Evaluation Juries

Danny Lepage is the vice president of technology at Lucky VR, a company creating virtual worlds and that brings Las Vegas-style entertainment to multiple platforms. Previously, Danny worked as global technical director of real-time technologies at Framestore. He also founded a free-to-play (F2P) game development company after a 12-year career at Ubisoft, where he contributed to various franchises, including Splinter Cell. Danny holds a bachelor's degree in information engineering - microelectronics and began his career at Matrox before spending several years at Nvidia.

François Dominic Laramée has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of video game and television development, as a producer, artificial intelligence specialist and actor. He has published four books about the industry and game design, some of which were translated into Korean, Polish and Russian. Holding a doctorate in history, since 2017 he has been teaching digital arts and humanities at the university level.

Josh Nilson, is Metis and from Willow River, BC. He is the founder of Maskwa Investments which focuses on early stage seed funding and advisement with a focus on Indigenous tech businesses. Prior to that he was a founder at East Side Games (ESG), making mobile games like Trailer Park Boys, The Office, Ru Paul Drag Race Superstar and more. Josh has been working in tech since 2002 and was recognized as one of the most influential business leaders in the province as part of the BC500 in 2021, 2022, 2023. Just recently, Josh was named Person of the Year 2022 at the BC Tech Technology Impact Awards. He currently works in the technology and interactive media spaces and will always stop for pugs.

For nearly 20 years, Marie-Pier Gauthier has led digital transformations in culture, engaging audiences with innovative projects that drive change in practices, teams, and organizations.

For 12 years, she was a key figure in the interactive studio at the National Film Board (NFB) in Montreal, shaping it into a narrative laboratory. An expert in emerging practices, Marie-Pier has also assisted broadcasters, creative studios, and TV producers in developing new digital formats. She has piloted over a hundred large-scale projects, using cutting-edge technologies like generative AI, LLM, VR, and AR. Her notable works include CHOM5KY vs CHOMSKY, Plastisapiens, The Enemy, Do Not Track, and Motto, which have garnered over 100 awards worldwide, including Webby Awards, the IDFA Creative Technology Award, Japan Media Arts, and NUMIX.

Her productions have fostered new talent, pioneered new narrative expressions, and highlighted Quebec and Canadian creativity on both national and international stages.