Connect. Collaborate. Contribute.™
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Event Type: In-person, Discussion
Location Violet Crown Cinema 434 W 2nd St Austin, TX 78701 Special Guests Jay Williams Vice President CVEX Paul O'Brien Founder and CEO MediaTech Ventures Erin Reilly Professor of Practice Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations Agenda 7:00-9:20 p.m. - Ready Player One screening 9:20-9:50 p.m. - Q&A 9:50 p.m. - Post-event drinks and discussion |
The metaverse concept has been articulated and predicted in books starting with Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash," and as CGI has advanced is has been compellingly visualized in movies such as "Ready Player One," based on the book of the same name by Austin author Ernest Cline. For our special discussion event in May, as part of our "Metaverse May" theme, we will show the movie "Ready Player One" and follow it with Q&A with real metaverse experts at the Violet Crown Cinema in downtown Austin. Afterwards, we will have post-event networking in the Violet Crown lounge area to talk more about the metaverse and what it means for our entertainment, work, collaboration, education, and more. This event requires purchasing a ticket for attendance to the movie at this link, but the Austin Forum will treat to a round of drinks in the post-networking.
Registration and Attendance All participants must register for this event via Eventbrite. In-person Join us at the Violet Crown Cinema, 434 W 2nd St. Parking information can be found here. This event will have a small admissions fee to cover the cost of your movie ticket. |
Special Guests
Jay Williams has been a chief technology officer and consultant to many of the Fortune 500. As a consultant he has developed a highly refined process for managing a company’s technology infrastructure, including applications, security, and network assets. Jay is a highly sought-after, enterprise systems architect and problem solver. He has advised a number of high profile technology companies on their products and is known for a rare combination of deep technology expertise, expert problem solving ability and business acumen. Jay is widely respected by peers and has influenced many pivotal technology consortia and industry steering groups. He regularly consults with senior technology and business executives and is frequently consulted by venture and capital investors for analyses of new technology strategies.
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Paul O'Brien is a founder and the CEO of MediaTech Ventures, a startup studio and platform for founders working in media innovation. The company, founded in Austin, has office in Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles, and operated startup incubators throughout the world.
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Erin Reilly
Professor of Practice Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations, Moody College of Communication, The University of Texas at Austin |
Erin Reilly is an entrepreneur, educator and strategist with 20 years of experience inventing new approaches, products, services and experiences about storytelling, engagement and learning through emergent technology. Erin is Past Board President of NAMLE (National Association for Media Literacy Education), and is ex-officio of the Executive Committee of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Interactive Media Peer Group, as well as serves on advisory boards, such as Disney Junior Education and PBS newly launched Hero Elementaryand Emmy-award winning Sci Girls.
As an educator, Erin currently is Professor of Practice and Inaugural Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship for Moody College of Communication at University of Texas at Austin. In her roles, she guides faculty and students in imagining where innovation meets entrepreneurship. She has designed and launched a new specialization, Texas Immersive, to teach courses on the future of media and entertainment, and builds university-wide initiatives and fosters relationships with other academic institutions and industry partners. She has authored both academic and industry publications including Headspace VR on Medium, Fan Favorites in Strategy + Business, T is for Transmedia: Learning through Transmedia Play, and co-author of the book, Reading in a Participatory Culture. As an entrepreneur, Erin founded ReillyWorks to creatively build connected experiences for families to get active and play together. Current projects in development include CARPE Games, a new Augmented Reality and SMART Kit game and Winklebeans, a sensor-based toythat connects to a data-driven story world. She is known for her social entrepreneurship activities in founding Zoey’s Room, one of the first social media programs connected to a licensed afterschool program for young girls. |