X Media Lab Global Media Ideas Conference Day and Lab is a Vivid Sydney festival event
Conference Day: 10th June, Sydney Opera House
The Lab: 11th- 12th June 2011, Sydney Opera House
Book your tickets at www.xmedialab.com

Sydney – May 24, 2011 – Wired editor-at-large Ben Hammersley, Rubedo co-founder Dr Vesna Petresin Robert, and founder and CEO of informitv Dr William Cooper will join the world's top digital media and creative industries innovators for the 2011 Global Media Ideas conference held as part of Vivid Sydney.

Vivid Sydney (27 May-13 June) is the largest light and music festival in the Southern Hemisphere and a major celebration of the creative industries. The festival provides a forum for the creative industries to collaborate, foster business connections and showcase new ideas.

 

Ben Hammersley is a high profile technologist and writer, whose expertise centres on the effects of the internet on modern society. In addition to being Editor-at-Large at the UK's Wired magazine, he is an official advisor on Digital to 10 Downing Street; reports for the BBC and four broadsheet newspapers and is one of the world's foremost commentators with five books published on internet technologies. Hammersley will impart his views on technology's transformative effects.

Esteemed academic and author Dr Vesna Petresin Robert, with partner Laurent Paul Robert, founded art practice and think-tank Rubedo in 2005. The cross-disciplinary organisation finds synergies between art, architecture, visual theory, music, film, games, education, psychology, engineering and IT development, reflecting Robert's vast experience. She brings to Global Media Ideas insights from her work in the space.

Interactive media specialist Dr William Cooper is the founder and CEO of informitv, a London-based firm that provides interactive media services across multiple platforms. Cooper's experience includes roles as head of interactive at BBC Broadcast and head of new media operations—where he oversaw the exponential growth of the BBC’s online services—as well as various positions establishing and managing multimedia production. Cooper will share his knowledge of the sector with conference participants.

The trio join a line-up of international guests who will star at the Global Media Ideas conference and The Lab workshop, held as part of Vivid Sydney, including leading Silicon Valley investor Tim Chang, the executive producer of China Idol Eric Zho and TED Fellow Sey Min.

The annual summit of international think-tank X Media Lab, Global Media Ideas is a must-attend event for entrepreneurs in the digital media and creative industries keen to commercialise content, products and services for domestic and global markets.

X Media Lab: Global Media Ideas ProDay Conference
10th June
The Studio, Sydney Opera House

The Lab event will be held for chosen projects only over 11th – 12th June in the Utzon Room of the Sydney Opera House. Application close 1st June 2011.

Confirmed International Speakers

Tim Chang is a leading Silicon Valley investor, named on the 2011 Forbes Midas List of Top Venture Capitalists. He is a partner at Norwest Venture Partners, focusing on mobile, gaming, digital media and social media investments, and also leads Norwest's China initiatives.

Dr William Cooper is the founder and CEO of informitv, which provides interactive media services across multiple platforms. His experience includes roles as head of interactive and head of new media operations at the BBC, as well as positions establishing and managing multimedia production.

Andy Ellwood is the business development director at Gowalla, a social network inspiring people to discover and share amazing places with their friends. Akin to a passport on your phone, Gowalla was born out of a desire to share remarkable places and life journeys in a fun, easy and social way.

Ben Hammersley is a technologist and writer, best known as the editor-at-large at the UK's Wired magazine and inventor of the word 'podcast'. A specialist in understanding the effects of the internet on modern society, he has authored five books, reports for the BBC and various newspapers and advises 10 Downing Street in digital matters.

Sey Min, a 2011 TED Fellow, is a multi-disciplinary interactive designer, who deals with live data sets in various media formats. Her projects re-imagine how humans relate to technologies, societies, cities, and environments by combining elements of environmentology, visual art, programming and storytelling.

Dr Vesna Petresin Robert co-founded art practice and think-tank Rubedo, which synergises art, architecture, visual theory, music, film, games, education, psychology, engineering and IT development, best illustrated by its contribution to the film Inception. Robert is an esteemed academic and author.

Kei Shimada is the founder and CEO of Infinita, a mobile research, and consulting and development firm in Tokyo. Infinita consists of a multinational team that possesses in-depth working knowledge of the world’s most advanced mobile market, helping clients create world-class services on connected devices.

Orvar Säfström is Scandinavia’s number one game and film commentator. In addition to writing for numerous newspapers and magazines, he lectures on popular culture and games, and has led a seminar on game culture in Swedish parliament. He is also the producer of video game music concerts.

Samuel Seow is the managing director of Samuel Seow Law Corporation and also Foreign Legal Advisor to Seow & Associates. His expertise is highly valued in the field of intellectual property and general commercial and corporate law, with special focus on the entertainment, arts and media industries.

John Tarnoff is the CEO of Newspeak Consulting Group, which focuses on the intersection of the media/entertainment industry, digital technology and higher education. Formerly the Head of Show Development at DreamWorks Animation for seven years, he brings over experience from 30 years in the media/entertainment industry.

Christopher Tanner is the CEO of Emdigo which develops technology that enables anywhere, anytime access to mobile apps, and content and creator of the patented technology now known as Google Earth (San Francisco).

Martyn Ware is a founding member of The Human League, Heaven 17 and Future of Sound. A leading figure in electronic music, Ware lectures on music production, technology, and creativity, and is Head of Sonic Experience and co-founder of leading sound branding agency SonicID.

Eric Zho is the executive producer of China Idol, the most watched show in the history of television. One of the pioneers of branded entertainment in China, he led several groundbreaking projects including China’s first pop idol reality show Wo Xing Wo Show and Teflon Smart Cook, China’s largest online chef competition.

To book tickets please visit: http://www.xmedialab.com

 

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Media contacts:
Caroline Shawyer, The PR Group
Tel: +61 (0) 401 496 334 | caroline@prgroup.com.au

Karen Tearney, The PR Group
Tel: +61 (0) 410 743 151 | karen@prgroup.com.au

X MEDIA LAB
X Media Lab is the internationally acclaimed professional network and digital media event for the world’s creative industries. X Media Lab provides assistance with creative industries development, business development and access to international expertise and finance. Each X Media Lab is a completely unique event where people with original digital media ideas connect with a superb international network of independent creative thinkers, technology wizards, commercialisation experts, potential business partners and financial resources. Since launching in Sydney in 2003, over 45 X Media Lab events have been held in 15 cities across the world including: Sydney, Beijing, Suzhou, Mumbai, Amsterdam, London, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, Wellington, Melbourne, Auckland, Perth, Malmö and Los Angeles. 

www.xmedialab.com / @xmedialab

VIVID SYDNEY
Sydney will once again be transformed into a spectacular canvas of light, music and ideas when Vivid Sydney takes over the city after dark from 27 May – 13 June 2011.
Vivid Sydney will colour the city with creativity and inspiration, featuring the breathtaking immersive lighting of the iconic Sydney Opera House sails, performances from local and international musicians at Vivid LIVE and a free outdoor exhibition of over 40 immersive and interactive light installations.  

In 2011 the festival also includes a range of artistic collaborations, public talks and debates from leading creative thinkers from Australia and around the world, celebrating Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia Pacific.


www.vividsydney.com