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The Insider: Summit Keynote Speakers

Innovation Philadelphia is excited to bring high-caliber keynote speakers to Philadelphia for the Global Creative Economy Convergence Summit. These speakers represent the cutting edge of innovation in interactive media, the creative process, and social entrepreneurship.

Innovation Philadelphia will host the 2009 Global Creative Economy Convergence Summit at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, located in the heart of Philadelphia at 1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Accommodations are available at the Summit’s official hotel, the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, conveniently located at 1200 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Registration for the two-day Summit is $225. For more information about the Summit or to register online, please visit www.GCECS2009.com.

Elizabeth Gilbert

Elizabeth Gilbert is most famous for her recent book Eat, Pray, Love (Viking, 2006) – the story of the year she spent traveling around the world in search of personal restoration after a difficult divorce. After graduating from New York University, she used money earned at a Philadelphia diner to travel, as she says, “to create experiences to write about, gather landscapes and voices.” Gilbert’s journalism over the years has been published in Harper’s Bazaar, Spin, The New York Times Magazine, and GQ. Gilbert will speak on the topic of nurturing creativity, discussing the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses and sharing the radical idea that, instead of the rare person “being” a genius, all of us “have” a genius.

Peter Shankman

An entrepreneur, author, speaker, and worldwide connector, Peter is recognized worldwide for radically new ways of thinking about Social Media, PR, marketing, advertising, creativity, and customer service. Peter is perhaps best known for founding Help A Reporter Out, (HARO), currently the largest free source repository in the world, sending out over 1,200 queries from worldwide media each week. Peter is also the founder and CEO of The Geek Factory, Inc. (www.geekfactory.com). Peter’s PR and Social Media clients have included the Snapple Beverage Group, NASA, The US Department of Defense, Walt Disney World, The Ad Council, American Express, Discovery Networks, New Frontier Media, Napster, Juno, Dream Catcher Destinations Club, and Harrah’s Hotels.

Jane McGonigal

Jane McGonigal, Director of Game Research and Development at the Institute of the Future, leads the field of game design for future forecasting and problem solving. One of Fast Company’s 100 most creative people for 2009, her projects include collaborative crowd-sourcing platforms, Superstruct and Signtific, as well as designing marketing game platforms for Microsoft and Halo 2, McDonalds’ and the 2008 Olympics. Jane McGonigal will speak on the topic of “Inventing the Future with Game Design.” She will discuss how games optimize human ability and will demonstrate how games can harness the power of collective intelligence to solve real-world problems.

Randall Kempner

Randall Kempner is Executive Director of the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), a new initiative of the world-renowned Aspen Institute. ANDE seeks to dramatically increase the amount and effectiveness of capital, technical, and business assistance for entrepreneurs in developing countries. ANDE’s founding funders and members include The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Center for Creative Leadership, Google.org, Omidyar Network, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Skoll Foundation, and McKinsey & Company. Randall Kempner will present “The Global Promise of Entrepreneurship,” highlighting the ability of entrepreneurs to find opportunities in the face of challenges and exploring ways to leverage the power of entrepreneurship throughout the globe.

For more information on the keynote speakers and to register for the Summit, please visit www.GCECS2009.com

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Innovation Spotlight: Doug Bellenger

Innovation Philadelphia spotlights regional creative industry entrepreneurs, young professionals making an impact on the Philadelphia region, or innovative initiatives that showcase the tremendous innovative and creative talent driving Philadelphia’s economy.

July’s third spotlight is on Doug Bellenger, co-founder and COO of PhindMe Mobile, a hosted mobile design solution that helps agencies, designers, brands and businesses get their content to consumers on mobile devices quickly, easily and cost effectively.

Doug graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2004 with a degree in engineering and a minor in Philosophy. He received his MBA from Drexel University in 2006. During and after school, Doug spent six years in diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, and biologics doing Package Engineering and medical device design for Fortune 500 companies. He led global teams for product development and validation and focused on process improvement and lean engineering.

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Innovation Philadelphia Goes Mobile for the
Global Creative Economy Convergence Summit

As one of the sponsors for the Summit, PhindMe Mobile (a mobile technology company providing software-as-a-service platforms based in Philadelphia) makes it possible for Summit attendees to interact with the latest in mobile technology. With PhindMe’s service, Innovation Philadelphia’s Summit mobile platform allows users to access Summit information from any mobile device, provides news and announcements in real-time, and allows users to participate in Summit discussions on the Summit blog, Twitter, or Facebook from the convenience of their mobile devices. As one of the most dynamic, fastest growing technologies, providing a mobile platform is key to both experimenting with new media and making Summit information as accessible as possible before, during, and after the Summit.

An April 2009 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project finds rising levels of Americans using the internet on a mobile handset. One-third of Americans (32%) have used a cell phone or Smartphone to access the internet for emailing, instant-messaging, or information-seeking. This level of mobile internet is up by one-third since December 2007, when 24% of Americans had ever used the internet on a mobile device. On the typical day, nearly one-fifth (19%) of Americans use the internet on a mobile device, up substantially from the 11% level recorded in December 2007. That’s a growth of 73% in the 16 month interval between surveys.

“The impact of the mobile industry is what fueled Innovation Philadelphia’s desire to maximize this new technology for the Summit,” says Alina Lucila-Osmunson, Communications Manager for Innovation Philadelphia. “This is the first time we are using mobile technology for our events and our primary goals are accessibility and speed of information,” says Lucila-Osmunson. Before the Summit, users can access the Summit website by going to m.GCECS2009.com from any mobile device. Before and during the Summit, users can receive SMS updates to the schedule or hear about breaking Summit news by texting SUMMIT09 to 77950 to join.*

To learn more about mobile technology, there will be a Summit panel discussion on Tuesday, October 6, 2009. Also, Chuck Sacco, CEO of PhindMe Mobile, will give a concise Pecha Kucha presentation (6 minutes and 40 seconds in length) entitled, “The 7th Mass Media.”

The Global Creative Economy Convergence Summit is shaping up to be an extremely exciting conference. Register today to secure your spot. Visit www.GCECS2009.com to register and enter your mobile number to receive exclusive updates.

*Maximum 12 messages per month. Txt SUMMIT09 STOP 77950 to stop, HELP to 77950 for help. Standard/Other service charges may apply. Click here for terms and support

Register for the Creative Associations
Showcase on August 19 at Thirteen

Network with your fellow creative professionals and meet representatives from regional technology-driven creative associations at Center City District SIPS, this summer’s hottest happy hour series. Participating organizations include PANMA, the Industrial Design Society Association-Philadelphia, AIGA Philadelphia, the Usability Professionals’ Association-Delaware Valley Chapter, the American Institute of Architects-Philadelphia, and PhillyCHI.

Creative Jobs. Creative Freelance. One Site.

Finding the perfect position isn't as hard as you think. Refine your search by using local niche job boards to find what is right for your career. Recent job and freelance opportunities on PhillyCreativeJobs.com are below.

FCP Editor
Media, PA

Senior Account Executive
Fort Washington, PA

Freelance Web Design
Lincoln University, PA

Third Edition of the Entrepreneurs’ Resource Guide Released!

Innovation Philadelphia formally released its third edition of the Entrepreneur’s Resource Guide. This is the Greater Philadelphia region’s most comprehensive guide, with information on organizations providing business and professional development services, networking, funding and marketing support for entrepreneurs. The Guide is available on the Innovation Philadelphia website in a searchable online format or for download for $25. The third edition contains 51 new organizations and businesses that were not in the previous edition.

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