A MEETING OF THE
MOST CREATIVE MINDS
Fast Company presents our first-ever gathering in L.A. to cast a lens on the impact and importance of creativity in business, technology, design, and of course, entertainment—as we celebrate the newest inductees to the Most Creative People 1000 list in our June issue.
DAY ONE/NEIGHBORHOOD DEEP-DIVES: MAY 6
Choose one of L.A.’s surprising and eclectic neighborhoods to explore—as Fast Company provides intimate access to a cluster of that area’s coolest, emerging companies.
CHOICE OF: PLAYA VISTA • SANTA MONICA • HOLLYWOOD • DOWNTOWN
DAY TWO/CREATIVITY COUNTER-CONFERENCE: MAY 7
No stuffy convention center for us—join us at 72andSunny’s sprawling Playa Vista headquarters for fascinating keynote mashups, hands-on workshops, and a day-ending cocktail party and performance.
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
JESSICA ALBA
FOUNDER AND
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER,
THE HONEST COMPANY
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER,
THE HONEST COMPANY
LeVAR BURTON
ACTOR AND PRODUCER,
READING RAINBOW
READING RAINBOW
RAINN WILSON
ACTOR AND PRODUCER
COFOUNDER,
SOULPANCAKE
COFOUNDER,
SOULPANCAKE
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the creative class
is in session
DAY ONE/NEIGHBORHOOD DEEP-DIVES: MAY 6
All attendees will select one of the five neighborhoods outlined below for their Day 1 FC/LA experience. Each neighborhood will consist of five intimate, engaging, and inspiring sessions, hosted by some of the city's most intriguing leaders at the very offices and work spaces where their ideas come to life.
Each session will last approximately 60-90 minutes, and we’ll share more information on the specifics for each visit, directions, meeting places, lunch breaks, and more in the coming weeks.
CHECK BACK FREQUENTLY AS MORE SESSIONS AND SPEAKERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED OFTEN!
Schedule
10—11:30 am: Offsite 1
11:30 am—1:00 pm: Offsite 2
1:00—2:30 pm : Lunch / Offsite 3
2:30—4:00 pm: Offsite 3
4:00—5:30 pm: Offsite 4
6:00—8:00 pm: Happy Hour, Sonos Studios
145 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
*Final schedule subject to change
1. Downtown: "Work & Play"
The Future of Work: How DAQRI's 4D Augmented Reality is Impacting the Enterprise
Hosted by Brian Mullins, CEO
Two Bit Circus: The Entertainment Engineers
Hosted by Brent Bushnell, CEO & Roustabout, and Eric Gradman, CTO & Mad Inventor
How Umami Burger Stays Handcrafted on a Large Scale
Hosted by Paul Clayton, CEO and Thomas Curran, Director of Culinary Innovation
Beyond the Console: The Future of Gaming
Featuring: Fredrik Loving, General Manager at DICE; Chris Early, Vice President of Digital Publishing at Ubisoft; and Chacko Sonny, Director of Product Development at Sony Santa Monica Studio
Will Work For Fun! Big Gay Ice Cream Goes Bi-Coastal
Hosted by Douglas Quint and Bryan Petroff, Cofounders
2. Downtown: "City & Sustainability"
Reformation Factory Tour
Hosted by Kathleen Talbot, Senior Sustainability and Business Operations Manager; Yael Aflalo, CEO and Founder
The New Urban Future: Gensler Los Angeles Looks Ahead
Hosted by Andy Cohen, Co-CEO, and Shawn Gehle, Principal Design Director
How Umami Burger Stays Handcrafted on a Large Scale
Hosted by Paul Clayton, CEO and Thomas Curran, Director of Culinary Innovation
L.A. Prep and the Business of Local Food
Hosted by Mott Smith, Cofounder at Civic Enterprise
Prototyping Urban Innovation at Scale: The Los Angeles River
Hosted by Omar Brownson, Executive Director
3. Hollywood
Keeping Comedy Creative with Funny or Die
Hosted by Dick Glover, CEO; Mike Farah, President of Production; and Chris Bruss, VP of Branded Entertainment
theAudience on Owning the Social Sphere
Hosted by Oliver Luckett, CEO, and Patrick Mulford, Creative Director
Designing L.A. Dining
Hosted by Catherine Johnson and Rebecca Rudolph, Cofounders, Design, Bitches
