The Talk: Let’s go beyond tactics and buzz words to talk about real conversations -- with real people and in real life -- for companies and organizations in the changing media landscape.
Pioneering Chicago as the global hub of change and innovation. Collaborate about new ventures in technology, interactive media, social change and the arts; digital expressions of ideas with global scale.
15:35
Pondering Creativity, Ross Kimbarovsky & Mike Samson, CrowdSPRING
The Talk: Pondering Creativity Bios: Ross Kimbarovsky is an experienced intellectual property lawyer with more than thirteen years of experience counseling U.S. and international clients in complex disputes involving a wide range of intellectual property issues, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, designs, licensing and e-commerce. He has represented clients in state and federal courts and before the World Intellectual Property Organization. Ross emigrated with his family to the U.S. from Kiev, Ukraine. He holds a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from Northwestern University and a law degree from the University of Illinois. Mike Samson has more than 20 years of experience in the creative field, as a senior manager, consultant and producer in both the publishing and film/television industries. He began his career as a Photo Editor at New York Magazine and his work in Hollywood includes numerous films such as Wall Street, Bull Durham, and Men in Black II, as well as television series, including New York Undercover and Third Watch. Mike has a BA in Mass Media from the University of Illinois and a MBA from Northwestern UniversityâÂÂs Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
The Talk: What is it that will set us apart in the coming years as we work to produce the best communication products we can? A balanced sense of business requirements, elegant technical delivery, properly applied creativity, and rigorous accountability. In this discussion, Jim Jacoby presents a fresh view on integrating these four perspectives in order to not just meet customer expectations, but to get into their moment... an imperative he refers to as "Be Here Now." The art of story telling and effective video/animation production are key to a company's/brand's success in reaching their customer--by being in their moment--more than ever before
16:38
Michael Hoffman, See3 Communications, Causes, Content, and Convergence
The Talk: Convergence isn't all about technology. It's also about the blurring of business models. It's about the merging of content and distribution. It's about connecting the for-profit world to social causes. All these categories that we've come to recognize as being distinct are becoming inseparable. And the people who are going to win in this new world of convergence are the people who understand why this matters. Being successful in the media and technology world means more than having just the tools and the code it means crafting real relationships based on give and take, and understanding the motivations of socially-conscious viewers. We'll talk about this emerging paradigm of online media and about the new art of distribution. In a world where businesses can do as much good as a nonprofit, we'll show you how connecting to good causes can extend your reach online. Bio: Michael Hoffman is the CEO of See3 Communications, a Chicago-based company specializing in video, web development, and internet marketing for nonprofits, associations and social causes. Hoffman is an entrepreneur who has developed international internet companies as Managing Director of a venture capital investment group. Hoffman, an expert in online business development and marketing, is frequently asked to consult with organizations about marketing strategies and new media development. His blog was named a must-read by the Nonprofit Times and he is frequently quoted in trade journals, industry blogs and the mainstream press. He is a co-founder of DoGooderTV and EarthFirst.com, and is a nationally sought-after speaker on topics such as online cause marketing, web video, and Web 2.0 for social change.
Bio: Part alchemist, part sherpa, part director and part producer, Jim is a trusted advisor and accomplished business leader. He brings a diverse set of lenses and perspectives to his work; focused on the union of brand offering and experience design. Jim has a depth of real-world experience as an architectural and graphic designer, musician, artist, chef and passionate student of the remarkableness of life. This empowers him to bring a holistic, authentic and innovative flavor and tone to the development, evolution and revolution of brands and their expression. Paired with his design thinking, his ability to inspire people, to collaborate with organizations and to navigate the complexity of markets and business, Jim is able to dig deep into a companyâÃÂÃÂs soul, galvanize its essence and communicate its true potential. For over 30 years, Jim has helped businesses uncover their authenticity, generate the courage, create bold ideas and sustain the commitment to new, truly differentiating products, experiences and environments. His clients include Starbucks, the Tennis Corporation of America, Sears, Getty, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, AT&T, JDL Development Corporation, the Frank Russell Company, the Buona Companies, Florsheim, Exxon, Kraft, Tishman, WendyâÃÂÃÂs, among many others.
