NXTLVL Experience Design

About Nichol Bradford :Nichol’s Profile: linkedin.com/in/nicholbradfordWebsites:finderscourse.com  (Company Website)mskincorporated.com  (Book Website)transtechlab.org  (Company Website)Phone: 415-413-6521 (Work)Email: nichol.bradford@gmail.comTwitter: Nichol_BradfordTitle: Executive Director and co-founder of the Transformative Technology Lab, ConferenceBio: My purpose is to weave wellbeing, technology and science into new ground and practical possibilities for all of us. My mission is to empower humans to grow and expand by creating or curating new visions, opportunities, and tech enabled tools for all. I do this by investing in founders who build wellbeing tech through a global non-profit.I co-founded and built Transformative Tech.org, a global ecosystem dedicated to educating, gathering, and activating wellbeing tech founders, investors, and innovators. Today, we have members in 72 countries and 450 cities and our tentpole events online or in person attract 1K+ attendees. We help founders leveraging exponential tech for mental and emotional wellbeing, social and emotional wellness, and human potential and performance find feedback, funding, and friends. We help investors find the best wellbeing tech founders and companies. I help corporate innovators understand and apply these powerful tools.Prior to Transformative Tech, I served as senior interactive entertainment executive with responsibility for strategy, operations and marketing for major brands that include: Activision Blizzard, Disney, and Vivendi. Highlights included operating World of Warcraft and all of Blizzard Entertainment’s properties in China as well as holding a key role on the Vivendi Games team responsible for the Activision-Blizzard merger -- an $18B deal and an industry defining event. I believe these worlds will merge and one day games will become powerful tools of human transformation -- and I am working towards this goal today.I speak extensively on Human Transformation, Transformative Tech, the Future of Health, Work, and Human Excellence, and Flourishing Cities. I am a lecturer at Stanford University, have an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, and attended Singularity University’s Global Solutions program. I am a novelist and have written The Sisterhood, a work of transformative Afro-futuristic fiction. Outside of work, my two favorite activities are meditation and combat sports.Episode Intro:When I was growing up, watching Star Trek was a weekly happening with my brothers and father. From the early years of campy sci-fi tech to all of the years and iterations afterwards, Star Trek kept my believing in the power of technology and the opportunity, should we choose to embrace it, ‘to boldly go where no man has gone before.’I love science fiction, and today science and technology is less fiction than a reality that is fundamentally shaping our human experience. What we can do today, what we have come to understand about our selves and the universe in the past decade, has been on an exponential growth curve that is reaching a near vertical trajectory. Equally, I see the inherent challenges with humans who are not particularly well adapted to meet the circumstances of exponential rates of change. Our biology and neurophysiology weren’t made for the change of pressure we are now under. This has consequences on us personally and as a global community.I’ve taken Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction courses, I meditate, create art to get into a flow space and have done emergency shavasana’s from time to time. And, I’ve used technology to help me along the way to transform.Nichol Bradford Nichol Bradford is also fascinated by human potential and technology. She is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Transformative Technology Lab. Prior to becoming a leader in Transformative Technology, Bradford was a senior executive in video games with responsibility for strategy, operations and marketing for major brands including operating World of Warcraft China.Nichol is a graduate of Singularity University GSP15, has an MBA from Wharton School of Business in Strategy, and a BBA in Marketing from the University of Houston. She speaks regularly on Transformation, Exponential Technology, and Culture at conferences like Singularity University’s Global Summit, Exponential Medicine, Katapult Future Fest, Wisdom 2.0 and more.I’ve invite Nichol to NXTLVL to share her extraordinary, and exponential, trajectory through the world of technology to now be one of the leaders in the industry. Someone who believes that “There is no nobler use of technology than to bring peace to the minds of mankind…”And...With that I welcome Nichol Bradford... About David Kepron: linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582bWebsites: https://www.davidkepron.com  (personal website)vmsd.com/taxonomy/term/8645  (Blog)Email: david.kepron@NXTLVLexperiencedesign.comTwitter: DavidKepron  The next level experience design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.

