Alexis Gerard is the co-host of Visual 1st and a strategic advisor for Suite 48 Analytics. 

In 1993 he founded imaging think-tank Future Image Inc, and in 2003 the Mobile Imaging Executive Summit which became the 6Sight® Future of Imaging executive conference. 

In 1997-98 he was also President and Executive Director of the Digital Imaging Group, a consortium founded by Adobe, Canon, Kodak, Fuji, HP, IBM, Intel, Live Picture and Microsoft to promote digital imaging. He’s been featured in numerous publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Financial Times, Newsweek, and Business Week.

His photographs have been exhibited in Europe and the U.S. He co-authored with Annabelle Matter Napoléon – L’Esprit des Lieux, a coffee table book tracing Napoleon’s journey from cradle to grave (Michel Lafon Publishing, 2020). In 2018 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Griffin Museum of Photography. He is represented by Farmboy Fine Arts and AKG Images.

Andreas Röttl is the CEO and Co-Founder of Journi, a leading European creative-tech company leveraging AI to revolutionize how people preserve and share their memories through automated photo book creation and journaling solutions.

With more than 15 years of experience in digital innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategic leadership, Andreas has helped shape Journi into a globally recognized consumer platform.

Before founding Journi, Andreas gained early experience as a backend developer and worked alongside serial entrepreneur Michael Brehm in Berlin and Singapore, building expertise in startup growth and digital business strategy. He was later involved with what would become Pioneers.io, a renowned platform for startups and innovators, where he also served as Interim Chief Marketing Officer.

At Journi, Andreas has led the company from idea to international success, overseeing aspects like fundraising and market expansion. Under his leadership, the company has reached millions of users, scaled a profitable business model, and earned accolades for its AI-first approach to photo product creation.

With a proven track record of leadership and innovation in the technology industry, Anna Dickson is a visionary leader in the realm of content strategy and operations. She is also a seasoned product management professional with over two decades of experience. As VP of Content Strategy & Operations at Shutterstock, Anna has the critical task of developing a strategic roadmap for sourcing and deploying content to drive key business metrics. 

Formerly, Anna served as the Group Product Manager at Google, where she spearheaded the strategic direction and implementation of the Licensed Media Service, a pivotal internal tool facilitating the delivery of media content to over 100 product teams within Google. The successful launch of the Licensed Media Service in 2018, has since garnered over 30 billion daily impressions and achieved a remarkable 44% year-over-year growth.

Prior to Google, Anna was deputy director of photography at the Wall Street Journal, poto director at the Huffington Post and photo editor at iHeartRadio and Rolling Stone.

Driven by a profound mission to empower users with access to diverse and high-quality media content, Anna's vision and leadership continue to shape the future of content consumption and creation across Shutterstock and beyond.

Anna Westerholm is the Chief Experience Officer at Artifact Uprising, where she has played a pivotal role in driving the company's growth from a startup to a multi-million dollar company.

With 15 years of experience in ecommerce, Anna is recognized for her expertise in print manufacturing and her strategic leadership across various functions. Her career spans merchandising, supply chain management, customer experience and sales, product development and operational efficiency.

Passionate about tangible products, Anna is driven by a commitment to delivering exceptional experiences through every facet of a business.

Anthony Fernandez leads Global Partnerships at Pika, a video generation platform and mobile app that empowers creators, celebrities and brands to create viral, social-first content using AI. At Pika, he oversees strategic partnerships that grow the platform’s reach through branded campaigns, creator programs, and API integrations.

Prior to Pika, Anthony was an early employee at TikTok, where he helped build the U.S. Public Figures Team from the ground up before joining the company’s first ever Global Entertainment division to lead partnerships with entertainment creators and celebrities.

He also founded Digadvise, a consulting firm specializing in talent strategy, campaign planning, and program development for UGC platforms.

He began his entertainment career at NBC, working across Unscripted Development and Production for the network.

Ari Abelson is the co-founder of OpenOrigins – a company dedicated to leveraging blockchain technology to secure and attest the internets provenance, authenticity, and trust in visual media and AI.

Prior to this he acted as a researcher, working on projects with the Dstl, Ministry of Defence, LSHTM and Facebook.

Ashley Reeder Morgan is the Vice President of Consumer Marketing, Imaging Division, for FUJIFILM North America Corporation.  Ashley has been in the imaging category for nearly 20 years, working first on the agency side with photo industry clients, then in-house at Millman Multimedia (Nations Photo Lab/Artsy Couture) and finally for the last 11 years at FUJIFILM. 

She has a deep love for this industry and a curiosity to help it continue to grow and evolve.  Her expertise spans consumer research, product management, product and brand marketing. 

She holds a Masters Degree in Professional and Creative Writing from Towson University, Executive Certificates in Leadership and Business Impact from Cornell University and a Certificate in Executive Leadership from Columbia University.   

Ashley lives just outside New York City in Chappaqua, NY with her husband and 2-year-old daughter, Roo.

