About

XMediaLab Sydney Opera House “Global Media Cultures” is the must attend digital media and creative industries event of 2009.

In the emerging multi-polar media world, the rise of the ‘new geographies’ and innovations in ‘new media’ are combining to create new stories, new platforms, new forms of interaction, and new opportunities for co-production.

XMediaLab Sydney Opera House “Global Media Cultures” will explore the emerging business models, and partnership and growth opportunities for digital media companies across these exciting new markets which have the highest growth rates, the biggest numbers of consumers, the largest youth markets, the greatest emerging talent pools, and increasingly, the financial resources.

XML Sydney Opera House celebrates this fusion of global cultures, media, and technologies, and the exciting ways we can be active and creative participants in this new, and genuinely interactive, sensibility.

Join some of the world’s leading story-tellers, technology innovators, game makers, and media producers to explore these new worlds, new platforms, and new partnerships.

If you are developing digital media ideas across platforms, attend the Professional Conference Day to hear from the world’s best experts, and you can also apply to attend the Lab itself, where you can work with the International Mentors one-on-one to bring your own digital project ideas to market.

XML Sydney Opera House International Mentors include:

• Neeraj Roy – One of the world’s ’50 Most Influential People in Mobile Entertainment’; Managing Director & CEO, Hungama Mobile (Mumbai)
• Zareh Nalbandian – Co-Founder & CEO, Animal Logic (Sydney)
• August de los Reyes – Principal Design Director for Microsoft Surface, Microsoft (Redmond)
• Susan Bonds – Multi-Award Winning President & CEO, 42 Entertainment (Pasadena)
  
• Tonny Sorensen – Co-Founder, Planet Illogica and CEO & Owner, Von Dutch Originals (Los Angeles)
• Julien Merceron - Eidos Worldwide CTO (Paris, London)
• Jason DaPonte – Managing Editor, BBC Mobile Platforms (London)
• Nam Do – Co-founder & CEO, Emotiv (San Francisco, Melbourne)
• Chris Deering – Chairman, Codemasters; formerly President of Sony Computer Entertainment – Europe (London)
• Zheng Xiaoping – Principal, BAZO and Author of “Creative City China” (Shanghai)
• Ken Goldstein – Co-Founder, Planet Illogica (Los Angeles)
• Wang Xing - Asia’s Best Young Entrepreneur 2008, Founder of Hanei.com, Fanfou.com and Xiaonei.com (Beijing)
• Professor JoAnn Kuchera-Morin - Director, AlloSphere Research Facility, University of California (Santa Barbara)
  
• Lynette Wallworth - Internationally rewnowned Interactive Media Artist (Sydney, London)
• Rob Manson - Managing Director, MOB Innovation Labs (Sydney)
• Hael Kobayashi - Digital Media and Creative Industries Executive (Singapore, Sydney)

Who Should Attend?

The Professional Conference Day will showcase the perpectives of each of the 16 International and Local Mentors and is available for General Admission.

If you are a digital media or creative industries professional, media executive, producer, creator, analyst or strategist of any kind, this is the one-day you need to attend!

XMediaLab Sydney Opera House is seeking outstanding digital media ideas to participate in the Lab: cross-platform, cross-disciplinary, and cross-cultural.  Nominate your project now!

The Lab is restricted to selected participants and their nominated project team and ideas.  The participants present their projects, and then work directly with the Mentors they choose, one-on-one on their own ideas!

XMediaLab Sydney Opera House “Global Media Cultures” is proud to be an official part of the Events NSW Major Calendar of Events.

The Mentors

XMediaLab has access to a superb roster of some of the world's leading digital media practitioners, innovators, and power-brokers.  International Mentors and Speakers for XMediaLab Sydney Opera House "Global Media Cultures" include (click on image for full bios):

Zareh Nalbandian

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Animal Logic, (Sydney)
 
Zareh Nalbandian has lead Animal Logic's development from a handful of gifted artists into one of the world's leading visual effects, design & animation studios. Throughout the history of Animation Logic, Zareh has had multiple roles: as CEO, Visual Effects Supervisor, Mentor and Producer, building strong relationships with great Directors and Producers in the industry.
 