About Tim Kobe :Tim’s LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/timkobeWebsite: eightinc.com  (Company Website)Phone: 1 415 8501828 (Mobile)Email: kobe@eightinc.comTwitter: TimKobeBio: Sometimes called “Apple’s best kept secret” Eight Inc. is one of the most progressive design firms working today. 8 is helping to transform organizations to be relevant in the worlds most highly competitive environments by looking at the design factors that drive successful human interactions. Tim Kobe is a design leader, Founder and CEO of Eight Inc. Eight Inc. employs leading designers and strategists working across 11 offices including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, London, New York, San Francisco, Honolulu, Tokyo, Istanbul, Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore. 8 has received international design awards and has been published in Asia, Europe, and the United States.Tim Kobe has lectured at the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena; California College of Arts and Crafts, San Francisco; San Francisco Academy of Art; and at IDSA Awards Presentation, 1997. He has lectured on behalf of the US State Department focused on sustainability and architecture in Bangkok and Los Angeles. He has lectured at the prestigious Picnic in Amsterdam, an annual design conference merging business and technology and continues speaking internationally on a variety of design subjects. In 2005 Kobe became a trustee at Art Center College of Design and currently serving as Chairman of the Academic Affairs Committee. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Grabhorn Institute in San Francisco California.In 2006 Kobe received the top award for the professional competition “High Density on the High Ground.” sponsored by McGraw-Hill Companies’ Architectural Record magazine and Tulane University School of Architecture. 8 was selected to represent the United States at the Architecture Bienniale in Venice Italy and participated in a worldwide traveling exhibition on the project.Ongoing consulting relationships with leaders in business and innovation:Apple, ANZ Bank, Citibank, Coach, Herman Miller, HP, Hyatt, Nissan, Nokia, Nike, Virgin Atlantic AirwaysEpisode Intro:I remember standing on 5thAvenue in New York and looking at a glass cube.This was a portal into a new world. While Apple stores had been around for a few years, this was the big splash that quickly became on of the most photographed of New York’s landmarks. Apple stores shifted the retail world on its access. No longer would a shopping journey be defined by SKU count – how many units you could cram on the floor - but how the experience connected you to the magic of a brand in truly innovative way. It elevated the product to fine art or fine jewelry, which was probably appropriate since is was competing for attention with some of the most recognized retailers on the planet, like Tiffany, just a block away.That paradigm shift in retail store design was born our of a white paper on why Apple should have its own stores after entering the personal computer market and bringing their products to consumers through third party sellers. After designing MacWorld events for Steve Jobs and Apple some years before, Tim Kobe and his Architecture and Design firm Eight Inc. was challenged with the task of creating the first Apple stores. They have held that relationship for the last 20+ years.Sometimes called “Apple’s best kept secret” Eight Inc. is one of the most progressive design firms working today. 8 is helping to transform organizations to be relevant in the worlds most highly competitive environments by looking at the design factors that drive successful human interactions. Tim Kobe is a design leader, Founder and CEO of Eight Inc. Eight Inc. employs leading designers and strategists working across 11 offices including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, London, New York, San Francisco, Honolulu, Tokyo, Istanbul, Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore. Among other honors and awards, 8 was selected to represent the United States at the 2006 Architecture Bienniale in Venice Italy and participated in a worldwide traveling exhibition on the project.Now, Apple would be a pretty great client to have on the resume, but Tim Kobe has work with a list of major internationally recognized brands including Citibank, Coach, Herman Miller, HP, Westin, Hyatt, Nissan, Nokia, Nike and Virgin Atlantic Airways.Tim has just published a new book in collaboration with Roger Lehman, a psychoanalyst and senior lecture at the MIT Sloane School of Management, called “Return on Experience”.And, I am excited to talk with Tim since he really exemplifies, in one guy, all of the categories in the “DATA” acronym for NXTLVL including Design, Architecture, Technology and the Arts.Welcome Tim, About David Kepron: linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582bWebsites: https://www.davidkepron.com  (personal website)vmsd.com/taxonomy/term/8645  (Blog)Email: david.kepron@NXTLVLexperiencedesign.comTwitter: DavidKepron The next level experience design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.

