

SIGGRAPH Spotlight
ACM SIGGRAPH
SIGGRAPH Spotlight is a podcast that explores cutting-edge projects and topics in computer graphics and interactive techniques, one episode at a time. Episodes are hosted by ACM SIGGRAPH leaders and feature experts spanning everything from animation and visual effects to engineering and virtual reality.
This show was founded as an extension of ACM SIGGRAPH's annual conference.
This show was founded as an extension of ACM SIGGRAPH's annual conference.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 8, 2019 • 35min
22 – Women in Computer Graphics
ABOUT THE EPISODE
Just in time for Women’s History Month, SIGGRAPH 2019 Conference Chair Mikki Rose (senior fur technical director, Blue Sky Studios) is joined by Jinko Gotoh (a producer and consultant in animation, and vice president of Women in Animation), Danielle Feinberg (director of photography, Pixar Animation Studios, and advocate of Girls Who Code), and Erin Summers (senior software engineer – AR/VR, Facebook, and co-founder of wogrammer) in a special episode that discusses the state of women in computer graphics and the ways each guest is helping to bring about positive change. In addition to conversations on diversity, the group shares stories from their careers and challenges they have faced and overcome. What does the future hold for women in computer graphics? Listen to hear what they have to say on that, too.
Enjoy the show, and Happy International Women’s Day!
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
http://womeninanimation.org | https://girlswhocode.com/ | https://wogrammer.org/ | https://womenshistorymonth.gov/ | https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
*Social Media*
http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/
*Conference Website*
http://s2019.siggraph.org/

Dec 22, 2018 • 35min
21 – CG in Latin America
ABOUT THE EPISODE
Welcome back to SIGGRAPH Spotlight! In this episode, ACM SIGGRAPH International Resources Committee member Santiago Echeverry (professor, University of Tampa) sits down with Hernando Bahamon (animation director, Globizco Inc.; and, director, Bogota ACM SIGGRAPH Chapter) and Cristián Freire (academic coordinator of digital animation, Universidad de las Américas; and, president, Santiago ACM SIGGRAPH Chapter). Our guests reflect on their involvement with ACM SIGGRAPH and how that has helped shape the CG and animation industry in Latin America. As a bonus, tune in to hear about the differences in approach and education style between Columbia and Chile.
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
https://www.siggraph.org/connect/international-resources | http://bogota.siggraph.org/ | https://globizco.wordpress.com/ | http://santiago.siggraph.org/ | https://www.udla.cl/
*Social Media*
http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/
*Conference Website*
https://s2019.siggraph.org/

Sep 29, 2018 • 12min
20 – Rianti Hidayat
SIGGRAPH Spotlight is back with an all-new episode! Join International Resources Committee member Bektur Ryskeldiev and SIGGRAPH Asia 2018 Student Volunteer (SV) Lead Rianti Hidayat, as they discuss working on the SV committee and working internationally.
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
www.siggraph.org/connect/international-resources | www.latelieranimation.com/ | www.rooftopanimation.com/ | montreal.ubisoft.com/en/ | carolinebeyne.com/ | www.siggraph.org/discover/inspira…/myriam-beauvais |
*Social Media*
blog.siggraph.org/ | www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | twitter.com/siggraph | www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/ | "siggraph" on Snapchat
*Conference Website*
http://sa2018.siggraph.org/

Aug 10, 2018 • 22min
19 - Gaming in the Middle East
ABOUT THE EPISODE
In this episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, ACM SIGGRAPH International Resources Committee member Afsaneh Rafighi is joined by Hasan Karimi (president, Iran Computer and Video Games Foundation). The two discuss the international games community, SIGGRAPH’s role in worldwide, collaborative game development, and how Hasan is working to transform Iran into an industry leader.
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
https://www.siggraph.org/connect/international-resources | http://www.tehrangamecon.com/en/news-post/three-basic-strategies-for-the-success-of-iranian-games-in-domestic-as-well-as-global-markets-1 | https://www.simba.com/
*Social Media*
http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/ | "siggraph" on Snapchat
*Conference Website*
http://s2018.siggraph.org/

Aug 3, 2018 • 38min
18 – Augmented Reality with Niantic, Inc.
ABOUT THE EPISODE
SIGGRAPH 2018 Virtual, Augmented & Mixed Reality Chair Pol Jeremias-Vila (Pixar Animation Studios) sits down with Niantic, Inc.’s Diana Hu (lead, augmented reality engineering) and Niniane Wang (senior director, engineering) to discuss their Immersive Pavilion project — which will be showcased in Vancouver — and the Niantic development process, spanning everything from Pokémon GO to Codename: Neon. The two also share the respective career journeys that led them to where they are today and sparked their interest in augmented reality.
A bit of a preview: Diana was previously the co-founder and CTO of Escher Reality, a startup that was acquired by Niantic and builds the backend for augmented reality applications. She holds eight patents in AR, computer vision, and machine learning. As for Niniane, in addition to the project discussed, she is responsible for the Harry Potter augmented reality game, Ingress, and more. She, too, came to Niantic via acquisition, of Evertoon, and has worked for many other cutting-edge companies, including Minted, Google, and Microsoft, since graduating with her bachelor’s degree at just 18! As a past conference presenter in 2003 and 2004, Niniane feels grateful to SIGGRAPH for showing her the breadth of what can be achieved with computer graphics.
We hope you enjoy their stories!
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
https://s2018.siggraph.org/conference/conference-overview/virtual-augmented-mixed-reality/ | https://www.nianticlabs.com/ | https://youtu.be/dO1NpT2SSX4 |
*Social Media*
http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/ | "siggraph" on Snapchat
*Conference Website*
http://s2018.siggraph.org/

