We’re excited to unveil our latest speakers for our much-anticipated GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conference.
And I’m excited to say that we’ve opened up a second room for the event due to high speaker demand.
The half-day event will have a series of cross-industry talks on the convergence of interactive entertainment and mainstream entertainment. The event, emceed by Gerard “Hiphop Gamer” Williams and Tadgh Kelly, will begin with a breakfast session starting at 8 a.m. on December 11 and will run through 1 p.m. Pacific time at the Clive Davis Theater at the Grammy Museum at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles. (Here’s a discount code for sign-ups: GH25invite for 25% off.)
It is not affiliated with The Game Awards, but it will take place a stone’s throw away and on the same day, so that visitors can make the most of their time in Los Angeles. We’ll have plenty of time for networking with our audience of movers and shakers in the game industry.
Our theme — CTRL Hollywood: Powering the next entertainment revolution
At the intersection of games, storytelling, and technology, a new creative class is rising — one that’s diverse, visionary, and unafraid to break the rules.
Join GamesBeat at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on December 11, 2025, for CTRL Hollywood — a half-day insider event exploring how game engines, AI, and interactive formats are transforming entertainment. From game studios launching film projects to Hollywood producers embracing interactivity, we’ll dive into the creative and cultural revolution unfolding now.
We’ll spotlight the women, emerging talent, and underrepresented voices who are reshaping what entertainment looks like — and who gets to lead. Through candid conversations, tactical insights, and high-level networking, CTRL Hollywood brings together the pioneers driving the next era of immersive storytelling. We’ll document the continuation of the rich and collaborative relationships that have formed between these industries, driving innovation, creativity, and cultural impact.
Attendees will gain insights into how these collaborations are shaping the future of entertainment, providing unique experiences that transcend traditional boundaries.
Our speakers for our third annual event
I’m very proud to talk about some of our speakers at our latest event. You can see the list below. It’s an honor to have these thought leaders on our hot topics, which include game adaptations, women in games and entertainment, taking brands into new markets, user-generated content, AI and games and adapting games for TV series.
Our speakers include:
Gerard “HipHop gamer” Williams, emcee
Dean Takahashi, editorial director at GamesBeat
Alex Lee, lead news writer at GamesBeat
Maureen Fan, CEO of Baobab
Halley Gross, writer of The Last of Us: Part II video game and Season 2 of The Last of Us streaming show on HBO
David Baronoff, founder and executive vice president of Bad Robot Games
Justin Berenbaum, SVP global industry relations, funding general manager of Xsolla
Shahar Sorek, CMO of Overwolf
Pending: Yong-Yi Zhu, Senior operational leader in video games and entertainment at Tencent
Stefan Makoul, VP of media business at Capcom Pictures
David Hoppe, founder & managing partner at Gamma Law
Stanley Pierre-Louis, CEO of the Entertainment Software Association
Bastian Bergmann, cofounder & COO, Solsten
Kara Bilkiss, senior vice president of business development at Skydance/Paramount
Casper Daugaard, CEO of Delphi,
Pete Wanat, president of interactive technology at AGBO,
Kaare Eriksen, media analyst at Luminate Intelligence, and contributor at Variety
Dmitri Johnson, cofounder of Story Kitchen and special guest (pending)
Simon Pulman, partner/Media+Entertainment co-chair at Pryor Cashman
Clinton Sparks and special guest (pending)
Tadgh Kelly, game consultant
Eli Harris, voice actor
Alyssa Sweetman of UberStrategist
Glen Schofield, co-creator of Dead Space, Call of Duty: WWII and many other games
Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer at Xsolla
Derek Douglas, of CAA
Barry Dorf, VP of Interactive Global Licensing and Business Development at Hasbro
Eric Wood, senior vice president of publishing at Scopely
Helene Juguet, executive producer from Ubisoft Film & Television,
Event details
The event is not affiliated with The Game Awards and is solely produced by GamesBeat, which is a newly independent company headed by CEO Gina Joseph and editorial director Dean Takahashi.
GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games will take place from 8 am Pacific time until 1 pm Pacific on December 11. The proceedings will start at 9 am and end at 1 pm, with plenty of time left over to get ready for The Game Awards. It will be at the Clive Davis Theater at Grammy Museum at 800 West Olympic Boulevard in LA Live, close to the location for The Game Awards.
The conference is meant to catch people coming into town for The Game Awards and provide them with some thought-provoking conversations as well as great networking at The Grammy Museum. We’re filling up some very targeted dinners as well, by invitation only.