About Melissa Gonzalez:LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/melissagonzalezlionesqueWebsites:lionesquegroup.com  (Company Website) melissagonzalez.com  (Personal Website)Email: mg@lionesquegroup.comTwitter:MelsStylesLionesqueGroupBio: Melissa Gonzalez is a successful American entrepreneur, author and founder of The Lionesque Group, an award-winning creative strategy firm, and Clark, an interactive platform which empowers consumers to connect with digital and physical brand experiences. She draws on her success as a former Wall Street Executive, advising high-level entrepreneurs on how to grow their businesses by leading with innovation and creativity.Additionally, she shares her unique business insights in inspirational keynotes leaving audiences enlightened and energized.Building bespoke brand experiences, Melissa advises businesses on how to build custom brand experiences, converting customers to clients and creating a better brand experience for their target audience. Based on her career as a creative strategist, entrepreneur and CEO, Melissa knows the nuances of building a successful business and growing it.According to Melissa, a better brand begins with strategy. She helps businesses tell their most compelling stories through immersive experiences that both engage and elevate their brands and customers. Melissa is an award-winning innovator and a seasoned visionary. In 2016, she was awarded Design:Retail’s 40 under 40, an award for the retail design industry’s top young professionals and up-and-coming future leaders. In addition, she was awarded the Innovator of the Year for pop-up retail experiences by Retail Touchpoints in 2015. Finally, she was honored with the CLIO Image Award for experiential engagement in 2014, and she was a finalist for the New York Design Award for marketing and branded experiences.In 2019, The Lionesque Group was one of the finalists in One Show Awards for Experiential Design and Indoor Spaces. Additionally, it was shortlisted in The Glossy Awards for Best Pop-Up/New Concept Store in 2018. The Lionesque Group is a firm consisting of award-winning retail strategists and pop up architects™ who have produced and strategized over 150 brick-and-motar experiences in the United States’ larger cities since 2009. Clark is an interactive platform that empowers customers to connect their in-store and online shopping experiences using digital wireless personal shopping keys. Clark creates seamless shopping by making it possible for customers to review and purchase products they discovered in-store. Melissa Gonzalez has worked with major brands and clients counting Amazon, Estee Lauder, YUM brands, COTY, Intel and others such as property groups, including Steiner & Associates and GGP Properties (now Brookfield).Episode Intro:Back in the early 2000s the world of digital online shopping was beginning to emerge and the.com craze was all around us. Retailers were exploring new avenues into connecting with their customers including online shopping, outlet stores and looking to merge the world of digital and physical retailing. New formats like pop-up shops were emerging into the market and I remember fashion designers like Isaac Mizrahi, who had a connection with Target, created one of the first pop-up stores in the Hamptons that set this idea on a path that continues to grow today as a viable way to bring clients new experiences. Pop shops are great because they allow for experimentation, exploring new formats and creating great marketing buzz, they are emotionally connected to FOMO  - the Fear Of Missing Out, and shown to increase both in store and online sales, and more than ever they’re short lifespan seems to perfectly aligned with an emerging market of consumers for whom ephemeral experiences seem to be part of their every day expectations about connecting to Brands.While all this was going on in 2009 a Wall Street executive decides to take on some more creative endeavors and launch a company that focuses on the development of pop-up shops. Melissa Gonzalez describes his departure from her role as the Vice President of Equity Sales at Merriman Capital as “a good accident.” Didn’t that has allowed her to grow an extremely successful company working with multiple international high-powered brands creating experience moments to engage guests.Melissa Gonzalez, is now the founder and CEO of the Lion’esque Group an award-winning creative strategy firm, and Clark, an interactive platform which empowers consumers to connect with digital and physical brand experiences. She is also a successful author and public speaker.Melissa has won a number of awards including Design:Retail’s 40 under 40 in 2016. In addition, she was awarded the Innovator of the Year for pop-up retail experiences by Retail Touchpoints in 2015. Finally, she was honored with the CLIO Image Award for experiential engagement and she was a finalist for the New York Design Award for marketing and branded experiences.Speaking on topics such as the future of retail strategy and living in a phygital world, she presents the latest trends impacting the future and thought-provoking ideas on how to integrate the digital landscape with physical improvements. She is looking at today’s consumers and how they affect the market. About David Kepron:linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582bWebsites:retail-r-evolution.com  (Company Website)vmsd.com/taxonomy/term/8645  (Blog)Email:david.kepron@retail-r-evolution.comTwitter:DavidKepron The next level experience design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.

