Marie Côté
As an international business development consultant for various companies in the creative industries sector, Marie has supported the international outreach of HUB Montréal since its first edition in 2017, and has chaired its International Advisory Committee since its establishment in 2018.
With over 20 years of executive experience in the entertainment industry (ARTV, Cirque du Soleil, Productions J, Radio-Canada, Rodeo FX), she also brings extensive governance expertise, having served for more than 30 years on the boards of several organizations, including the Agence de mobilité durable de Montréal, the Cinémathèque québécoise, Cinema Excentris, the Montreal Computer Research Center, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Loto-Québec, Xn Québec, and the Adélard Cultural Center.
Patricia Buffa
Patricia Buffa is a Principal Product Marketing Manager at Adobe, with a focus on Gen AI. In her role she develops thought leadership strategies and programs that center creative professionals while supporting the development and release of Adobe’s family of creative GenAI models. Prior to joining Adobe, Patricia was the Director of Digital Strategy at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (de Young + Legion of Honor) where she built out the Web and Digital Strategy division and led transformational projects such as famsf.org website redesign and the de Young’s first in-gallery AR application that allows visitors to virtually try on designs from the museum’s fashion collection. She also established an award-winning short documentary series and started experimenting with Gen AI ideating new public-facing engagement applications. Previously Patricia led digital initiatives and teams at MoMA, in New York City, and at Foundation Louis Vuitton, in Paris. She’s originally from Italy and Brazil and holds an MS in Economics and Management from Bocconi University in Milan. She is passionate about art, technology and the wilderness.
Barnabas Chia
In 2016, Barnabas founded Pico Pro, the first division of its kind in the Pico Group focusing on idea driven business. Today, Pico Pro organises and executes some of the largest events and festivals in Singapore, such as i Light Marina Bay, Marina Bay Singapore Countdown, Marina Bay Carnival, Art-Zoo Inflatable Park and many others. As organiser and manager, the team activates all branches of Pico Group’s offerings, from sponsorship sales and activation, marketing, PR, branding, social media activation, project management, logistics, build, and research.
Since 2020, Barnabas oversees the Pico Group’s IP projects globally, developing relationships with key IP owners, artists and aggregators and working with Pico offices globally to deploy IP related projects.
Special Projects:
Project Director, i Light Marina Bay 2012 to Present
Project Lead, Children’s Festival 2017 to Present
Executive Producer, Art-Zoo Inflatable Park 2017 to Present
Executive Producer, Marina Bay Carnival 2017 – 2019
Project Director, Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2018 – 2020
Project Lead, Ultra Singapore 2016 – 2019
Project Lead / Advisor, Singapore Night Festival 2022, 2023
Project Director, Muscat Flower Festival 2024/2025
Nina Diamond
Nina is an Executive Producer in the Digital Department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York where she produces and directs a variety of public-facing digital media for diverse platforms. Her projects include 360° audio and video, AR, VR, and interactive digital products. She’s currently developing a multi-lingual podcast and doing R & D on emerging tech, multi-dimensional storytelling, AI, and the larger immersive sector.
Elisha Karmitz
Elisha Karmitz is the CEO of the mk2 group, which he co-leads with his brother Nathanaël Karmitz, Chairman of the Management Board. He joined the company in 2006 as the publishing director of the free magazine TROISCOULEURS. He was appointed CEO in 2016. In 2012, he founded mk2 Agency, a communications and event agency that became MK2+ in 2019. In 2016, he launched mk2 VR, the first permanent venue dedicated to virtual reality in Europe.
Elisha Karmitz is also the co-producer of documentaries and feature films such as It’s Only the End of the World by Xavier Dolan (2016), which won the Grand Prix at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, Julie (in 12 Chapters) by Joachim Trier (2021), which earned the Best Actress Award at Cannes in 2021, and The Nature of Love (Simple comme Sylvain) by Monia Chokri (2023), which won the César Award for Best Foreign Film in 2024.
In 2010, Elisha and Nathanaël Karmitz launched the Paradiso brand as a laboratory for reinventing the cinema experience. They went on to create the Cinéma Paradiso events in 2013 and 2015 under the glass roof of the Grand Palais, and later in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023 in the Cour Carrée of the Louvre Museum. In line with this vision, Elisha and Nathanaël Karmitz opened Hotel Paradiso in 2021, the world’s first cinema-hotel, a one-of-a-kind concept.
David Millman
I am an Associate Director for Charcoalblue, a company specializing in delivering amazing spaces in the Entertainment and Experiential industries.
Brian Mirakian
Brian Mirakian serves on the Americas Board of Directors for Populous, the global leader in architecture and design for live entertainment, sports, and cultural destinations. With landmark projects like the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas—the world’s largest immersive venue—Populous has, for over 40 years, pushed the boundaries of what’s possible, creating moments and icons that define the way people gather.
Brian co-leads the Populous Live Performance Venues division and is responsible for building the practice’s Brand Activation segment. With a core focus on future-forward innovation, next-gen consumerism, and connective strategy in the live entertainment and hospitality industries, he masterfully creates opportunities for his clients by elevating their brands and businesses—amplifying engagement through immersive user experiences across all levels, design mediums, and interactive technologies.
His award-winning work has garnered international acclaim in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fast Company, and has been featured on Cheddar and the Discovery Channel. He has delivered transformative design solutions for clients across the globe, collaborating with countless professional teams, some of the world’s leading advertising agencies, Universal Music, Churchill Downs, the Olympic Games, the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, and top brands including Adidas, Chick-fil-A, Pepsi, Comcast, Activision Blizzard, and Tencent.