Benjamin Lamparter is the Chief Technology & Innovation Officer (CTIO) at District Photo, a leading provider of digital printing and fulfillment services. He has been with the company since July 2018, bringing over two decades of experience in operations and technology roles across the photo, digital printing and e-commerce sectors. As CTIO, Lamparter leads District Photo's, Harrier’s and PrimaPMI’s technology and innovation strategies, focusing on enhancing digital printing solutions and fulfillment services.

Prior to his current role, Lamparter served as Vice President of Operations at District Photo until March 2023. Before joining District Photo, he held several key positions at Snapfish, a digital photo service. As their Director of Operation, he oversaw end-to-end operations, including vendor management, customer service, procurement, program management and quality assurance. Earlier roles at Snapfish included Worldwide Head of Vendor Operations and Vendor Operations Lead for Europe. 

Lamparter began his career at HP in 2003 in various capacities, including Program and Portfolio Management, New Product Introduction and Procurement Engineering. Lamparter holds a diploma in business and commercial information technology from the Berufsakademie Stuttgart and a bachelor's degree in the same field from The Open University London.

Bruce Watermann has been at the intersection of photography and electronic output since the onset of the digital age, then running professional photo labs and supporting many of the major Northwest brands of the 1980’s.

Moving full-time into digital imaging in the early 90’s, he was chosen by Bill Gates to build out the initial image library at Interactive Home Systems/Continuum Productions, which became Corbis.

Entering the 2000’s, Bruce began supporting new and existing companies in digitizing and monetizing their content, growing the initial Apple iPhoto book business, and supporting many companies moving into the direct-to-consumer print model.

In 2005 he joined the founding team at Blurb.com, where he managed global print product development and production strategy, print technology, order fulfillment, partner relationships, customer support, large order services, and logistics.

He currently is an Executive Consultant at PrintReady Network LLC.

Cathi Nelson is a pioneering entrepreneur and the visionary CEO behind The Photo Managers Association, a globally recognized authority in the field of photo organizing and management.

With over two decades of experience in the industry, Cathi has established herself as a leading advocate for the importance of preserving memories through curated photo & video collections.

Her expertise has been sought after by media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR, where she has shared her insights on the evolving landscape of photo management in the digital age.

Chris Garcia is the Founder & CEO of RMBR, a platform that transforms everyday content, such as portraits, user manuals, and printed materials, into immersive digital experiences using augmented reality and video.

With a background in high-volume school and sports photography, Chris is leading the charge in merging generative AI with real-world storytelling. In 2024, he helped launch AR-enabled sports banners that brought static images to life, selling hundreds as part of a new wave of creative tech products.

Chris is passionate about making cutting-edge tools feel simple, useful, and fun—and believes the future of AI is in the hands of creators who keep it real.  

Elodie Mailliet Storm is a recognized creative and business leader in the visual media space. She is the CEO of CatchLight, a media organization building a new collaborative model for visual journalism at the local and global levels. 

In 2016, Elodie was named a JSK fellow in media innovation at Stanford University where she researched the monetization of photography in the age of platforms. During her 11 years at Getty Images, she oversaw and helped build Getty Images’ content offering and helped lead its strategic development. Elodie was Getty Images’ Senior Director of Strategic Development based in the Bay Area focusing on Getty Images’ relationships with platforms such as Google, Instagram and Pinterest.

Previously, she managed content partnerships with over 300 large media companies globally such as Vice, Conde Nast, National Geographic, amongst others. Elodie co-founded Getty Images' high-end portraiture and fashion division, Contour, which she led until 2014 representing the work of over 100 high-end portrait and fashion photographers. She also co-founded the Getty Images Instagram grant.

Elodie is the author of numerous essays as well as two books: one2one, published by TeNeues and Kant In Between Hope and Despair, published by L’Harmattan.

Eric Yang is the CEO of Topaz Labs, a tech company that uses AI to upgrade the quality of image and video content.

Topaz Labs is trusted by photographers and designers on teams at NASA, Google, Nike, and more.

Previously, Eric founded and sold a company out of UT Austin and was an early product manager at a tech unicorn in San Francisco.

Gary Pageau is the principal of InfoCircle LLC, a marketing communications company. Since 2012, InfoCircle has provided marketing services, blogging, marketing communications, marketing research and event marketing to local and national clients.

The flagship publication is The Dead Pixels Society, a website, podcast and newsletter for the imaging industry. 

InfoCircle also produces the Photo Imaging Connect events.

Hans Hartman is president of Suite 48 Analytics and chair of Visual 1st. He is also member of The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA).

Prior to founding Suite 48 Analytics, most recently Hans was sr. director of market research at multimedia software company, Nero, and director of product strategy at desktop publishing software company, Quark. 

He has directed the first European Future Image Mobile Imaging Summit and chaired various Seybold Seminars PDF Conferences, as well as the Electronic Publishing Magazine Print Workflow Summit.  

Hans co-founded Piczo, a teen photo sharing site that in its heydays counted over 25 million registered users. 