OWN's Next Evolution: Building a Multiplatform Company
Hosted by Sheri Salata and Erik Logan, Co-presidents
The Power of Authenticity with SoulPancake
Hosted by Shabnam Mogharabi, CEO and Cofounder
4. Playa Vista
Inside the Giving Business of TOMS
Hosted by Priya Bery, Chief of Staff
“Younger and More Diverse”: How Cashmere Agency is Embracing the Marketplace Shift
Hosted by Ted Chung, Founder; Ryan Ford, Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer; Rona Mercado, Vice President of Client Services and Marketing; and Nick Adler, Vice President, Business Development
Branching Out: Atom Factory's Multi-Dimensional Approach To Tech, Culture, and Hustle
Hosted by Lori Kozlowski, Editorial Director
Beyond the Network: What’s Next for The Walking Dead + Maker Labs
Hosted by David Alpert, Executive Producer and Robert Kirkman, Creator, The Walking Dead
How to Fit Big Ideas into Small Packages: Wild Card and the Art of Movie Marketing
Hosted by Nick Temple, Founder; Marcy Bulkeley, Music Supervisor; and Alison Temple, Managing Partner at 3AM
5. Santa Monica
General Assembly Meets The Tomorrow Show: Making It in L.A.’s Tech World
Hosted by S. Ryan Meyer, Regional Director
The Business of Being Honest
Hosted by Jessica Alba, Founder along with Brian Lee, Christopher Gavigan, Cofounders
Mastering Mobile: Tastemade’s vision for the Next-Generation of Video
Hosted by Steven Kydd, Cofounder
Founder’s Story: How DogVacay Revolutionized Pet Care
Hosted by Aaron Hirschhorn, Founder and CEO
The Journey of a Story at Hulu
Hosted by Beatrice Springborn, Head of Originals; Linnea Hemenez, Director of Originals and Content Marketing; and Julie Klausner, Actress
DAY TWO/CREATIVITY COUNTER-CONFERENCE: MAY 7
Join us for an inspiring day of unexpected keynote conversations and workshops, followed by cocktails and a special performance.
CHECK BACK FREQUENTLY AS MORE SESSIONS AND SPEAKERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED OFTEN!
Confirmed Schedule
8:45 AM: DOORS OPEN - BREAKFAST SERVED
9:45 AM: Creativity in Scale: OWN’s Next Chapter
Sheri Salata and Erik Logan, Co-Presidents, OWN
Interviewed by Nicole LaPorte, Writer, Fast Company
10:20 AM: The Creative World of Being Honest
Jessica Alba, Founder, Chief Creative Officer,
The Honest Company
11:00 AM: City of Creativity
Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles
Interviewed by Bob Safian, Editor, Fast Company
11:40 AM: The Soul of Creativity
Soulpancake cofounders Shabnam Mogharabi and Rainn Wilson discuss their creative approach to telling stories that not only resonate and connect people, but make them laugh along the way.
12:30 PM: LUNCH SERVED
1:45 PM: Inside American Apparel’s Creative Turnaround
Paula Schneider, CEO, American Apparel
Interviewed by Noah Robischon, Executive Editor, Fast Company
2:40 PM – 4:30 PM: Creative Workshops
Attendees will be split into three groups and will experience all of the following workshops:
CREATIVITY & CITIZEN SCIENCE
Join NASA, the Open Space Agency and Microsoft to use your creative skills to develop a citizen science campaign that can help save our skies
Hosted by: Jason Kessler, LAUNCH Program Executive, NASA; JC Oliver, Global Innovation Director, Microsoft; James Parr, Cofounder, Open Space Agency
Signage as a Force for Good
Join the Noun Project, a site that catalogs symbols and icons that can communicate across languages, and create a campaign to conserve water in California
Hosted by: Sofya Polyakov, CEO & Founder and Edward Boatman, Head of Community & Founder, The Noun Project
Idea Deathmatch
Join renowned game designer Will Wright and learn about the psychology behind championing (and winning) your creative ideas.
Hosted by: Will Wright, CEO, Syntertainment
4:40 PM: Re-imagining Reading Rainbow
LeVar Burton, Actor, Producer and Co-founder/Chief Curator, Reading Rainbow
Interviewed by Erin Schulte, Senior Editor, Fast Company
5:15 PM: Most Creative People in Business: LIVE!
