Industry Dayz In Person Programme
A WAFF Event
20–22 March | Miramar Creative Centre, Wellington
Under the theme From Dream to Reality, this three-day professional programme brings together animation, VFX, and creative tech practitioners to focus on the realities of production — how ideas become viable projects, how teams collaborate under pressure, and how studios build sustainable pathways. The weekend includes talks, panels, software labs, and structured networking, with dedicated streams on IP creation and VFX/animation service work.
Industry Dayz In Person
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20 March - 22 March 2026
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Industry Dayz In Person | 20 March - 22 March 2026 |
Keynote | Friday | 20 March | 6:30 PM
Kyle Balda
Kyle Balda is a filmmaker known for his work on some of the most successful animated features of the last three decades. He has directed Minions, Despicable Me 3, and Minions:Rise of Gru, helping shape the comedic and visual tone of the Despicable Me franchise. Kyle is making his debut as a live-action feature director this May with the release of The Sheep Detectives starring Hugh Jackman. Prior to directing, Kyle worked as a supervising animator at Pixar (Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life) and ILM (Jumanji, Mars Attacks!), developing a foundation in character performance, visual storytelling, and world-building.
Animator | DirectorPanel | Friday | 20 March
Bevin Linkhorn
With over twenty years’ experience in the screen industry, Bevin Linkhorn is an Investment and Development Executive at the New Zealand Film Commission. He has worked across film, television, animation, and factual entertainment as a producer, writer, and script editor, with a strong focus on story and supporting emerging talent.
Investment and Development Executive | NZFC
Jo Luping
Jo Luping is a Malaysian New Zealander working across film, television, and design since 1997. Her credits include Classics Explained, I Duok Om I Bohuntung, and unscripted series The Health Detective and Local Heroes. She is co-directing He Tohu and developing Anavau, blending Kadazan and Pākehā heritage with contemporary screen storytelling.
Director, Producer & Designer | Siung Film Productions
Creative Director & Producer | DozeFaceHaojun Huang
Jun is an animation and art director whose practice spans animation, spatial design, and fine art. From Power Rangers to SIGGRAPH 2025, his work blends emotional storytelling with crafted environments. With a Master of Design Technology, Jun also teaches animation as a process of discovery, honesty, and personal evolution.
Presentation | Friday | 20 March
Kevin Esety
Kevin Estey
Kevin Estey is a multi-award-winning Animation Supervisor at Wētā FX. Most recently, he served as Animation Supervisor on A Minecraft Movie, shaping characters including Malgosha, Dennis, the Piglins, and Mobs. His career also includes key roles on The Hobbit, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
Animation Supervisor | Wētā FXSheldon Stopsack
Sheldon joined Wētā FX in 2019 as a Visual Effects Supervisor on Ang Lee’s ground-breaking film Gemini Man. He was recently VFX Supervisor on Jared Hess’s A Minecraft Movie and Predator: Badlands. On Gemini Man, he led Wētā’s breakthrough development in the facial technology that was used to create the younger and entirely digital Will Smith and establishing a new industry-standard for CG human characters.
Visual Effects Supervisor | Wētā FX
Networking Drinks | Friday | 20 March | 9:30 PM
Presentation | Saturday | 21 March | 9:00 AM
Charlie Faulks
Welling based animator and writer who recently created the NZ On Air funded show, Bloke of the Apocalypse.
Showrunner | Bloke Of The ApocalypseBen Powdrell
Co-director of Suite Habana Productions since 2008, working in Film and TV, and most recently co-producing web-series Bloke of Apocalypse.
Co-Producer | Co-DirectorPanel | Saturday | 21 March
Yin Wu
Film and VFX professional with international experience across the US, China, and New Zealand. Credits include Devs, The Mandalorian: Season 2, M3GAN 2.0, and Zombies 4, with roles spanning on-set crew to CG generalist at The Mill, Shanghai. Experienced across feature films, commercials, and campaigns for global brands including Apple, Tencent Games, and Shanghai Disney.
CG Generalist | VFXG Board MemberArt Director & Motion Graphics ArtistZoi Naum
Zoi Naum is an art director and motion graphics artist based in Wellington. With over eight years of experience across feature films, episodic storytelling and commercials, she specialises in crafting cinematic interfaces and title sequences that extend a story’s world beyond the screen. Her work explores how typography, motion and graphic design can enhance emotional tone and guide audience perception.
