

His VR/AR Initiative studies and works to influence the creative, technical, and business issues that will shape this new, emerging art form. He recently produced events that brought communities of hands-on practitioners together to discuss and document the current states of ‘the emerging language of VR storytelling,’ ‘live VR production workflow,’ ‘the business of VR,’ and ‘VR Audio.’ He speaks and consults regularly on these and related topics.
 

When: Friday, September 30 | 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM. Where: AVAR Theater/Room 411 

Closing Keynote:
"Future Nostalgia, Here and Now:
Let’s look back on today from 20 years hence"

by George Sanger - Director of Sonic Arts,
Magic Leap, Inc.

Among the first Americans to make a career of Game Audio, George Alistair Sanger, sometimes known as The Fat Man, has been helping pave that road since 1983, with hundreds of titles and many technological “firsts.”  He is now Director of Sonic Arts at Magic Leap, Inc.—a startup that is reimagining reality and inventing the future using digital lightfields.

As the field of Game Audio grew around him, Sanger took a leadership role in the community. He started by running jam sessions for game musicians, then helped establish events, conferences, and organizations, notably Project Bar-B-Q, “The Premier Interactive Audio Think-Tank.”  Many significant advances in audio software and hardware can trace their origins to BBQ.

Sanger authored the book, The Fat Man on Game Audio:  Tasty Morsels of Sonic Goodness.  Twin Galaxies put him on a Superstars of 2013 videogame trading card, and he was given GANG’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

When: Saturday, October 01 | 6:30 PM to 7:15 PM. Where: AVAR Theater/Room 411