
By Debra Kaufman
Earlier this year, HPA board member Mark Chiolis, Mobile TV Group director of business development, heard a story of an extreme sports production that piqued his interest. Uncle Toad's was shooting the world's top snowboarders in the remote backcountry of the Canadian Rockies for the Natural Selection snowboarding competition, he says. Uncle Toad's creative director/senior producer, Chris Steblay, described how the team had to helicopter everyone to the production site dangerous terrain for snowboarders and crew. There, in sometimes harsh weather, the production team used live racing drone chase cameras and wireless technologies to document every second of the snowboarders' aerial feats.
That led Chiolis to pursue Extreme Production as the theme of this year's TR-X (Tech Retreat Extra). Chiolis, who, with HPA board member Craig German, Crafty Apes VFX chief executive, has spearheaded this HPA Tech Retreat event since 2018, noted that Uncle Toad's production was an inspiration to dive deeply into what we mean when we say, extreme production'. TR-X 2024, Chiolis says, will feature multiple examples that represent a wide range of extreme productions.
The opening keynote will be IMAX Post/DKP founders David Keighley and Patricia Keighley, talking about their crucial work on director Christopher Nolan's 70mm Oppenheimer. Chiolis notes that, among other details, IMAX had to create expanded reels because no one had ever done a three-hour 70mm projection before. David and Patricia will talk about everything they went through with [Christopher] Nolan to get everything captured, produced, distributed and exhibited, he says. So many people have wanted to see the movie in IMAX and, by the time we're at TR-X, global box office will likely reach $1 billion.
Next on the agenda is a look at The Grand Tour, a global motoring program streaming on Prime Video since 2016, presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, produced by Andy Wilman and directed by Phil Churchward. An exceptionally challenging show to make, The Grand Tour includes two movie length specials as well as the making of pieces. With far flung locations in difficult to shoot countries, the storylines involve outlandish and extravagant stunts. The production demands the cinematography remain at an extremely high standard while constantly on the move with no script to rely upon. Amazon MGM Studios Director and WW Head of Unscripted Production, John Holmes, will appear at TR-X where he will moderate a conversation with Churchward and Wilman, joining by satellite from the U.K, who will discuss the challenges of bringing these productions together.
At last year's TR-X, Chiolis and German organized a panel of Young Entertainment Professionals (YEPs) to hear about their nascent careers and expectations for their futures in the media/entertainment industry. They're the next generation of our industry, says Chiolis. One of the takeaways from last year was that there are numerous YEPs at the Retreat and we encourage attendees to introduce themselves to them. You could be a potential mentor now - and one day, they may be hiring you. For TR-X 2024, YEP Eric Mahoney, who works at Paramount, and YEP alumna Nikki Jee are co-producing and moderating a panel on some of the extreme productions that this group of YEPs is already working on.
HPA's TRX breaks even its own exciting boundaries with a look at the immersive art of Refik Anadol, says Chiolis. Anadol creates what he calls AI data paintings and sculptures. In these creations, which combine architecture, art and technology, Anadol uses datasets to paint unique multi-sensory immersive environments. The Arca Museum in Denmark just closed an exhibit of Anadol's Nature's Dream display. He's doing data-driven, machine-learning algorithms to create abstract dream-like environments displayed on screens, Chiolis says. The work he does to get there is, in my opinion, extreme, and we're going to show the behind-the-scenes of what it takes to get it completed and displayed. A moderated case study will include Anadol, joining by video, as well as Google Cloud's global lead for the entertainment industry Buzz Hayes and Gunpowder owner Tom Taylor, who worked with the artist. Anadol's work is also scheduled to be displayed throughout the Tech Retreat.
In another session, independent producer Jackee Chang will describe the perils of getting a small crew and gear into (and out of) Vietnam to cover the Russian gang involvement in human trafficking. Chiolis noted she will not only go into the details of this extreme production but also talk about what she could do differently today.
Sports Video Group chief editor Jason Dachman will be moderating a panel on extreme sports productions, says Chiolis. And, we're not done. We expect to add two more slots will in the next month.
This is Chiolis' sixth year producing HPA Tech Retreat's TR-X. HPA is an all-volunteer organization and everyone on the board is doing something, he says. It was my choice to produce TR-X and I very much enjoy it. Even so, he foresees the day that he will hand the baton to a younger group of HPA board members. You'll see new faces, he promises.
