Vancouver International Digital Festival

08.06.02

Thank you!

A huge thank you to everyone who came out to VIDFEST this year - including a special shout out to our speakers and sponsors for helping to make VIDFEST 2008 the best yet.
You can revisit all the good times here: www.flickr.com/photos/vidfest

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This year we’re going deep and tackling that age old question: ‘What is the meaning of life in a digital world?’

Imagining beyond a program that is all about the “how to”, VIDFEST is asking the farther reaching question “what if?”. To answer, we’ve recruited speakers that will motivate you with their past accomplishments and inspire you with their forward-thinking vision. Implement a broader, more imaginative, and integrated vision for your digital media projects with the big ideas shared in our conference sessions.

2008 VIDFEST Creative Exchange Conference Sessions:

Friday, May 23, 2008
Granville Island Stage (Arts Club), 1585 Johnston Street, Granville Island

9:30 - 10:30 AM
Main Stage:
Keynote
Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief, Wired Magazine: The Economy of ‘Free’
Best-selling author of The Long Tail, Chris Anderson is one of the most knowledgeable, insightful and articulate voices at the center of the new economy. Join him at VIDFEST as he talks about the new economy of ‘free.’ As the marginal cost of digital information approaches zero, practically everything on the Web heads toward ‘free.’ How do you thrive when free has emerged as a full-fledged economy? Hear how Chris describes the new directions the economy is taking, names the central phenomenon, and gives you handles for the business opportunities they represent.

Introduced by: Alex Garden, CEO of Nexon Publishing North America
Sponsored by:

11 - 12 PM
Main Stage:
McLuhan 2.0: The message of today’s digital media
Living in a digital world has created a new culture of the nomad, one of metaphysical hunters of information. The old hunter-gatherer used a spear and arrow, the new version uses a laptop and wifi - to much greater effect. Join this renowned scholar and son of Marshall McLuhan as he discusses digital media and their impact on today’s communication.
Speakers:
Dr. Eric McLuhan
(Interviewer) Michael Tippett, Founder and CMO, NowPublic
Sponsored by: Cat Games

Revue Stage:
Crowd Pleasers: Achieving your crowdsourcing strategy
Thinking of jumping on the crowd-sourcing bandwagon? Meet the folks that have pioneered this new way of harnessing user content across platforms with great success. This session is bound to be community approved!
Speakers:
Matt Toner, President, Zeros2Heroes
Jasmine Antonick, Marketing & Communications, Cambrian House
Derek Powazek, Founder, Fray.com and CEO, Pixish.com
(Moderator) Robert Ouimet, Partner, At Large Media
Sponsored by: Rainmaker

12 - 1 PM
LUNCH BREAK

1 - 2 PM
Main Stage:
Content.com: The care and feeding of audiences
What is the ideal relationship between content and audience in the digital space? Find out how two superstar bloggers have developed a strategy that sets boundaries while expanding their website’s reach.
Speakers:
Heather Armstrong, Dooce.com
Maggie Mason, Mightygirl.com & Mightygoods.com; Author of No One Cares What You Had For Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog

Revue Stage:
Being Present in a Digital World: Finding balance and simplicity
The digital age has brought us new opportunities, yet ultimately we’ve become busier as a result of all the innovation. How do we find balance and meet our personal and professional goals amongst the complexities of daily life? Prepare to be enlightened as EA’s Yoshi Arima shares the path to simplicity through his dynamic visual presentation.
Speaker:
Yoshi Arima, Interface Designer, Electronic Arts Canada; Poet, Free Spirit, Artist
Sponsored by: Tugboat Media

2:30 - 3:30 PM
Main Stage:
Positively Charged: Do-gooding in a digital age
The digital space is increasingly being used as the platform of choice for altruistic projects. Meet some of the folks who have chosen the path of social responsibility and get inspired by new models of giving back.
Speakers:
Tom Williams, CEO, Givemeaning.org
Eric Karjaluoto, Creator, DesignCanChange.org; President, smashLAB
Dylan Higgins, Fellow, Kiva.org
(Moderator) Jason Mogus, CEO, Communicopia
Sponsored by: Blast Radius

Revue Stage:
Right Brain Rock Out: Getting your design on
Join this eclectic panel of creative geniuses as they compare and contrast their design process. Learn their trade secrets, how they find their personal muse, how to deal with creative block, and how to balance making art with making a living. All creatives unite!
Speakers:
Evan Biddell, Winner, Project Runway Canada
Jonathan Tippett, Industrial Artist, Mondo Spider
Jan Sircus, www.studiosircus.com, President, Themed Attraction Association (Canada); Former Walt Disney Imagineer
(Moderator) Jordan Kawchuk, Producer/Director, TV, Digital
Supported by: Ministry of Tourism, Sport & the Arts

4 - 5 PM
Main Stage:
Let the People Play: The future of interactive entertainment
Meet the storytellers who have revolutionized new forms of cross-platform narratives and powerful online communities. 42 Entertainment (see article in Wired) is using the digital medium to create highly participatory, and much talked about, audience experiences. Get an inside look at what’s working in the areas of building community, inspiring collective intelligence, creating immersive entertainment in the areas of music, movies, online gaming, branding and products, encouraging user-generated content and sparking viral spread through a special case study of NIN’s Year Zero Alternate Reality Experience.

Speakers:
Susan Bonds, President, 42 Entertainment
Alex Lieu, Chief Creative Officer, 42 Entertainment
Sponsored by: Bell Fund

Revue Stage:
Can I Have Your Attention Please? An Internet SOS
Margaret Mead said “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” Join our small group of advocates for change as they discuss the active steps required to save the net and preserve our digital freedom.
Speakers:
John Perry Barlow, Co-founder, Electronic Frontier Foundation; Fellow at Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society
Matt Thompson, Producer, Writer, Director, Campaign Strategist, ‘SavetheInternet.com’
Jason Roks, Citizen 001, Digitalpeasants.com; Digital Operative, CFCmedialab, Canadian Film Centre