19:35
Raman Chadha, Coleman Entrepreneurship Center, DePaul University, Opportunity Amidst the Chaos: Trends from the Trenches
The Talk: WhatâÃÂÃÂs happening at the street level during these tough times? What is the outlook amongst people who invest their own resources into creating organizations, jobs, and communities? Why and how are some companies actually thriving during this recession? Raman Chadha will share some fascinating insights and trends that he is learning about through a series of interviews with people from ChicagoâÃÂÃÂs entrepreneurial community âÃÂàentrepreneurs, investors, and community leaders. He will also discuss why this primary market research is being undertaken and how it will be used.
24:28
Heidi Skinner, Critical Mass, Experience Distribution and how to jumpstart influential marketing
Bio: Heidi is the founding member and department lead for Emerging Media at Critical Mass. She has spent the last 6 years immersed within the interactive media business as a planner, consultant and educator. Currently, she drives social and technology driven solutions for world-class brands like Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, Hyatt and Valvoline. Heidi uses her thought-leadership in business strategy and trend spotting to help clients build their brands and drive success by building programs that are people, brand and technology driven. Heidi also worked with General Motors to help create and disseminate digital video "firsts" during her tenure at GM Planworks, harnessing the power of viral and on-demand programming. Always staying ahead of the evolutionary curve, Heidi applies creativity and consumer insight to set next-generation KPI's to ensure that the execution is not only actionable, but sustainable over time.
21:17
Brian Houchins, Liquidis Media, The Intersection of Creative Ave. and Business Blvd
The Talk: Why does good design matter to the business? Why are business rules good for producing creative work? Creative folks and business suits often don't see eye to eye. This lecture seeks to explain the other side of the cubicle wall, and provides tips on how to improve communication for the benefit of quality and productivity.
Effective communication is everyones job - whether you are trying to sell in a concept or convince a client. Visual Thinking can help us take in complex information and synthesize it into something meaningful. In an increasingly fragmented and cluttered world, simple imagery, metaphors and mindmaps can get people to understand the abstract and make your ideas tangible. Find out why why thinking visually may be one of the most sought after abilities of the 21st century.
18:18
Andrew Ryann, Pixel Brothers, Convergence Video Highlights
A video montage of the highlights from the Chicago New Media Summit, hosted by Pixel Brothers, Andrew Ryann. Pixel Brothers, Inc. is filming and editing all the presentations and performances.
23:37
Bruce Montgomery, TATV, Convergence Co-Founder, Unveiling the Long Term Plan
In the city that works, our dreams want purpose. The Chicago Schools, whether they be of economics or architecture or advertising, share a grounded, functional core. The Chicago belief that a dream without application is a dream wasted is a powerful, determining principle. And from it a few not-so-small plans became quite largely real: like the skyscraper, alternating current, the mail-order business, the labor movement, the film industry, the atom bomb and electronic trading. The Chicago Convergence long term plan seeks to galvanize the city's talent and money around a shared passion for the interactive future, host the world's first start-up marketplace and promote our successes. Connect the human fabric through commerce on behalf of a larger vision: Pioneering Chicago as The New Media Capital of the World.
20:33
Mason Dixon, MGFest, Future in Motion, A History of Tomorrow's Interfaces
Bio: A dropout from University of Texas's Advanced Communications Theory Laboratory, Mason Dixon, then Sfear Bebopanaut, went to work for a small internet start-up, iChat, designing the first version of Yahoo's chat community. After iChat's IPO, Sfear organized a team of hackers to detect vulnerabilities in electronic voting systems before the 2000 presidential election. After 9/11, Sfear changed his name to Mason Dixon and moved to Chicago, where he now resides as an instructor of Motion Graphics at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Mason's professional career includes clients such as Apple, Adobe, IBM, Dell, Nokia, Motorola, Sony, Universal Studios, Disney, the Army War College and the Navy Interactive Courseware Department. He has also designed public sculptures and video performances for the Museum of Contemporary Art, SIGGRAPH, South By Southwest, Lollapalooza, Boston Center for the Arts, Cambridge University UK, US Botanical Gardens in DC and the Burning Man freedom festival. Mason DixonÃÂÃÂs work has investigated the specific subjects of: the moving image as a performance medium; aesthetics and warfare; identity hacking; and public art. In the last 2 years he has produced over 70 exhibitions in 10 US cities and has shown with artists such Mia Liu, Carl Cox, Shepard Fairy, String Cheese Incident, American Analog Set and DJ Spooky.