Join Fast Company Editor Robert Safian and members of The Most Creative People in Business 1000—a group of leaders across the globe who are modern renaissance men and women. Hear from Big Machine Founder Scott Borchetta, Trigger Street Productions Assistant Dana Burnetti and others about how creativity fuels their world-changing, inspiring, and even whimsical ideas that continue to move business in new directions.
5:45 PM: Cocktails and Dinner Served
7:00 PM: Fast Company and Funny or Die present “The Super Serious Show”
Kurt Braunohler, comedian
Additional performers to be announced.
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MEET THE SPEAKERS
Chris joined 3AM in late 2014 as Creative Director to lead content strategy and creative. 3AM is a content studio that works with filmmakers, studios, and brands in the early stages of development to design integrated worlds, where audiences can become part of a shared story. Prior to 3AM, Chris served as Executive Creative Director at Ignition Creative, where he led the total creative function of the company's digital, social, and integrated offerings.
Lori Kozlowski is the Editorial Director at Atom Factory, leading a new editorial division of the company called Smashd, a publication and platform examining technology, entrepreneurs, and culture. Prior to Atom Factory, Lori was a columnist and digital editor at Forbes, and previously she served as senior digital editor at the Los Angeles Times.
Mike Farah is the President of Production for Funny Or Die, overseeing the creative day-to-day operations, along with Funny Or Die's television and feature film projects. Farah won a Prime Time Emmy for his work as executive producer of "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galfianakis: President Obama" and has also produced the award-winning video "Prop 8: The Musical." He is also the executive producer of “Funny Or Die’s Billy on the Street starring Billy Eichner" and “@midnight” airing on Comedy Central.
Dick Glover is President and CEO of Funny Or Die, the top destination for comedy on the web, and an award-winning production and distribution company. Under Glover’s leadership Funny Or Die has grown into a vertically integrated digital studio that produces high quality content, operates a social media and marketing division with 9 million Twitter followers over 10.9 million Facebook fans (#1 Comedy Brand for both) and has devoted followers on numerous social networking and sharing sites.
Brian Mullins is a pioneer in the field of augmented reality. His experience with Human Machine Interface and Computer Vision technologies enabled him to found DAQRI and develop its proprietary 4D technologies for the enterprise. Prior to founding DAQRI, Brian transitioned to industrial robotics from the field of military command and control systems, after spending three years as a consultant to the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego.
Chris Bruss is Vice President of Branded Entertainment for Funny Or Die and the President of its commercial production company, Gifted Youth. Bruss has been
with Funny Or Die since 2009, and during that time has helped build and define its award winning Branded Entertainment division. One of his many accomplishments was implementing a more sophisticated plan for translating the process between the world of ad agencies/brands and the comedy/content community.
Douglas Quint and Bryan Petroff are the cofounders of Big Gay Ice Cream. Since the 2009 debut of their seasonal truck, they have opened two year-round shops in Manhattan, quickly becoming a New York favorite. With a playful attitude, fun flavors and unique toppings, Big Gay Ice Cream spins a new take on old-school soft-serve. Currently, Douglas and Bryan are focusing on growing the brand, with shops opening this year in Philadelphia and downtown Los Angeles, and the debut of their first cookbook, the Big Gay Ice Cream Book, in April 2015.
Shabnam Mogharabi wears a lot of hats at SoulPancake. Some days, she’s CEO. Some days, she’s executive producer. Some days, she’s dance party instigator. At SoulPancake, Shabnam oversees a growing team of creative minds who produce daily video content for YouTube (Kid President!), create specials and series for TV, and sell brand messages in fun, uplifting ways. Before SoulPancake, Shabnam was a journalist. She studied business and religion in college, both of which surprisingly come in handy these days. And she’s also a published bestselling author, which is pretty badass.
Omar Brownson is the Executive Director of the L.A. River Revitalization Corporation. As an Angeleno, Omar is inspired by the way the 51-mile LA River brings the city together. In January 2011, Omar was hired as the first executive director of the L.A. River Revitalization Corp. with a background in real estate private equity and development. The River Corp. acts as a hub to drive forward sustainable land use, civic space, and public recreation to create a world-class linear central park and greenway.
As a Principal and Design Director in Gensler's L.A. office, Shawn brings design and technical leadership to a wide range of architectural and research-driven projects. His recent projects include the short film CAPACITY_LA, which explores opportunities for maximizing space and resources in downtown L.A. and the “Future of Work” collaboration with UCLA’s cityLAB. Shawn is a co-director of Gensler’s ongoing studio collaborations with Cal Poly’s Department of Architecture, and has been a visiting Professor at Kansas State University.
