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BEMIDJI — Danielle Feinberg, Visual Effects Supervisor for Pixar Animation Studios, will be the guest at Paul Bunyan Communications' GigaZone Gaming Championship and TechXpo, set for April 20 at the Sanford Center in Bemidji.

Feinberg began her career at Pixar Animation Studios in 1997. Since then, she has worked on 14 of Pixar’s feature films, including A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and the Academy Award-winning Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. She was also the director of photography-lighting for the Academy Award- winning features WALL•E, Brave and Coco.

Feinberg recently completed her work as the visual effects supervisor on Turning Red, released on March 11, 2022. She was the first woman in 20 years to hold this role at Pixar. With her combination of strong visual and technical skills, Feinberg was uniquely positioned to join this film that had goals of finding a new style of its own, a release said.

"We are so excited to have Danielle as our special guest this year! Not only is she heavily involved with cutting-edge technology at Pixar, but she is a champion for women in STEM," Paul Bunyan Communications CEO and General Manager Gary Johnson said in the release. "She will inspire our guests by sharing her journey into the world of technology."

Feinberg champions women in STEM by participating in science and math mentoring programs for young women and continuing to tell her story. Her TED Talk, was named one of the top TED Talks of 2016.

As a special guest at the TechXpo, Feinberg will speak at 2 p.m. on the main stage. A Q&A session will follow. She will also be a judge for the Greater Bemidji Northstar Pitch Competition and may visit with local STEM students on Friday, April 19, if her schedule allows.

The GigaZone TechXpo exposes a growing regional audience to technology innovation and help them turn their technical skills and enthusiasm into successful careers in northern Minnesota, the release said. Start-ups and companies creatively leveraging technology can demonstrate their innovation to a large group of tech-savvy potential employees.

Educators and educational institutions can also promote the technology training programs they have to offer.

To apply, visit The deadline to apply is March 1. There is no cost to be an exhibitor but space is limited, and the exhibit must display their innovative use of technology.

The event will also feature free gaming on various console and arcade games, numerous tournaments, door prizes and more. There is no cost to enter the tournaments or for any of the gaming. Tournament details will be posted on the GigaZone Gaming Discord, Twitch channel and Facebook page as well as

The event showcases Paul Bunyan Communications’ IT and web development team, which custom-built and integrated much of the online technology being used, and leverages the speed of the GigaZone, one of the largest rural all-fiber optic gigabit networks in the country, the release said. The entire gaming event is run off a single residential GigaZone Internet connection.

This Paul Bunyan Communications event includes many local partners including NLFX, Accidentally Cool Games, Northern Amusement, the Sanford Center, as well as support from several regional and national partners, the release said.

For more information on the GigaZone Gaming Championship, visit