Keynote Speakers 11th Annual SEA Conference
Meet some of the artist-entrepreneurs scheduled to speak at SEA in 2011.
JOHN THOMPSON EMI CMG Music Publishing, Creative Director
John J. Thompson has been causing trouble in the fringes of the alternative music underground since the mid 80s. At the age of 19, Thompson founded True Tunes Etc, in Wheaton Illinois. Claimed by some to be the first honest-to-goodness record store it became ground zero for emerging faith-fueled modern music and eventually led to the launching of an internationally distributed magazine, mail-order company, and concert venue. During the three years of operation, performances included Sixpence None The Richer, Jars of Clay, and many others. In 2000, Thompson left True Tunes to take the position of Marketing Coordinator for CornerstoneFestival.com and remains involved with them to this day. Along the route, Thompson built a solid reputation as a music critic and feature writer including a full-length book, Raised By Wolves; The Story of Christian Rock and Roll. In 2007, John became the Creative Director of EMI CMG Music Publishing. In this capacity he oversees Film and Television placements of songs published by EMI, as well as artist development, print music and archives. He also continues to oversee Gyroscope Arts, through which he executive produced a special Keith Green project, wrote historical liner notes for Phil Keaggy, and several articles for Christianity Today.
Keynote Presentation: TBD
Friday Opening Session: 1 PM
GIGI ROSENBERG Author and Presentation Coach
Gigi Rosenberg is an author and presentation coach. She writes about motherhood, Jewish Italy, and the writing life and her essays and articles have been published by Seal Press, The Oregonian, Oregon Humanities Magazine, Parenting, and Writer’s Digest. Her book, The Artist’s Guide to Grant Writing, is hot off the press from Random House in December 2010. As a presentation coach, Gigi draws on her background in theater and communications to teach artist entrepreneurs and business people how to make stellar public presentations. www.gigirosenberg.com.
Keynote Presentation: Don’t Go Solo: Enlist a village to launch and complete your next project
Friday Dinner Session (Both seatings)
For her upcoming book, Gigi Rosenberg harnessed the power of a team – dozens of people – to help with every aspect of its writing and ultimate sale to Random House. In this inspiring keynote, discover how to utilize the power of teams to launch and promote your own projects. Learn practical tips for how to find potential team members, ask for the help you need, avoid pitfalls, and create a team in which everyone benefits. Teamwork had the power to propel this writer faster and further than she could have gone on her own. Learn by Gigi’s example how it can help ignite your brilliant career.
GENEVIEVE THIERS AND DAN RATNER OperaModa and Sittercity.com, Founders
Genevieve Theirs and Dan Ratner are a serial couple-preneur, and the founders of Sittercity.com, which they ran for nine years, and of the
Chicago-based OperaModa opera company, which they have run for five years. Their third company launched in October 2010. They have appeared on Ellen, The View, TODAY Show, CBS Early Show, CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX, and print publications like Better Homes and Gardens and Woman’s Day. They write a weekly column about their entrepreneurial exploits for Crain’s Chicago Business. Dan is also the co-author of two non-fiction books on nanotechnology and a board member of Open Books and Fulcrum Point New Music Project, and Genevieve is a trained opera singer and the author of the book Love at First Sit.
Keynote Presentation: Building for Longevity
Saturday Closing Session: 3:10 PM
Have you ever wondered what it takes to create and sustain long-term businesses in both the web world and the arts? Serial couple-preneur Genevieve Theirs and Dan Ratner can tell you! From finding disruptive models to building a revenue plan to differentiating your brand, Thiers and Ratner
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