2024 Presenters

Kelsey Kurtis is a branding educator + professional Lifestyle Branding photographer who has a passion for empowering entrepreneurs and leaders to help them define, build and grow their business.

Her goal is to provide bad-ass boss’s like YOU a real, joyful and empowering experience where you can not only learn how to define a CONNECTION-BASED BRAND, but also illustrate the heart of your brand and business through Lifestyle Branding photography!

Tony Colangelo is a successful photographer who shoots for the most notable architects, interior designers and builders in his marketplace. His images have been an integral part of many award winning projects in industry-wide competitions for construction and renovation excellence.

His work has been featured in numerous magazines and feature articles, including his recent feature in Architectural Photography Almanac. Tony is a long-time contributor to the real estate photography community. In 2019, he released his popular video tutorial "The Art & Science of Great Composition." Tony is a highly sought after coach, combining a thirty-year history of coaching/consulting practice, with many years of experience as a senior business executive.

Tony has supported countless photographers, with many of them going on to win PFRE’s Monthly Contests. In fact, three of his clients went on to win PFRE Photographer of the Year, Including Brandon Cooper, Mike Lefebvre, and Garey Gomez.

Brandon Barré is a Toronto, Canada based commercial photographer who shoots worldwide. He is a leader in the field of photographing luxury hotels & resorts, high end residential interiors as well as food &drink. His work has appeared in countless publications including Architectural Digest, Wallpaper, Robb Report, Condé Nast Traveller, Travel & Leisure, Interior Design, Vanity Fair and many others. His clients include the most prestigious & discerning global luxury hotel & resort brands and design firms.

He is a dedicated partner in the entire photographic process from start to finish: the planning & prep, on-set styling, lighting and photographic execution, a collaborative editing process as well as supporting deadlines and providing the standout material required for successful marketing campaigns & PR.

Equal parts artist and technician, his signature skill in lighting, an uncompromising eye for detail and a high level of expertise in digital retouching are some of his trademarks. Coming from a broad background of visual arts, his passion for photography led to focusing exclusively on the photographic medium in his high school arts program with an expansion into cinematic film studies in university. Blending these skills with his passion for interior design and architecture is what has kept him excited about the craft for more than 20 years. Brandon's evocative and captivating images deliver a wow factor that is seldom matched.

"It's not enough to simply capture how a destination or project looks, my goal is to communicate how it feels"

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Alexandria Abramian is the founder of The PR Collaborative, an online community for interior designers and photographers who want to get their work featured in top design publications. After a 20-year career as magazine editor and writer for publications including Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Elle Décor, Sunset, The Hollywood Reporter and the Los Angeles Times, Alex wanted to expand access to top publications to a wider world of rising-star professionals. Today the PR Collaborative boasts a vibrant community of interior designers and photographers as well as a suite of tools and services to get them recognized in leading publications.

Ema is the principal of Ema Peter Photography. For 12 years, she has worked with some of the most prestigious architectural, interior design and engineering firms in North America. Ema’s photography has helped many of these firms reach award-winning status. You can find her work published in Architectural Digest, Objekt International, Dwell, Wired, New York Times and many more. Ema holds a Master’s Degree in Art and Applied Photography from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria.

She started her career as a TV anchor on Bulgarian National TV and then as an intern at Magnum Photo Agency in Paris. She then led one of the largest photography teams in North America at VRX Studios Inc. She was also the lead photographer for ad campaigns at Hilton, Hyatt and Fairmont and was responsible for creating photography standards for some of the world’s top hotel brands.

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Christopher Stacey is a Canadian-born cinematographer currently residing in California. His recent work got industry attention with a nomination for Best Theatrical Cinematography by the Canadian Society ofCinematographers in 2024.

