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.

Tiffany Feeney, Founder & Executive Recruiter, Talent Outpost

Tiffany Feeney, the founder of Talent Outpost GmbH, is an executive headhunter for the animation and vfx industry. She has hired talented people for over 50+ animated films and vfx  features, tv series, and commercials for global studios including Aardman Animations, DNEG,  Framestore, Locksmith Animation, and Sergio Pablos Animation Studio. 

Tiffany frequently speaks on trending recruitment and talent engagement strategies at events such as Annecy, SIGGRAPH, Society of Illustrators, and Women in Animation. She also enjoys speaking to the media about hiring and getting hired, networking, and larger career trends  across the technology, creative, and entertainment industries. 

A graduate of  Pratt Institute, Tiffany majored in Computer Graphics: Animation and Design  Management. Before starting her recruiting consultancy, she worked as a recruiter at Google, DreamWorks Animation, and Zynga. She lives in Switzerland with her husband and their Maine Coon cat, Mr. Pickles and Bernedoodle dog, Lola.

Adele Khawli, Marketing & Public Relations Consultant

Adele Khawli is a communications and marketing strategist with over 10 years of experience in the animation, VFX, and entertainment industries. With a strong background in both marketing and creative fields, she blends her expertise in design, animation, and technical aspects to create communication strategies that help brands stand out and connect with audiences.

Previously the Head of Marketing at Axis Studios, Adele now collaborates with clients to craft tailored strategies that align marketing efforts with business goals and drive long-term success. She’s passionate about shining a spotlight on the people and processes behind creative projects, ensuring their stories resonate with both clients and audiences.

Adele is also dedicated to advancing diversity in the industry and boosting Scotland’s presence on the global stage. She’s actively involved in Animated Women UK Scotland and serves on the Board of Directors for Animation Scotland.

Julien Klein, Founder, monExpansion.com

Julien Klein helps VFX professionals become confident leaders.With experience from artist to Compositing Manager (120+ team) at RodeoFX and BusinessPartner at ScanlineVFX, he understands all sides of creative businesses.His unique view comes from sitting in top-level meetings, where he learned what bothexecutives and creative teams need.Through monExpansion.com, Julien teaches managers the high-demand skills studios now lookfor: (remote) team management and cross-departmental collaboration.His coaching helps professionals navigate AI integration while positioning themselves asvaluable leaders in a changing industry.Clients who work with Julien advance faster into leadership roles and remain resilient todownsizing.In a market full of technical talent, he transforms experts into well-rounded leaders that studiosare in demand for.

Simon Davies, Founder & Director, DAX | Digital Arts Xchange

A Talent Acquisition Leader with over 20 years experience in the constantly evolving VFX, Animationand Games industries as well as the wider media sector.As the founder of DAX - Digital Arts Xchange, Simon and the DAX Team actively supportorganisations across the Creative Tech space, with partners ranging from global leaders to smaller,independent studios.Expert in sourcing and connecting exceptional Talent for specialist roles across Creative, Production,Technology and Operations, as well as sharing insights, job seeking support and interviewtechniques for industry professionals and Emerging Talent.Simon is an advocate for Emerging Talent as the cornerstone of creating diverse and inclusiveteams, that will ensure studios are building strong foundations for future success.