Portable’s Curators Conference

Following the announcement of Portable’s Curators Conference 2012 in New York City, Portable is proud to present the Australian edition in Melbourne this October. This one day event will be presented as an intimate and open conversation featuring pioneering Australian and international influencers from across film, fashion, design, publishing and more.

This insightful conference will bring together business and creative professionals who aspire to engage ideas at the forefront of their industry. Speakers will explore the cultural and business landscape, discuss their professional approach to idea generation and of their own personal inspirations.

Super early bird tickets are on sale now. This event is strictly limited so book early to avoid disappointment.

Melbourne. Tuesday October 2
Fitzroy Town Hall

Speakers (in alphabetical order)

Jonathan Barouch
Entrepreneur

From humble entrepreneurial beginnings that saw him skipping class to sell lollipops in the schoolyard, Jonathan Barouch went on to found Australia’s first online business. Since setting up Fast Flowers in 1999, Jonathan has become one of Australia’s leading pioneers in the wave of next-generation businesses.

His most recent project, Roamz, is a location based service that leverages social content to allow users to view what’s happening around them in real time. Founded in 2011, it has also received funding from Salmat and was named as one of the top startups to watch in 2012 by BRW magazine. When it comes to identifying market needs and addressing them in fresh and relevant ways, no-one’s voice is more important Jonathan’s.
Twitter: @jbarouch

Suzanne Boccalatte
Designer

Suzanne Boccalatte is a serial creative. A designer, communicator, artist, thinker, writer and social innovator, Suzanne has run communications studio,Boccalatte, since 1990. Focusing on visual communications, publishing and new media, she has attracted clients from some of the leading cultural and social institutions across Australia.

As an artist, her work sits in The National Gallery of Australia and she has exhibited in Sculpture by the Sea. Suzanne is co-editor of ‘Trunk’, a conceptual and collaborating journals which integrates contributions from artists, designers and writers from around the world.
Twitter: @boccalatte

Kirby Ferguson
Writer, Filmmaker, Documentarian

Kirby is part of a new breed of creatives using the internet to execute entire projects. Based in New York, the works by this writer, filmmaker and documentarian have amassed in excess of 5 million views online.  Kirby’s approach to creativity is helping to shape how we relate to, learn from and share content in the digital era, but also questions what this means for the work of previous cultural groundbreakers such as Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin and Thomas Edison.

Fresh from presenting his groundbreaking work Everything Is A Remix at the internationally acclaimed TEDGlobal 2012 in Edinburgh, Kirby is heading to Australia to discuss his unique take on contemporary culture and filmmaking.

Everything Is A Remix explores the history and evolution of the remix culture in modern life.  The series has been a catalyst for Kirby to discuss the nature of creativity by breaking down ideas of originality; exploring artistic, technological and business forms.  He considers how this culture enriches society, and explores its influence on the future of content creation.

With a publishing and video production background and an interest in political commentary, Kirby has recently launched his new project This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory through Kickstarter. After successfully going beyond his funding goal of $48,000, this project will launch to coincide with the United States presidential election.
twitter: @remixeverything

Benjamin Law
Writer

Hailing from the Sunshine Coast, Benjamin Law is one of Australia’s most exciting young voices. He is a prolific freelance writer, long-time senior contributor to frankie, and his words frequently appear on the pages of The Monthly, Q Weekend and Good Weekend. His first novel The Family Law was published in 2010 and shortlisted for Book of the Year at the Australian Book Industry Awards, with his second book Gaysia due for release in September.

As a non-fiction writer, his first-person storytelling reveals his openness, humour and charm. With race and sexuality informing much of his work, Benjamin has written for over 50 Australian and international publications. He has also appeared on ABC’s Q&A and Randling, sharing the personal opinions and anecdotes that have made him a beloved voice on the Twittersphere.
Twitter: @mrbenjaminlaw

Brian Ritchie
Curator – MONAFOMA
Co-founder and Bass player – Violent Femmes. Cultural Guru.

Brian Ritchie’s introduction to the 2012 MONA FOMA (Museum of Modern Art Festival of Music and Art, or MoFo for short) speaks volumes about his approach to curation. “Once again we have things that are, aren’t, shouldn’t be, resemble, dismantle, deconstruct and celebrate music”.

Having been the curator of MoFo since 2009, Ritchie’s career until now has been as textured and coloured as they come. Hailing from Milwaukee, he was a founding member of Violent Femmes, a band that is cemented in the American folk punk history, and has crowned Brian as rock n’ roll royalty. He is also a master and teacher of the Japanese bamboo flute, shakuhachi and can often be found playing it at his tea house in Hobart.

Brian is “musically omnivorous” by his own admission, and his curatorial style reflects this. Allowing people to draw their own conclusions, he often aims to provoke and inspire conversation and debate with his curatorial decisions.

His now home, Opossum Bay in Tasmania is a far cry from the spotlight of being one of the world’s most well known musicians, but it is here that Brian is still making waves in the Australian cultural landscape.
Twitter: @tairaku

Nick Shelton
Publisher & Editorial Director, Broadsheet

With a passion for intelligent and insightful writing, Nick Shelton has started something special inBroadsheet. As the owner, publisher and editorial director, Nick’s Broadsheet delivers Melbournites, Sydneysiders and those who visit the cities a beautifully curated, thoughtful package that goes beyond the cliches of your typical ‘what’s on’ publication.

Launching online then growing to producing a printed publication, Broadsheet is relatively new on the scene, but a mainstay in the market. With an analytic approach, a keen eye for design and a huge amount of pride in everything that goes out, Nick Shelton is an exciting voice in the publishing space where food, entertainment and culture is concerned.
Twitter: @broadsheet_melb

Kate Vale
General Manager, Spotify, AU/NZ

Since joining Spotify in November 2011, Kate Vale launched the world’s largest music subscription service to the Australian & New Zealand market and hasn’t looked back.

With an enviable CV that boasts building Google’s revenue from zero to become the largest digital business in Australia, Kate has a highly distinguished digital career spanning 14 years. Digital and entertainment have been a cornerstone in Kate’s career, and an internal role change in 2009 saw Kate build the YouTube team in Australia from scratch to successfully launch it nationally.

Kate’s work with Spotify — the new worldwide standard for music streaming and sharing — encompasses all elements of the business, and has seen the platform become an integral part in the life of every music fan.
Twitter: @kvaley

…with more to be announced

BOOK  SUPER EARLY BIRD TICKETS NOW

For group bookings, media enquiries and sponsorship opportunities, please contact maddie@portable.tv on +61 2 8212 4547.

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