Stacey launched his career in the early 2000s as a music video director and cinematographer, helming over 40 music videos for artists such asWalk off the Earth, Redlight King, Edwin, Royce Da 5’9, Cee Lo Green, MatthewGood, Alisan Porter, Manafest, and more. His distinctive aesthetic and vibe swiftly made him a go-to figure in the music industry. Highlights include Redlight King’s “Come Back,” featured on the Avengers Movie soundtrack, and over a dozen viral music videos for Walk off the Earth, amassing upwards of 150million views. Stacey's music video work has consistently prioritized storytelling through visuals, imbuing each project with a compelling narrative.

Transitioning seamlessly into commercials and television, Stacey has lent his lens to unscripted documentaries and TV series like "YoungOnce," "Canada Heart and Soul," "Dragons Den,""Unscripted," "Automotive Spotlight," and "Red EarthUncovered." In the commercial sphere, his clients include Shopify, Bell,Magna, Ceridian, 7Five Brewing, BMO, Tfal, Remax, and The Smith Group, among others. Notably, Stacey's acclaimed work for The Smith Group set a new standard for luxury architectural and real estate visuals, crafting captivating short films within some of Southern California's most opulent homes.

Stacey's trajectory in music videos, television, and commercials has now brought him full circle to his true passion: narrative and scripted work. His discerning eye for detail and storytelling prowess shine in series like "The Encounter" and films like "Sweet Inspirations."In recent years, his career has reached new heights, evidenced by the box office success of "The Blind" and his by the CSC. With two more features set for release in 2024, "Average Joe" and "Matter of Time," starring Sean Astin, Stacey continues to elevate his craft to new heights.

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Tim Smith’s name is synonymous with the coastal Orange County real estate market, where his well-established reputation and unmatched market knowledge have made him a frontrunner in the industry. As the leader of Coldwell Banker’s #1 Team in California with over $5 billion in career sales, Tim prides himself on his personal service and attention to every detail, which has led him to a large base of referral and repeat clients.Buyers, sellers, and investors trust Tim to guide them through every step of the real estate process. He ensures all objectives and expectations are exceeded with an expansive network, unparalleled client service, and proven marketing strategies. For several years running, Tim's highly-producing team has been ranked among the top 20 real estate teams in the nation per RealTrends 'The Thousand' as reported in The Wall Street Journal.

After retiring as a Hollywood stuntman and leaving his WWF persona “El Hombre Débil” in the past, Matthew pivoted to pursue a career in photography. Spending multiple years as a one-man-show in real estate photography, he eventually transitioned to focus more on commercial/architecture & design. Along with his business as an architecture photographer in Kansas City, he also has a growing YouTube channel dedicated to all things architecture & real estate photography.

From tutorials to business tips, his content is geared to help photographers of all experience levels become more business savvy and hone their skills. Matthew also enjoys long walks on the beach, riding horse bareback and writing bios about himself in the third person. Don’t forget to hit ‘subscribe’ and smash that like button!

Danny Bertollo, owner of Futuro Avenue, is an innovator in the Real Estate Media space, more specifically in the realm of real estate video. Beginning his career back in the early days of real estate video in Australia, he pushed the boundaries to innovate upon the outdated style that was flooding the industry at the time and placed a heavy focus on the principle that it's not so much about WHAT you deliver because it's a given the content should be outstanding, but HOW you deliver to the client that really counts. This led Futuro Avenue to become a dominant force in their market and responsible for elevating the businesses of some of the most powerful real estate agents and brands in their market.

After amassing significant views across YouTube for his real estate videos while scaling his real estate video agency, thousands of people were asking, "How are you doing this?". This was the birthplace of The Property Videographer, which is where Danny endeavoured to work hands-on with property media business owners to not only turn them into some of the most influential property videographers in the world but also get them delivering faster, more efficiently, and more profitably than anyone else in their market.