Neeraj Roy

Managing Director & CEO, Hungama Mobile (Mumbai)

Hungama Mobile is the largest aggregator, developer and publisher of BOLLYWOOD content in the world. Hungama has developed a digital distribution network spanning 37 countries with over 150 partners across Mobile, Internet, Cable VOD and IPTV services, representing over 300 original content owners across Music, Movies, TV, Sport, Lifestyle content.

Susan Bonds

President and CEO, 42 Entertainment (Pasadena)

Susan Bonds is 42 Entertainment's President and CEO, responsible for leading the teams that design, create, and execute 42's unique immersive experiences. Susan has more than 20 years of experience as a producer in the entertainment, gaming and technology industries.

Tonny Sorensen

CEO and Owner, Von Dutch Originals; Co-founder, Planet Illogica (Los Angeles)

Tonny Sorensen Danish born entrepreneur, Tonny Sorensen, is a visionary who believes in the expansion of creative ideas among many artistic disciplines including fashion, fine and lowbrow art, music performance, multi-media entertainment, the kustom kulture and culinary art.
 

August de los Reyes

Principal Design Director for Microsoft Surface, Microsoft (Redmond)

August de los Reyes is the Principal Design Director for Microsoft Surface whose team is dedicated to pioneering intuitive ways to interact with technology.

Chris Deering

Chairman, Codemasters; formerly President of Sony Computer Entertainment – Europe (London)

Chris Deering has led multicultural motion picture video and computer game publishing for nearly 3 decades, initially as Vice President – International for Atari game consoles and computers, and subsequently as Executive Vice President and COO for Columbia Pictures International Video, and from 1995 to 2005 as President of Sony Computer Entertainment - Europe (SCEE).

Zheng Xiaoping

Principal of BAZO, and author of "Creative China City" (Shanghai)
 
Xiaoping, Principal of BAZO, has over 22 years of urban and real estate related experience of which 12 have been focused on the China market.  He is a leader in China's urban development and renewal. 

Jason DaPonte

Managing Editor, BBC Mobile Platforms (London)

 Jason DaPonte is Managing Editor, BBC Mobile Platforms. He is responsible for overseeing the content across the BBC’s mobile web, messaging and A/V offerings as well as looking at emerging areas including mobile broadcasting and out-of-home entertainment and information services.

Nam Do

Co-Founder and CEO, Emotiv (Melbourne, San Francisco)

Nam Do is a serial technology entrepreneur. Prior to forming Emotiv, Nam co-founded and ran SASme, a pioneer in providing SMPP platforms to telecommunication carriers and content aggregators in Australia and Asia.

Dr. JoAnn Kuchera-Morin

Director, AlloSphere Research Facility
Professor of Media Arts and Technology and Professor of Music, University of California (Santa Barbara)

Dr. JoAnn Kuchera-Morin is a composer, Professor of Media Arts and Technology and Music, and a researcher in multi-modal media systems, content and facilities design.

Julien Merceron

Eidos Worldwide CTO (London)

Julien has worked in the computer games industry for over 16 years. 

Wang Xing

Asia’s Best Young Entrepreneur 2008, Founder of Xiaonei.com and Fanfou.com (Beijing)

Heralded as the Mark Zuckerberg of China, Wang Xing has been awarded “Asia’s Best Young Entrepreneur 2008”.

Rob Manson

Managing Director of MOB - an Innovation Lab (Sydney)

Rob has been working with cutting-edge technologies since the early 90s and is focused upon creating tangible experiences that change the way you see technology, business and the world around you. MOB create innovative iPhone, Mobile and Internet based Applications and have created Augmented Reality (AR) applications and ARt installations for public display and consumer markets.

Ken Goldstein

Co-founder, Planet Illogica (Los Angeles)

Ken Goldstein’s spirited role in Pi is best described as “motivationalist”. This is no small task, as Ken reaches out to corporate Alliance Partners with a personal invitation to connect with the Pi community and endeavors. Ken ensures that all creative opportunities are dynamic experiences filled with the spectacle of live performance, high-profile events, productions and global response.

Lynette Wallworth

Interactive Media Artist (Sydney, London)

Lynette Wallworth is an Australian artist whose practice spans video installation, photography and short film. In her current body of work, she specialises in the creation of immersive installation environments that offer tactile gateways.