2/.5D Character & Motion Animator | Creative DirectorFraser Munro
Traditionally trained on pencil and paper in the Disney style, Fraser has over the last 20+ years built a career working in 2D character animation, motion graphics and creative direction, for everything from TVCs to feature films. For the last 8 years he has continued to collaborate with agencies, studios and direct clients in a remote freelance setting, via his home studio in Foxton Beach.
Presentation | Saturday | 21 March
Ryan Cooper
Ryan Cooper is a co-founder of Mukpuddy, an Auckland based animation studio. As a director and writer, he co-created The Barefoot Bandits and led the 2025 series adaptation of Badjelly.
Co-Founder, Writer & Director | MukpuddySimon Ward
Simon Ward is a producer and writer with Mukpuddy in New Zealand, recognised for his work on projects like Badjelly (2025), The Adventures of Tumeke Space, and The Drawing Show.
Producer, Writer, Voice Actor - Oddly Quiet Ltd | Producer, Mukpuddy/Happy Cheetah StudiosPresentation | Saturday | 21 March
Kirby Atkins
Kirby Atkins wrote and directed Mosley, directed The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, and won Best Animated Short for Mutt at the Hollywood Film Festival.
Writer | DirectorPanel | Saturday | 21 March
Frank Rueter
Frank began his VFX career in 1997 as a 3D generalist in Germany, moving to New Zealand in 2003 to join Weta Digital as a compositor and has been focused on 2D workflows since. After a stint at Digital Domain in the US, he founded OHUfx to work as VFX and 2D Supervisor on both client and facility level.
Founder | OhuFX | VFXG Board MemberCo-founder and Creative Director | RascalKelsey O’Hagan
Co-founder and Creative Director of Rascal, building technology that transforms traditional animation into interactive, real-time rendered stories for children.
Founder | 808 LtdScott Chambers
Wellington-based VFX studio founder at 808 Ltd, crafting invisible precision, trusted partnerships, and cinematic polish for film, television, commercial storytelling.
Panel | Saturday | 21 March
Kristina Russo
Kristina Russo is Senior Head of Department – Assets at Wētā FX, overseeing digital asset delivery across Art, Creatures, Facial Models, Layout Models, and the Virtual Art Department. Her credits include The Adventures of Tintin, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Mortal Engines, and The BFG.
Senior Head of Department, Assets | Wētā FXJo Davison
Joanna joined Wētā FX in 2009 to work on Avatar as a Lighting TD. Since then, she has worked on some of Wētā’s key projects including The Hobbit trilogy, where she became a Lighting Lead, managing the lighting design for a number of sequences. Joanna has most recently wrapped as Sequence VFX Supervisor on James Gunn’s Superman, where she led the work on the Glenmorgan Square Kaiju attack.
Sequence VFX Supervisor | Wētā FX
Anneka Fris
Anneka Fris is an Animation Supervisor specialising in creature and facial performance. Her credits include Avatar: The Way of Water, Shadow in the Cloud, Alita: Battle Angel, Gemini Man, and Lady and the Tramp. She has also contributed to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Hobbit trilogy, and The Avengers.
Animation Supervisor | Wētā FX
Saturday | WAFF Screenings & Student Awards | 21 March
The Industry Dayz talks for the 21st wrap at 2pm on Saturday — but the day continues. From 2:30pm at the Roxy Cinema, catch a special festival screening of Mosley, introduced by writer-director Kirby Atkins. Alternatively, head to the WAFF NZ Student Festival Selection and Awards at 3pm at The Roxy Cinema to celebrate emerging talent from across Aotearoa. Please note: tickets for these selections must be purchased separately through Roxy Cinema ticketing and are not included with an Industry Dayz pass.
Labs | Sunday | 22 March | 10:00 AM
TBA
Epic Games showcases Unreal Engine, delivering real-time production workflows, with a live demo exploring practical applications across animation and VFX for industry professionals.
Unreal AmbassadorTBA
SideFX showcases Houdini animation software, delivering powerful procedural workflows, with a live demo exploring real-world production techniques for industry professionals.
SideFX Ambassador
Grab Your Tickets In Person Event
$60 General | $30 Guild Members | $20 Students & Unwaged
Labs (3 hrs) +$20
