ADVISORY: MPAA, Microsoft and ABC News Convene Leaders at the 3rd Annual Creativity Conference
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2015
MPAA, Microsoft and ABC News Convene Leaders from Government, Entertainment and Technology at the 3rd Annual Creativity Conference
Speakers include House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Fox Searchlight Pictures President Nancy Utley and leading television and filmmakers, technologists and government officials
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This Friday, April 24th, leading TV and filmmakers, technologists and government officials will engage at the third annual Creativity Conference in a meaningful dialogue about the role of creativity in spurring economic opportunity and how to best support American innovation and innovators. The Conference will take place at The Newseum from 9:15am-1:00pm and can be livestreamed on TheCreativityConference.com
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA), in partnership with Microsoft and ABC News, will host the Creativity Conference on the eve of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Discussions will focus on how to support creativity and the impact of technological advancement across cultural and economic sectors.
“Creativity and innovation are a bedrock of the American economy and perhaps nowhere is that more apparent than in our industry, where cutting-edge thinking shapes both the stories we tell and how we tell them,” said Senator Chris Dodd, MPAA Chairman and CEO. “The third annual Creativity Conference will bring together leaders from across sectors to discuss how creativity has shaped their work and what they see as the next big developments on the horizon.”
“Creativity and innovation are key drivers of America’s national competitiveness and continued economic growth,” said Fred Humphries, Vice President of U.S. Government Affairs at Microsoft. “With four percent of the U.S. GDP from creative industries and approximately 7.1 percent of the U.S. economy from the tech industry, it’s important to foster cross-sector dialogues on how to increase innovation and spur continued advancement in these critical fields.”
Tom Cibrowski, Senior Vice President of ABC News Programs, News Gathering and Special Events, stated, “Creativity is critical to our day-to-day operations and future success in keeping our audience captivated and informed, while producing the best journalism. This value is the foundation of everything we create, shoot, write and edit for all television, radio, digital and social platforms. We’re honored to partner on this conference once again to share ideas and brainstorm as we all set our sights on what’s next in our transforming world.”
The full list of speakers includes:
- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA-12)
- U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5), House Republican Conference Chair
- U.S. Representative Karen Bass (CA-37)
- U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (CT-3)
- Evan Ryan, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
- Sidhant Gupta, Researcher, Microsoft
- Barbara Hall, Creator & Executive Producer, “Madam Secretary”
- Harley Jessup, Production Designer, Pixar Animation Studios
- Howard Lukk, Indie Filmmaker
- Lori McCreary, Executive Producer, “Madam Secretary,” and President, Producers Guild of America
- Nancy Utley, President, Fox Searchlight Pictures
The stage program will also include a small Unmanned Aircraft System technology demonstration by Aerial MOB, one of the first sUAS companies to be granted an exemption by the Federal Aviation Administration that provides them the ability to film on sets for U.S. motion picture and television productions.
In addition to the speaking program, the reception will include: Microsoft technology demonstrations; a special appearance by Snoopy, star of the long awaited “Peanuts Movie” from Twentieth Century Fox, Blue Sky Studios and the imagination of Charles Schulz; Samsung Gear VR “Wild” experience; and an interactive James Bond photo booth.
Additional information on the event can be found at TheCreativityConference.com or on Twitter at @Creativity_Con and #CreativityCon.
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About the MPAA
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries from its offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Its members are: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLC; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
About ABC News
More people get their news from ABC News than from any other source. ABC News is responsible for all of the ABC Television Network’s news programming on a variety of platforms: television, radio, and the Internet. ABC News reaches a combined audience of well over 270 million people a month on television, on radio and online. Over 1,000 affiliate stations broadcast ABC News Radio’s global news coverage. NewsOne, the affiliate news service of ABC News, provides live and packaged news, sports, and weather reports, as well as footage of news events, to 200 ABC affiliates and more than 30 domestic and international clients.
Media Contacts
Sarah Pollack
(646) 863-2035
Sarah@minassianmedia.com
Anna Soellner
(202) 293-1966
Anna_Soellner@motionpictures.org
Christina Pearson
(202) 263-5911
Christina.Pearson@microsoft.com
Van Scott Jr.
Publicity Director, ABC News
(212) 456-7243