Andy is one of three Co-CEOs of Gensler, whose collaborative leadership model sets itself apart in the marketplace as a leading global design firm through
its innovation strategies. Andy oversees Gensler’s global platform and its day-to-day operations. A champion of design, resiliency and sustainability, Andy is Chair of Gensler’s Board of Directors and leads the committee responsible for global design innovation initiatives.
Ryan oversees General Assembly’s Los Angeles campuses in Santa Monica and Downtown and is responsible for leading the strategic growth and operations in L.A. Ryan also founded AlumniFunder, a crowdfunding platform for student and alumni entrepreneurs within university communities. Before this, Ryan co-founded Minds-in-Motion Labs, a brain-training company for children.
Oliver Luckett founded theAudience in 2011 to capitalize on the exponential growth and influence of social media networks and deliver a more compelling, authentic experience for both consumers and for major brands and celebrities. At theAudience, Luckett leads a team of 150 people based in West Hollywood, California, and in London. Prior to starting theAudience, Luckett was co-founder of DigiSynd, a social media content distribution company that was acquired by The Walt Disney Company.
Marcy Bulkeley is the Music Director at Wild Card, where she is responsible for curating the soundtrack and music supporting Wild Card’s renowned film trailers. While at Wild Card she has directed the music to trailers that include The Heart of the Sea, Dawn of the Apes, Unbroken, and American Sniper. Marcy has been in the music supervision world for over twelve years, consistently building and nurturing relationships with record labels, publishers, composers, agents, and music production companies worldwide.
Nick Temple is Founder and Creative Director of Wild Card, an award-winning entertainment “marketing company that has cut and produced campaigns for films including Planet of the Apes, X-Men, The Great Gatsby, Avatar, Man of Steel, and Snow White and the Huntsman.
Beatrice Springborn is head of originals at Hulu. Since joining the Hulu team earlier this year, Springborn has played an integral role in green-lighting straight-to-series orders for Hulu’s growing slate of originals, including Difficult People, a half-hour comedy series produced by Amy Poehler and starring Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner; Casual, a comedy series from Oscar-nominated director
Jason Reitman; and 11/22/63, an original event series
starring James Franco from J.J. Abrams’s Bad Robot
Productions, based on Stephen King’s best-selling book.
Julie Klausner is the cocreator, writer, and star of Hulu’s upcoming scripted series Difficult People, produced by Amy Poehler and also starring her co-creator, Billy Eichner. Klausner’s TV staff writing credits include Billy on the Street, for which she is also the co-executive producer; Mulaney; The Jack and Triumph Show; Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins; and The Big Gay Sketch Show. Her first book, I Don’t Care About Your Band, was released in 2010, and was optioned for a television series by Sanchez Productions.
As executive creative director, Patrick Mulford is responsible for the quality and efficacy of everything that leaves the publishing floor of theAudience, from posts and imagery to movies and music videos. Over the past 16 years, Mulford has been an award-winning creative director, partner, and board member in a broad range of successful creative businesses. Most notably, he's helped build three industry-leading digital and social agencies in the U.K. and the U.S., companies that have pioneered how brands make meaningful connections with their consumers.
Brent Bushnell is the CEO of Two Bit Circus, an L.A.-based experiential entertainment company. Most recently, the team launched STEAM Carnival, a modern reimagining of the midway to inspire kids about science, technology, art, and math. Previously, Bushnell was the on-camera inventor for the ABC TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. He was also a founding member of Syyn Labs. In his spare time, Bushnell mentors teens in game development and entrepreneurship via programs such as Spark and NFTE.
CTO and Mad Inventor, Two Bit Circus. Eric Gradman is an inventor and entertainer who makes others see technology as magic. He has a colorful history as a circus performer, professional whistler, roboticist, and inventor. He has designed and built cutting-edge technology products, and is at the forefront of a revolution in rapid prototyping tools which make inventing accessible to all. His highly acclaimed interactive artwork has been exhibited at LACMA, Sundance Film Festival, the Leonardo, Mindshare LA, and the TED Conference.
Yael Aflalo is the founder and CEO of Reformation, a revolutionary lifestyle brand that utilizes sustainable fabrics and practices to offer stylish eco-conscious garments, proving that fashion and sustainability can coexist beautifully. Aflalo is dedicated to transforming current harmful retail practices by leading a sustainble revolution in the fashion industry, and is paving the path for how the fashion industry defines green.
