Vivid Sydney Games District: Video Games Industry Open Day

Kayla Panozzo is a Software Engineering Manager at Wargaming Sydney. Kayla moved to her first leadership role in 2020 and has stepped up as a lead for a critical project at Wargaming, developing the next generation of backend technology necessary to support the creation of AAA video games. She has been key to navigating the project through constant change, from challenging the budget restrictions to staffing the entire team with the diverse talent needed.

Benjamin Lee has over 20 years’ experience in the computer software and 3D graphics industry. As co-founder and managing director of Blowfish Studios, Ben has grown the company into a globally competitive video game and virtual reality development house over the past nine years. In this time, he has built great relationships with numerous technology providers and manufacturers including Apple, Sony, Oculus, Valve, Microsoft, Nvidia, Google and Samsung.

As co-founder and executive director of Sydney-based development studio Chaos Theory Games, Nico King has built a world-class company that delivers forward-thinking interactive, VR, and AR products for organisations such as Google, Samsung, and the Australian Government. He is a thought leader in the serious games industry and an activist championing the ways emerging tech can solve social problems.

Leigh Harris is a team head and senior game designer at Wargaming Sydney and teaches game design at the Academy of Interactive Entertainment. In 2011, he co-founded (and continues to run) Flat Earth Games with sister Elissa working on titles including TownCraft and Objects in Space. Leigh is also a games journalist, managed PR for Rockstar Games in ANZ and speaks at games events and expos around the world.

Founder of Sydney-based independent video game developer SMG Studio, Ashley Ringrose is dedicated to producing games with original and licensed intellectual property for mobiles, desktops and consoles. With an amazing team, Ash is responsible for the strategic planning, marketing and overall running of the studio’s slate of games, including the international hit Moving Out that won Game of the Year at the 2020 Australian Game Developer Awards.

Alex Carlyle is a three-time BAFTA-nominated creative director with 20 years’ experience specialising in developing new intellectual property (IP) and taking multiple AAA video game titles from inception to launch. Alex worked with Sony London Studios to create The Getaway franchise, led the design of L.A. Noire with Rockstar Games, and worked with George Miller and Warner Bros to develop a new IP. He built and currently leads the creative team at Wargaming’s Sydney studios, covering game design, UI/UX design, art and animation.

Vicky is the Director of People & Operations at Riot Oceania. In her 20 year career in the games industry, she worked with some of the biggest names and IPs in the business, including PlayStation, Singstar, LA Noire, and Max Max.

Patrick Gilfillan is a software engineer and team head at Wargaming Sydney, coming from a background in computer science and physics. He has experience in building server technology and backend features that power current titles and drive future AAA games for the Wargaming Studio. As part of his role, Patrick works with a range of engineers and designers where coordination is key to building great games.

As marketing coordinator at Chaos Theory Games, Clarisse Tamayao’s goal is to tell the complete story of the incredible people and concepts behind the games. Clarisse has worked across marketing and communications agencies for high-profile fashion, local education and international not-for-profit clients. A passionate storyteller and advocate for change, she strives to showcase the positive impact video games have on our lives and the planet.

Inge Berman is an artist, video game developer and Twitch streamer who combines her history in fine arts with her experience in 3D development to create interactive, experiential work. She has worked as a graphic designer with Ikonink and an art director with S1T2 across projects using VR, AR, 3D modelling and After Effects.

Adam Single is a Brisbane-based Field Engineer for Unity Technologies. He has been using Unity to build experiences across many industries for over a decade and loves to enable others to leverage Unity's flexibility and power to realise their own real time 3D creations.

Ellen is a Game Director, Writer, Designer, and Producer. She has spent over a decade creating games for a variety of genres and platforms, exploring new and existing IPs in both original projects and games for clients. Working with companies including Fox/BlueSky Studios, Scholastic Inc., New Holland Publishing, Valiant Entertainment, EA Respawn, Gameloft, and Blowfish Studios, Ellen’s diverse achievements in the pitching, production, development, design, and writing of video games earned her recognition in the 2019 Gender Equality InGames List. She is passionate about storytelling across media, having studied theatre, multimedia design, and script assessment; she has written commissioned short-form comedy and promotional films, and is currently working on her novel manuscripts in her spare time.

Kelsey is a community management veteran of the industry, having spent more than a decade across Asia Pacific working on communities at Bethesda, EB Games, and now as the Head of Community on the game Gods Unchained with Sydney based studio Immutable. She has won numerous awards for her work, including MCV 30 under 30, Women in Games award, and mentors new entrants to the industry through the IGEA Mentorship program. She's particularly curious about the evolution of player behaviour through the lens of how we operate within communities