15:15
Mark Ailsworth, Chicago Interactive Marketing Association (CIMA), Interactive Marketing
The Talk: A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats Bio: President The Chicago Interactive Marketing Association Midwest Sales Undertone Networks An accomplished executive with over 17 years of professional experience in marketing and advertising, Mark Ailsworth is presently Midwest director of sales for Undertone Networks. Profitable since 2002, Undertone is one of the digital landscapeâs most trusted and respected online ad networks. Concurrently, Ailsworth serves as president for the Chicago Interactive Marketing Association (CIMA), a post he assumed in January 2008.
Eric Olson is Draper Fisher Jurvetson Portage Venture Partners' first Associate. His responsibilities include sourcing deals and working on due diligence. Prior to DFJ Portage Olson worked in Partner Development at Google and in Business Development for DFJ Portage backed startup FeedBurner which was acquired by Google in June 2007.
17:23
Jane Hirt, Chicago Tribune, What do Millennials want in their news?
What do Millennials want in their news media anyway? And how has RedEye been able to turn a dead-tree medium into such a dramatic success with Chicago's electronic, mobile generation? Tribune managing editor Jane Hirt, formerly the founding editor of RedEye, reveals editorial lessons learned and the challenges that lie ahead.
17:42
Rachael Cain, Trax Records, Chicago House: From Vinyl To Virtual & Beyond
The recording industry has been affected drastically in record-breaking time. In several short years, the idea of physical product has become almost obsolete, and Major chain stores for music have all but vanished⦠How did we go from vinyl to virtual, and what are some of the pros and cons. What happened to record label distribution, and how can you stay ahead of the curve.
15:15
Chris Bernard, Microsoft; David Wolf, Cynergy, The past, present and future of media
Join Chris and David for a journey into the past, present and future of media. Starting with the (recent) past and one of the biggest milestones in digital media. The streaming of over 3200 hours of live and on demand content of the 2008 Olympics in the US via NBC. Weâll then take a look in the present and see how advances in digital imaging are going to have a profound influence on the social and community-driven experiences that are driving current revolutions on the Web. Finally, weâll look at the convergence of technology through âben': A prototype for Democracy in the 21st Century" that demonstrates what the future of media could look like when social-networking platforms, services and media converge.
08:50
Jurgen Hooper, Collaboration, Dated: A Cautionary Tale for Facebook Users
The Performance: Dated: A Cautionary Tale for Facebook Users, playwright Ira Gamermanâs dead-on dissection of dating in an online world. Starring Jurgen Hooper Collaboraction is an award-winning theatre-based artist collective dedicated to the process of evolving entertainment. Our core creative values are defined by a robust collection of artists emphasizing the creation of inspired and energizing theatrical experiences in league with audiences seeking surprising and challenging work.
18:04
Judi Wunderlich, Aquent, Creating a Viable Workforce
Judi Wunderlich, Aquent, Moderator; Jeff Epstein, Digital Bootcamp; Matt Irvine, DePaul University, The Center for Cinema & Interactive Arts: Whenever new technology booms, as New Media is doing, there is often frustration on the part of companies seeking to utilize this great new technology, because their employees aren't trained or well-versed in it. For Chicago to be the New Media capital of the world, both our industry leaders and educators must act quickly to create programs that will train existing workers and current students. Our panel will discuss where we are now, and where we must be in order to meet the worker supply and demand in the New Media field.
"The hallmark of any great brand is authenticity -- just ask Harley-Davidson, Coke or Apple, especially when all of these brands lost their way and learned from it. Same thing applies to Brand You. In every tweak of a template, upload and keystroke, you have an opportunity to be authentic or disingenuous. Know what makes you special and unique, and tap into those qualities as you build your personal brand online. Most people can spot a fake when they see one, so remember that being genuine is more important that presenting yourself in an artificially glossy manner. It used to be important for bloggers to "find their voice" -- now it's relevant to all of us."
TV Week's Daisy Whitney has announced to the world that Chicago is contending for a spot as the Chicago New Media Capital of the World. Daisy produces her webcast "New Media Minute" reporting on all things...well, new media and is a virtual presenter at CNMS08 addressing Chicago directly through a video segment she has prepared to advise Chicago on our 'new capital' mission.
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