2016 NY Comic Con Grows Beyond Javits Center

Details

Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Thursday, 01 September 2016 15:57

Written by Renzo Adler & Brad Balfour

From its humble beginnings sharing space with the NY Times Travel Show to becoming practically a week long event throughout the city, the New York Comic Con (NYCC) running October 6 - 9 at the Jacob Javits Center. The annual event has become even more colossal over the years, bringing in some great comics guests, including:

• Amanda Conner
• Art Adams
• Bill Sienkiewicz
• Geof Darrow
• Jill Thompson
• Marjorie Liu
• Jim Mahfood
• Ryan North
• Yusei Matsui
• Walter Simonson

Crowds have become so intense and lines for panels so huge, that NYCC is extending beyond just the Javits Center. Several panels and screenings are now offsite at the Hammerstein Ballroom (311 West 34th Street). These events include a preview of Nickelodeon’s upcoming TV movie, Legends of the Hidden Temple, loosely based around the 90s game show, and a preview for the upcoming season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Fox’s upcoming Exorcist tv series, CBS’ Elementary, and Starz’ Ash Vs. The Evil Dead. The Theater at Madison Square Garden (4 Pennsylvania Plaza) will host BBC panels focusing on Doctor Who and the world premiere of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, as well as panels for AMC’s Walking Dead. At the same time as NYCC, there will also be a mini-convention running called Book Con at  Hudson Mercantile (500 West 36th Street) with a bent towards literary, sci-fi, and YA authors.

For more information, go to: http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/

New York Comic Con
October 6 - 9, 2016

Jacob Javits Center
655 W 34th St.
New York, NY 10001

LDV Vision Summit 2016: Innovation & Trends in Video & Digital Imaging

Details

Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Tuesday, 17 May 2016 15:03

Written by John Matthews

The LDV Vision Summit, running May 24th and 25th at the SVA Theatre (333 West 23rd St, New York, NY), will examine the future of digital imaging. Organized by Evan Nisselson of LDV Capital, the summit brings together top technologists, visionaries, startups, media/brand executives and investors to explore how imaging and video technologies will empower or disrupt businesses and society now and in the future. Computational photography, computer vision and other technologists and thought leaders will be rubbing shoulders and exchanging ideas and insights with content creators, photographers, and investors all of who are working in the emerging visual technology eco-system.

While digital photography and video is not new in fact the creator of the show was one of the first photo editors on the Internet in 1995, there is a quickening of pace and convergence of technologies and creators taking place that is transforming the digital or what can also be called computational photography and computation video landscape. Of course currently virtual reality is gaining a lot of public, press, and investor interest, and will form one of the central themes of this year LDV Vision Summit. A play on words about the envisioning the future of computer vision as it applies to new creative and content possibilities.

Huge numbers of images and photos are created and shared everyday and many of us are aware of the impact of photo and video sharing. However, few of us are aware of perhaps even care about the computational work that takes place in the background that enables beautiful images and video possible. This year will see further innovations such as the Light camera that harnesses multiple smartphone lens and computational solutions blurring the lines between conventional digital photography and small form factor pocketable digital photography and video with the power of DSLR devices.

The first day of the LDV Vision Summit is a technology deep dive featuring the technologists talking about what is just around the corner and in some cases just around two or three corners in the future of pocketable small form factor photography and video, and computational photography and video. Topics being covered include Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning, Augmented Reality, and all topics related to Visual Content. We will hear about possibilities, challenges and be offered glimpses of the future including new emerging vision markets like virtual reality and augmented reality. The second day we’ll be getting down to business and also talking product for commercial content creators and distributors, technology platforms, and the investment opportunities. The second day features talks about the revenue opportunities and avoiding being disrupted by old and new competitors. Among the topics being discussed will be the future of cameras, visual analytics, advanced advertising, distribution and publishing.

The LDV Vision Summit also rewards both the technology and business innovators with its awards that take place on each day, on the first day awarding technology innovation in computer vision, and day two awarding business innovation.

During the two days of a conference just three years old, attendees will hear presentations and panels with speakers from household technology names like Facebook, Apple, Google, GoPro, Microsoft, Samsung, Yahoo/Flickr and others, content businesses like NBC Universal, Mark Burnett Content Studio, Hearst, Refinery 29 and innovators like Magic Leap, JauntVR, OlaPic, Lytro, and investors like First Round Capital, Spark Capital, Greylock Partners, Pereg Ventures, and Rothenberg Ventures.

Evan Nisselson who created the Vision Summit conference is a serial entrepreneur, digital media expert, and professional photographer since the early 1990s. Evan is professional photographer who was an early convert to digital photography and the potential of smartphones as small footprint digital photographic devices.

Those who should attend the Vision Summit are:

• Technology executives evaluating imaging and video companies for partnerships & acquisitions
• Media and brand executives interested in boosting revenue by leveraging new imaging and video products and technologies
• Investors: Visual technologies & businesses deliver tremendous upside - don't miss the next Instagram, Youtube, Oculus, Snapchat...
• Imaging and video startups interested in meeting investors, customers, recruiting and potential partners
• Creatives: Photographers, Videographers and anyone creating content
• Computer Vision & Artificial Intelligence experts and professionals

To learn more, go to: http://www.ldv.co/visionsummit/

LDV Vision Summit
May 24 - 25, 2016

SVA Theatre
333 W. 23rd St.
New York, NY

Indiecade East 2016 Takes Games In New Directions

Details

Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Thursday, 28 April 2016 20:48

Written by Renzo Adler

Now in its fourth year, Indiecade East (April 29 - May 1, 2016) returns to the Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35th Ave, New York, NY), to celebrate and explore the possibilities of video games. Newcomer devs and industry names alike will be attending this festival. The keynote, VR Games: What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why, conducted by Richard Marks of Sony Interactive Entertainment, explores the great potential virtual reality headsets have for video games, but also how developers will have to go back to the drawing board for many aspects of game making.

Panels and workshops tackle a wide range of subject matter from analysis of how characters die in games, how to program games using Unity, how games can be more inclusive and how the New York Public Library is looking to promote “gaming literacy” and how schools and libraries can utilize games to create a new type of learning environment.

Indiecade is not just where people come to discuss games though, it is also where you can see games that embrace and defy traditions and excite audiences. Disc Jockey Jockey has players juggling music and DJ’s making sure one fades out into the other at the correct time in order avoid dead air (payolla bribes not included). Crank Tank makes teams of two cooperate to move their tanks with specially designed controllers that are, you guessed it, giant cranks. MASK is a project that aims to take the sleek utilitarian design of phone based VR headsets, and convert them into wearable art installations that explore the nature of identity and interaction. The vector graphics of Asteroids and Tempest return in Vec9, the first new vector based arcade game to be released in 30 years, which puts players in control of a Soviet jet with controls and components from actual military hardware(!). But this is only a small sampling of the genre defying and embracing games available to try out at the show.

Indiecade is a great event that looks back at where games have come from, ahead to the future, and completely off the beaten track to find new ideas.

To learn more, go to: http://www.indiecade.com/east2016

Indiecade East
April 29 - May 1, 2016

Museum of the Moving Image
36-01 35th Ave.
New York, NY 11106