AI and gaming are no longer newbies in the world of advertising but the industry is still coming to terms with their roles. AI is a wonderful worker. But human emotional intelligence bonds with human audiences. How do you know which one leads when? Gaming demands a new kind of advertising. What do you place where? ADFEST’s newest sessions answer these questions to make technology a playground brands and agencies can feel confident in.   

THURSDAY 19 MARCH | 10.40-11.15

Feeling is the New KPI

Chris Gurney, Co-Founder & Chief Creative & Innovation Officer, Crisp Group, Tokyo

Vittorio Badini Confalonieri, Head of Production, Benetone Films Advertising, Bangkok

Sam Koay, Film Director, Sam Koay, Bangkok

Seiya Matsumiya, Founder & CEO, Black Cat White Cat Music, Tokyo

Feeling Is the New KPI introduces a creative framework that pairs technological speed with human emotional intelligence, using the Toyota Advantage campaign as its core case study. The session will show how AI supports early creative phases: idea exploration, VO rhythm tests, music and visual mood sketches, rapid pre-visualisation and social-content development across APAC markets. AI accelerates clarity and alignment, especially between Toyota and Google, but all decisions remain human-led. Story, performance, emotion, cultural detail and musical instinct are never automated.

The session will be led by Chris Gurney, Co-Founder & Chief Creative & Innovation Officer, Crisp Group, and Film Director, Sam Koay, whose partnership shaped the campaign’s intention, tone and emotional resonance. They will be joined by Vittorio Badini Confalonieri, who led production craft, on-set performance and execution, and Seiya Matsumiya, who shaped musical emotion and grounded the work in human feeling.

Chris Gurney has spent the past twenty years navigating the creative landscapes of Japan, South Asia and Southeast Asia, learning how people think, feel and respond to ideas. That experience shapes his approach today - clear, culturally attuned, and grounded in the belief that technology should enhance expression rather than replace it. Before co-founding Crisp Group, Chris held executive creative roles at Vice Media Group, ADK Japan and Ogilvy, where he led transformation initiatives and introduced early applications of AI and emerging technologies for global clients including Diageo, Unilever and Coca-Cola.

Vittorio Badini Confalonieri has directed and produced across Europe and Southeast Asia, for more than twenty years, and has developed a way of working that is equal parts instinct, experience and a real interest in where the medium is heading. He understands how stories land with people and how to shape the process so the work feels honest and alive.

Film Director, Sam Koay, is driven by a fascination with the human condition and a deep respect for the craft of storytelling. With roots in performance and cinematography, his work is founded on emotional truth and visual clarity. As both screenwriter and director, Sam seeks to tell stories that can connect his audience. To pull them into a world that feels lived-in, where every frame speaks.

Seiya Matsumiya began his career in the early 2000s amid Southern California’s vibrant music scene. After studying at Berklee College of Music, he returned to Los Angeles to pursue his musical path in earnest, performing alongside renowned artists such as Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Cat Power, and Maroon 5, while also composing and producing music for film, television, and advertising. In 2018, he founded Black Cat White Cat Music in Tokyo.

THURSDAY 19 MARCH | 14.30-15.05

Game On, Plus: Growing Asia’s First Gaming X Marketing Content Hub

Rey Tiempo, Chief Creative Officer, Co-Op Play & Game On, Manila

James Bernardo, Creative Consultant, Educator, Storyteller & Writer, Manila

Amir Tohid, Founder & Managing Director, STATION T, Manila

Game On, the advertising industry’s first content platform dedicated where gaming meets advertising & marketing has become Asia’s voice in Gaming x Marketing since it launched in 2022, spotlighting creative opportunities in gaming through thought pieces, articles, interviews, coverage of top industry shows and original content from leading gamer-creatives. Most recently, it has even launched its own awards show, The In-Game Ads Awards. In its fourth anniversary year, Game On will host a panel with its growing team of industry leaders to announce its expansion as a full Gaming X Marketing content hub, providing exclusive, industry-first content to APAC’s leading publications.

Rey Tiempo is a multi-awarded chief creative officer and a prolific gaming columnist. He is the creator of Game On, the industry’s only column and portal dedicated to gaming X marketing. He is a sought-after global thought leader, mentor, and speaker, representing the Philippines and leading gaming conversations on the most prestigious stages across Asia and around the world. Tiempo was most recently recognised as a Top 100 Global Creative Leader of the Year candidate by Creativepool. He has been ranked as the #1 creative director in the Philippines and has consistently placed among the top creatives in Asia Pacific. Tiempo was invited to be one of just two Philippine representatives to the China 4A Global Advisory Board and has served as President of the Creative Guild of the Philippines, where he spearheaded the launch of CreativeFest NOW!, the country’s first-ever all-online creative festival.

James Bernardo is a creative leader with extensive experience in advertising, branding, and digital marketing, leading creative teams within agencies and brands. He has held key creative roles at Ace Saatchi & Saatchi, Lowe, BBDO Guerrero, Ogilvy & Mather, and Bates Manila, earning recognition from Cannes Lions, Spikes Asia, and the New York Festivals. He is also the winner of the country’s only Cannes Chimera Award for Gamers vs Poverty, a gaming-platform idea designed to educate gamers about poverty through interactive play and game-driven content. An avid gamer since the 1980s, Bernardo also teaches game concepts at Meridian International College (MINT) and publishes independent comics under Pelikomiks Studios. He currently serves as a volunteer creative mentor at The Misfits Camp, a nonprofit that trains neurodivergent creatives for future employment in the creative industries.

Amir Tohid is the Founder & Managing Director of Station T Inc., a digital marketing agency based in Makati, and the Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Analytics Effect, a boutique digital analytics consultancy. The digital marketing strategist, educator, and business leader has extensive experience as a speaker backed by an MBA in Multimedia Marketing. He has been invited as a speaker and panelist at numerous prestigious digital events, including the Philippines’ first Content Marketing Conference, Analytics Conference, DMCON, and the Google Business Group BizFest, and has served as a judge in national marketing competitions, including Agency of the Year Philippines 2025 Awards and the Boomerang Awards.

ADFEST 2026, Human+, will be held Thursday 19 – Saturday 21 March 2026 at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand.

A must for the ambitions of all industry professionals., ADFEST’s 3-day event brings together the industry’s top minds, rising stars and most innovative ideas. With star-studded speaker sessions, workshops, screenings and networking events, register now to join us at the region’s most celebrated creative festival.

ADFEST is open fo delegate registration. For more information on delegate packages and fees, click here.