ABOUT Winston Fisher:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winstonfisher/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Winston_Fisher1Website: https://area15.comSHOW INTRO:If you’ve been to Las Vegas you’d think that everything happens on the strip. Vegas is the gambling and entertainment meca of the US (maybe the world). With all of its glitz, showgirls, music and magic acts, hotels created to look like they were plucked from Venice or Paris or just some other planet, it would be easy to say that the strip is were its at.But if you care to venture off the strip, you could go to say Hover dam an engineering marvel or maybe to Area 51 and try to get a glimpse of alien craft or some other secret military activity. But then you cold go not so far to Area15 a new NEXT-Gen Experiential mall that opened this past fall. Trust me thought Area 15 and Area 51 are indeed curiosities worth seeing if you are into something new.Developer Winston Fisher and a team of highly creative designers, architects, chefs, retailers, and digital experience makers transformed a 200,000 square foot lot into a playground that melds great restaurants -including a venue by Todd English, digital experiences, retail, performance spaces, a bar under a 23 foot high Japanese maple tree with dazzling LED lights woven into the canopy. You can zip line through ceiling space overlooking the facility and book the venue for your own events. This place is magical and simply fun in a way that we have not often seen before.Massive art installations are reminiscent of Burning Man and there are shows with performance artists that rival the strip. This, you could say, is the re-making of the mall experience. At Area15, retail is not dead, as is often said, it is very much alive in a whole new way.Winston Fisher, the CEO of Area 15, joins us today to talk about a new approach to story telling in a space that is a cross over from traditional… anything. This just may be the beginning of the re-definition of place making for a cohort of emerging shoppers whose expectations about what branded relationships are all about have shifted.Welcome Winston…ABOUT DAVID KEPRON:Website: https://www.davidkepron.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582b/Instagram: davidkepron and NXTLVL_experience_designTwitter: @davidkepron  The next level experience design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.

