By Debra Kaufman
The HPA Tech Retreat is always a must-attend event and this year's - the 29th annual Retreat - is no exception. With robust signups already, there are still tickets available, but don't wait too long since attendance is capped at 700 people and the event always sells out. The HPA Tech Retreat 2024 will take place from February 18 to 22 at the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage.
The first sign that this year's Tech Retreat would be particularly exciting was the wealth of compelling pitches to be part of the program. This year we got 132 pitches for sessions - and unfortunately there wasn't a dud among them, says Mark Schubin who has guided HPA Tech Retreat programming for over 20 years. Typically, a lot of the proposed sessions don't make the cut, but this year it was a tragedy to have to reject so many worthy ideas.
The first day, Monday, is the annual TR-X, which will focus on Extreme Production [link to recent article?] and, on Tuesday, the Super Session will unfold with its usual flair. Tuesday (through Thursday) launches the Breakfast Roundtables, another popular Tech Retreat platform. As of today, the Round Tables have been filled, with more than 75 people signed up to lead the conversations on a rich array of topics. In the Innovation Zone, attendees can enjoy demos and conversations with 60 curated technology companies.
For the main conference portion of the Tech Retreat, two major themes dominate: Artificial Intelligence and the MovieLabs 2030 Update. On Wednesday, the AI sessions will take a deep dive into the technology's role in revolutionizing media production from conceptualization to final cut. Schubin reported that HPA President Seth Hallen took on the task of programming the AI track of the main program, which consists of three sections, and a final period for discussion and Q&A.
The first section on Setting the Stage for AI includes presentations by EdenBase Daniel Doll-Steinberg and Entertainment Technology Center's Yves Bergquist and DPP's Mark Harrison's talk on AI for Media: What Does Good Look Like? . The second session, on AI and Creativity, with a look at the future of cinematic storytelling, starts with Barbara Frost Grant and Paramount's Tony Guarino expounding on the studio perspective of AI and content creation. Also in this session, Concept.art's Christian Canterell talks on using GenAI as a screenwriting partner and preproduction assistant, and Curious Refuge's Caleb Ward will address the business angle of a successful future state for AI tools and AI content. Third, for AI in the Workflow, Avid's David Colantuoni will focus on enhancing creative decisions with AI generated content recommendations; Fraunhofer-Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS Siegfried F el will discuss multi-language generation of movie content, and Cuebric's Pinar Seyhan Demirdag will demystify AI in the supply chain.
Thursday morning focused on the update of MovieLabs 2030, with MovieLabs' Mark Turner's report on where we are on the path to 2030. Avid's Richard Duke will talk about bringing the studio in the cloud' to fruition. Next, Turner, with Perfect Memory's Guillaume Rachez will talk about implementing the MovieLabs Ontology for Media Creation - How and Why, and, finally, with Imagica Entertainment Media Services, Akii Seino, Turner will talk about workflows based on 2030 Vision.
Metadata mania will be the central theme of the next set of 2030 sessions, beginning with MovieLabs' Jim Helman enumerating the challenges in the current landscape. The Rebel Fleet's Mike Urban will describe how his company used MovieLabs OMC for metadata on Season 2 of Our Flag Means Death. With Google's Toby Scales and Paramount Global's Dalia Spingarn, Helman will discuss OpenMetadataIO, an open standards initiative. The last MovieLabs 2030 theme will focus on interoperability, a key to the creative benefits of the 2030 Vision, with a talk by Helman who will then also moderate a panel.
Thursday afternoon, the Tech Retreat continues with exploration of a diverse range of topics. Schubin points out two presentations that demonstrate the scope of the Tech Retreat's programming. Adobe chief technology officer of digital media Ely Greenfield will address responsible innovation in the Age of generative AI, looking at how to identify deepfakes via content provenance. Fielding Graduate University doctoral candidate Holly Devon will untwist the rope of character identification. She's done the research on what works and what doesn't to get audiences to identify with characters, says Schubin.
Among the many other presentations is the annual panel moderated by the International Cinematographers Guild's Michael Chambliss, this time with Small HD's Greg Smokler. Other topics include will include what to expect at CES 2024; NeRFs, sound, quantum dots and color imaging with Charles Poynton, a presentation from the Academy Software Foundation on open source software and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences on the new developer release of ACES 2.0
It's shaping up to be a banner year for HPA Tech Retreat; great speakers (as usual) and topics that are incredibly important to those who work in media and entertainment.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
10/06/2026
DAZN-owned digital-media company launches three fan-first series leaning into cr...
10/06/2026
Clear-Com has announced the appointment of Jason Dino as Southwest Regional Sales Manager USA, covering Southern California and the Southwest region. Dino joins...
10/06/2026
An 11% decrease in number of global broadcast deals reflects the organization...
10/06/2026
The Women Without Boundaries Awards recognize women whose work is advancing the future of media, broadcast, AV, workplace technology, digital experience, and re...
10/06/2026
Today is match day minus two for FIFA and HBS. On Thursday, there will be two ma...
10/06/2026
SES is supporting broadcast distribution of the world's biggest football tou...
