Dr. Eva Ziemsen
Virtual Production Professor & Program Coordinator
Dr. Eva Ziemsen is a Professor and Program Coordinator of the Virtual Production Graduate Certificate at Humber Polytechnic. She is a researcher, educator, and filmmaker with 20 years of experience. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia, an MA in Feature Film Development. Eva teaches courses in Virtual Production and has been developing and implementing new innovative VP curriculum at Humber Polytechnic for several years. Eva is an early adopter of Virtual Production, AI and Metaverse technology and has made films in virtual worlds and has taught in the Metaverse. Eva co-led the research of two applied research projects related to the Metaverse in 2022/23, including SoTL, “
Harnessing Higher Education in the Metaverse" and the NSERC-funded Applied Research and Technology Partnership (ARTP) grant, “
Metaverse-Based Virtual Simulations for Virtual Production and Customer Engagement, Education and Training” with APG Media Group. Eva Ziemsen received the joint
President’s Research Excellence Award 2023 for these collaborative research projects. With a vision to democratize filmmaking and innovate in online curriculum delivery, Eva previously initiated a collaboration called,
“In-Engine Virtual Production - A Collaboration between GAME and FILM," for which the team won the
2022 League of Innovation of the Year Award. Eva Ziemsen is honoured to receive the
VPG 2026 Education Professional Award, as part of a seminal international VP event where she will present on “Virtual Production Strategy in Post Secondary Education.” Eva continues to connect curriculum to industry via partnerships and applied research in virtual production, simulation, the Metaverse, real-time filmmaking, and ethical AI-augmented media creation.
Shaun Ansari
Unreal Engine Gold Authorized Instructor
An Authorized Unreal Engine Instructor Partner Gold with a distinguished track record in developing comprehensive educational programs and training ecosystems. As a Gold Instructor Partner with Epic Games, the focus has been on creating high-quality, industry-standard curriculum for game development and interactive media education.
Through RealityForge, significant contributions have been made to the Unreal Engine educational landscape, developing authorized training modules that bridge academic learning with cutting-edge game development technologies. The training programs have been designed to equip students and professionals with practical, industry-relevant skills in Unreal Engine development.
Currently serving as a Visiting Faculty Instructor at Humber Polytechnic and Unreal Engine Lead at MI Concept + Design Inc., there is a continued commitment to advancing game development education. The professional journey demonstrates a passion for transforming technical education through innovative curriculum design and hands-on instructional approaches.
Mitsyann Sitcheron
Instructor / Film Producer & Mocap Expert
Mitsyann Sitcheron is a dedicated educator and industry professional, currently teaching in the Virtual Production Program at Humber Polytechnic. With a strong foundation in film and television she has built a robust career as a production manager, expertly overseeing both traditional film shoots and cutting-edge motion capture projects. Her unique combination of hands-on experience and academic insight enables Mitsyann to seamlessly guide students through the intersection of storytelling, technical workflows, and immersive media. In the classroom and on set alike, she champions creativity, collaboration, and the next generation of immersive entertainment.
Arthur Cooper
Cinematographer
Arthur is an award-winning cinematographer whose unique vision has screened at international festivals including Sundance, Cannes, Berlin, Roma Television Festival and TIFF. A graduate of Ryerson University, his love of images and light began with his first camera at age seven, and his career spans over 25 years across the Canada and around the world. Arthur has lensed more than 150 short format films, music videos and webisodes.
His work in features includes the Sundance screened Heater and some of English Canada’s most recognized titles, One Week, Young People F*cking and the vibrant, stylish Home Again , in addition to second unit work on Room, Fugitive Pieces and The Whistleblower. His television work includes multiple genres for CBC, Vision TV, Family Channel and BBC. Sitcoms G-Spot and She’s the Mayor, kids programming Life With Derek, and What’s Up Warthogs?, and hard hitting dramas like the mini series Guns. He’s also done 2nd unit on network shows like Bitten, The Divide and Rewind. His most recent work is the exciting, stylish dramatic series, Shoot the Messenger.
James Rowan
Virtual Production Technologies Researcher / Educator
James works full time as a researcher at SIRT, where he focuses on emerging technologies and their place in the media and entertainment, especially Unreal Engine and its growing role across the film, creative, and live performance industries. A lifelong learner, he holds a BA in Information Technology, a BEd in Adult Education, a post-graduate certificate in Film Production, and a Master’s in Digital Media (MDM). Alongside his research practice, he is a leader in the teaching and training of ICVFX and virtual production, lecturing on VP and emerging technologies at Sheridan College, Toronto Metropolitan University, and Humber College. An Unreal Authorized Instructor, he is connected and committed to creating meaningful and insightful training experiences to support of the next generation of digital creators and industry professionals.
