SXSW Interactive 2012 speakers

Adam L. Penenberg is a journalism professor and assistant director of the Business and Economic Program at New York University. A contributing writer to Fast Company, he has also written for Inc., Forbes, The New York Times, Slate, Wired, Economist, Techcrunch, and Mother Jones. A former senior editor at Forbes and reporter for Forbes.com, Penenberg garnered national attention in 1998 for unmasking serial fabricator Stephen Glass of The New Republic. Penenberg's story was a watershed for online investigative journalism and is portrayed in the film "Shattered Glass" (Steve Zahn plays Penenberg). His most recent book, Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today's Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves (Hyperion, 2009), has been published in the U.S., U.K., Brazil, Japan and Korea, and will soon come out in China.

***Updated - Brandin is leading the panel "Surviving the Night: An International ARG Tell All". For more info, visit http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/idea... Brandon is a DC resident and works as UX Designer & Engineer for Free Range Studios. He has worked as an interactive and print designer for Verdeo, WebFirst, Hirshorn Zuckerman Design Group, and as a consultant for more than a decade with his company, Cluster Media. When not pursuing his love of experimental cocktails, Brandon teaches at Boston University's Center for Digital Imaging Arts and organizes events like SurviveDC and Park(ing) Day. Brandon finds inspiration in the Happenings of the 1970's, the Ant Farm Collective, the Flaming Lips parking lot experiments, and other unsolicited acts of spontaneous public creativity.

Christine Robins is the current Chief Executive Officer of BodyMedia, Inc.; a pioneer in developing and marketing wearable body monitors. BodyMedia’s devices are unparalleled in the marketplace for validated accuracy and proven outcomes to help people lead healthier lives. Prior to joining BodyMedia, Christine was the CEO of Philips Oral Healthcare where she led the global Sonicare® brand to significant sales and share growth. This experience led Chris to develop a deep understanding for the integration of professional and consumer business models. Christine also has extensive experience in a wide range of marketing and finance capacities gained during her 17 years at S.C. Johnson, where she ran notable brands such as Raid® insecticides, Glade® air fresheners, Aveeno® skin care products and Ziploc® bags. With this background rooted in global multi-national companies and an entrepreneurial zeal essential to lead a high technology upstart, Chris is passionate about developing strategy, building teams and driving innovation. A noted speaker, Christine has delivered presentations at universities such as Harvard & Duke as well as keynotes at industry shows such as CES and CTIA. She holds a degree in Marketing and Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from Marquette University.

David Rose is an award-winning entrepreneur and instructor at the MIT Media Lab. He specializes in novel interfaces which make the physical environment an interface to digital information. David founded and is CEO at Vitality, a company that reinvented medication packaging now distributed by CVS, Walgreens and Express Scripts. He founded Ambient Devices, which pioneered glanceable technology: embedding internet information in everyday objects like lamps, mirrors, and umbrellas. David holds patents for technologies in photo sharing, interactive TV, ambient information displays, and medical devices. His work has been featured at the MoMA, in the New York Times, and parodied on the Colbert Report.

Eiji Araki joined GREE in August 2005 during its start-up stage. Eiji led the development of PC based social networking services, mobile social networking services, several social game titles and Smartphone services as VP of Product. Eiji developed "Clinoppe" and "Haconiwa" which are the most successful mobile social games in Japan, played by over 10 million users. Currently he is SVP of Product, overseeing all product-related activities within GREE International – GREE’s first subsidiary located in San Francisco, CA

Gigi Peterkin has more than 15 years combined PR, communications and digital programming experience. A pharmaceutical industry veteran, she co-led the team that built and launched the AstraZeneca US Corporate Facebook page (AstraZeneca US Community Connections) and the AZ US Corporate blog (www.azhealthconnections.com), integrating these new channels with existing digital assets to create a singular digital program. This cohesive approach was recognized by Mark Senak at www.eyeonfda.com as the only one of its kind within the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to her time at AstraZeneca, Gigi spent 7 years as a communicator and graphic designer at Centocor, Inc., worked as a communications professional for what was SmithKline Beecham and ran a successful design and PR firm serving pharma and consumer clients. As Vice President Digital Health at Edelman, Gigi relies on her insider-knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry, as well as her expertise in creating digital programs and knowledge of PR to counsel health and consumer clients on building a comprehensive digital program, and integrating a complete media strategy. A regular on the speaker circuit, Gigi resides just outside of Philadelphia, Pa with her two kids and several Apple products.