Hans was also director of professional solutions at imaging software company, Live Picture.  

Hans holds a Masters degree in Industrial Economics from Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. 

Jim Louderback is one of the top leaders at the intersection of creators, media and technology. He has built and sold multiple creator economy startups to companies including Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount, and led editorial and ops at cable networks, event companies, magazines and digital publishers. 

Jim currently writes the weekly Inside the Creator Economy newsletter on LinkedIn, which has 30K+ subscribers, speaks at global events, and works with several startups in the creator space. 

Prior to launching his newsletter Jim had an 8-year run with VidCon, an annual convention for influencers, fans, executives, and online brands that attracts and continues to draw tens of thousands of attendees. As CEO, Jim led the sale of VidCon to Viacom (now Paramount).

Ken Curry is President of Ricoh Imaging, North America, where he leads sales and marketing for Ricoh and Pentax brand cameras, sports optics and accessories in the U.S. and Canada.

Ken’s tenure in the photo industry spans over four decades and includes sales leadership positions at Ricoh Imaging and Pentax, which was acquired by Ricoh in 2011.

Prior to his current position, Ken was Director of North American Sales for Ricoh Imaging.

He began his career in sales and management at national photo retailer Wolf Camera and Video.

Laura Burkhauser is the VP of Product at Descript, where she leads the team on a mission to make video editing as easy as writing. Since joining in 2023, she has scaled the product organization, doubled the success rate for new users, and launched Underlord — Descript’s powerful AI assistant that helps creators go from idea to finished video in record time.

With a background in consumer product leadership at Twitter, Rent the Runway, and Le Tote, Laura brings a deep understanding of how to build delightful, accessible products that unlock creative potential.

She holds an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and a BA from the University of Chicago.

Max Richter is Co-founder and Vice President of Marketing at Insta360, leading all global marketing operations across Shenzhen, Tokyo, Berlin, and Los Angeles offices.

Max has played a pivotal role in creating long-term strategic partnerships with major global brands and events, significantly enhancing the company's international presence and securing numerous prestigious awards. His expertise has helped establish Insta360 as the world's leading 360º action camera brand, and his vision and leadership continue to drive the company's global strategy and development.

Passionate about the ever-growing potential of 360º and AI technology, Max is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of user creativity.

Under his guidance, the Think Bold Fund was launched to inspire and empower individuals, from high-profile partners to everyday creators, to capture their boldest ideas in ways never before possible.

Philipp Mühlbauer has over 20 years of experience in the printing industry and serves as the Co-CEO of merchOne – the B2B vertical of The Customization Group, a leading force in the personalization market.

A passionate advocate for mass customization, he has been instrumental in building production sites optimized for scalable, high-quality personalization. With deep expertise in print-on-demand, automation, and supply chain efficiency, Philipp is dedicated to shaping the future of personalized commerce.

Rudy Burger is a leading expert on M&A transactions within the technology sector. As the founder of Woodside Capital, he focuses on computer vision and imaging companies across multiple industry sectors.

Prior to Woodside Capital Partners, Rudy was the founding CEO of the MIT Media Lab Europe, a joint venture between MIT and the Irish government. Over the past 25 years, he founded five technology companies in the U.S., ran a European public company, and served as a senior executive for two global 500 companies. He is an effective, results-oriented professional with a proven track record in strategic planning, change management, and corporate development.

Rudy has a BSc and MSc in Electrical Engineering from Yale University and a Ph.D. in Computer Vision from Cambridge University, UK.

Russell Armand is the CEO of Hypno, the leading platform for capturing and sharing instant event content.

For over a decade, Russell has defined how brands capture and deliver real-time photo and video experiences across thousands of live events. What began in 2012 as the world’s first digital photobooth has evolved into the fastest, most scalable workflow for global content teams.

Today, as traditional capture tools (ex: lenses, sensors, light) give way to generative tech (ex: prompts, models, compute), Russell remains at the forefront of visual content creation by building systems that are more extensible and shareable than ever.

He holds a BS from New York University and is the proud recipient of the Visual 1st Special Recognition Award (2024)!

Tom Hughes is an accomplished executive with extensive experience in stock photography, photo sharing, and digital printing and technology. He currently serves as the CEO of RPI Print, where he leads the company across the globe, including manufacturing facilities in Seattle, Atlanta, Rochester, and Eindhoven in the Netherlands as well as blurb.com, a self-publishing platform that allows users to create, print, and sell their own books. Blurb.com provides tools for Creators in designing photo books, trade books, and magazines.

Previously, Tom served on the board of directors for Shutterfly and engineered the sale of Shutterfly to private equity. His early career includes founding PhotoDisc, which merged with Getty Images while on their IPO road show. From September 2013 to October 2014, Tom served as the Vice President of Flickr, an image hosting and video hosting website owned by Yahoo! Inc. 

Tom has a strong background in investment and advisory roles across various startups, helping many be acquired and taking three companies public.