Hi, I'm Kai (or Ilya)!

Freelance Observer & Broadcast Producer
Main Observer for North American Challengers League (NACL) @ Riot GamesUBC BFA Theatre Production - Lighting & Projection Designhe/him

About

Hello! My name is Kai and I'm a freelance observer/producer looking for any and all opportunities!I am located in Vancouver, Canada. Able and willing to travel as needed for LAN/in-studio work. I have extensive experience with observing both remotely and in a studio/live environment. With almost a decade of dedication to the esports community and a meticulous eye for detail, I am always eagerly looking to learn, create, and put on the best show.Experience in observing:
League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, Fortnite, Valorant, Apex Legends, Overwatch 2, PUBG:MAlways looking to learn new games/roles!Highlights:
Main Observer for the LCS Week 6, 100T vs IMT & FLY vs SR @ Riot Games (League of Legends)
Main Observer for North American Challengers League (NACL) @ Riot Games (League of Legends)
Freecam Observer for FlyQuest Trailblazers Series (VALORANT)
World Feed Producer/Director for TFT Vegas Open (Teamfight Tactics)Formerly:
Main/Secondary Observer for LCS Game Changers
Main Observer for LFL International Summer Split 2022
Main Observer for NA Teamfight Tactics, Set 6.5 - 9.5
Broadcast Producer for Super League Gaming
Internal Logistics, Programming, and Events for Intercollegiate Game Network
VP Internal & Gaming Lounge Manager for UBC Esports Association

About

Hello, my name is Kai. I am a queer 5th-year Lighting and Projection design student at UBC hailing from Hong Kong. As a lifelong dancer and performer turned designer-technician, I offer a unique perspective into all facets of the creative process.Returning from a year-long break of furthering my career in esports, I use what I've learned from broadcast and entertainment to bridge the connection between live performance and live streaming by creating interactive and immersive designs that are fun for everyone to experience.For projections I use Isadora, and for lighting I use ETC or Astera systems. Always happy and eager to learn something new!Currently stage technician at the Chan Centre.Most recently designed all projections for TomorrowLove as part of my UBC theatre practicum.As always, I would like to thank Robert Gardiner for his guidance and unwavering faith in what I create.

2022 Showreel :3

Projection Design

(above) Tomorrow Love Act 1:Top left: Tell me you hate me, a couple's living room breaks apart as their fight transcends through space, as the world starts glitching and breaking around them.Top right: Tell me you hate me, the transition from the living room into space.Bottom left: Office Friends, Animation of the dating app tagline: "Meet the match for your soul," hand drawn and animated by me using Procreate.Bottom right: Perfect, Character on right enters into virtual reality to view the avatar their lover has made for them.

(above) In the playlet Perfect, a couple makes virtual avatars for each other in hopes of the activity livening up their bedroom life. To adapt this to stage while making it an immersive experience, the two actors made avatars for each other using VRoid Studio, which I then refined and animated to make it ready for motion capture. I then trained the actors on operating motion capture through VSeeFace using two cameras placed strategically on stage to capture the actors live, and connected the video feed back into Isadora using NDI. In the broadcast world this practice is called "vtubing," and I am beyond honoured to have the opportunity to bring it to live theatre.

(above) Tomorrow Love Act 2:
Director Camyar Chai and I decided that a way to unify the three playlets would be through these in-between projections, acting as an "in-world" advertisement, similar to what you would see in a cyberpunk billboard.Top left: Take This Soul. This playlet had an overarching theme of surveillance, hence the eye.Top right: Reeseman. The premise was a face transplant operation that made everyone look the same and allegedly more successful.Bottom left: Eight Legs, Two Hearts. The couple in this playlet reference a video game called "Echo World," so I made an advertisement for the game.Bottom right: Take This Soul. More on the theme of surveillance and being watched, this time with multiple blinking eyes, hand drawn and animated by me using Procreate.

(above) Tomorrow Love Act 2:
The three aforementioned "in-world" advertisements.The 3rd one to the left is from Eight Legs, Two hearts. For comedic purposes and as the script repeatedly references... octopus intercourse, occasionally a tentacle would creep across an otherwise harmless ocean backdrop. These occasional tentacles culminate in the final straw of the argument, where one of the characters threatens to film the next time there is octopus intercourse. That is a scientists arm, I promise.

Lighting (Design, Electrical, Operation)

Esports Shows

2024

2023

2022

2021

Theatre & Other Live Performance

2024

2023

Due to a stage injury and an uptick in my esports-broadcasting career, I spent 2023 mostly away from the stage aside from previously agreed upon shows.

2022

2021

2020

2019

Contact

If you'd like to work with me, please reach out via twitter DM/discord @ ilyachat or email [email protected]! Thank you so much! <3

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