SPEAKERS
Derek Ham
Opening KeyNOTE
3/27 Hamburg Hall A301 - 6pm
Derek Ham is the Director of Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center, an award-winning VR director, design educator, and immersive storyteller. With a background in architecture, he holds a PhD in Design Computation from MIT, an M.Arch from Harvard GSD, and a B.Arch from Hampton University. His research explores how VR and AR can enhance work, play, and learning. His acclaimed projects, I Am A Man and Barnstormers: Determined to Win, highlight the power of virtual reality in empathetic storytelling, particularly in African American history.
Judi Alston + Andy Campbell
Creator Talk
3/27 Hamburg Hall A301 - 2pm
Judi Alston is the co-director of Dreaming Methods and CEO of One to One Development Trust. A digital artist and filmmaker, she has been producing films, making collaborative digital fiction and writing for narrative-based video games for over two decades.
Andy Campbell is the Founder, Director, and Lead Developer of Dreaming Methods. His work as a digital artist combines literature, gaming and immersive technologies spanning over 20 years and has won many international awards.
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Join award-winning digital artists and storytellers Judi Alston and Andy Campbell (Dreaming Methods) on a journey through the shifting landscapes of immersive storytelling with a talk entitled “From floppy disks to the future, digital storytelling for social impact”
In this visually rich and thought-provoking talk, Judi and Andy will explore how the evolution of digital narratives reflects the fluid, dreamlike nature of human imagination.
Tracing a path from early interactive poetry and fiction to today’s immersive experiences, they will reveal how technology has shaped and been shaped by our deep need to lose ourselves in stories.
Amber Johnson
Creator Workshop
3/28 Kenner Room - 3pm
Amber Johnson is an Associate Professor at Wake Technical Community College and an interactive media creator specializing in virtual environments, simulation, and game programming. She is an Art Director at Flip Axis Studios and has worked as a lead artist and level designer for studios including Cygnus Entertainment and MFV, Inc. With expertise in photogrammetry, VR, Unity, and procedural asset generation, she develops innovative curriculum and mentors faculty. Amber holds degrees from North Carolina State University, Wake Technical Community College, and The Art Institutes. Her research and professional work explore the intersection of immersive technology, game design, and education.
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Amber Johnson presents an immersive reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s Ligeia, blending the tactile aesthetics of stop-motion animation with the interactivity of VR. Using photogrammetry and game engine technologies, physical props transition seamlessly from the real world into the virtual space, where users embody a character in a dreamlike, surreal environment.
This session includes a live demonstration and hands-on workshop, allowing attendees to interact with the work, explore its mechanics, and engage with Amber. By merging traditional and digital storytelling, this project opens new possibilities for experiencing classic literature and immersive animation in virtual reality.
Ralph Vituccio/Nevine Abraham/
Michal friedman
Creator Talk
3/28 Kenner Room - 2pm
Ralph Vituccio, Nevine Abraham, and Michal Friedman are faculty members at Carnegie Mellon University who collaborate across disciplines to explore storytelling, identity, and social justice. Ralph is a filmmaker and Full Teaching Professor in English and the Entertainment Technology Center. His work in VR and interactive media addresses social issues and has been featured at international festivals. Nevine is an Assistant Teaching Professor in Arabic Studies whose research focuses on minoritization and social justice in the Middle East and North Africa. Michal, the Jack Buncher Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies, specializes in Sephardi diaspora and Spanish Jewish history. She also co-produces interactive documentaries exploring culture and memory.
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Nevine Abraham, Michal Friedmann, and Ralph Vituccio share insights from co-teaching a multidisciplinary travel course and developing an interactive documentary that immerses students in the food cultures of Israel and the West Bank.
Students moved beyond passive observation, engaging with local communities through film and photography as tools for cultural exploration. By sharing meals, preparing food, and documenting these experiences, they developed a deeper understanding of societies shaped by politically intertwined yet deeply personal narratives.
This presentation examines how hands-on participation, visual storytelling, and interactive media influence cross-cultural learning. It also explores the ethical considerations of documenting hospitality and the role of immersive documentary as a pedagogical tool for meaningful cultural exchange.
Henry Aberle
Short Talks Session
3/27 Hamburg Hall 1002 - 11AM
Henry Aberle (Dietrich College '24) is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University's M.A. in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition. He has taught elementary Japanese at CMU and Virginia Tech. His research explores virtual reality in language learning, focusing on student performance and engagement. He is also interested in XR for continuing education and language preservation. Beyond teaching, Henry enjoys playing “Kyogi Karuta” and recently developed a VR prototype of the game through the Zoe Immersive Creator Program.
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With the launch of Meta for Education in April 2024, growing attention is being given to XR technology in classrooms. Second language educators highlight benefits for language exchange (Sadler, 2019), vocabulary acquisition (Vázquez et al., 2018), multiliteracies (Karimi et al., 2023), pragmatic competence (Taguchi, 2022), and fluency (Thrasher, 2022). However, practical guidelines for XR integration remain scarce (Mills & Caspar, forthcoming).
This talk presents findings from an elementary Japanese class (n=31) where students conducted role-plays in Spatial, a VR app. Student work and qualitative survey results demonstrate how simple XR applications can realistically simulate life abroad, connect extracurricular interests like anime to study, extend learning beyond textbooks, and make practice more meaningful.
Audience members will reflect on storytelling and role-play in language learning and explore how immersive technology enhances or detracts from educational goals.
Joel Benjamin
Animator Talk
3/28 Hamburg Hall 1002 - 12:30PM
Originally from northwest Iowa, Joel Benjamin is an animator and filmmaker based in Chicago. He creates both short and feature-length animated films and works as a motion designer on corporate, commercial, and independent projects. He founded Electric Beard Studios, a small but Emmy-nominated motion graphics company. In addition to his professional work, he is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, where he teaches 2D and 3D animation. His work focuses on detailed motion design and animation, bringing visual ideas to life through careful craftsmanship and technical precision.
