About the conference

About the conference

Convergence has moved swiftly from buzzword to industry logic. The creation of transmedia storyworlds, understanding how to appeal to migratory audiences, and the production of digital extensions for traditional materials are becoming the bread and butter of working in the media. Futures of Entertainment 4 once again brings together key industry leaders who are shaping these new directions in our culture and academic scholars immersed in the investigation the social, cultural, political, economic, and technological implications of these changes in our media landscape.

Drawing industry and academic speakers together with researchers from the Convergence Culture Consortium, Futures of Entertainment 4 provides a unique opportunity to participate in dynamic discussions about the future entertainment and media landscape. Organized around a “talk-show” style model, with panelists participating in moderated discussions about key issues affecting the future of the culture and creative industries, Futures of Entertainment 4 brings clever thinkers from both industry and the academy together for long conversations. Over the last three years this has produced deep, thorough treatments of issues ranging from the ethics of social media, effective strategies for participating in virtual worlds, the future of media metrics and measurement, and the challenges of building compelling transmedia experiences.

Speakers at this year’s event include:

  • David Bausola – Co-founder of Ag8
  • Nancy BaymUniversity of Kansas
  • Brian Clark – Partner and CEO, GMD Studios
  • Stephen Duncombe – NYU, author of Dream: Re-Imagining Progressive Politics in the Age of Fantasy (The New Press)
  • Dan Goldman – Illustrator of Shooting War (Grand Central Publishing [US] and Weidenfeld & Nicolson [UK])
  • Noessa HigaVisionaire Media
  • Jennifer Holt – UC Santa Barbara, co-editor of Media Industries (Wiley-Blackwell)
  • Victoria Jaye – Acting Head of Fiction & Entertainment Multiplatform Commissioning, BBC
  • Derek Johnson – University of North Texas
  • Brian Larkin – Milbank Barnard College
  • JuYoung Lee – Chief Scientist, ACE Metrix
  • Jason MittellMiddlebury College
  • Avner Ronen – CEO, Boxee
  • Frank RoseWired contributor and author of Welcome to the Hyperdrome (W. W. Norton, forthcoming)
  • Lori SammyRacebending
  • Andrew SlackThe Harry Potter Alliance
  • Louisa Stein – San Diego State University
  • Jordan Weisman – CEO and Founder, Smith & Tinker
  • Mark Zogorski – Chief Revenue Officer, eXelate Media

More speakers will be announced soon!
You can see the line-up and watch the panels from past conferences by following the links below:

Futures of Entertainment 1, November 21-22, 2006

Futures of Entertainment 2, November 16-17, 2007

Futures of Entertainment 3, November 21-22, 2008

Image credit: Diane Nelson, Molly Chase and danah boyd discuss social media and ethical participation at Futures of Entertainment 1. Image by Vanessa Bertozzi via Flickr / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
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