AMY GILE

CEO & Co-Founder

Amy began her career in media and entertainment nationally and internationally. After spending time in front of the…

Amy began her career in media and entertainment nationally and internationally. After spending time in front of the camera as an actor and then as a Producer she identified a need in the industry for a better solution for production and for the artist. The demands of rendering, animation, and visual effects required a sophisticated approach to computing. An approach that she knew one person, Srinidhi, was uniquely qualified to help with. From that point on she dedicated herself to building the highest performance compact supercomputers on the market for media and entertainment. Today, those same needs she identified for Hollywood are needed across several industries.

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DR. SRINIDHI VARADARAJAN

Co-Founder & Systems Architect

Srinidhi was the architect of System X at Virginia Tech’s Advanced Research Computing facility (one of the…

Srinidhi was the architect of System X at Virginia Tech’s Advanced Research Computing facility (one of the world’s fastest and least expensive supercomputers in 2003). In 2004, he was named to the MIT Technology Review TR100 as one of the top 100 innovators in the world under the age of 35. In 2005, HPCWire named him as one of the top researchers in the field of supercomputing. He has over 15 years of experience in architecting and building advanced high-performance computing environments, scalable file systems, and storage subsystems in successful startup companies and academia. Prior to Silverdraft, Srinidhi was one of the founders and the CTO of AppAssure (sold to Dell 2012), the Director of the Center for High-End Computing Systems, and an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Virginia Tech. Srinidhi has authored over forty peer-reviewed publications and owns eight patents. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics And Communication Engineering from NIT Warangal and received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the State University of New York, Stony Brook in 2000.

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ERIK SMITH

CTO

Erik’s first computer was a Commodore 64, which of course he pulled apart to understand exactly how…

Erik’s first computer was a Commodore 64, which of course he pulled apart to understand exactly how it worked. Performing diagnostics and components level repairs on computers for friends first, then as a business, sparked a life long love and curiosity for computers and solving hard computing problems. In 2000 he designed a 50 node cluster, database server, and lab automation system for a bay area biotech company, pushing the boundaries of drug discovery. He has continued to push innovation and invention for Silverdraft since 2010 and is the focal point in applying high performance computing solutions to the challenges of our customers.

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HARDIE TANKERSLEY

VP of Visualization Solutions & Marketing

Hardie is a creative innovator and builder of products at the intersection of entertainment and technology. He is…

Hardie is a creative innovator and builder of products at the intersection of entertainment and technology. He is obsessed with creating the next big thing. At Silverdraft he leads the Solutions practice working with our customers to find new ways to apply visualization to storytelling to design and production. Previously as the Senior Vice President of Innovation at Fox TV he led the creation of digital experiences for the biggest TV shows such as American IdolGlee, and The Simpsons. He created the digital versions of the network, built the first TV social media marketing systems, and the FOX NOW streaming apps for mobile and connected devices. Hardie and his team developed the first-ever Emmy-winning virtual reality experience for Sleepy Hollow. He started creating online and interactive entertainment by building a local BBS on a 300 baud modem on an Apple II back in 1979. In the intervening years he has led the development of many innovative technology products including the first internet products for Apple, the first backstage webcast of the Grammy Awards, the Moxi cable media center DVR, the online video portal for Real Networks, and Yahoo! TV and Movies destinations. Hardie holds a B.A. from University of Notre Dame.
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KURT DOORNAERT

General Manager and Vice President of Silverdraft Europe

Passionate about business and technology, Kurt completed his master’s degree in 1997 in industrial engineering in Belgium…

Passionate about business and technology, Kurt completed his master’s degree in 1997 in industrial engineering in Belgium, and started to work at Barco’s simulation team. Responsible for the total visual solution for different type of simulators (such as flight, drive,..) and for entertainment solutions such as planetariums and large domes, he becomes an expert in display and computer HW technology, CGI content creation and other simulation technologies. He runs different management functions from sales engineering to sales executive, business development and international sales management. In 2013 when hired by Barco’s VR division, he leads many strategic growth initiatives, with the development of new strategic vertical segments, setting up the worldwide channel and eco system model as Senior Segment Marketing Manager and later as Market Business Director. In 2017 he leads Barco’s VR division as Business Unit Director, managing the overall global VR business with full P&L responsibility where he successfully launches new group VR solutions in many different segments.

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KEN WILEY

Chief Operating Officer

Ken is focused on getting Silverdraft to the next level – in how it goes to market and serves…

Ken is focused on getting Silverdraft to the next level – in how it goes to market and serves its customers. His background is engineering, with a focus on supply-chain, business process and leveraging technology to transform businesses.  He was the CIO for two Boise companies; Trus Joist MacMillan and Cradlepoint. Ken earned a BS in Industrial Engineering from Oregon State University and a MBA from Boise State University. He started his career with Arthur Andersen & Co., which later became Accenture, where his focus was supply chain and high-technology. Ken also serves on the board of LeadScorz, a real-time lead grading platform within the on-line advertising and lead-gen markets.  In his spare time you’ll find Ken at the YMCA or leveraging gravity on skis or a mountain bike.

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