Registration to the 2024 HPA Tech Retreat is open now to members, and the general public soon at HPATechRetreat.com. HPA Tech Retreat will take place from February 18-22 in Rancho Mirage, California. The TR-X session will be Monday, February 19, from 1:00-5:45 pm PT.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
20/03/2026
Net Insight will introduce a JPEG XS solution for full IP environments at NAB Sh...
20/03/2026
LTN has expanded its technology partnership with Harmonic ahead of the FCC's...
20/03/2026
Solid State Logic will preview SSL Live V6.2 at NAB Show, booth C6907. The softw...
20/03/2026
FUJIFILM North America Corporation's Optical Devices Division has announced ...
20/03/2026
FUJIFILM North America Corporation's Optical Devices Division has announced ...
20/03/2026
TrueVisions NOW, a streaming platform in Thailand and part of the TrueVisions Group, has selected Bitmovin's Observability product for real-time video analy...
20/03/2026
Marquee Sports Network has announced distribution agreements with Hulu + Live TV and Prime Video ahead of the 2026 MLB season.
Marquee Sports Network is now av...
20/03/2026
FOR-A will exhibit software-defined and AI-driven solutions at NAB Show 2026, bo...
20/03/2026
TNA Wrestling and Eurosport India have entered into a multi-year exclusive progr...
20/03/2026
When Athletes Unlimited brought its professional women's basketball season t...
20/03/2026
In this craft interview, Rick Bernier reflects on a career that has taken him to...
20/03/2026
Lawo will announce a new product ahead of NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas, where it w...
20/03/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
20/03/2026
Major League Baseball (MLB) has named Polymarket as its Official Prediction Mark...
20/03/2026
With AI now the industry-wide priority, Big Tech companies are uniquely position...
20/03/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
20/03/2026
Abundant player mics and RF and other ground-level cameras will be used to captu...
20/03/2026
Regional site will also receive big boost in production resources, including on-...
20/03/2026
By Jessica Herndon
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Fest...
20/03/2026
In 2021, we launched EQUAL, a program designed to address an industry reality that persists: Women artists, songwriters, and producers too often face fewer oppo...
20/03/2026
BTS' long-awaited fifth studio album, ARIRANG, is finally here. To celebrate...
20/03/2026
A new era for Kenia Os has arrived, and Spotify marked the moment by putting fan...
20/03/2026
Una nueva era para Kenia Os ha llegado, y Spotify marc el momento poniendo a lo...
20/03/2026
Combines sampling & physical modelling
Sound Magic have announced the launch of a comprehensive virtual drum instrument that's been designed to cater to...
20/03/2026
How much difference should mastering make?
In our latest Mix Rescue feature, SOS Editor in Chief Sam Inglis revisits a project from back in 2019, carrying o...
20/03/2026
Feast for cycling fans as SBS extends road cycling broadcasts to include all Gra...
20/03/2026
In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World Summit in London, where NAGRAVISION hosted a panel on content discovery and ...
20/03/2026
After a series of increases, February brought the first slowdown in time spent in front of TV sets in a long time. While traditional television was losing viewi...
20/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/03/2026
60 years of audio innovation, driven by the people who use it...
20/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/03/2026
Colombia's Icesi University and WSDG are proud to announce Ronald David Reyes as the recipient of the 2025 WSDG Excellence Scholarship, awarded to an outsta...
20/03/2026
Avid today celebrated the filmmakers, editors and sound teams that worked with Avid Media Composer and Pro Tools to create the vast majority of this year'...
20/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/03/2026
Real-time 9:16 AI-Generated Autocropping; Software-Defined Station in a Box; and Software Switcher with Unlimited Layering Are Among Show Highlights
For the fi...
20/03/2026
Signiant Showcases New Content Innovations Driving Visibility, Access, and Actio...
20/03/2026
Caffeine Relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for End to End Post Workflow
Brie Clayton March 19, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Cloud helps Mexican post faci...
20/03/2026
Friday 20 March 2026
Sky Extends Saturday Night Live UK Run to Eight Shows
Ahead of Saturday Night Live UK's launch tomorrow (March 21), Sky has confirmed...
20/03/2026
It's time to play The Money List! Baz Ashmawy is back at the helm as the qui...