Julien Pavillard
Julien Pavillard is the Director of Events and Animation for the City of Lyon and has served as the General Coordinator of the Fête des Lumières since 2020. He is notably responsible for its artistic direction. After working as a social sciences researcher, he shifted his focus to the performing arts, cultural events, and large-scale image projection, wh ich led him to work on several renowned projects. He was recruited by the City of Lyon in 2005 to oversee the artistic direction of major projects for the Fête des Lumières until 2009. He founded and led the Congo Bleu agency until 2020, through which he worked on numerous international events to enhance them with light or image projection, and to create or direct several light festivals, notably in Tokyo, Schaerbeek (Brussels), Moscow, and Geneva.
Kati Price
Kati is a digital director specialising in digital transformation, audience engagement and brand experience. She currently oversees experience and digital at the Victoria and Albert Museum, for audiences encountering the V&A online and in person. She also leads teams working across content, technology and design and directs an award-winning portfolio of digital products and content.
Tim Prior
Tim is a veteran entertainment Industry entrepreneur having worked in the international entertainment industry for 50 years based in both in London and Los Angeles. He has been an International Artist Manager, Corporate and Independent Record and Publishing company executive, a former director and board member of BMG (UK) and the UK Music Mangers Forum.
He has co-founded and represented software and digital services companies in social media, Downloads and Streaming, Ticketing, Data and Content distribution. He is currently co-founder and CCO of experiential exhibition venue company, Big Black Box and is the International Business Development partner to EMMWP and Edenbridge Asia. Tim has extensive worldwide relationships with Producers, Creative Studios, International Promoters, Presenters and Operators, Service providers and Funders of experiential exhibitions and events.
Diane Quinn
Throughout her career, Diane has led and championed improvements in artistic innovation as well as business and human growth and corporate expansion for companies in both the not-for-profit and commercial sectors. Focusing on a human-centered approach to identifying and solving problems has been her bedrock to encourage and motivate team members, contributing to team success and encouraging individuals to embrace change.
As Chief Creative Officer for CDS Entertainment Group, she oversaw the creation of shows for the entertainment giant and led innovation activities through C: Lab globally. Diane gained invaluable experience leading several other cultural organizations, including The American Repertory Theatre and the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University, Soulpepper Theatre Company (founding producer), and Festival of Classics (founder).
In her current role as the CEO at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in south Florida, Diane is seizing and capitalizing on the fast pace of growth and change in Palm Beach County to expand programming, raise fundraising goals, and broaden the Center’s reach into all areas of the community.
Diane has taught at colleges and universities and spoken at events, including SXSW, throughout North America and Scandinavia on topics including creativity, innovation, and arts management. She advises and mentors young creatives on various projects and has been on the selection panel of several international juries, including CES and WCOPA. She holds an Honors Arts Specialist BA from the University of Toronto and is a Harvard Business School’s Executive Program for Arts Leaders graduate.
Sundar Raman
Sundar Raman is a Creative Engineer. He is the co-founder and CTO of the innovative Experience Design firm PRESENT, at NowPresent.co.
Sundar was the Director of Technology at the Museum of the Future in Dubai, from Oct 2019 to Dec 2024, and Director of Technology at Local Projects, New York from 2011 to 2019.
Sundar’s background includes community media, Internet telephony, social gaming, and interactive experience design.
Sundar believes that technology is a facilitator for art and user experience, and that it should be easy and fun for everyone. Sundar is currently making “bi-directional interactive environments”, which allow visitors to engage in active dialog with immersive spaces.
Alex Rand
Alex Rand is a senior producer and curator working across major events, immersive experiences, public art installations, and the performing arts, typically in festivals and non-traditional spaces. Currently, he is Manager, Programming at The Bentway, a new kind of cultural organization that designs and programs innovative public spaces underneath the elevated Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto. He co-curates, commissions, produces, and presents an interdisciplinary program of public art, events, and recreational experiences across seasons.
From 2017 – 2022, Alex was the Producer, Artistic Programs at Luminato Festival, where he curated and produced a variety of multidisciplinary projects across the city of Toronto. Previously, Alex was based in London, UK, where he had the opportunity to work as both as a theatre artist and arts manager with organizations such as the Barbican Centre and National Theatre, among others.
Philippe Rivière
Following a Bachelor’s degree from the École du Louvre and a Master’s in Art History from Sorbonne University, Philippe transitioned into the field of IT to explore how new technologies can be used to organize and share cultural content.
Since then, he has held key positions in the digital departments of several major Parisian cultural institutions, including Paris Musées, where he served as Deputy Development Manager and Head of Digital Services and Communication.
Currently, Philippe leads the digital strategy at the Art Explora Foundation. In this role, he develops new digital formats—from online micro-learning to immersive experiences—to engage new audiences. He also works on mobility-based cultural initiatives designed to bring art directly to where people live, such as a museum boat and a new cultural venue in Northern Paris.
Nathalie Van Sasse Van Ysselt
Nathalie Van Sasse Van Ysselt is a creative-tech executive shaping innovation-forward experiences for global audiences. With over 15 years of experience at the intersection of design, technology, and culture, she has led groundbreaking immersive entertainment formats for leading brands, artists, and institutions.
As VP of Design & Creative at Sphere, she led the in-house studio and played a key role in launching the iconic immersive venue and the viral Exosphere platform. Her team crafted standout content for high-profile collaborations including A$AP Rocky x Puma, The Oscars, and Spider-Man, and delivered large-scale fan experiences for the Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Super Bowl.
Previously, she worked at Moment Factory, where she spearheaded immersive projects worldwide. She also founded an art gallery in Berlin, further anchoring her commitment to culture and creativity.
Nathalie is the founder of Atelier NVSVY, a studio specializing in next-gen experiential design, creative strategy, and innovation, serving a global clientele. She actively mentors emerging talent, curates public art programs, and is a frequent speaker at major events such as SXSW, OFFF, and NAB.
