Tech authority and venture capitalist Matthew Ball headlines the second session of AFTRS Digital Futures Summit series, The Business of Australia’s Digital Future, which will be held online on Thursday, February 17.

Ball is considered the world’s leading expert on the Metaverse, a multi-dimensional world that many believe will be the successor to the internet, converging immersive 3D online environments, augmented reality, virtual reality, and personal computing with real life.

Author of Metaverse Primer and the upcoming The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionize Everything, Ball will open the summit with a session, The Metaverse and What It Means for the Australian Screen Industry.

Ball will be in conversation with Claire Evans, former MD of immersive digital company Grumpy Sailor, who is currently consulting with the Australia Council and recently completed the Master of Arts Screen: Business at AFTRS, where she completed a thesis on the metaverse. A live Q&A will follow the session.

AFTRS CEO Nell Greenwood will also discuss the results of the AFTRS Career Pathways Survey, conducted by SARA and AFTRS in partnership with the industry. Data and information have been collected from hundreds of practitioners across the industry at various stages in their careers and analysed by SARA, providing important strategic insights into work practices and how government, education and the industry can support and build a thriving ecosystem of Australian screen talent.