Jack Buser is the Senior Director of PlayStation Digital Platforms for Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA). Jack has over 15 years of product marketing and business development experience, and acts as the business unit general manager for digital platforms, including PlayStation Network, PlayStation Suite, PlayStation Home and e-commerce. Jack is involved in all aspects of digital platform strategy including business strategy, marketing, customer experience, product planning, integration of 1st and 3rd party games, pricing, communications, media, PR, distribution and promotions. Previously, Jack served as Director of Worldwide Technology Evangelism at Dolby Laboratories. At Dolby, he drove the adoption of new audio and video technology by developing new business segments for both Games and Internet entertainment. Jack received his Bachelor of Science degree with honors in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

Leslie A. Saxon, M.D., is a Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, specializing in the ddiagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias in patients with congestive heart failure. After serving as the director of the electrophysiology laboratory and implantable device services at UC San Francisco, Dr. Saxon was recruited to serve as the Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at USC. In addition to using state-of-the-art resynchronization devices in patients with arrhythmias, such as modified pacemakers and implantable defribrillators, Dr. Saxon also collaborates with medical device companies to evaluate the latest, most innovative interventional gadgets for patients with difficult-to-treat heart failure. In 2010, Dr. Saxon formed the USC Center for Body Computing. The Center aims to accelerate the successful development of ideas and innovative products in the wireless health space through cross-disciplinary work with various USC programs in partnership with industry leaders and venture capitalists in biotechnology, telecommunications, entertainment and design. The Center collaborates with USC schools and programs including the Keck School of Medicine, Viterbi School of Engineering, School of Cinematic Arts, and the Marshall School of Business, as well as USC Stevens Institute for Innovation and the Institute for Creative Technologies. The USC Center for Body Computing is the most comprehensive center for wireless health in academia. Dr. Saxon also hosts an annual Body Computing Conference which brings together leading authors and futurists as well as leaders from the fields of medicine, design, entertainment, the FDA, investment banking, and pharmaceuticals for a day of intense discussions about the nascent but exciting field of wireless physiologic monitoring. Dr. Saxon has completed over 90 publications in various medical journals and is an active member of a multitude of organizations, including the American College of Cardiology, the Heart Rhythm Society, The American Heart Association, and the Heart Failure Society of America. On Twitter @DrLeslieSaxon

CompSci masters student, consultant & developer in all things web, organizer of street games, entrepreneur.
Most recently founder of a online journalism project that rethinks how long-form developing news can be presented: lflux.org Will help run Journey to the End of the Night: Austin on March 10: totheendofthenight.com

Matthew Armstrong is a Director and Lead Designer at Gearbox Software. He began his career in the industry doing multi-player level and game design. Matthew joined Gearbox in 1999 and has become a senior designer at the company. In addition to direction, Matthew developed the concept for Borderlands, was lead designer and personally designed and implemented every gun in the game. Matthew was a design lead on Halo: Combat Evolved on PC, design lead on Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, and Director and Lead Designer on Borderlands for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.

Michael is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Ayogo Games Inc., and is dedicated to the idea that playing is one of the most productive things we can do. He’s been an entrepreneur and innovator on the Web for over 15 years, and the games he has developed have been played by millions on computers and Smartphones all over the world. This year, Michael has been invited to speak on game design at SXSW, Vancouver’s F5 Expo, Games and Health – Vid Week, Banff Television Festival and NextMedia in Toronto, and has been featured by the Vancouver Sun, Fast Company, MIT Technology Review, CBC, and the Globe and Mail. Michael lives in Vancouver with his beautiful wife and four amazing children.

I am a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia studying Human-Computer Interaction as it pertains to Health. I am enrolled in Electrical and Computer Engineering. For my PhD, I am designing an online social network, VivoSpace, to promote positive health behaviour change. I am a Professional Engineer registered in the province of British Columbia (BC). I am also a Quality Leader at the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council.

Sam is a game designer from San Francisco. His games focus on blending real-world and game-world interactions, using urban landscapes as playgrounds, and creating opportunities for play in everyday situations.

Sean W. Mahan is a game designer and software engineer living and working in San Francisco, CA. His games–including SFZero, Journey to the End of the Night, and Pheon–have been played in esteemed museums and back alleys across the world since 2004. Featured in Wired, AdBusters, the Wall Street Journal, and Rhizome, his work engenders a collision of real-world exploration and online community. He is currently helping to build the future of collaboration in the AEC industry at Knowledge Architecture.

Hi! I manage the user research department at Gearbox Software. I've been in the video game industry for almost 5 years and have worked on Borderlands, Aliens and Brothers in Arms. I started in QA, but my fascination for how people play games got me interested in user research.
Our department works closely with the development teams across all our projects to ensure that they get the usability and focus testing they need.