ABOUT JOHN VERVAEKE:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-vervaeke-a910992/Twitter: https://twitter.com/vervaeke_john Website: http://johnvervaeke.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/johnvervaeke JOHN VERVAEKE Bio:Associate Professor at University of TorontoJohn Vervaeke is an Assistant Professor in Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Science at the University of Toronto where he teaches courses in three areas:1. Cognitive Psychology on thinking and reasoning, higher cognition, and cognitive development2. Cognitive Science program on integrating the work done in psychology, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, linguists, and philosophy to try and tackle central problems about the nature of cognition.3. Buddhism, Psychology, and Mental Health programon the intersection between Buddhism and Cognitive Science, and on the scientific basis of mindfulness meditation.Has 50 episode series called “Awakening From the Meaning Crisis” on YouTubeHis work constructs a bridge between science and spirituality in order to understand the experience of meaningfulness and the cultivation of wisdom so as to afford awakening from the meaning crisis.”He has won and been nominated for several teaching awards including:the 2001 Students’ Administrative Council and Association of Part-timeUndergraduate Students Teaching Award for the Humanitiesthe2012Ranjini Ghosh Excellence in Teaching Award.He has publishedarticles on relevance realization, general intelligence, mindfulness,metaphor, and wisdom.His abiding passion is to address themeaning crisis that besets western culture. SHOW INTRO:"I’m sitting across the room from my son who is listening to a Ted talk. As I listen I’m struck by the discussion with subjects from Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, ritual, cognitive science, Buddhism and the Meaning Crisis.I stop what I’m doing and I ask “who is it that you’re listening to?”Answer: ‘oh it’s this guy named John Veraeke. He’s killin,’ he’s really got it figured out.’During my years as an architecture student at McGill University I became fascinated with the idea of a ritual by attending architecture history and theory lectures by Alberto Perez Gomez. Participation in ritual establishes a sense of context and through that context meaning, meaning about who we are in relation to ourselves, our culture, nation and where we stood in some cosmological relationship to the universe.I have had a deep interest in psychology, cognitive science and in the past 10 years, as I was creating retail stores and hotels, neuroscience and why coming to understand more about the brain would lead me, and the brands I worked for,  to create more effective and relevant brand experience places.Recently, studying concepts around the pace of change, our ability to adapt, and an emerging cohort of experience seekers for whom digitally immersive experience was a key driver to the adoption of Brand have occupied brain space, been the subject of lectures and presentations and blog posts. So, it is not so surprising that the work of my guest Jon Vervaeke has been so deeply resonant.John Vervaeke is an Associate Professor at U of Toronto where he teaches courses for three programs including:Cognitive Psychology on thinking and reasoning, higher cognition, and cognitive development, the Cognitive Science program on integrating the work done in psychology, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, linguists, and philosophy to try and tackle central problems about the nature of cognition, And to round things out he teaches in the Buddhism, Psychology, and Mental Health program on the intersection between Buddhism and Cognitive Science, and on the scientific basis of mindfulness meditation.It is said that his work constructs a bridge between science and spirituality in order to understand the experience of meaningfulness and the cultivation of wisdom so as to afford awakening from the meaning crisis.”Has 50 episode series called “Awakening From the Meaning Crisis” on YouTube which will blow your mind because of its depth and provocative assertions. He has won and been nominated for several teaching awards and has published articles on relevance realization, general intelligence, mindfulness, metaphor, and wisdom.His passion, is to address themeaning crisis that besets western culture.Throughout the first season of the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there has always been a subtext to the discussion that has been ‘what does it all mean?’  ‘What will the component parts of emerging Brand experiences be to allow them to remain relevant to a new cohort of experience seekers who are holy different than anything that has come before them?’So, I am both honored and delighted that John Vervaeke is a guest to help us unpack some of these concepts that underpin the world of making and creating meaningful relationships to our brands, communities, and each other." ABOUT DAVID KEPRON:Website: https://www.davidkepron.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582b/Instagram: davidkepron and NXTLVL_experience_designTwitter: @davidkepron The next level experience design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.

