Creative Technologies Careers Festival

Join us for CMD://Connect, Ulster University’s Creatives Careers Festival supported by Northern Ireland Screen's SCREEN Cluster. A one day event connecting students, graduates, and emerging creatives with leading professionals from the games, animation, immersive media, photography, and digital production industries.

This festival is designed to give attendees insights into creative careers, provide opportunities to showcase work, and help build industry connections.

Industry Talks

Hear from internationally recognised creatives and studio leaders as they share their career journeys and advice for breaking into creative sectors.

Speakers include professionals behind major global productions such as Avatar, Star Wars, Halo, Call of Duty, award-winning children’s television, XR experiences, and internationally recognised photographic and film projects.

Masterclasses (Seperate Tickets required for each class)

Take part in hands-on workshops delivered by industry experts. These extended sessions focus on practical skills, production techniques, and professional workflows used across the creative industries.

Spaces are limited and must be booked below

Please check tickets for times and locations as these will vary for each masterclass.

Portfolio Reviews

Receive one-to-one feedback from industry professionals on your creative work. Portfolio reviews offer valuable guidance on improving your work, preparing for employment, and understanding industry expectations.

Play My Demo Showcase

Experience playable games, prototypes, and experimental projects created by students and local developers. Attendees and industry guests can play, discuss, and provide feedback directly to creators. If you wish to exhibit at Play My Demo please book through the relevant ticket below, again we have limited spaces for exhibitors.

Talent Hub

Meet studios, organisations, and creative practitioners in a dedicated networking space. Discover career opportunities, placements, collaborations, and pathways into creative industries.

Schedule

11:15 

Joe Laverty

ROOM - BC-00-306
Irish photographic artist and filmmaker exploring place, marginal landscapes, and Ireland’s relationship with extraction and history. His project Shallow Waters was nominated for the Prix Pictet.

12:15 

Chad Alexander

ROOM- BC-00-306
Northern Irish artist examining place, identity and social change; his experimental film Music For Domes premiered at Docs Ireland 2025.

14:15

Johnny Schumann

ROOM - BC-Lecture Theatre 2
Creative Director/Producer at Flickerpix, overseeing award-winning animated productions including Macropolis and numerous BBC and RTÉ series.

16:00

Colin Williams

ROOM - BC-Lecture Theatre 2

Founder of Sixteen South, an internationally acclaimed children’s TV studio with over 670 episodes produced and multiple BAFTA and Emmy nominations.

17:00

Industry Round Table 

ROOM - BC-Lecture Theatre 2

A discussion focused on current funding opportunities for games, the challenges studios face in accessing support, and the wider issues affecting sustainability in the sector.

This roundtable will include:

Eva Robinson

Co-Founding Director of Aura Digital Studios and Technical Director of Belfast XR Festival, producing award-nominated immersive XR experiences and leading UK-wide development labs.

Leela Collins

Producer and project manager in the Irish games sector, currently serving as Project Manager at Imirt, The Irish Game Makers Association and founder of Banshee games.

Zach Johnston

Founder of the independent game development studio Mad Moon based in Belfast creating original action-oriented game Sol Drift.

Rebekah Farmer

Currently Interactive Sector Lead for Northern Ireland Screen, the national screen agency for Northern Ireland.

18:00 

Greg Maguire

ROOM - BC-Lecture Theatre 2
Founder of HUMAIN and Professor of Animation at Ulster University, with credits spanning major film franchises and AAA games including Halo and Call of Duty.

Portfolio Reviews 

2PM - 4PM

ROOM - BC-00-306

Meet industry professionals from a range of disciplines for one-to-one portfolio feedback. Please ensure appropriate equipment is utilised to display work. Portfolio review places are based on first come first served basis. 

Masterclasses - Separate tickets required for each class

12:00 - Aaron O'Rourke – Technical Design

Senior Technical Designer at Hypixel Studios currently working on Hytale.

ROOM - BA-03-003

12:00 - John Hannon – 3D Art

Lead Character Artist at Atelier 11, with experience creating 3D character art for games at Bithell Games, Humain, and Brain and Nerd.

ROOM - BA-03-005

12:00 - Patrick O'Callaghan – 2D Art

Irish animator, storyboard artist and character designer with studios such as Boulder Media, Treehouse Republic, Telegael and Kavaleer, and serving as Art Team Manager at Story Toys in Dublin.

ROOM - BA-03-009

12:00 - Dermott Burns – 3D Environment Design

ROOM - BA-03-018
Senior environment artist and world builder with experience across games, film and animation, including The Chinese Room and Framestore.

12: 00- White Cloud Photography (Marianne & Fergus)

ROOM - BA-04-027
Studio White Cloud are a commercial photography studio known for high-end drinks, product and sportswear campaigns, specialising in complex set builds and lighting design.

15:00 - Simon Mills – Film & Photography

ROOM - BA-03-024
Belfast-based photographer and filmmaker documenting creative practice and cultural heritage, with projects spanning Northern Ireland and Morocco.

20:00 (exhibitors set up from 19:00)

ROOM - BC-Ulster University Student Union

Hosted in the Ulster University Student Union (UUSU). Play My Demo is a live showcase event where game developers present playable builds to the public, industry professionals and fellow creators. It’s an opportunity to connect directly with the Belfast games community!

​​Everyone’s welcome to bring along a demo, but you need to checkout with the play my Demo Exhibitor ticket (Free)

​​Once you've registered, feel free to bring down your laptop/PC/Switch/Nintendo 64 and show off what you've been working on! It'll all be very casual, so don't worry about anything being perfect - that's the whole point!

​​PlayMyDemo is for anyone interested in making games in Northern Ireland; be it programming, game design, art, writing, sound, production, marketing, or any part of game development.

​​Whether you’re a seasoned pro, just starting out, or somewhere in between, PlayMyDemo promises an evening of genuine connections and inspiration.

​​Come for the games, stay for the connections, and leave with a pocket full of insights.

Funded by Northern Ireland Screen’s SCREEN Cluster