We are thrilled to announce the jury for AUREA#8!

For the past seven years, the AUREA Award has celebrated excellence in immersive and innovative realities, and our all-star jury has been key to its success. With this year’s theme,  “Through the Looking Glass: Where Layered Realities Unfold,” the jury will reflect on humanity, illusions, magnification (even distortion) and the reinterpretations of truth and transparency.

This year’s jury brings together industry leaders and visionaries who are at the forefront of immersive technology and entertainment. Their expertise and insights will guide us in recognising the most groundbreaking projects shaping the future of XR in entertainment!

Kathleen Cohen

Jury Chair

Kathleen is known as a Tech Humanist and an XR Immersive Strategist with over 25 years building both user and guest experiences.

Founder of The Collaboratorium, a consultancy focusing on Spatial Computing, XR/AI Research, Strategy & Production, as well as Public Engagement - Kathleen’s clients range from Megacity, Gigacity projects to Media & Entertainment and Health & Wellness implementations. Her XR/AI Research focuses on key learnings from both the Indigenous Science and the Neurodivergent communities. Currently, Kathleen is teaming up to build a City of Los Angeles Reclamation project - turning abandoned parcels of land into immersive, urban sanctuaries.

Kathleen’s background as a Creative and a Producer include: DreamWorks Interactive, IBM Centers for Innovation and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. Kathleen also was the former Vice President of Digital Innovation & Integration for The National Constitution Center helping to tell the contemporary story of the U.S. Constitution. For the past six years, Kathleen has been the Jury Chair and a Keynote Speaker for the AUREA Award, a conference and awards show, focusing

Emily Olman

Jury Member

Emily Olman is the Founder & Chief Media Officer of Hopscotch Interactive, a Bay Area media agency focused on immersive media for the real estate industry. She channels her passion for XR as Editor at Large for AR Insider, the leading publication for Spatial Computing, and as the host of the Spatial Intelligentsia Podcast. Emily is known for her role in global community building including the VR/AR Association SF Chapter, AWE Nite SF, and the AUREA Award Community. She is an Advisory Council Member of Augmented World Expo, and is a Board Member of the Robert Bosch Foundation Alumni Association, The Udana Institute, and the Stefano Foundation. She is the proud recipient of a Nextant Medallion from the Virtual Worlds Society for “Unlocking hearts and minds" with Virtual Reality.

Christina Lee Storm

Jury Member

Christina Lee Storm is Co-Founder of PLAYBOOK PLBK and Head of Studio, Narrative at AI-native studio, Secret Level. She is an accomplished studio executive and award-winning producer known for pioneering storytelling through emerging technologies in film, series, animation, documentaries, XR, and multi-platform storytelling. She has been instrumental in implementing creative and strategic production technologies for franchises, IP, and world-building with studios such as Netflix, Universal, DreamWorks Animation, and now at Secret Level. 

Christina is also Co-Founder of The Creative + Tech Orbit substack. She is Governor of the Television Academy's Emerging Media Programming peer group, Co-Chair of the Advocacy Committee, Lead for the Academy’s Responsible AI & Production Standards Working Group, and an active member of the Innovation Advisory Committee. Christina sits on the Producers Guild of America’s Production Innovation Task Force, Los Angeles Mayor’s Entertainment Industry Council, and Runway’s 100 Film Fund Advisor Panel. She is a newly inducted member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, Class of 2025.

Thomas Wagner

Jury Member

Thomas Wagner is Co-Founder and CEO of VR Coaster GmbH&Co.KG, the worldwide leading company for Virtual-Reality-Experiences on ride attractions. He is also Professor for Virtual Design at the University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern. Working in the Media and Games Industry for over 20 years now, Wagner has won several international Awards for Excellence in Game-, 3D- and Mobile App Design, including two Adobe Max Awards, the iTunes „Best of“ Selection and multiple awards in the Theme Park Industry. He is the inventor of the wireless VR Coaster System that changed the Theme Park Industry with over 70 installations on roller coasters and drop towers all over the world.