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Walt Disney Imagineerings Joe Rohde to speak at SIGGRAPH Asia 2009

Joe Rohde, Executive Designer and Senior Vice President of Walt Disney Imagineering, is the 3rd Featured Speaker for SIGGRAPH Asia 2009.

Press Release from SIGGRAPH Asia 2009

Joe Rohde, Executive Designer and Senior Vice President of Walt Disney Imagineering, is the 3rd Featured Speaker for SIGGRAPH Asia 2009. Scheduled to speak on the 19th of December, his talk is entitled Story Structure and the Design of Narrative Environments.

Rohdes talk will cover some guidelines and principles for creating spaces that serve both the initial needs of the primary designer or storyteller and the needs of future audiences, who may seek to re-adapt the narrative to their own purposes. The rules of storytelling are well understood when applied to traditional linear forms derived from literature, but spatial environments pose challenges that require special treatment. The principles that inform storytelling in built physical space can apply as well to virtual space.

Rohde is currently an Executive Designer and Senior Vice President at Walt Disney Imagineering. He is the creative lead for Disney's Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, and related new projects. He has led conceptualization, design, and production for Disney's Animal Kingdom since its inception in 1990. He also oversees creative development at Disney's newest luxury resort project in Hawaii, which is scheduled to open in 2011.

He also led development and production of Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom. This project took him and other Imagineers to the mountains of Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibetan Sichuan, researching the background details to incorporate into the very authentic environment designed for Expedition Everest. His travels for the research and production work were featured in a series of hour-long programs on the Discovery Network.

He began his career at Walt Disney Imagineering as a model designer and scenic painter in 1980, working on the M鸩co pavilion for Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort. He also worked on numerous attractions for the redesigned Fantasyland at Disneyland in the 1980s, Captain EO, and the Norway pavilion for Epcot, before commencing his responsibilities on Disney's Animal Kingdom.

For more information on SIGGRAPH Asia 2009, please visit www.siggraph.org/asia2009

About SIGGRAPH Asia

The 2nd ACM SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Asia will take place in Pacifico Yokohama, Japan. Featuring an international conference from 16-19 December 2009, SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 offers works that provoke thoughts, explore ideas in innovative ways, address contemporary issues, interactively engage viewers in discovery, and stimulate their intellect and creativity through art, computer animation, courses, education, new technologies, technical papers, sketches and posters.

SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 also features a trade exhibition of products and services from the computer graphics and interactive marketplace. Held from 17-19 December 2009, it is also a recruitment ground for job seekers to meet potential employers. Sponsored by ACM, SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 is expected to to bring together 8,000 computer graphics and interactive technology professionals and enthusiasts from Asia and beyond.  For more information, please visit www.siggraph.org/asia2009.

The inaugural SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 was a resounding success. Artists, researchers, developers, gaming experts, filmmakers, as well as academics from 49 countries gathered in Singapore, spending four exciting days to discover new products, talents, technology and techniques in the digital media industry. In all, a total of 49 countries were represented in an array of thought-provoking works and breakthrough ideas presented at the show. For more information, please visit www.siggraph.org/asia2008.

About ACM

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) SIGGRAPH sponsors SIGGRAPH Asia 2009. ACM is an educational and scientific society uniting the world's computing educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.