Throughout the process of working intimately with hundreds of property media businesses, he uncovered crucial first-hand insights into the biggest problems real estate media businesses are facing in 2024, most notably the race to the bottom price war with competitors, agents expecting more for less, and the chaos caused by waste and complexity in the video delivery process. This sparked an obsession to shift the importance away from just delivering "cool videos" to diving deeper than anyone has before into how any real estate media business should be combating these issues and see success in 2024 and beyond. Ultimately, giving them more time and less stress to actually deliver better quality content, which when you boil it down is why most of us started in the first place... to create amazing content.

Danny has developed a multifaceted understanding of the nuances of our industry and has an immense passion for the future as he continues to influence real estate media business owners to think differently about their business and think outside the box. His ethos is, with passion comes speed, agility, and an anxiousness to get things done. And in this game, that is crucial to success.

Reed Fish is the co-host of UPMARKET, a podcast about the business of real estate photography and media. He is also the CEO and co-founder of Upmarket Media in Ventura County, California. Reed loves attending PMRE and absorbing the knowledge and camaraderie that the conference brings. In the olden days before doing real estate media, Reed made conceptual contemporary photographic art and wrote for film and television. Currently, in his free time, he is working on a joke book for kids and has a raunchy 5-minute stand-up set ready to go in case he stumbles upon an open mic night. Reed usually wears colorful shoes.

Melissa Lynch is one of the founders of Rise Media, a leading real estate marketing firm in New York, with offices in NYC and the Hamptons. Rise Media started as a small scale media marketing company in 2009 with the sole purpose of becoming an extension of a Real Estate Brokerage’s Marketing Department. Focussed on bringing new tech and new products and services easily to companies and their agents.

Through solid relationships and partnerships, Rise Media quickly became a go-to resource for New York’s largest Real Estate Firms. Melissa is continuously looking for ways to empower the marketing departments and agents of these brands to create beautiful content with seamless workflows.  

Currently, Melissa manages the creative teams in all areas of production including film and photography as well as maintaining successful relationships that help her clients expand their business development and client relations. She also enjoys finding time to dedicate to social media managers and content creators to maximize exposure for clients.

With a background in radio, television and production prior to the inception of Rise Media, Melissa is able to shape the kind of marketing agency that New York really needed. Melissa She is involved in the creativity of video productions from initial conversations all the way through. “I enjoy the styling and perfectionism that comes with Real Estate photography.

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But mostly I love building strong relationships with my client base, which includes some of the influential real estate companies in the world.” Melissa has developed content to assist in the online presence of each one of her clients - and helped them rise to the top.  From Fortune 500 companies to brick-and-mortar businesses. Her goal and the goal of Rise Media has always remained the same: Aim to tell a beautiful visual story and build a campaign that turns into transactions for her clients.

I'm passionate about the real estate industry in the US and the potential to change the way property is marketed through using cutting edge, creative digital solutions.  
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I am a business builder who is capable of operating in ambiguous and undeveloped situations to lead change and growth in emerging markets. A respected leader in his field, Gerard has been the driving force behind revolutionizing the property marketing landscape by bringing together the industry’s best tools and creative resources.

As CEO and Founder of RISE Media, he has been at the forefront of real estate marketing in the US for nearly 16 years and has established himself as a true innovator with a focus on changing the way realty is presented through cutting edge digital solutions. Gerard thrives on the constant challenge of adding real value to his clients’ advertising campaigns and instilling high levels of customer service in his team.

He knows and understands the market thoroughly and has a vision to provide his real estate partners with a quality of marketing content that is second-to-none. He is passionate about his chosen profession and has a reputation among his colleagues as a highly motivated and knowledgeable individual which adds to his success in the most cut throat city in the world. Establishing RISE Media has given him an opportunity to lead an innovative media agency that embraces state-of-the-art technology, creative vision and first class customer service to help design the future of real estate marketing.

