TEDxBroadway Finalizes Its Roster of Speakers

The lineup of speakers has been finalized for the fourth annual TEDxBroadway conference, to be held at New World Stages on Monday, February 23, beginning at 11am.

Co-organized by Damian Bazadona, founder of Situation Interactive, and Jim McCarthy, CEO of Goldstar, the event brings together members from every corner of the Broadway community, as well as contributors to its surrounding environment. Together, these players shape the "ecosystem" in which creatives deliver and consumers enjoy the Broadway experience.

Artists slated to speak at the conference include Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar (Disgraced); Benjamin Scheuer, creator and star of The Lion; Kevin Lyman, creator and producer of the Vans Warped Tour; actor Osh Ghanimah, founder and CEO of the New York City nonprofit Broadway for All; Broadway performer Daniel J. Watts (After Midnight, Motown); Broadway set designer Kacie Hultgren (Disgraced; The Country House); and Tony-nominated songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (A Christmas Story).

In addition to its artistic contributors, the event will give the stage to a variety of experts who will discuss the ancillary impacts that their fields have on the Broadway community. Speakers will include Columbia University professor and atmospheric scientist Adam Sobel; Leslie Koch, president of the Trust for Governors Island, which is responsible for its redevelopment; Ben Wellington, computer scientist, data analyst, and founder of the blog, I Quant NY; Sree Sreenivasan, chief digital officer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Laurie Santos, associate professor of psychology at Yale University; Kirsten Sabia, vice president of marketing services for the PGA TOUR; Elliott Masie, international expert in the fields of learning, workforce development, and big data, as well as a Broadway producer; and Emily Simoness, founder and executive director of the nonprofit artist residency program, SPACE on Ryder Farm. Social media expert, @BroadwayGirlNYC, who runs one of the most followed theater accounts on Twitter, will also speak at the conference.

"We're incredibly excited to put on this event again," said Bazadona. "It's inspiring to be embraced by the community, our sponsors, the speakers who do so much to prepare and the audience who have made this a sold out event since we started in 2012. They all truly understand the positive spirit of the day and are a vital part of making Broadway the best it can be."

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