10/06/2026
NDI has announced that BirdDog has become the first hardware manufacturer to achieve full NDI 6.3 compatibility across its complete lineup of cameras, encoders,...
10/06/2026
Vince Caputo and Scott Carter, winners of the 2026 Sports Emmy for Outstanding Post Produced Audio have been announced as presenters for the 2026 SVG Advanced A...
10/06/2026
FOX One today unveiled a slate of new product features and enhancements designed to elevate the viewing experience for fans on the official streaming platform o...
10/06/2026
Primary production partners Dome Productions and Raycom Sports once again played...
10/06/2026
The Women in Sports Filmmaking Experienceship is an immersive professional devel...
10/06/2026
The league has expanded its HSAN architecture for the NBA Finals to manage more ...
10/06/2026
The inaugural MoonPay X Games League (XGL) Winter Draft will take place Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at Cosm Los Angeles from 7-9 p.m. PT. The event will strea...
10/06/2026
The University of Oklahoma (OU) Athletics Department and Learfield have announce...
10/06/2026
The Video Services Forum (VSF) has released TR-06-4 Part 8, a new specification for RIST Satellite-Hybrid: Out-of-Band Method. The specification creates a mecha...
10/06/2026
Riedel Communications provided the communications infrastructure for the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Lisbon, supporting live medical proc...
10/06/2026
A still from The Doom Generation by Gregg Araki (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
By Lucy Spicer
Have you checked out our Sundance Film Festival 101 list yet...
10/06/2026
Get Hands-On with Interfaces & Mic Preamp Brands
If youre after a new interface or preamp, then GearExpo UK is the place to be! Well have a whole host of au...
10/06/2026
November 13-14 2026, The Midway, San Francisco
Following their recent rebranding, MONO Music Conference (formerly Music Expo) have officially announced thei...
10/06/2026
Debut instrument free for limited time
deFORM is the debut release from newly founded developer ebbandflow, and it's being offered as a free download fo...
10/06/2026
Alone Australia Season 4: Meet the Cast
10 June, 2026
Media releases
WATCH THE TRAILER
Smash-hit survival series Alone Australia drops its highly anticipa...
10/06/2026
DEADLY THEN, DEADLY NOW, DEADLY ALWAYS: SBS & NITV IGNITE NAIDOC WEEK 2026 WITH ...
10/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF advance laser-based drone defense with THORIS LCS Rohde & Schwarz is showcasing THORIS at ILA 2026: A sovereign, end to end counter...
10/06/2026
MAHLE and Rohde & Schwarz develop application for sensor testing of modern drive...
10/06/2026
Production and Development Funding supports the creation of compelling, commercially viable, artistic and culturally relevant South African screen content. Deve...
10/06/2026
Media buyers and sellers can now compare YouTube reach from computer, mobile, an...
10/06/2026
Accedo, Humans not Robots, and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) have announced the launch of Ecoflow X. Formerly an IBC Accelerator project, ...
10/06/2026
Frequency, the engine powering the world's leading streaming television channels, today announced that James Smith has joined the company as General Manager...
10/06/2026
At the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Lisbon, Riedel Communications provided the communications infrastructure for live medical procedures s...
10/06/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media, and entertainment managed services, today announced the launch of its Content Exchange platform powered by Or...
10/06/2026
Klvr will showcase how venues, integrators and production teams are rethinking disposable battery usage at InfoComm 2026 (Las Vegas, June 17-19, booth #N6311). ...
10/06/2026
The Video Services Forum (VSF) has further enhanced the Reliable Internet Streaming Transport (RIST) protocol by incorporating a new feature, RIST Satellite-Hyb...
10/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
How to watch every ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 match live on Sky Sports
Where is the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 availabl...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
P RLA brings first-ever Beautifully Clean Oral Care'...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
Sky reveals pulse-pounding first teaser trailer for upco...
10/06/2026
Wuppertal June 10, 2026
Riedel Artist at the Heart of the 14th World Live Neurovascular ConferenceAt the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Li...
10/06/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Showcases New Mobile Experience, Collections and Games Vision in APAC
Product
10 June 2026
GlobalSouth KoreaJapan
Link copied to c...
10/06/2026
Back to All News
Ready to Join? The Netflix Fan Club Arrives at Cannes Lions
Business
10 June 2026
Global
Link copied to clipboard
Download all assets
N...
10/06/2026
Chemists snap together complex 3D molecules from highly reactive radicals-without losing their shape Scripps Research team develops stereoretentive radical-radi...
09/06/2026
Kiswe announces an expanded long-term partnership with ONE Championship (ONE), t...
09/06/2026
SiriusXM will broadcast FOX Sports' English-language commentary for all 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches from June 11 through July 19, available to subscribe...
09/06/2026
EVS has announced it is changing its corporate name from EVS Broadcast Equipment to EVS, reflecting the company's expanded portfolio beyond broadcast equipm...
09/06/2026
Fox Corporation and the NFL have announced a multi-year agreement to bring NFL c...
09/06/2026
FOX Sports and ReachTV, an airport media network, have announced an agreement to...
By Debra Kaufman
