TORONTO — As the lead media partner for the 2019 Elevate Tech Festival, taking place this week at the Design Exchange in Toronto, Corus Entertainment announced Monday the full lineup for the event’s New Media Stage, which will happen on Thursday, September 26.
The New Media Stage will feature speakers and conversations with top talent from leading youth culture brands and major players in the new media space.
“This generation of youth are experiencing some of the most rapid change in history, spanning everything from technology, entertainment, health and wellness, gender identity, the geo-political landscape, and everything in between. While technology is influencing the pace of change, it’s also enabled youth to have more influence on future trends than ever before,” said Greg McLelland, executive vice-president and chief revenue officer for Corus Entertainment, in a news release. “We’re excited to bring industry and thought leaders together to power conversations around connecting with youth culture and take a look at what trends are on the horizon.”
Speakers confirmed for the New Media Stage include:
- Rich Antoniello (CEO and founder, Complex Networks), moderated by Sean Evans (Complex Networks’ First We Feast/Hot Ones)
- Rebecca Glashow (co-head, AwesomenessTV), moderated by Carlos Bustamante (ET Canada)
- Jamie Gutfreund (chief consumer experience officer, Hasbro), moderated by Karla Congson (CEO, Open Gravity)
- Noah Shactman (editor-in-chief, The Daily Beast), moderated by Carolyn Jarvis (Global News)
- Director X (director and producer), Paul Burns (managing director, Twitter), David Allard (chief marketing officer, Samsung) and Jillionaire, moderated by Dervla Kelly (senior vice-president, marketing and so.da, Corus Entertainment)
- Kevin Ma (founder, HYPEBEAST) and Jeff Staple (CEO, Staple Design)
- Samantha Barry (editor-in-chief, Glamour Magazine)
- Devery Jacobs (actor and filmmaker), moderated by Farah Nasser (Global News)
- Christian Kurtz (senior vice-president, global consumer insights, Viacom), keynote session
- Brooke Lynn Hytes (RuPaul’s Drag Race), moderated by Stephen Krajinovic (ET Canada producer and Pride reporter)
Fred Kennedy from Toronto’s classic rock station Q107 will serve as host for the full day of speakers.
In addition to the New Media Stage, Corus is activating a Youth Zone on September 24, featuring its world-class animation studio, Nelvana. Participants will have the opportunity to speak with lead animators on the art of character design, the art of location design, the magic of storyboarding, Harmony 2D animation, and Maya 3D animation.
