Join Niko Pueringer (Corridor Digital, 10M+ YouTube subscribers) and Paul Debevec, VES (Netflix) for a Fireside Chat exploring CorridorKey, the open-source chroma keying tool developed by Niko and shared freely with the creative community. Built to deliver fast, high-quality keying workflows, CorridorKey reflects a growing shift toward accessible tools that empower artists and creators.

With Paul’s pioneering work in image-based lighting, virtual production, and production-ready innovation, this conversation brings together two voices shaping how new tools move from idea to industry impact. A discussion on keying, open-source innovation, and the future of creative workflows.

Niko Pueringer is a filmmaker, visual effects artist, and co-founder of Corridor Digital, a Los Angeles-based production company known for blending storytelling with cutting-edge VFX. He is a core member of Corridor Crew, where he helps break down filmmaking techniques, visual effects, and emerging technologies for a global audience.

With a background in cinematography, post-production, and even stunt work, Niko has played a key role in shaping Corridor’s signature style, combining practical filmmaking with digital effects in a way that is both educational and entertaining. His work spans short films, branded content, and viral online series, often pushing the boundaries of accessible VFX and real-time workflows.

Niko is particularly known for his ability to translate complex visual effects processes into clear, engaging insights, helping demystify the craft for both aspiring creators and industry professionals.

Paul Debevec, VES holds the positions of Fellow, Content Production Research at Netflix and Adjunct Research Professor at USC. A leading figure in filmmaking technology, his innovations have significantly shaped the visual effects and production techniques used across contemporary television and streaming.

Debevec’s pioneering work in photogrammetry, high‑dynamic‑range imaging, virtual production, volumetric capture, and image‑based lighting has become foundational to how digital characters and environments are created for television and premium streaming content. His research has supported major studios and contributed to the realism and technical sophistication of projects across the industry, including Netflix’s expanding use of advanced performance‑capture and virtual‑production workflows.

He is a three-time Academy Award® winner for Scientific and Technical achievement, the recipient of the SMPTE Progress Medal for advances in real‑world illumination capture, and the 2022 Charles F. Jenkins Lifetime Achievement Award recipient at the TV Academy’s Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Awards, recognizing his profound and lasting impact on television technology.

At USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies, Debevec led the development of next‑generation Light Stage systems used to create photoreal digital faces and performances for high‑profile productions. His work has appeared in television documentaries, educational programming, and global broadcast events through NHK, PBS, National Geographic, and the Olympic Games. At Google Research, Debevec led the development of new techniques for 6-degree-of-freedom immersive video, volumetric capture, and portrait relighting.

Debevec is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a former co‑chair of its Science and Technology Council, a Visual Effects Society Fellow, and past Vice-President of ACM SIGGRAPH.