Jury 2022

Philipp Grolle

Product Manager
Porsche AG

Philipp Grolle is always looking for the next digital (r)evolution. His roots are in motion design and 3D visualization. Since 2016, he has been an expert in XR technology. His mission: to convince his environment of the potential of this technology. Philipp led the development of the VR experience “Hall of Legends” of Porsche AG, awarded with the German Design Award. His passion is the new interaction possibilities of XR technology and the resulting requirements for user experience and user interface design.

Prof. Betty Schimmelpfennig

Professor for Crossmedia Design
CO-Founder + Managing Partner
Elastique. GmbH

Betty Schimmelpfennig is Professor of “Crossmedia Design” at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden (Communication Design course and Master Crossmedia Spaces) and Managing Partner at Elastique., Cologne. In 2005 she founded the agency together with Andreas Schimmelpfennig. After studying communication design at the HBK Braunschweig, she has now been working as CD art and lecturer at the interface of analog and digital media for almost 20 years. Her focus is on the emotionalization of complex and strongly content-driven contexts through independent design. Thus, she successfully develops and realizes interdisciplinary projects in two-, three- and four-dimensional space, always with the goal of working out the “right little”: “So little that the result can radiate in clarity, detail, elegance and presence. Just enough not to seem cold, but to touch sensually and emotionally.” Her work has won more than 100 national and international design awards. Her research interests focus on the overarching theme of “Friction and Aesthetics of Imperfection.” Here she explores a variety of issues aimed at making hybrid spaces, products and interactions more sensual and emotional through the use of imperfections. Betty Schimmelpfennig has been a lecturer and continues to serve as an examiner, reviewer and advisory board member at universities in Ravensburg and Kaiserslautern, among others. In addition, as a member of the ADC and DDC, she is involved in juries as a junior sponsor, among other things, as well as in the “Research and Teaching” department.

Peter Gocht

GLOBAL EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Serviceplan

Peter Gocht has been a member of the Creative Board at the Serviceplan Group since 2016 and, as Global Executive Creative Director, is responsible for the communication of various international brands.
Peter Gocht believes in virtual reality as the best medium for emotional storytelling. To combine brand communication expertise with the new possibilities of VR, he founded the Serviceplan VR Lab.

Caty Davis Blättermann

Game Designer / Game Artist
Co-Founder
Glam Games 

Caty is a graduate game designer and artist. During her studies at HTW Berlin and her postgraduate studies at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg she focused on visual and content development of video games, as well as the production of transmedia projects (AR, VR, XR). The mediation of new interactive experiences has always been close to her heart – especially in the area of knowledge transfer, which has earned her the role as game designer and creative lead in projects such as “Where’s Goldi?” and “memo Game Kunsthalle Mannheim”.

Michael Schmueck

User Experience Director
Demodern

At Demodern, Michael Schmück is responsible for setting the content, strategic and creative course of the agency’s projects – from 3D websites and games to AR apps and services, VR experiences and eLearning tools to interactive installations and exhibitions – and also looks after new business. He paves the way for smart immersive digital experiences with meaning as User Experience Director for diverse teams. For which Demodern is known and awarded with numerous creative prizes. Michael studied Business Administration and Social Economics at the University of Hamburg and Art Direction at Miami Ad School. Prior to Demodern, he worked as a UX designer at Cream Colored Ponies, Jung von Matt/Next and Interone.

Paulina Porten

Creative Technologist
Interaction Designer

Paulina Porten, Creative Technologist and Interaction Designer, is currently studying for her Masters in Integrated Design with a focus on “Social and Public Innovation” at the Köln International School of Design (KISD) in Cologne.
Since 2018, she has been working intensively on augmented reality and how to support social innovation with the help of this technology. In 2020, she completed her bachelor’s degree in communication design at the University of Applied Sciences (HAW) in Hamburg. Recently, she participated in a four-month research semester in “Design for Social Innovation” at the DESIS Lab at Politecnico di Milano in Milan.
In addition to her research and study activities, Paulina Porten works as a freelance Creative Technologist, where she develops design solutions that are strategic and conceptual. They allow people to experience their environment in a vivid way, focusing on augmented reality.

Eike Langbehn

Professor HAW Hamburg
Co-Founder Curvature Games 

Eike Langbehn is Professor of Media Informatics at HAW Hamburg, where he teaches Mixed Reality, Game Development and Human-Computer Interaction. He is also co-founder and CEO of the VR studio Curvature Games. Eike studied computer science and received his PhD from the University of Hamburg in 2019 with a thesis on perceptual aspects of VR locomotion. He has been working as a programmer and game designer in the games industry since 2012.

Carsten Lukas

Senior Manager / Creative Director
phuturistic.studio Lead
PwC Deutschland

Carsten Lukas leads a small, internationally awarded team for brand experience, design and innovation at PwC Germany. Always with a digital focus by nature, his 20+ year journey in the creative cosmos ranges from corporate design to campaigns, social media & film to service design, digital installations, AR & VR to the metaverse.

Laura Saenger

VR specialist, director
and 360° filmmaker

Laura Saenger has been working as a VR specialist, director and 360° filmmaker for many years. As Head of VR, she built up the immersive media department at the internationally operating TV and film production company TVN GROUP and managed a large number of international VR projects for renowned clients such as the European Union, Deutsche Telekom or Techniker Krankenkasse. As a digital manager, she accompanies immersive research projects in art and culture education and plans the VR conference HANNOVR as a co-organizer.

Laura Saenger was fascinated by the potential of immersive media production and reception at an early stage – already during her studies at the Braunschweig University of Fine Arts she specialized in motion graphics and 360° film production and completed her master’s degree in 2014 with an international 360° fulldome film project that received several nominations and awards.

Pola Weiß

Author and Blogger

Pola Weiß is an independent author from Berlin. She has been blogging about storytelling in immersive media on “VR Geschichten” (VRstories.blog) since 2017 and gives consultation to VR/AR creatives on questions of dramaturgy. Additionally, she writes copy for companies revolving around IT, tech, as well as virtual and augmented reality. Previously, she worked for about 4 years as an editor of documentary formats, web-videos and interactive transmedia projects in television (SWR/Arte, Deutsche Welle).