ABOUT AMAHL HAZELTON:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amahl-hazelton/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Amahl1Website: https://momentfactory.com/homeVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/MomentFactory AMAHL HAZELTON Bio:Placemaking Strategist. Proven leadership in the design, build & operations of public-space digital placemaking, infrastructure and interactive multimedia activations. Looking to partner with Governments, DMO's, Cities, Business Alliances, Real Estate Developers, Architects, Event Producers & Curators to design visitor's favorite next-generation destinations and attractions.Skilled in Placemaking, Urban Design, Urban Planning, Architecture, Art Direction, Management, and Leadership. Strong business development professional with a Master's Degree in Urban Planning--specializing in Place Branding & Competitive Identity--from Montreal's McGill University. BUSINESS INQUIRIES email: amahl@momentfactory.comMEDIA REQUESTS email: media@momentfactory.comFOLLOW US ON LINKEDIN: www.linkedin.com/company/moment-factory/If we do not respond immediately, feel free to contact me here on LinkedIn ;-)ORTwitter: @Amahl1, @Moment_Factory #MomentFactoryInstagram: @MomentFactory #MomentFactory www.instagram.com/momentfactory/Facebook: www.facebook.com/MomentFactory/Moment Factory is a multimedia studio with a full range of production expertise under one roof. Our team combines specializations in video, lighting, architecture, sound and special effects to create remarkable experiences. Headquartered in Montreal, the studio also has addresses in Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Paris, New York City and Singapore.Since its inception in 2001, Moment Factory has created more than 450 unique projects worldwide, including the Lumina Night Walk series. Productions span the globe and include such clients and collaborators as Changi Airport Group and LAWA (LAX); the City Barcelona and New York City; Fremont Street Experience and Atlantic City Alliance; Related Companies, Bedrock Detroit and Millennium Partners; Gensler and AECOM.SHOW INTRO:"A number of years ago I was working as a creative director in the brand experience studio in architecture firm based in Charlotte. We are a tightknit group and we were all fascinated with the future and the possibilities and opportunities that the world of immersive digital experiences would provide to retailers and brand experience places in general.One day a colleague says to me you got a check these guys out moment factory and they’re from your hometown of Montreal.We then spent the next few hours pouring over videos of video mapping on some of the most iconic churches in the world. Video mapping was relatively new and it was transforming the idea of experience by bringing buildings literally to life with animations that were perfectly aligned with the architecture. More than just spectacles, this signaled a shift in the way digital media, architecture, design and customer experience would coalesce, shifting the paradigm and how customers would engage with brand experience places in it digitally mediated future. Since then, the world of immersive digital technologies has become more pervasive and digital visualization artists like Refik Anadol and companies like Moment Factory are changing the very meaning of experience. Digital experiences are often criticized for being disengaging and promoting social isolation but in the world of Moment Factory, sensory-based but digitally-mediated experiences fully engage users, with their bodies andminds in profoundly memorable experiences.Whether they are lighting up a bridge with social media data in Montreal or elevating the experience of the divine in the Basilica of Notre Dame in Montreal or reinventing queuing the Shangi in Singapore or LAX in Los Angeles, or lighting up our imagination on a nighttime forest walk, our guest Amahl Hazelton has been deeply involved.Since its inception in 2001, Moment Factory has created more than 450 unique projects worldwide. A sign that the digital experience economy is here to stay.Amahl is the Head of Strategy and Development of Moment Factory. He’s a strong business development professional with a Master's Degree in Urban Planning  - specializing in Place Branding & Competitive Identity - from my alma mater Montreal's McGill University.Amahl is a Place-making Strategist. With a history of leadership in the design, build & operations of public-space digital placemaking, infrastructure and interactive multimedia activations I know he has a depth of knowledge on this subject that will make this a really interesting talk.I invited Amahl to share the Keynote stage with me at the 2019 BDNY show in New York and I am guessing this is going to be an energetic continuation of that talk.Welcome Amahl Hazelton…."ABOUT DAVID KEPRON:Website: https://www.davidkepron.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582b/Instagram: davidkepron and NXTLVL_experience_designTwitter: @davidkepron The next level experience design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.

