DigiFest® celebrates multi-media’s unique power to bring together several media forms that share original stories, diverse perspectives, and rich emotional journeys through collaborating digital mediums.
JDS Creative Academy has reinvented what the City of Temecula recognized as the International Temecula Film and Music Festival into what is now referred to as DigiFest® Temecula. DigiFest® Temecula is a vehicle for the community and region to come together and experience digital media in many creative and artistic forms. DigiFest® Temecula is also a place to learn about industry advancements, how to pursue a career in the industry, and how to incorporate digital arts into the economic culture.
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Casting Director | Publicity Coach
Actress | Television Personality
Performer | Community Activist
Emmy Winning Cinematographer | Photographer
Actress | Producer | Comedian
Caricature Artist | Illustrator
Curator | Historian
Cartoonist
Animator | Storyboard Artist
Emmy Winning Voiceover Actress
This year’s DigiFest® was an amazing virtual event with participants enjoying renowned industry speakers, workshops, screenings, and networking all from the comfort of their home. Within the broadcast there were many opportunities to share insights, gain knowledge from our Industry Panelists, and network with other participants all weekend via a ZOOM feature and a Virtual Studio Audience!
7pm - 8pm
Speaker
Jenny Brown is a media enthusiast who has spent the better part of the last decade working in various areas of the television industry in order to bring happiness and entertainment to the masses. After growing up and graduating college in the Midwest, Jenny moved to LA where she interned and worked at the top entertainment news show in the country, Entertainment Tonight.
8pm - 9pm
Speaker
Kari Michaelsen’s television, film and theater credits account for an impressive list of accomplishments. She starred in the NBC hit series “Gimme A Break” which brought her fame and wrapped after six successful seasons.
9pm - 10pm
Performance Artist
Torin’s entertainment-oriented family nurtured an early interest in performance. He studied music, the recording industry, sound engineering, and art at the San Francisco Art Institute and SF College. Torin returned to LA for additional classes in acting, modeling, and music, studying at The Network Studios, where he developed his breakthrough character, Johnnie B. Bad.
10:45am - 12:15pm
Speaker
Mario Ortiz is a multiple Emmy award winning director of photography with over 20 years of commercial, corporate and motion picture production experience. He has a passion for camera movement that is evident in the body of his work. As a certified Steadicam/Glidecam operator and Jib owner operator, Mario has much to offer his clients.
1:30pm - 2:45pm
Guest Panel
Join renowned caricaturist and illustrator Cathy Nolan as she moderates a discussion about the animation and comic industries between curator and historian Andrew Farago, animator and storyboard artist James Crowley, and cartoonist Shaenon K. Garrity. There will be time for an audience Q&A at the end.
3pm - 4pm
Speaker
As a technology and Learning enthusiast Renee Pezzotta has spent the last 15 years working in technology as an instructional and learning experience designer for Yahoo!, Google, Amazon, and YouTube. As a working actor, Renee has done a ton of work in TV and film including: “How to get away with Murder,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Gilmore Girls,” and most recently in Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos” where she and Nicole Kidman reimagined the iconic grape stomping scene from “I Love Lucy”.
6:30pm - 10pm
JDS Studios
Starting at 6:30PM on Saturday, April 23, short film, animation, and other submissions will be viewed in house!
5pm - 9pm
Banquet
Walk the blue carpet at the DigiFest awards banquet on Sunday, April 24. Enjoy cocktail hour, entertainment, and dinner before finding out who has won a DigiAward!
