Jess Vaira (she/her)

Head of Special Events

As Head of Special Events at DigiBC, Jess Vaira takes care of all the finer details involved for gatherings in our Signals Creative Tech Studio space.

Prior to joining DigiBC, Jess was (and still is) involved in a wide range of projects. From festival production (Public Disco Society, Bass Coast, VMF), to custom builds and alterations for clients, as well as writing and performing music, and exploring fermenting and herbology, Jess is passionate about creating in many forms.

Our Executive Office Staff

2023-24 Board of Directors

Jeanne-Marie Owens

Founder & COO, Critical Path Games
Board Chair

Tim Teh

Founder & CEO, Kano
Board Vice-Chair

Lance Davis

CFO & Co-founder, Shred Capital
Board Treasurer

Karam Bayrakal

Partner, Fasken
Board Secretary

Alex Grimbley

Franchise Strategy Director & Executive Producer, The Coalition (Microsoft)

Kay Wong-Alafriz

CFO, Kabam

Heather Puttock

President, Kickstart Entertainment

Lori Massini

General Counsel, Atomic Cartoons / Thunderbird

Megan Moore

Director of Technology, Walt Disney Animation Studios

Natali Altshuler

Chief Operating Officer, EA SPORTS, Electronic Arts

Sam Fisher

CEO, Hyper Hippo Entertainment

Shyang Kong

Co-founder, SkyBox Labs

The Latest

Full Indie Meetup: October 2025

October 7: Come meet and mingle with fellow Vancouver indie game developers at Microsoft's Vancouver office. Play demos, and get feedback!

Inside Signals 2025: The Artists, the Vision, and the Innovation Behind Vancouver’s Premiere Creative Tech Event

What happens when a facial expression feeds an AI creature, a city becomes sentient, or a whispered dream explodes into immersive 3D light forms? Signals 2025 invites you to find out.

Kabam’s GameChanger Scholarship (apply by October 15)

This year, Kabam is focusing on supporting the next generation of talent in the video game industry by highlighting students pursuing art and design. Their goal is to empower students and provide them with the resources they need to pursue their passions.

IO Indie Superboost: AI Clauses & IP Ownership: Legal Risks You Can’t Ignore (Sept 17)

Amar Sidhu (Amar-VR Law) will be discussing the legal risks you can't ignore with AI clauses in contracts at Interactive Ontario's latest Indie Superboost.