Talks, panels and conversations

Darin Grant, VES, has spent three decades building the technology behind feature animation and visual effects. He is SVP, Global Technology at Netflix Animation Studios, and previously served as Group CTO of Animal Logic, CTO of Digital Domain and Method Studios, and Head of Production Technology at DreamWorks Animation. A volunteer with ACM SIGGRAPH since 2001 and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2004, he served as SIGGRAPH's Chair-Elect and Chair before becoming Executive Director, and is in his third and final season as Co-Chair of the Academy's Scientific and Technical Awards Committee. He received Harvey Mudd College's 2026 Outstanding Alumni Award.

Darin Grant, VES, has spent his career at the intersection of filmmaking and engineering. He began in 1996 as a software engineer at Digital Domain, contributing to films including What Dreams May Come and Fight Club, and rose to Director of Technology, leading a team of 80 across software, systems and technical direction. As Head of Production Technology at DreamWorks Animation, he guided the multi-site pipeline behind films including Shrek the Third, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon.

He returned to Digital Domain as Chief Technology Officer during its time as a public company, then served as CTO of Method Studios, unifying technology across its offices. Beyond film production, he led AV engineering operations at Google, led the integration of Solid Angle, maker of the Arnold renderer, into Autodesk, and served as CTO of the video communications company TouchCast. As a consultant he advised software companies including Foundry and Autodesk on M&A and strategy. From 2018 he was Group CTO of Animal Logic, continuing through its acquisition by Netflix, and today he is SVP, Global Technology at Netflix Animation Studios.

Volunteer service has run alongside his career. Darin has volunteered with ACM SIGGRAPH since 2001, chairing the 2003 Computer Animation Festival and directing the 2022 Electronic Theater before serving as Chair-Elect, Chair (2025–26), and now Executive Director; as Chair he led governance reforms including fully public meeting minutes and a move to multi-year chair terms. He has served on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Scientific and Technical Awards Committee since 2004, co-chairing its Digital Imaging Technology Subcommittee from 2014 to 2024 before becoming Co-Chair of the full committee for the 2024–25 through 2026–27 seasons. He has served on the Academy Software Foundation's Governing Board as a General Member representative since its founding in 2018 and as its long-time Treasurer, and has served on the Visual Effects Society's Technology Committee and as elected Treasurer of its New York Section; the Society named him a Fellow in 2025. A graduate of Harvey Mudd College in computer science, he received the college's Outstanding Alumni Award in 2026.