Tommy Harper

The Franchise Whisperer

A Hollywood heavyweight, whose films have redefined modern storytelling. Harper produced global blockbusters like "Top Gun: Maverick", "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation", "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice", and Netflix's hit "Wednesday." Having worked alongside legends such as Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams, Tim Burton, and Jerry Bruckheimer, Harper's productions have earned more than $6 billion worldwide and countless award nominations. At PixelRiot Hackathon 2025, he brings his cinematic vision to a new frontier - where film, creativity, and AI collide.

Eliza McNitt

Filmmaker, Writer + Director

Sold first-ever VR film at Sundance for seven figures with SPHERES - Venice Grand Prix winner. Now pioneering AI cinema with Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream), dropping ANCESTRA at Tribeca 2025 via his Primordial Soup + Google DeepMind. CNN called it breakthrough filmmaking - proving AI amplifies human creativity instead of replacing it.

Jacob Adler

Runway AIFF '25 Winner

Won 1st place out of 6,000 films at Runway's AIFF 2025 with "Total Pixel Space" - a 9-minute short that turns AI-generated pixels into philosophical cinema. Classically-trained composer and ASU educator who shifted from traditional instruments to prove that code and algorithms can create worlds that feel more human than reality itself.

Dorothy Di Stefano

Top Voice Art & Culture

Curated the world's largest light art festival with 201 installations across Riyadh, bagging 6 Guinness World Records and pulling 2.8M visitors. Turned 700+ projects across 20+ countries into immersive experiences that ditch gallery walls—blending AI, light, and storytelling to make art hit you where you live, not where museums tell you to stand.

Nina Sabina Caballero

Leads AI/CC's 45K creators

Leads AI/CC - 45K+ creator community turning basement experimenters into global voices. Ditched Marimekko's 20-year corporate run to partner with Luma AI, Higgsfield, Pimento, DreamFlare before they hit mainstream.

Malik Afegbua

AI creator

Broke the internet in 2023 with "The Elder Series" - AI-generated runway show that went from 3K to 66K Instagram followers overnight and got the WHO, UN, and World Economic Forum talking about ageism. Founded Slickcity Media and landed clients like Meta, Marvel Studios, and IBM by literally teaching AI to stop being racist (he trained Midjourney to properly render Black Africans after it kept producing "mangled" results). Now championing how creators can hijack AI for social change instead of just making pretty pictures.

Holden Boyles

Runway Gen:48 Best Craft Winner

Won Best Craft at Runway's Gen:48 AI Film Festival for "Honu" - critics called it "simply incredible" for its visual mastery of AI video. Co-founded Ambiguous, now pushing AI-driven cinema with poetic films like "Window Pane" that blend sci-fi with existential questions about what it means to be human.

Joanna Kos-Krauze

World-renowned film director

An acclaimed director, screenwriter, and producer, her films such as "Papusza", "Plac Zbawiciela", and "Birds Are Singing in Kigali" have won dozens of awards at major international festivals. Her work is recognized for its bold storytelling, social depth, and artistic innovation - making her one of the most influential voices in European cinema today. As President of the Polish Directors' Guild, she continues to champion new voices in film. At PixelRiot, Joanna will bring her unique perspective to the jury - where creativity, culture, and technology collide.

Mark Wachholz

AI Filmmaker and Storytelling Explorer

Won the Grand Prizes at Korea's AI Content Awards and the Omni AI Film Festival (with Mad Max's George Miller on the jury), and 2nd Prize out of 2,100 films at Venice's Reply AI Film Festival 2025 with "The Cinema That Never Was" – a love letter to unmade films that embraces AI as a co-creator of imagination. After two decades writing for film, TV, and games, Mark now pushes into a frontier where storytelling and AI fuse into a new global cinema of dreams.

Joanna Skubisz

One-Woman Empire

Solo-built Vosego from concept to award-winning product line to 4-digit ROI exit in 4 years-design, manufacturing, sales, everything. One-person operation that out-shipped entire teams. Joined Constellar as Chief Business Development Officer, launched BTS card game that sold out 25K units day one in Japan, hit #3 trending nationwide, flooded major TV networks week one. Before that: scaled Crocs eCommerce across Asia with double-digit YoY growth, ran digital for UNIQLO APAC. Oxford-educated, speaks Japanese, lived in 5 countries.

Jarosław Serednicki

Brand Transformation Expert

Helped transform Żabka brand into a cultural phenomenon. Grand Prix Effie 2020, Brand of the Year 2019. Invented Kawonament coffee subscription that won Gold Effie 2023. Helped build marketing that made Poland fall in love with the convenience retail brand.

Justyna Obara

AI creator

Won TasteRay's special award at AI Creative Challenge - Pixel Riot's first edition. Copywriter who weaponized AI to beat 1,000 other creators, proving words hit harder when machines amplify them. Led creatives at Bees & Honey and crafted copy for NordPass, part of Nord Security's cybersecurity suite. Now leveraging AI in her daily workflows, she continues to shape the voice of global tech brands at Admind.