Jul 20, 2018 • 1h
17 – Independent Storytelling & Innovation
ABOUT THE EPISODE
SIGGRAPH 2018 Production Sessions Chair Emily Hsu (associate producer, Blizzard Entertainment) sits down with a panel of independent creators in production and animation to chat about what led them to go “independent.” The group discusses the challenges — and joys — of financing and producing projects as well as what keeps them motivated to push the limits of storytelling, and offers advice for the next generation of creators. The amazing group of guest innovators includes Rex Grignon (CEO and co-founder, Nimble Collective), Larry Cutler (CTO and co-founder, Baobab Studios), Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi (founder, Tonko House), Bobby Pontillas (art director, TAIKO Studios), Andrew Chesworth (head of development, TAIKO Studios), and Keika Lee (founder, greyscale animation).
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH Theme," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
https://s2018.siggraph.org/conference/production-and-animation/ | https://nimblecollective.com/ | http://www.tonkohouse.com/ | https://www.baobabstudios.com/ | http://www.taikostudios.com/ | http://greyscaleanimation.com/ | http://bit.ly/OddDogIndieGoGo | https://s2018.siggraph.org/conference/conference-overview/production-sessions/ |
*Social Media*
http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/ | "siggraph" on Snapchat
*Conference Website*
http://s2018.siggraph.org/

Jun 22, 2018 • 30min
16 – CG’s Next Generation with Canada’s Natalia Freitas (Part 2)
ABOUT THE EPISODE
ACM SIGGRAPH International Resources Committee member Rebecca Ko (co-founder, Rooftop Animation) sits down with 3D artist and Vancouver native Natalia Freitas (independent animator) to discuss Freitas’s experience with renowned studios, her geographical and cross-cultural work – which spans projects from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana” to Sony Pictures Imageworks’ “Hotel Transylvania 3” – and how SIGGRAPH has contributed to her career and life.
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
https://www.siggraph.org/connect/international-resources | https://www.natfreitas.com | https://www.rooftopanimation.com/ | https://www.behance.net/nopawdy6b05 |
*Social Media*
http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/ | "siggraph" on Snapchat
*Conference Website*
http://s2018.siggraph.org/

May 12, 2018 • 21min
15 – CG's Next Generation with Canada's Myriam Beauvais and Caroline Beyne (Part 1)
ABOUT THE EPISODE
For part one of the ACM SIGGRAPH International Resource Committee's "next generation" series, Rebecca Ko (co-founder, Rooftop Animation) sits down with Myriam Beauvais (graphics programmer and intern, Ubisoft Montreal) and Caroline Beyne (pipeline technical director and software engineer, L'Atelier Animation) to discuss the gaming and animation industries in Montreal, their experiences working in Canada and abroad, and what they are doing to revive the ACM SIGGRAPH Montreal Chapter.
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
https://www.siggraph.org/connect/international-resources | https://www.latelieranimation.com/ | https://www.rooftopanimation.com/ | http://montreal.ubisoft.com/en/ | http://carolinebeyne.com/ | https://www.siggraph.org/discover/inspiration/member-profiles/myriam-beauvais |
*Social Media*
blog.siggraph.org/ | www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | twitter.com/siggraph | www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/ | "siggraph" on Snapchat
*Conference Website*
s2018.siggraph.org/

Apr 21, 2018 • 38min
14 – Gaming & Interactive with Kim Libreri, Jerry Rees, and Joji Tsuruga
ABOUT THE EPISODE
SIGGRAPH 2018 Real-Time Live! Chair Jesse Barker (software developer, Unity Technologies) sits down with gaming and interactive innovators Kim Libreri (CTO, Epic Games), Jerry Rees (creative lead – Magic Bench, Disney Research), and Joji Tsuruga (realtime supervisor, The Mill). In addition to their expertise, two of our guests have been honored with the SIGGRAPH Best Real-Time Graphics and Interactivity Award at recent conferences for projects “The Human Race” (2017) and “From Previs to Final in Five Minutes” (2016). Tune in as they talk gaming and interactive trends in computer graphics, what’s next for technology, and share advice for the next generation of creators.
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
https://s2018.siggraph.org/conference/gaming-and-interactive/ | http://www.themill.com/ | https://www.disneyresearch.com/innovations/magic-bench/ | https://www.epicgames.com/ | http://www.jojitsuruga.com/ | http://www.jerryrees.com/ | http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0508912/ | https://s2018.siggraph.org/conference/conference-overview/real-time-live/
*Social Media*
http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/ | "siggraph" on Snapchat
*Conference Website*
http://s2018.siggraph.org/

Apr 13, 2018 • 25min
13 – The Making of “Loving Vincent”
ABOUT THE EPISODE
ACM SIGGRAPH International Resources Committee member Santiago Echeverry (professor, University of Tampa) sits down with Łukasz Mackiewicz and Francho Melendez, two members of the team behind “Loving Vincent,” the first-ever, fully painted animated feature film, which takes viewers through the life of artist Vincent van Gogh. Mackiewicz and Melendez discuss their work on the film, what it was like to work in Poland, and so much more!
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
http://www.santi.tv/ | http://lovingvincent.com/ | http://franchomelendez.com/ | https://www.siggraph.org/connect/international-resources | https://s2018.siggraph.org/conference/conference-overview/computer-animation-festival/
*Social Media*
http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/ | "siggraph" on Snapchat
*Conference Website*
http://s2018.siggraph.org/