What would a new media conference look like if conference organizers stepped outside their immediate social networks and set aside gender and racial bias when scheduling presenters and panelists?
It would look like this:
The Speakers
(Topics are assigned – Bobby will, of course, talk about whatever he feels like at the time.)
Heidi Swanson
Topic: Pavlov’s Blog – Meeting the expectations of a salivating digital consumer.
Heidi’s writing and photographs have been featured in Food & Wine magazine, The Washington Post, Glamour, Whole Foods Markets, Saveur, and Fast Company. Her recipe journal, 101 Cookbooks, has been the recipient of many awards, serves more than 1 million page views per month, and has 350,000+ subscribers. (In comparison, Mashable has 319,000)
Juan Williams
Topic: Angry Islands – Polarization, hyperbole, and politics in real time.
During his 21-year career at The Washington Post, Williams served as an editorial writer, op-ed columnist, and White House reporter. He has won an Emmy award for TV documentary writing and won widespread critical acclaim for a series of documentaries including “Politics – The New Black Power.” He is a contributing political analyst for the Fox News Channel and a regular panelist on Fox News Sunday. (Excerpt)
Lynne D Johnston
Topic: Approaching Jericho – Breaking down walls that inhibit media diversity.
Lynne is the Senior Editor & Community Director for Fastcompany.com where she oversees both content and community functionality, and writes the Digital Media Diva blog. When not working on Web and writing projects, Lynne is an adjunct professor in the Audrey Cohen School for Human Services at the Metropolitan College of New York. Read Lynne’s complete bio here.
Joi Ito
Topic: That’s Not Yours Anymore – Creative commons and the sharing economy.
Joi is the CEO of Creative Commons (licensing platform for creative work online) and an early-stage investor in some of the web’s most successful sites. He was recently listed as one of the 50 “Stars of Asia” by BusinessWeek. You can read more about Joi and his passion for an open web on his blog.
Imogen Heap
Topic: Fans Are friends, Not Food – What happens when an audience is welcomed into every stage of production.
Imogen Heap is an English singer and songwriter with multiple Grammy nominations. She chronicled the ups and downs in production of her latest release, Ellipse, (an immediate success) with regular Twitter updates, video blogs, and clips on 12seconds.tv. Imogen’s willingness to interact with her fans in real time sets her apart from other musicians and informs her unique perspective on new media.
Luis Fernando Santos
Topic: Ten Birds With One Stone - Providing old media quality at new media speed and cost.
Luis is the CEO of Casa Editorial El Tiempo (CEET), a leading media company in Colombia, publisher of the national newspaper El Tiempo and owner of five other newspapers, five magazines, a local television station, book publishing Circulo de Lectores and 18 web sites. He has led the transformation of CEET from a one newspaper company into a truly multimedia organization, and has overseen the integration of all its content producing staff from the different products into a fully integrated newsroom. (excerpt)
Janet L Robinson
Topic: Climbing Ladders In a Skirt – Gender’s role in a new media empire.
Ms. Robinson, the first woman to be named president and CEO of the Times Company, has primary responsibility for overseeing and coordinating all of the Company’s print, broadcast and digital operations and business units. She works closely with the chairman to chart the future direction of the Company and is implementing a new, accelerated strategic timetable that focuses on leveraging the Company’s core asset, quality journalism, and expanding the Company’s reach across new and emerging forms of media. (excerpt)
Bhavesh Patel
Topic: Birds & Bees - Creating tomorrow’s hybrid media machine.
Bhavesh serves as Vice President of Interactive Media for Fox Sports International (FSI), which encompasses emerging media platforms such as Internet, broadband, IPTV and wireless. In this role, Patel is responsible for the daily operations, business development, and editorial strategy for all interactive and digital media business of Fox Sports International. (excerpt)
Liz Sarachek Blacker
Topic: The New Big Spenders – Straight talk on delivering media to minority markets.
As Senior Vice President, Digital Sales for impreMedia, Liz is responsible for building revenue streams across multiple platforms including; digital, mobile, print and video. She works with US advertisers and agencies seeking to reach Hispanic Consumers on and offline. Since March 2008, Liz has built a National Digital Team while working closely with the National, Local and Classified print teams across impreMedia. (excerpt)
J Phillip Thompson
Topic: Media Medic – Using social media to sustain community in times of tragedy and disaster.
Phillip Thompson is an urban planner and political scientist. Before entering academic life, Phil worked as Deputy General Manager of the New York Housing Authority and as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing Coordination. Thompson’s latest book is Double Trouble: Black Mayors, Black Communities, and the Struggle for a Deep Democracy (Oxford University Press, 2005) Read his complete bio and view video presentations here.
Liliana Gill
Topic: Instant Mashed Potatoes – Agile creativity for success in a rapidly changing media marketplace.