Hael Kobayashi

Digital Media and Creative Industries Executive (Singapore, Sydney)

Hael is an international and award winning executive with over 25 years experience in the
creative industries, including film, digital media, broadcast, and the visual and performing arts.

Conference Day

9.00am – 5.00pm followed by Networking Reception

The Studio, Sydney Opera House

Independent: AUD $250                        Corporate/Government: $395

XMediaLab Sydney Opera House “Global Media Cultures” Pro Conference Day is the must attend digital media and creative industries event of 2009. 

Join some of the world’s best story-tellers, technology innovators, game makers and media producers to explore how the world’s ‘new geographies’ (China, India, the Middle East, North and South Asia) and innovations in ‘new media’ are creating new growth opportunities, new partnership possibilities and new business models.

If you are developing ideas for games, mobile, the Internet, alternate realities or for traditional television, video, or any form of IP TV content or services, this is your chance to hear how the experts do it: get the low down on the latest market developments, creative ideas, business, syndication and distribution models across platforms and across the emerging new markets for media!

No time-wasting boring panels, just densely-packed, information-rich, clear and helpful, set piece keynotes from digital media luminaries from all over the world.

If you are a digital media professional, media executive, producer, creator, technology wizard, entrepreneur, analyst or strategist of any kind, this is the one-day you need to attend – with utterly exceptional value pricing, thanks to our partners and supporters. Conferences costing more than ten times as much don’t have anywhere near the clarity of focus, the richness of practical information, or the variety of international perspectives.

Who Should Attend?

All traditional  and digital media professionals. Producers, creatives, business strategists and executives across all screen based media content, including: television, virtual worlds, social media, digital cinema, interactive television, mobile content, computer games, and animation; across the spectrum of the entertainment, information, and education industries. 

Update yourself in a day!



 

The Lab

XMediaLab is a uniquely exciting creative event for digital media professionals.

XMediaLab consists of a one-day Professional Conference Day that showcases all the Mentors as Speakers. The Lab itself is an intensive two-day creative ideas and business matching environment for the selected participants who get to work directly on their own project ideas with a range of the world's best digital media experts, and build business opportunities with other Lab participants.

The XMediaLab experience increases the chances of getting your project idea to market and achieving commercial success. You also enter into an impeccable international network of digital media stars with their superb expertise and high-value international contacts.

The environment of the Lab allows participating companies and teams to schedule their own unique Lab experience by selecting for themselves which Mentors they choose to spend their one-on-one time with.

It's a form of elite personal consultation with a range of the world's outstanding digital media people about your own project ideas. And you make friends with the international stars.

Previous project teams have ranged from independent start-ups which have gone on to win awards at MIPCOM in Cannes, UNESCO in New York, AIMIA in Australia; to Lonely Planet; ABC’s Rage and The Chaser; Disney Internet Group from Tokyo; Zuji.com; India’s biggest games and animation company; and world leading Virtual Worlds platform. Project teams have come from the UK, Hong Kong, China, Australia, Japan, Germany, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and New Zealand.

The "X" in XMediaLab stands for: Cross Platform, Cross Disciplinary, and Cross Cultural.

The 2009 Sydney Opera House "Global Media Cultures" Lab is looking for 16 great projects across social media, computer games, animation, mobile applications, video, interactive entertainment and content and web applications. 

Projects may have an entertainment, cultural, educational, or an informational basis.

The cost of participation and joining this elite network is just $400 per project team member (this includes registration for the Professional Conference Day).

Submit your project now!

Previous Lab participants have been laudatory in their praise for this unique experience. Typical comments include:

Getting There

Professional Conference Day - Friday 27th November

XMediaLab Sydney Opera House "Global Media Cultures" will be held at The Studio at the Sydney Opera House - one of the world's most iconic buildings.

Registration will commence at 8.30am for a 9.00am (sharp!) start. 

The Professional Conference Day will be followed by cocktails and networking.

The Lab - Saturday 28th - Sunday 29th November

The Lab will be held in the beautiful Barnet Long Room at the historic Customs House Sydney.

Accommodation

XMediaLab's preferred accommodation partner for XML Sydney Opera House is The Intercontinental Sydney - to take advantage of XML's preferred rate - just AUD $235 per night - book here.

View X Media Lab Sydney "Global Media Cultures" Nov 27 - 29, 2009 in a larger map