Member Profile: Hannes Sturm
1. What do you do, and how long have you been doing it?
I am a Technical Director specializing in real-time technologies and video games. After graduating last year, I have been working as a game developer for various studios and also founded two indie game studios, where we are currently working on our first titles.
2. What was your first job?
My first job was as an internship as a web developer for a local car brand, where I worked on tools for testing car software systems. That experience showed me that I don’t enjoy being employed by large companies and that I prefer working on creative projects in smaller teams.
3. Where did you complete your formal education?
I completed my education in 2025 at the Animationsinstitut of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Germany, studying Technical Directing. The program was very project-based, and I learned a lot by doing, which has been very helpful in my career so far. I also really value the industry contacts I gained through the school, as they helped me find my first jobs and gave me a professional network I can still reach out to today.
4. How did you first get involved with ACM SIGGRAPH?
I became involved with ACM SIGGRAPH during my studies as a Technical Director in 2025, when we published our work for a student graduation film as a poster at SIGGRAPH in Vancouver. It was about comparing different frame interpolation techniques for watercolour animation.
5. What is your favorite memory of a SIGGRAPH conference?
I have only been at SIGGRAPH once so far, but there are already so many great memories. Presenting my first poster was definitely special, as were the conversations with like-minded people at various events, meeting old friends and getting to know new ones.
6. Describe a project that you would like to share with the ACM SIGGRAPH community.
For my graduation film “The Amazing Kitsuverse”, we developed and tested various “AI” tools to integrate them into our real-time animation pipeline guided by a set of ethical guidelines we had defined as a team. From writing to rendering, each department experimented with at least one tool and documented their findings. We quickly realized that it was very challenging to use these tools without compromising our own ethical standards, and in the end, we decided together that generative AI did not solve our problems and instead limited our creativity. Still, I believe it was very valuable to test these tools and reflect on their impact.
7. If you could have dinner with one living or non-living person, who would it be and why?
That is a very difficult question, as there are so many great minds I would love to talk to! But if I had to choose one, I would say Hideo Kojima. He is a very innovative game designer and a big inspiration for my own work. I hope to create games that inspire people in a similar way to how his games inspire me.
8. What is something most people don’t know about you?
I think there is a lot people don’t know about me, mainly because I have many hobbies and too little time for them. One of them is playing the trumpet and piano, but I recently started getting into baking as well.
9. From which single individual have you learned the most in your life? What did they teach you?
There isn’t a single individual, as many people have influenced me throughout my life. However, my parents have had the biggest impact on me. I remember my father telling me, when I was moving out to study in another city, that his biggest regret was not doing all the things he wanted to do when he was young. That has stayed with me, and I try to experience as much as possible while I can.
10. Is there someone in particular who has influenced your decision to work with ACM SIGGRAPH?
Many people have influenced my decision. The volunteers who made me feel welcome, and speakers and presenters who shared their work with so much passion. In particular, I would like to mention Diana Arellano, who was my Senior Lecturer during my Technical Directing studies. She encouraged me to get involved and ultimately become part of the SIGGRAPH community.
11. What can you point to in your career as your proudest moment?
I don’t think I have reached my proudest moment in my career yet. I graduated only a year ago and feel that I still have my whole career ahead of me. That said, I was very proud to publish my first scientific work at SIGGRAPH, as well as to found my first studio and bring together a team of highly skilled individuals who were willing to support and contribute to my project.