Nexus Studios - UFC at The Sphere
Event Overview:
Nexus Studios collaborated with UFC to create five jaw-dropping short films for one of the most ambitious media platforms on the planet: The Sphere in Las Vegas. Picture tiling over 10,000 standard TVs into a single wraparound screen, 70 metres tall, 16K pixels square, and designed to engulf its audience. Now imagine trying to design it on 27-inch monitors.
In just three months, with limited access to the physical venue, Nexus wrangled a global team, including five directors across four studios, to deliver five 90-second films that played as part of a one-of-a-kind immersive UFC event.
Join Germán Díez (Head of Studio), Mark Davies (CG Supervisor), and Patrick Hearn (Technical Director) as they unpack the creative and technical journey of this Emmy-winning project. From crafting a bespoke VR app to preview content in 5Kx5K, to rethinking cinematic language for ultra-scale immersion, and overcoming the staggering technical challenges of working at this resolution, this talk offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at a production that pushed the boundaries of storytelling, technology and collaboration.
Speakers
Gérman Diez
Head of Studio, Nexus Studios
Emmy-award winning Germán Diez is the Head of Studio and Creative Technologist at Nexus Studios in London. He was awarded an Emmy in 2024 for his work on UFC Noche de Lucha for The Sphere in Las Vegas, and led the AI side of acclaimed Pedigree Adoptable campaign, which received major international recognition—including the Outdoor Grand Prix at Cannes Lions, Best of Discipline in Creative Use of Technology at The One Show, the Billboard Grand LIA and two Gold awards at the London International Awards, a Graphite Pencil and two Wood Pencils at the D&AD Awards, and the Immortal Award for the AUNZ region.
Germán is currently driving Nexus Studios' creative and technical strategy around AI, developing innovative workflows that blend machine learning with design, animation, and real-time VFX. His work sits at the intersection of technology and storytelling, always anchored by a commitment to craft and originality.
Mark Davies
CG Supervisor, Nexus Studios
Mark is a long-time creative and technical leader at Nexus Studios, where he has served as CG Supervisor for over a decade. Since joining the studio in 2007, he has played key roles as project lead, technical director, and supervisor across a diverse range of animation and immersive projects—including Cannes Gold Lions–winning campaigns, Oscar-nominated shorts, and, most recently, the two-time Emmy–winning UFC Noche at the Las Vegas Sphere.
With a 20-year career spanning 3D, 2D, stop frame, VR, AR, and live action, Mark’s experience includes work for Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and Blue Zoo in London, as well as early-career roles animating children’s television in his hometown of Toronto.
Patrick Hearn
Technical Director
Patrick’s path at Nexus Studios has developed from supporting the studio’s IT systems to building pipelines, and now leading as a Technical Director. This progression has given him a deep, practical understanding of both the technical and creative demands of animation and immersive production.As Pipeline TD, he helped shape the studio’s infrastructure, introducing Maya and Shotgun integration, building a new Nuke pipeline, and more. Now in a broader TD role, Patrick’s projects have included AR work with Childish Gambino for Pixel 3, Pedigree Adoptable, which won a Cannes Gold Lion and the Grand Prix for its use of machine learning–driven image generation, and the two-time Emmy–winning UFC at Sphere project.