Senior Sustainability and Operations Manager, Reformation. Kathleen Talbot joined Reformation in 2014 to help further the brand's mission to lead and inspire a sustainable way to be fashionable, and challenge the status quo in the fashion industry. Reformation designs and manufactures limited-edition collections in its L.A. factory, the first sustainable sewing factory in the U.S. Talbot directs sustainability programs that range from fabric sourcing, supply chain compliance, and operational efficiencies, and she also works on customer-facing campaigns and serves to raise awareness around the impact of fashion on the environment.
Steven Kydd is an entrepreneur, adviser, and executive with 20 years of experience in media, technology, and international business. He is a cofounder of Tastemade, a global community of food lovers. Prior to this, Kydd was part of the founding team at Demand Media and executive vice president of the Studios division, a
platform and community that became one of the leading producers of originial content on the Internet.
Paul Clayton was appointed CEO of Umami Restaurant Group in July 2014. Before taking on this role, Clayton held top leadership positions at globally recognized
companies, including president of Burger King North America and chief executive officer at Jamba Juice, where he more than doubled the size of the company. Most recently, he was president of Meineke Car Care Centers, where he drove year-over-year growth in its more than 900 locations.
Fredrik Loving is the general manager of the recently established DICE Los Angeles studio and a veteran team member of the critically acclaimed Battlefield franchise, one of the most successful titles in EA’s 30-year history. Driven by his passion for video games and developing digital platforms that maximize consumer interaction, reach, and entertainment, Loving has now focused his attention on building and establishing the newly formed DICE studio in Los Angeles.
Aaron Hirschhorn is the founder/CEO and “Top Dog" of DogVacay, an online marketplace that connects pet parents with thousands of vetted and insured pet caregivers across North America. Founded in March 2012 and based in Santa Monica, California, the company has more than 75 employees and has raised $47 million from investors including Benchmark Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Omers Ventures.
Sheri Salata was named president of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, along with Erik Logan, in July 2011. Under their leadership, OWN has delivered consistent ratings momentum with the development of several award-winning and highly acclaimed original series, including the network’s first scripted series, an original drama series, and a two-night miniseries event starring Oprah and Oscar winner Octavia Spencer. Salata first joined Harpo Studios in 1995 and served as executive producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show from September 2006 through its finale in 2011.
Erik Logan was named president of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, along with Sheri Salata, in July 2011. Together they spearhead the day-to-day operations for the award-winning network. A veteran media-industry executive, Logan joined Harpo Studios in 2008 as executive vice president. Previously, he was executive vice president, programming and broadcast operations for XM Satellite Radio, president of programming for Citadel Broadcasting, and spent more than a decade at CBS/Infinity Broadcasting in a variety of roles.
Rebecca Rudolph is an architect and cofounder of Design, Bitches. Rudolph and her cofounder Catherine Johnson create environments that allow for freedom—of use, of expression, of experimentation. They value the poignant and the ridiculous. They believe architecture should be inspired by high technology but accomplished by low-tech craft. It should be affordable and remain crafty, utilizing a range of skilled and unskilled labor.
Catherine Johnson is an architect and cofounder of Design, Bitches. At Design, Bitches, Johnson and her cofounder Rebecca Rudolph create environments that allow for freedom—of use, of expression, of experimentationThey aim to inspire across disciplinary lines and engage the habitable world through appropriations and innovations. Design, Bitches strives for the biodegradable and accepts responsibility for our environment and our relationship to society.
As vice president of digital publishing, Chris Early spearheads Ubisoft’s digital publishing initiatives, where he oversees digital game commerce, operations and player engagement in North, South and Central America territories. Early brings an impressive breadth of experience with prior roles at Microsoft, most recently serving as the general manager for Windows Gaming Technology where he led development efforts designed to extend game experiences across multiple platforms and grow Microsoft's casual and core gaming audiences.
Linnea Hemenez is the director of originals and content marketing at Hulu. She is responsible for the development, management, and execution of marketing initiatives for all of Hulu’s original and licensed content programming as well as program launch campaigns, on-air promotions, and strategic partnerships. Before joining Hulu, Hemenez was a marketing and advertising consultant for companies including Disney Interactive, Amazon Studios, Figure 8 Creative, and PromaxBDA.