Kuba Michalczuk

Poland's Hottest Director 2025

A multi‑award‑winning Polish film director known for record‑breaking hits. His debut "Teściowie" (2021) drew over 425,000 viewers and earned a Polish Film Award nomination, while "Teściowie 3" (2025) smashed the box office with over 1 million viewers just weeks after its premiere - making it one of the most‑watched Polish films of the year. Before filmmaking, Kuba directed 500+ commercials and award‑winning shorts like "Tomorrow," praised at Hollywood and Tiburon festivals. At PixelRiot, he brings his vision of storytelling where film, creativity, and technology collide.

Ula Śniegowska

Director, American Film Festival

Has been running the American Film Festival for 15 years, making Wrocław the European hub for American cinema. Built US in Progress - matching US filmmakers with European post-production and markets, $180K in annual awards. Now partnering with Pixel Riot to prove genAI films deserve festival stages, not just YouTube.

Marcin Łunkiewicz

Oscar-Winning AI Maverick

co-creator of the Oscar-winning animation "Peter and the Wolf" and producer of the world's first cinematic VR series. In 2023, he created Maxon - the world's first fully AI-generated TV commercial, setting a new direction for the advertising industry. As the founder of mimo.ooo and creator of mimo.ooo, he develops data-driven, AI-powered marketing, delivering projects for brands such as ORLEN, Komfort, and Mobile Vikings. He believes the future belongs to those who learn to collaborate with AI - not compete against it.

Iza Albrychiewicz

AdMan Triple Winner

Broke into Poland's boys' club as first woman to win AdMan - won it 3x total. Built Poland's #1 agency, dominated for 7 years straight with 56 Effie awards. Launched mSpark accelerator to back MarTech startups from inside WPP. Now runs 10 CEE markets at WPP Media, pushing AI-first media innovation at scale.

Kuba Idczak

AI Film Pioneer

Won Grand Prix at AI Creative Challenge 2025. Co-Founder of grAIn.studio – Poland's AI film production house blending generative technology with traditional filmmaking craft. For over 15 years supporting brands in building their stories (soho.creative, sonicvibes.pl), now delivering nationwide AI-driven TV campaigns where algorithms meet human creativity.

Joanna Adamkiewicz

Rebel Art Director, PixelRiot

Joanna Adamkiewicz-Wolniak experience merges classical art with digital innovation as a fine artist, set designer, and co-founder of VML Poland.

Matty Shimura

Leading AI Creative Competitions

Founded Project Odyssey - the world's largest AI filmmaking initiative with 13,000+ signups and 4,500+ submissions in Season 2 alone.

Marta Solik

genAI pro

Founder of Stereochromatic Solutions - a hybrid AI creative agency pushing boundaries in text, visual, video, and XR. One of 25 designers selected from 1,500+ applicants worldwide for AIO Wear's Designer Partner Program, developing on-demand sustainable fashion. AI Design Awards finalist (Barcelona) and AI Creative Challenge juror. 15+ years in project management, now teaching AI through workshops like "Coffee, Gossip, and Artificial Intelligence" - making tech accessible while spinning vinyl on the side.

Matt Szymanowski

AI cinema pioneer

Sundance Lab finalist who ditched Hollywood's wait to pioneer AI cinema in Europe. Founded Bear & Bot (formerly Pluto Studios), launched Poland's first Runway meetups and AI Digital Creators Forum while shipping hybrid AI films.

Ola Pędraszewska

Backing AI rebels

Tech founder and operator turned investor. Partner at vastpoint, new VC fund for early-stage AI and health tech companies. She built AI Safety team at ElevenLabs as early employee, after founding a holographic display start-up named "Best British Technology Pioneer." Her career bridges deep tech, entrepreneurship, and venture capital - a unique perspective that connects innovation with real‑world impact. At PixelRiot, Aleksandra will bring her forward‑thinking vision to the jury, helping spotlight creators who are redefining what's possible when AI meets imagination.

Justin Hackney

BAFTA-Winning AI Filmmaker

An award-winning filmmaker, Justin spent over a decade at Mad Cow Films before moving to the forefront of AI-native creation. He founded the Realdreams collective following a collaboration with OpenAI, helped scale ElevenLabs as Creative Director, and now leads Wonder's creative vision as Chief Creative Officer.

Anna Lankauf

Co-Founder of Callstack

Built a tech company valued at PLN 0.5 billion - without writing a single line of code. Anna Lankauf co-founded Callstack, the React Native powerhouse behind apps for Microsoft, Meta, and Expedia. After exiting her stake, she's now backing the next generation of rebels as a business angel, investing in three startups redefining how tech meets purpose. Alumna of Singularity University, mentor, and ecosystem builder - turning bold ideas into high-velocity impact.

Tiago Teixeira Correia

Gaming Dealmaker

Exec produced the first Super Bowl concert on Roblox at Warner Music, reaching millions and winning a Clio. Led WMG investments into Roblox, Dapper Labs, Overwolf. Was the CEO of AI-powered transmedia studio Transcend Pictures. Tech and Media dealmaker, currently spotting gaming creators as Venture Partner at Griffin Gaming Partners and AI companies for FOV Ventures.