Brian Balduf, is the co-founder of VHT Studios. VHT Studios is the nation’s largest visual marketing provider for the real estate industry and is now owned by Matterport. Brian is actively involved in the development of cutting-edge tools and services specifically designed for the real estate industry. With more than thirty years of sales and marketing experience in consumer and business-to-business services, Brian has previously been responsible for sales, marketing, and product/business/corporate development in the music, wireless and information technology industries for such companies as Rolling Stone Records, West Coast Video, and AT&T. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Business Administration from the University of Illinois, as well as an MBA and Master’s of Information Systems from Benedictine University. Brian is a frequent speaker at industry events and is a published writer on numerous marketing related topics.

Devon Pastorius is the Creative Director and Principal Photographer of his marketing agency Windsor Creative and Windsor Real Estate Photography.

Over the last decade, he has constantly pushed the creative boundaries of real estate media production, focusing on leveraging listings as an opportunity to expand the visibility of real estate professionals. From rap music videos and cinematic one takes, to over the top sketches on massive estates and magazine worthy imagery, eye-catching creativity is at the forefront of all his real estate productions. Devon’s client list includes hundreds of real estate agents, as well as interior designers, architects, casinos, hotels, and international brands.

Jamie McInally, founder and CEO of Autoenhance.ai, transforms real estate marketing with innovative AI-driven photo editing. Starting as a hobbyist photographer and videographer, Jamie spent countless hours perfecting his content in post-production. When he combined his passion for editing with his AI expertise, he realised how much of the process could be automated—and became fascinated by AI's growing creative potential. With over ten years of experience in AI, Jamie now leads Autoenhance.ai, where his fully automated solutions empower real estate professionals to showcase properties with stunning, flawless imagery. Having witnessed the rapid advancements in AI over the past decade, Jamie has a clear vision of where this technology is headed. As AI continues to evolve, he believes it will unlock even greater creative possibilities and further reshape industries like real estate marketing.

Emily Olman is the CEO & Chief Media Officer of Hopscotch Interactive, a Bay Area media agency focused on immersive media for the real estate industry. She channels her passion for emerging technologies as Editor at Large for AR Insider, the leading publication for spatial computing, and shares thought leadership in the industry as the host of the HopscotchInteractive YouTube Channel, covering topics ranging from real estate photography best practices to spatial computing and AI. Emily is known for her role in global community building, including the VR/AR Association SF Chapter, AWE Nite SF, and the AUREA Award Community. She is an Advisory Council Member of Augmented World Expo, the world’s largest conference for spatial computing, and is a Board Member of the Robert Bosch Foundation Alumni Association, The Udana Institute, and the Stefano Foundation. She is the proud recipient of a Nextant Medallion from the Virtual Worlds Society for “Unlocking hearts and minds" with Virtual Reality.

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Matt Michalski is the co-founder and CMO of Aryeo, a software platform for real estate media companies. Prior to starting Aryeo, he was a real estate photographer along with his Aryeo co-founders Branick Weix and Brendan Quinlan. Today, Matt leads the Aryeo team in developing the brand and industry relationships, as well as contributing to the future Aryeo product.

Aryeo's customers now span the globe, and the remote team spends their time designing the next generation of real estate media tools - helping photographers grow their revenue, streamline their operations, get real-time insights into their business, and impress their clients.

A Dane with a global mindset and with Esoft since 2020. As CEO Ian has overall responsibility of Esoft’s market leading residential real estate photography and asset activation companies in Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway and Sweden), Esoft’s post-production activities with around 700 employees in Vietnam and the wholesale company selling post-production services to forward looking photography companies all over the world. With above background Ian has deep industry knowledge and is heading operational and AI-driven transformations, and the transformation of the Scandinavian businesses from solely doing real estate photography to also being the most influential player in asset activation on behalf of leading brokerages. Prior to Esoft Ian has run his own successful consulting company and held management roles in leading Danish corporations.

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Natalia Robert is an interior photographer in Southern California and founder of The Grove. A BArch, extensive travels, and a wide variety of work experience have shaped Natalia's love for design and exploration. In 2019, Natalia founded The Grove with the mission to increase representation of women in architectural and interior photography through education and community support.

