Press release from X Media Lab
From a founding member of the Apple Multimedia Lab, to the co-writer/director of Happy Feet, to the entertainment lawyer behind will.i.am and Britney Spears, to the woman dubbed “the Oprah of the web”, some of world’s leading new media stars will converge on Sydney for X Media Lab: Global Media Ideas.
X Media Lab today announced the star-studded line-up of speakers and mentors for its annual media ideas summit, being held from 8-10 June as part of the Vivid Sydney festival of light, music and ideas.
The diverse mix of new media experts, entrepenuers and creatives will present at the Pro-Day Conference at Sydney Opera House on 8 June and then provide one-on-one mentoring to selected project teams at The Lab, an intensive two-day creative workshop at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
“From New York to Beijing, London to Los Angles, Shanghai to Sydney, we’ve secured some of the world’s most cutting edge and creative minds for this year’s summit,” said Megan Elliott, Director of X Media Lab.
“With a mix of company founders, entrepreneurs, media experts and filmmakers together under one roof, X Media Lab: Global Media Ideas will be a must for anyone interested in innovation in media and technology and new media platforms, applications and content.”
Leading the line-up of internationally renowned speakers is one of the world’s leading authorities on media arts and research and development, Michael Naimark, high-profile entertainment and new media lawyer, Kenneth Hertz and co-founder of Wired Magazine, Ian Charles Stewart.
Naimark is a founding member of the Atari Research Lab, the Apple Multimedia Lab, and Lucasfilm Interactive (now LucasArts), while Hertz is a Senior Partner at Beverly Hills law firm Hertz and Lichtenstein LLP where his clients include the Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am, Gwen Stefani, Keith Richards and Britney Spears.
Stewart co-founded Wired Magazine, the hugely successful technology lifestyle publication, in 1992 and continues to support commercial and social entrepreneurs in media, sports, entertainment, the arts and education.
Also taking part in the acclaimed digital media think-tank are filmmakers Warren Coleman, the co-writer/director of Happy Feet and co-writer of Happy Feet 2, and Arvind Ethan David, the co-founder of film company Slingshot and producer of The Reluctant Infidel, the US TV spin-off of which is in development at NBC.
Some of the most powerful and influential women in digital and social media are also bound for Sydney, including founder of Bubu.com and Managing Partner at Nusantara Ventures, Shinta W. Dhanuwardoyo, serial social innovator Bonnie Shaw, the founder of China’s first Museum of Digital Arts, Helen Chen and the woman “dubbed “the Oprah of the web”, Corvida Raven.
Dhanuwardoyo is a pioneer of Indonesia's digital landscape and was recognised by Globe Asia as one of its 99 Most Powerful Women, while Australian expat Shaw is the founder of Snap-Shot-City and Director of Strategy at iStrategyLabs where she works with the likes of Disney, Microsoft, Intel, GE, Nasdaq and Audi.
Beijing-based Chen is an award-winning independent television producer, the former Executive Publisher of VARIETY China and the CEO of the CMoDA (China Millennium Monument Museum of Digital Arts), while Raven was ranked among the 20 Most Influential People in Social Media, having founded SheGeeks.net at 19 and served as an advisor and social media specialist for Intel and General Motors.
Also confirmed for X Media Lab: Global Media Ideas is Gerry Guoy, the New York-based Global Senior Business Development Director for MTV Networks International, Dr. Steffen P Walz, an award winning game and interaction designer and director of RMIT's Games & Experimental Entertainment Laboratory, Steve Baty, the Principal at Meld Studios and President of the Interaction Design Association, and Anita Hawkins, the co-founder of sustainable design collective We Are ULTRA.
A high intensity information download and relationship building event for communicators in the digital age, the Pro-Day Conference will explore cultural and commercial content in a global world, including the rapid growth markets of China, India, South East Asia and Africa.
Attendees will also learn from cutting-edge case studies focused on innovation in media and technologies, including mobile, social, gamification, location-based services, branding and immersive environments, and virtual realities.
X Media Lab: Global Media Ideas will be one of the major industry events of Vivid Ideas, an 18-day program of discussion, debate and workshops featuring creative industry leaders and emerging talents.
To purchase tickets for the Pro Day Conference or submit a project to the Lab visit: www.xmedialab.com