Jaz Rongokea

With over 15 years of experience in the industry, Jaz has worked in Visual Effects across all sectors, including film, television, software, and advertising. She got her start working at Weta in New Zealand on James Cameron’s groundbreaking blockbuster ‘Avatar’ which collected an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, among many others. She has since been involved in an extensive range of projects with top-tier creatives, clients and brands alike.

Although humble about her accomplishments, Jaz has collaborated on a range of award-winning projects, including Burberry ‘Open Spaces’ which was awarded Gold in the Visual Effects category at Cannes Lions, a Yellow Pencil at D&AD, and claimed additional accolades at Ciclope, The Clio Awards, and The British Arrows. Jaz's success goes beyond commercial advertising, as evident by the success of her work on longform projects such as His Dark Materials which won a BAFTA for VFX, and more recently House of Dragon and Silo.

Now, Jaz works as the Head of Production at The Mill New York where she oversees the success of the department and nurtures the development of her colleagues. Her expertise in talent management translates to cultivating and maintaining relationships with her colleagues and within the industry. Her work at The Mill includes collaborations with an array of high-profile clients, such as Burberry, Lexus, Balenciaga, and Playstation. She has also worked with esteemed directors including Megaforce, Jaron Albertin, and Doug Liman to name a few. Jaz takes great pride in her work, and is elated to be judging at this year's D&AD Awards.