Weronika Chmielewska

Founded Risewave at 21, leads MD Fellowship.

CEO at MD Fellowship, Rafał Brzoska Foundation Scholar (2.8% acceptance rate). Founded Risewave while still in university, flipping the script on how brands talk to Gen Z – got 1,000+ applicants, partnered with Ringier Axel Springer (Onet/Noizz) and Warsaw Marriott Hotel before turning 22. Now building the blueprint for youth-led marketing strategies that actually work.

Jeremy Angelier

Shaike AI Founder

Hosted Paris 2024 Olympics, Rugby World Cup for TF1, ran "Road to Roland Garros" across 40 channels, hosted for Microsoft, Meta, Disney, Samsung... After producing for Firstdraft Media for 20 years, he ditched traditional TV to launch SHAIKE - the platform for the world's best AI filmmakers

Magdalena Przelaskowska

$5M Google fund → $15.8M in startup exits

Ran Google's $5M Ukraine fund backing 58 startups that unlocked $15.8M in follow-on funding, then ditched corporate to launch IconLabs. Co-founded Google for Startups Campus Warsaw in 2015, turning it into CEE's leading startup hub with 25K members. Now advises Mastercard Strive Council shaping small business innovation across Europe.

Wiktor Schmidt

Bootstrapped Rebel

Bootstrapped Netguru from zero to $75M revenue with no VC money - just grit and smart bets on Ruby on Rails when everyone else was chasing trends. Hit 1,386% revenue growth, landed 3x in Deloitte Fast 50 and 5x in FT 1000 Europe's fastest-growing companies. Named Business Angel of the Year 2022 for backing rebels through Supercharge Capital fund, now hunting AI-powered mavericks who build fast and break molds.

Psyho

Humanity's Last Programmer

Named "Humanity's Last Programmer" after defeating OpenAI's custom model in a prestigious coding championship. Ex-OpenAI researcher who helped defeat the human champions in Dota 2. So far, always on the winning side. Game designer at heart, problem solver by trade.

Daniel Kędzierski

Marketing Automator

Grew FastTony to 65,000+ users across 131 countries after ditching manual Facebook ads for AI automation that sceptics said would never work. Won Kotler Awards 2024 for marketing automation and became one of Poland's rare Meta official tech partners. Now GP at NO-MAN VC backing B2B SaaS rebels while teaching universities how startups actually work - because he built his from the family business trenches

Piotr Karwatka

$190M Exit Founder

Built Divante from zero into one of Europe's biggest e-commerce powerhouses - exited for $65M. Then did it again with Callstack as a React Native contributing partner - $125M exit. Created the first version of Alokai when no one saw composable commerce coming. Early investor in 11Labs and Wordware before the hype, plus 30+ other bets. Now at Catch The Tornado coding TypeScript daily, shipping open source like it's a religion, and backing AI/health/dev-tool founders who build fast and ignore the rulebook.

Max Salamonowicz

Backing AI rebels

CEO of AImmersive shipping Omea - the first voice-controlled interactive audiobook platform where custom AI rewrites stories in real-time based on your choices. Built it by training models exclusively on novels, not generic data. Previously crushed hardware: raised $410k for Beyond Humanity: Colonies (AI-powered hybrid board game), launched BeSteady gimbals now used on pro film sets worldwide, consulted 30+ Kickstarter campaigns. Named "50 Most Creative 2015" by BRIEF Magazine. Multi-project chaos master currently building AI storytelling tools, sign language avatars, and robot assistants with actual personality.

Mateusz Tułecki

Innovation Connector

A sociologist by education, Mateusz Tułecki teaches students across multiple universities and shares his experience from years of working where technology meets society. He's the creator of PL:ON - Poland's new festival of innovation - and has helped build the med‑tech startup Ouli and the basketball team Dziki Warszawa. With a background in launching major tech events such as InternetBeta, leading startup programs at Agora, coordinating over 200 tech projects, and advising on VR/AR ventures at Satus Venture, he continues to bridge business, academia, and creativity across Poland's innovation ecosystem. At PixelRiot, Mateusz joins our global jury to inspire creators exploring how AI can reshape the way we think, work, and create.

Ben Wiley

Ben Wiley is a creative director and writer at Google Creative Lab. With a background in storytelling and filmmaking, he's worked on everything from music videos and album launches to TED Talks and documentaries to big brand commercials, weird little experiments, and apps and tools. Lately, he's been dedicated to making a dent in the universe of AI — creatively hacking models and trying to shape them into tools for human imagination. His most recent launch Ancestra, a short film produced by Darren Aronofsky and directed by Eliza McNitt, gives a glimpse at the future of filmmaking -- incorporating generative footage into a powerful visual poem.

Esha Vatsa

Backing AI-Creativity Disruptors

Ditched Big Four consulting to back rebels in PropTech, FinTech, and ConTech—led deals at Europe's first PropTech VC (Pi Labs) before jumping to Forward Partners and now Mercuri leading pre-seed to seed rounds. Partner at £50M Mercuri fund backing media/entertainment tech disruptors at the AI-creativity intersection.