Natalia's photos have been seen on Elle Decor, San Diego Magazine, San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyle, and The Voyager. When she's not shooting, speaking, or mentoring, Natalia can be found relaxing with her fur baby Daisy, taking day trips to anywhere within a few hours' drive, or spending time with friends and family.

As the Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Planitar Inc., Michael has been at the forefront of iGUIDE’s expansion into digitizing built environments in Commercial and Residential Real Estate, Facilities Management, Insurance and Restoration.

Before joining Planitar Inc. in 2016, Michael had spent the last 20 years building brands and bringing products to market for companies like TTI and BLACK+DECKER. Specializing in Sales, Marketing, and Product Development, Michael enthusiastically leads teams to provide product solutions to market challenges for consumers and businesses. He is a results-driven leader passionate about bringing the iGUIDE technology to market, helping people and organizations accurately measure, document, communicate, and manage their built space efficiently.

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Aaron Smith, the Director of Sales at CubiCasa, a cutting-edge startup in the floor plan visualization space, previously served as the VP of Sales at Next Door Photos, a national real estate photography company. Transitioning from running a local photography company to spearheading sales and business development at CubiCasa, Aaron is dedicated to the mission of getting a floor plan on every listing. Additionally, he aims to assist photography companies in earning more per listing with technology and diversified service offering.

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Jenna Gaidusek, founder of AI for Interior Designers™ and Jenna Gaidusek Designs has revolutionized visual communication in the interior design industry since founding her online design firm in 2016. Her pioneering efforts combine a deep passion for education and community with the latest advancements in AI technology. Through her leadership of the eDesign Tribe, and following its acquisition by Mydoma Studio, Jenna has empowered countless designers. As a trailblazer in tech integration, Jenna's mission is to propel the industry forward by teaching interior designers how to leverage AI for unmatched success and client satisfaction.

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Wayne Capili is the primary digital content provider of Interface Visual, a commercial studio based in Monterey California. Wayne's stunning work is sought after by a wide variety of clients including architects, builders, and advertising agencies. For the last decade, Interface Visual has helped change the look and feel of Real Estate Photography. By using techniques of architectural photography and blending them with digital technology, Wayne is a leading expert in applying a modern approach to traditional methods, delivering real estate images that are both dynamic and timeless.

Fraser Almeida is a Las Vegas based photographer specializing in luxury real estate, interiors and architecture. Whether projects are local or nationwide, Fraser is sought out for his creative ability, attention to detail, and professionalism. He is recognized as the premier choice in this evolving industry. Through years of delivering world-class results for his clients, his unique style and vision continues to develop. For Fraser, translating 3 dimensional spaces into a 2 dimensional medium requires understanding that the best images are not just about capturing a space; it's also about reflecting mood, inhabiting a lifestyle, and evoking emotion.

As the founder of Luxury Homes Photography, Fraser leads a team of elite professionals through mentorship, guidance, and ongoing education. Versatility is one of Fraser's greatest strengths, he pushes his team and students to learn new approaches and constantly evolve to stay ahead of the current trends in the industry. Fraser’s ability to adapt and push boundaries is what separates and defines him as a creative visionary.

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Building on his background in film production and communications, David is a widely respected advocate of creators’ rights. Since 2011, he has written over 900 articles, on the blog The Illusion of More and elsewhere, endorsing strong copyright rights and questioning the tech industry’s assault on those rights. He has been cited by scholars and the creative community. In 2020, he published the book Who Invented Oscar Wilde? The Photograph at the Center of Modern American Copyright.

Steven’s extensive background in IP law and policy began as an attorney for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, after which, he served as senior counsel for Policy and International Affairs at the U.S. Copyright Office and then as Chief Intellectual Property Counsel for the Global Intellectual Property Center of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Before co-founding RightsClick, he started the IP consultancy Sentinel Worldwide, and teaches copyright law at George Washington University Law School.