The Future of Digital Storytelling: Exploring Inclusion, Innovation, and Impact at Toronto Tech Week 2025
Presented by SideFX, AMD, Spin VFX, and swyvl
📅 Thursday, June 26, 2025
🕒 Doors open 3:00 PM
📍 SideFX HQ
What does storytelling look like when everyone is invited to shape the narrative?
We believe storytelling should be accessible, immersive, and deeply human. During Toronto Tech Week 2025, we are teaming up with SideFX, AMD, and Spin VFX for The Future of Digital Storytelling—a three-part fireside chat series exploring how technology is reshaping creative expression across industries.
From real-time workflows to procedural design and inclusive XR experiences, this event series invites creators, technologists, and entrepreneurs to reimagine what storytelling can become when powered by purpose and innovation.
Each 45-minute session is followed by a 10-minute audience Q&A.
⚙️ 3:00 PM - Automating Creativity: Can Procedural Tech Power Inclusive Design?
Automation is revolutionizing how we build digital worlds—but can it also make them more human?
This session dives into how procedural tools like SideFX’s Houdini, AI-generated content, and accessibility-forward design principles are changing the landscape for neurodivergent creators, immersive storytellers, and the future of inclusive entertainment.
Speakers:
Kim Davidson – President and CEO, SideFX
Mark Elendt – Senior Mathematician, SideFX
Philipp Wolf – CEO and Co-Founder, swyvl
🖥️ 4:30 PM - High-Performance, Low Barrier: Making Creative Tech Accessible for All
Powerful computing is no longer the domain of large studios. With affordable AI-enabled hardware, creators at every level can now unlock real-time workflows and advanced capabilities once out of reach.
In this panel, leaders from AMD and swyvl explore how new generations of compute tech are breaking down economic and cognitive barriers—opening doors for independent creators, neurodivergent professionals, and small studios.
Speakers:
John Canning – Director of Developer Relations, AMD
Philipp Wolf – CEO and Co-Founder, swyvl
🎥 5:30 PM - Beyond the Blockbuster: How VFX Workflows Can Power Real-World Storytelling
Virtual production, neural rendering, and AI-driven pipelines have transformed how blockbusters are made—but their true potential goes far beyond the big screen.
This session explores how cutting-edge VFX workflows are being adapted for new impact-driven uses, from education and healthcare to inclusion and advocacy. Discover how tools originally designed for high-end film production can empower initiatives like swyvl to create immersive, accessible, and emotionally resonant experiences that support neurodivergent communities and beyond.
Speakers:
Neishaw Ali – CEO and Executive Producer, Spin VFX
Matt Collie – CTO, Spin VFX
Philipp Wolf – CEO and Co-Founder, swyvl
👥 Speaker Biographies
Kim Davidson
President and CEO, SideFX
Kim co-founded SideFX in 1987 and has led the company in becoming a global leader in visual effects software. Under his leadership, SideFX received an Academy Award for the development of Houdini. He currently serves as Board Chair of the Visual Effects Society (VES), representing over 5,500 members worldwide.
Mark Elendt
Senior Mathematician, SideFX
With over 35 years at SideFX, Mark has helped shape Houdini and earned four Scientific and Technical Academy Awards. He is active in ACM SIGGRAPH and serves on the Toronto VES board, recently working on the Karma renderer.
John Canning
Director of Developer Relations, AMD
John is a pioneer in immersive and interactive storytelling, with past roles at Digital Domain and NBCUniversal. At AMD, he leads global engagement with creators and studios, connecting the latest hardware capabilities with cutting-edge production workflows.
Neishaw Ali
CEO and Executive Producer, Spin VFX
Neishaw has produced over 150 films and 40 series, including Game of Thrones and The Umbrella Academy. She also founded BRIO, acquired by Adobe, and was named one of The Hollywood Reporter’s Most Powerful Women in Canadian Entertainment in 2024. She serves on the boards of the CFC, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, and VES.
Matt Collie
CTO, Spin VFX
With 20+ years in VFX, Matt has held roles from artist to platform engineer. He specializes in building technical infrastructures that empower artists, streamline production, and unlock new creative possibilities across animation and live-action pipelines.
Philipp Wolf
CEO and Co-Founder, swyvl
Philipp is a German-born producer and technologist based in Montréal. He has contributed to visual effects on Dune: Part 1 and Ghost in the Shell and now leads swyvl, a neurodiversity-focused immersive learning platform that helps organizations and communities foster environments where everyone can thrive.
💡 Why This Series Matters
We are not just reimagining what stories look like—we are rethinking who gets to tell them. The future of storytelling must be human-centred, inclusive, and technically empowered. This event series offers a look at how the creative tools of tomorrow are being shaped by the values of today.
At swyvl, we believe that difference is not the opposite of brilliance. It is often where brilliance begins.
We hope to see you there.