Games Festival Mentor Lineup Announced!

The SXSW Sydney Games Mentorship Program returns in 2025 with an expanded lineup of industry experts offering one-on-one guidance to the next generation of game creators.

Whether you’re looking to sharpen your pitch, navigate funding, polish your creative, apply for jobs, or build sustainable studio practices, this is your chance to learn directly from some of the best minds in games.

Applications are open now https://sxswsydney.fillout.com/t/9Pc3LbiKHBus

Apply before 10 August 2025 to be matched with a mentor. You can nominate your preferred mentors when completing the form.

Explore the full list of 2025 mentors below:

John Aitchison
Principal Animator, Gameloft Brisbane
Game Artist

Liz Ballantyne
Art Director, Gameloft Brisbane
Studio Lead

Marty Burgess
Lightning Forge Games
Business Mentor, Studio Lead, Game Designer, Game Programmer

Finléy Cameron
Games & SQhub Coordinator, Screen Queensland
Business Mentor, Marketing/Community Management, Producer

Jon Cartwright
Consultant
Publisher/Scout, Business Mentor

Chris Davey
Director/Founder, Target Light Consulting and Marketing Partnerships Lead, Impressed Recordings
Publisher/Scout, Business Mentor, Marketing/Community Management, Industry Analyst

Daniel Teitelbaum
Managing Director, Games for Change Asia-Pacific
Business Mentor, Game Designer

James Marshall
Managing Director / Founding Partner, The International Games Group
Business Mentor, Producer

Michael McAlister
Global Head of Marketing and Communications, PlaySide Studios
Business Mentor, Marketing/Community Management

Leigh Harris
Lead Designer, Uppercut Games
Business Mentor, Studio Lead, Game Designer, Producer

Rachel Heleva
Producer / Game Scout
Publisher/Scout, Business Mentor, Producer

Rose Hammer
Art Director, Head of Marketing & Community, Tempo Lab Games
Studio Lead, Game Designer, Game Artist, Marketing/Community Management

Ceri Hutton
Management Consultant, CH Consulting
Business Mentor, Game Designer, Marketing/Community Management, Industry Analyst, Commercialisation

Lisy Kane
Scout & Advisor, WINGS Fund
Business Mentor, Publisher/Scout

Michela Ledwidge
Co-founder & CEO, Mod
Business Mentor, Studio Lead, Game Designer, Game Programmer, Audio Engineer, Producer

Luke Ledwich
Staff Engineer on Valorant, Riot Games
Game Programmer

Oliver Lardner
Director, Universal Weebs Unlimited PTY LTD
Publisher/Scout, Business Mentor, Studio Lead, Game Designer, Game Programmer, Localisation, Producer

Lucy Mutimer
Artist and Game Developer
Game Artist

Cuauhtemoc Moreno
Chief Technology Officer, Sound Scouts
Game Designer, Game Programmer, Producer, Medical Device / Applied Games

Cam Rogers
Managing Director and Founder, Cam Rogers Legal
Business Mentor, Studio Lead, Producer, Digital/Entertainment Law

Allison Rojas
VFX Producer
Producer

Calliope Ryder
Producer, Starcolt
Marketing/Community Management, PR, Production

Matt Schenkel
Director / Technical Sound Designer, Sub-Zero Sound Pty Ltd
Business Mentor, Audio Engineer

Stef Stivala
Senior Digital Producer, RDMR
Publisher/Scout, Marketing/Community Management, Producer

Buddy Sola
Head of Marketing, Akupara Games
Marketing/Community Management, Industry Analyst, Commercialisation

Dean Walshe
3D Art Lead/Technical Artist, Blue Manchu
Game Designer, Game Artist, Tech Art, Teaching, Interactive Art

Adrian Webb
Assistant Director of Strategic Games and Exercises, Australian Public Service (Defence Australia)
Business Mentor, Industry Analyst

Zea Wolfe
Creative Director / Project Manager
Business Mentor, Studio Lead, Game Designer, Producer, HR

Anna Zou
Lead Developer, Lemon Jolly Games
Studio Lead, Game Designer, Game Writer/Narrative Designer

Serge Zebian
Partner, Playwright Consulting Pty Ltd
Business Mentor, Industry Analyst, Registered Tax Agent and Specialist in Private and Government Funding

‍

Whether you’re a new creator or a seasoned developer looking to scale, the mentorship program is here to help you move forward — with real insights from people who’ve done it before.

Apply now  https://sxswsydney.fillout.com/t/9Pc3LbiKHBus before 10 August to be part of the 2025 Games Mentorship Program.

Got questions? Let us know — we’re here to help.

‍