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Max Q is a VR film exploring the future of data mining on distant worlds, placing users in the role of colonial explorers. Created by Joel Benjamin and Brad Riddell, this non-interactive experience pushes the boundaries of immersive storytelling through real-time filmmaking.
The project began as a BlueLight Project at DePaul University in January 2021, engaging 23 students in all stages of production under Joel Benjamin’s direction. In this talk, the filmmakers will share their journey from concept to execution, discussing the challenges and possibilities of immersive cinema, the strengths of real-time storytelling, and the evolving role of VR in filmmaking.
Through behind-the-scenes insights, they will explore the technical and creative hurdles of crafting a real-time VR experience while reflecting on the potential of immersive cinema to transport audiences beyond the traditional screen.
Rod Pisa
Enterprise Talk
3/27 Swartz Center - 1pm
Rod Piza is the President and CEO of Digital TV Group (DTVG), overseeing media operations across multiple countries. With decades of experience in international media, he has held executive roles at Screen Capital S.A., Cookie Jar Entertainment, and HIT Entertainment. He was also General Manager of The Locomotion Channel and Director at Nelvana Enterprises UK. His expertise spans film directing, TV production, and satellite broadcasting. Now a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in the English Department and Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics, he develops courses on entertainment business and entrepreneurship while continuing to shape global media and content strategies.
Meghna Anil/Kesha Bagadia/
Vedatika Chaudhary
short Talks
3/27 Hamburg Hall 1002 - 11Am
Kesha Bagadia, Vedantika Chaudhary, and Meghna Anil are graduate students at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center. Kesha is a narrative technical designer with a background in information and communication technology, focused on user-centered design and storytelling. Vedantika is a game producer and designer with experience in computer science and product management, interested in emerging technologies for interactive experiences. Meghna is a 3D environment artist and developer, with a BFA from Ringling College of Art and Design. She has interned at Riot Games and leads marketing for the Student Game Developers’ Alliance. Together, they create meaningful and accessible narrative games.
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Emotional media allows people to view the stories of others and look at their own experiences in contrast, allowing them to relate or to realize differences in their perspectives. Similarly, Transformative games have players step into the stories of others while challenging them to think more critically about the world and policies around them through one of the most unique aspects of gaming: interaction.
In the course of developing “Recollection”, a VR experience about the emotional effects of civilian trauma, and “Torn Apart”, a PC packing simulator about the effects of gentrification, finding a way to help people empathize with the subject matter through interactions was the biggest design challenge. How can you tell a player is impacted by interactions in your game? How do you measure players’ emotions about a subject throughout a game playthrough? How do you design interactions to transform? In our talk, we discuss the challenges of these two projects, their respective design processes, the differences in developing transformative games for VR vs. PC, and advice we would give to our past selves and others creating transformative games.
Loredana Larionescu
Short talks
3/27 Hamburg Hall 1002 - 11Am
Loredana Larionescu is a psychotherapist specializing in unifying experiential and dance movement therapy. She leads cultural-therapeutic projects like MindMoving and ParkinsOn Dance and has presented at international conferences. Her work explores the integration of new technologies in therapy, including panoramic video and virtual reality. Since 2021, she has collaborated with visual media creator Konrad Mihat, co-founder of coVR Videos, to incorporate immersive media into therapeutic practices. Their projects include Amnio Arthera(pi) (2023), a film on amniotic therapy. Through embodiment practices, 3D drawing, and VR storytelling, she continues to develop innovative approaches to therapeutic and artistic expression.
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Loredana Larionescu and Konrad Mihat explore the use of 360° films in therapeutic and personal development settings, focusing on how immersive experiences can enhance body awareness and well-being.
They will present two applications: Amniotic Artheraπ, which combines immersive film with affective touch and weight support interventions, and Danstopic 360, which integrates VR with body-mapping and dance therapy for burnout prevention.
The talk will examine participant responses, technical and ethical considerations, and the importance of creating aesthetically enriching VR experiences for therapy. It will also discuss the need for trauma-informed approaches and mixed-methods research to measure the impact of these interventions.
Eric Williams and Jordan HErron
Creator Talk
3/27 Hamburg Hall A301 - 12:30Pm
Eric leads the cine-VR division at Ohio University’s GRID Lab, securing over $5 million in grants for VR projects in public safety, training, and education. His work includes collaborations with the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital’s BETTER Lab. With a background in film and television, he has written for AMC, Universal, and Fox Interactive, earning a Writer’s Guild of America Award, an Ohio Arts Council Award, and a Regional Emmy.
Jordan, producer and post-production supervisor at GRID Lab, focuses on immersive VR and sound design. His work won the Real World XR Award (2020) for Best Use of Sound & Music in XR, and he produced two six-part cine-VR series for law enforcement training. His team received the 2023 FBI National Academy Science and Innovation Award, and his work was featured in Imagining Tomorrow’s Entertainment on Wondrium.
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For the past two years, the GRID Lab at Ohio University has collaborated with the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy to create a cine-VR training series for over 30,000 law enforcement officers statewide. This immersive program features a fictitious city, interconnected officer backstories, and complex scenarios to enhance de-escalation and community engagement training. Beyond law enforcement, it also serves as a tool for community awareness initiatives. Key GRID Lab creatives will discuss best practices in cinematic VR storytelling. Eric Williams, co-author of VR Cinema: Tips and Techniques, will share insights from his work on Imagining Tomorrow’s Entertainment for Wondrium.