Phil Attfield, Co-Founder, NextGen Skills Academy

Phil Attfield is a VFX industry professional with over 40 years of experience as a technician,  artist, entrepreneur, and educator. He co-founded the VFX boutique Men-from-Mars, earning BAFTA and Emmy nominations, and has worked on high-profile projects such as the multi-Oscar and BAFTA winning movie  The King’s Speech.

In 2015 he co-founded NextGen Skills Academy to bridge the gap between education and the creative industries, helping to develop qualifications, Apprenticeship Standards, and alternative training pathways into VFX, animation, and games. Recently, Phil was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion award at the UK Screen Alliance and Animation UK Awards, recognising his dedication to breaking down barriers and promoting equal access to the industry.

Felix Balbas, Director, Animation and VFX, La Salle Campus Barcelona - Universitat Ramon Llull

Felix Balbas was born in Milan (Italy), where studied fine arts. He’s a veteran in the Animation and VFX industry, having worked on numerous Hollywood blockbusters such as the first 2 Lord of the Rings, 4 Harry Potter films, The Golden Compass, Children of Men, Avatar and more.  In  2012  founded  Minimo VFX, a highly specialized and successful VFX boutique in Barcelona, working across all  media,  from  Film  to VR,  mainly  for  the  international  market. In 2013, Felix also founded b’Ars, an international Animation and VFX fair in Barcelona, as an important mediterranean meeting point for production of Animation, VR, Video Games, VFX  and  cross  platform  digital content, bringing also A-list Digital content related personalities, from producers to artists from all over the world (ILM, Weta Digital, Framestore, MPC, Cinesite, The Mill, etc). In 2015, he’s designed and started the direction of the first Animation & VFX university undergraduate degree in Catalunya, and possibly the first of its genre, as not only forms talent in the various specialities of the area, but focuses the degree also on IP creation, Marketing and production management aspects. In 2016 he also started to focus on designing new ways, platforms and business models for digital content creation.In 2025, after many years of preparation, BrooderLab is finally a reality. Its pioneering goal is to help student projects realize their full commercial potential, outside of the academic environment.BrooderLab will assist projects with consulting, improving pitching materials and will promote in the most important international media markets. And most importantly, sign IP ownership to the students and people involved. Felix is the designer, co-founder and creative director.

Constanze Bühner, Head of Studies, Animationsinstitut, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg

Born and raised in southern Germany, Constanze moved abroad immediately after finishing school. First to the UK, then for her studies on language and culture mediation to Denmark as well as France. Back in Denmark she finished her BA and following her more creative side, did her MA in IT Product Design. After completing her studies, she moved back to Germany to start a position at Filmakademie´s Animationsinstitut, coordinating the FMX Conference program. Since 2014 Constanze has been Head of Studies at Animationsinstitut. When she´s not at work, she´s taking care of her three kids and her dog – all of who never fail to keep her busy.

Chris Ebeling, Education Consultant for Epic Games, Beyond Horizons

Chris Ebeling is a Creative technologist, Entrepreneur, and Digital Artist with expertise in gaming, VFX, animation, AI, and transmedia. Currently a Partner x Education Consultant for Epic Games, he also leads his digital consulting agency, Beyond Horizons, where he’s driving initiatives like the European Innovation Alliance PANEURAMA and establishing Centers of Excellence across Europe focussed on Digital Media. Chris is a recognized thought leader pushing the boundaries of immersive digital entertainment and interactive media.  

Saint Walker, Programme Leader for postgraduate media, University of Hertfordshire

Saint John Walker is Programme Leader for postgraduate media at the University of Hertfordshire, the UK’s top creative school for VFX and Animation as judged by the Rookies.
Previously Saint was Dean and Director of Industry Engagement at the UK’s Escape Studios and earlier he designed, initiated and ran the VFX degree course at Norwich University of the Arts for four years. Saint is also the convenor, designer and chair of the popular Industry panels at the London International Animation Festival each year, and features on many panels about HE and Industry globally.
Saint’s current project is the redesign of the well-respected Core Skills of VFX Handbook and Student Primer, organising focus groups comprised of companies like Framestore, ILM, Cinesite, Union and dozens of VFX artists (supported by UK Screen Alliance) bringing the handbooks up to date for the new era of virtual production, generative AI and a concurrent return to craft skills around cinematography, colour and light, thus creating a free resource to help new entrants move the discipline forward. Saint is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), a board member for the Visual Effects Society and a member of Access:VFX.