San Francisco, CA—The Visual 1st conference and Visual 1st Spotlight series host executives and entrepreneurs of photo and video software/app companies; photo print product providers; camera manufacturers; photo/video-focused social media companies as well as stock media companies.
While the Visual 1st conference is a 1.5-day event held annually in San Francisco, the Visual 1st Spotlight series comprises live and streamed micro conferences throughout the year. The spotlights cover topics relevant to specific segments of the photo and video industry. Moreover, they are held at times of the day convenient for both North American and European audiences.
May 2023 Visual 1st Spotlight
The next Visual 1st Spotlight is May 17, 8:00–9:00 a.m. PDST. The livestreamed spotlight is titled The Latest AI Tech Announcements: What Do They Mean for the Photo & Video Industry?
A barrage of generative AI technology news has recently launched from the likes of Midjourney, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, NVIDA, Runway, Adobe. Furthermore, additional announcements are expected in the coming weeks.
In light of this, the May micro conference will host a panel with industry experts to share their perspectives on what these announcements mean for various parts of the photo and video industry.
Fireside Chat Presenter
Prior to the panel discussion, Boris Eldagsen will present a fireside chat. Eldagsen recently made news by winning and then refusing to accept the Sony World Photography Award in the Creative Open category.
Eldagsen will show how he created his award-winning AI image. He will also share why he submitted it for the prestigious awards contest. What’s more, he will discuss how the media and photography worlds responded to his disclosure that the image was AI-generated and why he choose to refuse to the award.
Eldagsen studied fine arts at the art academies of Mainz, Prague and the University of Hyderabad (India). As a photo media artist, he has exhibited in institutions and festivals since 2000. As a freelance strategist and idea generator, Eldagsen has worked for agencies such as R/GA, Razorfish, MRM McCann, Saatchi & Saatchi Pro, Scholz & Friends, Endemol Shine and others.
In 2004, he began teaching at international art colleges (Victorian College of the Arts Melbourne, Photography Studies College Melbourne, NTU Singapore, Pathshala South Asian Media Institute Dhaka, Akademie für Bildende Künste Mainz, Hochschule Furtwangen and Escola d’Art i Superior de Disseny).
Currently, Eldagsen is the head of Digital at the German Photographic Academy (DFA). He is also a member of the AI working group of Deutscher Fotorat. Moreover, his background as a university lecturer, photo artist and digital media freelancer makes him one of the AI experts in the German photography scene.
Moderators & Panelists
Moreover, the Visual 1st Spotlight is hosted and moderated by Hans Hartman, president, Suite 48 Analytics as well as Alexis Gerard, strategic advisor, Suite 48 Analytics.
Additional panelists include Michael Osterrieder, CEO/cofounder, vAIsual; Julia Enthoven, CEO/cofounder, Kapwing; Javier Ideami, CEO Ideami, cofounder, Geniverse; and Keith Barraclough, CTO and head of Product, Zenfolio.
Michael Osterrieder
Osterrieder is a creative professional, entrepreneur and content-licensing veteran with nearly two decades of IP production experience. Combining his experience in 3D graphics, photography and videography, he has sold 500,000+ media licenses and engineered dozens of commercial design and web projects.
Alongside Nicolas Menijes, Osterrieder cofounded vAIsual in 202. It is an artificial intelligence company that generates synthetic media for the B2B IP licensing market. As CEO, he was instrumental in developing its base technology. The company launched Dataset Shop. The dataset marketplace builds generative AI and facial recognition technology with datasets that have full biometric and copyright clearances. Thus, it provides peace of mind to corporate customers that they are not breaking international laws.
Julia Enthoven
Enthoven is the CEO and cofounder of Kapwing, a video creation platform for modern teams. Kapwing serves hundreds of thousands of creative teams using AI and cloud collaboration to speed up content operations. Previously, Enthoven worked at Google as an associate product manager.
Javier Ideami
Ideami is a multidisciplinary and award-winning engineer, researcher, creative director, artist and entrepreneur. His projects and talks have taken him from the Silicon Valley to the jungles of Bali, including Stanford University and UC Berkeley and the United Nations FAO HQ. In 2021, Ideami cofounded The Geniverse, one of the first platforms that facilitates access to the latest Generative AI technology.
Keith Barraclough
Barraclough is responsible for product, technology and platform operations at Zenfolio. Under his leadership, the company developed its “NextZen” SaaS solution to build and host photographers’ businesses. He was also instrumental in integrating the application and services of Format. Zenfolio acquired the provider of website building and business services for creative professionals and photographers in 2021. Barraclough also oversees the development of Zenfolio’s PhotoRefine.ai photo curation application.
To register for the Visual 1st Spotlight, the Early Bird ticket price is $19, with a deadline of May 3, 2023. Following that, tickets are priced at $29. You may purchase tickets here.