A consummate young executive, thought leader and rising star, Liliana Gil has been recognized for her passion and leadership in support of diversity, women in business and her deep understanding of the dynamic and fast growing Multicultural and Hispanic markets in the U.S. Her career with Johnson & Johnson as the Director of Worldwide Marketing Services has provided her with a platform to influence the marketplace in the creation of innovative strategic relationships with agencies, brands, media, the community and corporations alike. (excerpt)
Cardinal Sean O’Malley
Topic: Rebuilding The City – Using new media to foster transparency and regain trust within the world’s largest religious organization.
Cardinal O’Malley is an American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He has served as the Archbishop of Boston since 2006 when he took over for the then-embattled Cardinal Law. His Eminence updates a weekly blog with photographs and straightforward commentary on his daily work as Cardinal.
Kathy Sierra
Topic: Why Pollyanna Is So Rich – Striving to create happiness in a structured environment.
Kathy has been interested in the brain and artificial intelligence since her days as a game developer (Virgin, Amblin’, MGM). She is the co-creator of the bestselling Head First series. She is also the founder of one of the largest community web sites in the world, javaranch.com, and blogs about creating passionate users.
Chris Hughes
Topic: When The Buzz Wears Off - Using local purpose to maintain a global community.
Chris has enjoyed a well-deserved fast track to prominence through his role as co-founder of Facebook and subsequent departure to guide social media efforts for the Obama campaign. He brings experience and valuable insight to a discussion of how new media can be used to empower individuals to build sustainable communities online.
Euna Lee
Topic: Where Bloggers Fear To Tread – My time in North Korea.
Euna Lee is a South Korean-born American journalist who has worked for Current TV since 2005. Lee and fellow journalist Laura Ling were detained in North Korea after they crossed into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea from the People’s Republic of China without a visa. On August 4, 2009 Lee and Ling were pardoned by the north Korean government after a special humanitarian visit by former US President Bill Clinton. (excerpt)
Bobby McFerrin
Topic: Unheard Voices – How new media is shaping the way we listen to music.
A ten-time Grammy Award winner, Bobby is one of the world’s best-known vocal innovators and improvisers, a world-renowned classical conductor, and a passionate spokesman for music education. His recordings have sold over 20 million copies, and his collaborations including those with with Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea, and the Vienna Philharmonic have established him as an ambassador of both the classical and jazz worlds. Learn more about Bobby.
If you weren’t planning on being in Boston for the weekend of March 6 and 7th, 2010, you now have a reason to be there!
Special Features:
- “The Wine Bar” from 7-10pm Saturday evening with Bruce Sanderson of Wine Spectator serving up wines provided by Wine Library.
- Choice of four “Brunch Panels” Sunday morning (catered menu crafted by Heidi Swanson) – Topics TBA.
- More to be announced!
Unfortunately, this conference isn’t actually taking place. I have organized functions in various capacities for years but simply don’t have the resources to put on an event of this magnitude. There are, however, many individuals with the resources to make such a conference happen.
So why don’t they? Why don’t we have conferences like this? I have my suspicions and convictions. What do you think?
I don’t have much interest the conferences yet. Nothing grabs me. Other than meeting some people I know from here, there’s not much incentive. Learn? What? What can you learn at a conference that you can’t learn by paying attention here? However, the proposed lineup you present here is intriguing for reasons other than how to manipulate and monetize social media. So I’d definitely consider it.
Yessir, I was thinking more along the lines of new media. The convergence of traditional and social. Not so much social media alone. There’s enough of that floating around already.
Because it’d be more fun that is legally allowed at a conference.
It’s a diverse, well-chosen line-up with well-matched topics, Seth.
You should try to set it up on a whim.
End the evening on a song w/ Bobby McFerrin
<3
Thanks Sarah!
Would take a bit more than a whim…. but it might end up happening. =)
The problem is, the echo chamber that is social media conferences at the minute would probably balk at such diversity and alternative thoughts…
Hence the focus on new media. If something isn’t currently provided, why not provide it? =)
I read this yesterday and was going to respond by saying, “My picture must be on the next page.” I was delighted to see Bobby McFerrin and Imogen Heap on the list.
[JIM] above contradicts himself. He says that you can learn by “watching” yet he wouldn’t attend a conference with a diverse panel that would undoubtedly inspire a diverse audience, thus giving him ample opportunity to watch and react.
[Danny] alludes to his belief that current onslaught of social media conferences (many of which spout the same ole same ole) would detract from the allure of this conference. Hmmm, perhaps, but should we refrain from tackling diversity in social media promotion just because the old guard might frown upon us? Nothing would ever get done if spirited folks shrinked in the face of adversity and disapproval.
Count me in.
Said with heart, sir! =)
A bit of change isn’t a bad thing, methinks.
BTW. I’m TOTALLY stealing this. (I was Loren’s partner in Audience)
Haha! I don’t lay claim to any particular speakers. It took me a few days to come up with these and discovered many others along the way. They simply didn’t fit the theme I was going for. If you decide to launch something like this, let me know. I’d be happy to help.
I’m in Seth. Just tell me when & where. (Met Anton @Audience. ALMOST as cute as you