Sofya Polyakov is the CEO & co-founder of Noun Project, a crowdsourced visual dictionary of everything. Their goal is to help people communicate ideas visually by building the world’s best resource for visual language. Polyakov’s background includes degrees in business and communication, and a Master’s in the arts.
Edward Boatman is the Chief Strategy Officer and co-founder of Noun Project. Trained in design and architecture, Boatman's fascination with visual communication and its ability to transcend cultural and language barriers to bring people together led to the creation of the Noun Project.
Jessica Alba is an entrepreneur and founder of The Honest Company. Founded in 2012, The Honest Company’s safe, effective, accessible and stylish non-toxic family and lifestyle products have been recognized by the Environmental Working Group and awarded a range of top consumer, parenting, and eco-friendly honors. In addition to her work, Alba is an actress and activist, actively involved with several nonprofits including V-Day, Healthy Child Healthy World, VotoLatino, and others.
Brian Lee is an attorney, entrepreneur, investor, and Cofounder and CEO of The Honest Company. Formerly an attorney with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP and a Manager at Deloitte & Touche, LLP, he co-founded LegalZoom in 2001. On the heels of LegalZoom’s success, Brian launched ShoeDazzle, an online women’s fashion footwear and accessories retailer, in 2008. In 2012, Brian cofounded The Honest Company with Jessica Alba.
Christopher Gavigan is Cofounder and Chief Product Officer of The Honest Company, where he ensures that everything the company creates expresses its core values and creates a social, ecological, and philanthropic impact that inspires genuine change. In addition to this role, Christopher is the CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World, and an author of a best-selling book, Healthy Child Healthy World:Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home. In addtion, Christopher sits on the Board of Directors of Mount Sinai Hospital’s Children Environmental Health Center.
James Parr is a designer and entrepreneur who has spent his career tackling challenging systemic problems such as climate change, obesity, asteroid hunting, knowledge transfer and violent extremism. James is founder of IMAGINALS—a U.S./U.K.-based consultancy focused on supporting organizations advance new approaches to sustainability, social impact and systems innovation, and the cofounder of the social enterprise technology company, Opal Labs Inc and the Open Space Agency (OSA), which most recently has developed an ultra-low cost robotic observatory.
Paula Schneider is the Chief Executive Office of American Apparel, Inc. and leads all aspects of the company’s operations. Schneider is a fashion industry veteran recognized for optimizing the financial performance and improving operational efficiencies at global fashion brands. She has an extensive track record in design, merchandising, sales, manufacturing, finance, licensing, and human resources. Schneider has served as president or senior officer of a number of retail and apparel companies, including Warnaco, Gores Group, and BCBG Max Azria.
Eric Garcetti is the 42nd Mayor of Los Angeles. Before he became Mayor of the second largest U.S. City,
Garcetti was elected four times by his peers to serve as President of the Los Angeles City Council from 2006 to 2012. From 2001 until taking office as Mayor, he served as the Council member representing the 13th District which includes Hollywood, Echo Park, Silver Lake, and Atwater Village—all of which were dramatically revitalized under Garcetti's leadership.
LeVar Burton is an actor, director, producer, and author. He was the host an executive producer of Reading Rainbow, the long-running PBS children’s series that encouraged reading among children. In 2011, Burton and his business partner Mark Wolfe founded RRKidz, Inc. with the promise to bring to the next generation of kids the finest reading and enrichment experiences found anywhere. RRKidz's products—including a fully reimagined Reading Rainbow app—expand on the mission that through the exploration of quality books, videos and games, kids can safely and enjoyably grow up in the digital age.
JC Oliver, an award winning multimedia strategist, is the Global Innovation Director at Microsoft. In his seven years with the company, his roles have included strategist, architect and evangelist, utilizing the Microsoft Portfolio (MSN, Skype, Xbox, & Windows) and emerging technologies to amplify and translate brand communications into immersive audience centric experiences. His passion is the intersection of creativity and business fused with tech and science, which he defines as the next big growth marketing opportunity.
Jason Kessler, NASA’s Asteroid Grand Challenge Program Executive, began his professional career at NASA in 1994. In his time with NASA he has worked in the legislative office, as Deputy Chief of Staff to the NASA Administrator, and as a part of the SERVIR program office. Kessler is also a program executive on LAUNCH, an open innovation platform founded by NASA, NIKE, USAID, and the U.S. Department of State to identify and foster breakthrough ideas for a more sustainable world.
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PARTNERS