ABOUT AMAHL HAZELTON:LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amahl-hazelton/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Amahl1Website: https://momentfactory.com/homeVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/MomentFactory AMAHL HAZELTON Bio:Placemaking Strategist. Proven leadership in the design, build & operations of public-space digital placemaking, infrastructure and interactive multimedia activations. Looking to partner with Governments, DMO's, Cities, Business Alliances, Real Estate Developers, Architects, Event Producers & Curators to design visitor's favorite next-generation destinations and attractions.Skilled in Placemaking, Urban Design, Urban Planning, Architecture, Art Direction, Management, and Leadership. Strong business development professional with a Master's Degree in Urban Planning--specializing in Place Branding & Competitive Identity--from Montreal's McGill University. BUSINESS INQUIRIES email: amahl@momentfactory.comMEDIA REQUESTS email: media@momentfactory.comFOLLOW US ON LINKEDIN: www.linkedin.com/company/moment-factory/If we do not respond immediately, feel free to contact me here on LinkedIn ;-)ORTwitter: @Amahl1, @Moment_Factory #MomentFactoryInstagram: @MomentFactory #MomentFactory www.instagram.com/momentfactory/Facebook: www.facebook.com/MomentFactory/Moment Factory is a multimedia studio with a full range of production expertise under one roof. Our team combines specializations in video, lighting, architecture, sound and special effects to create remarkable experiences. Headquartered in Montreal, the studio also has addresses in Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Paris, New York City and Singapore.Since its inception in 2001, Moment Factory has created more than 450 unique projects worldwide, including the Lumina Night Walk series. Productions span the globe and include such clients and collaborators as Changi Airport Group and LAWA (LAX); the City Barcelona and New York City; Fremont Street Experience and Atlantic City Alliance; Related Companies, Bedrock Detroit and Millennium Partners; Gensler and AECOM.SHOW INTRO:"A number of years ago I was working as a creative director in the brand experience studio in architecture firm based in Charlotte. We are a tightknit group and we were all fascinated with the future and the possibilities and opportunities that the world of immersive digital experiences would provide to retailers and brand experience places in general.One day a colleague says to me you got a check these guys out moment factory and they’re from your hometown of Montreal.We then spent the next few hours pouring over videos of video mapping on some of the most iconic churches in the world. Video mapping was relatively new and it was transforming the idea of experience by bringing buildings literally to life with animations that were perfectly aligned with the architecture. More than just spectacles, this signaled a shift in the way digital media, architecture, design and customer experience would coalesce, shifting the paradigm and how customers would engage with brand experience places in it digitally mediated future. Since then, the world of immersive digital technologies has become more pervasive and digital visualization artists like Refik Anadol and companies like Moment Factory are changing the very meaning of experience. Digital experiences are often criticized for being disengaging and promoting social isolation but in the world of Moment Factory, sensory-based but digitally-mediated experiences fully engage users, with their bodies andminds in profoundly memorable experiences.Whether they are lighting up a bridge with social media data in Montreal or elevating the experience of the divine in the Basilica of Notre Dame in Montreal or reinventing queuing the Shangi in Singapore or LAX in Los Angeles, or lighting up our imagination on a nighttime forest walk, our guest Amahl Hazelton has been deeply involved.Since its inception in 2001, Moment Factory has created more than 450 unique projects worldwide. A sign that the digital experience economy is here to stay.Amahl is the Head of Strategy and Development of Moment Factory. He’s a strong business development professional with a Master's Degree in Urban Planning  - specializing in Place Branding & Competitive Identity - from my alma mater Montreal's McGill University.Amahl is a Place-making Strategist. With a history of leadership in the design, build & operations of public-space digital placemaking, infrastructure and interactive multimedia activations I know he has a depth of knowledge on this subject that will make this a really interesting talk.I invited Amahl to share the Keynote stage with me at the 2019 BDNY show in New York and I am guessing this is going to be an energetic continuation of that talk.Welcome Amahl Hazelton…."ABOUT DAVID KEPRON:Website: https://www.davidkepron.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582b/Instagram: davidkepron and NXTLVL_experience_designTwitter: @davidkepron The next level experience design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.

ABOUT GABRIELE CORCOS:Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thetuscangun Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriele_Corcos LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gcorcos/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheTuscanGun Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetuscangun/ Books: "Super Tuscan": https://www.amazon.com/Super-Tuscan-Heritage-Recipes-Pleasures/dp/150114359X/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&hvadid=77653071690874&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=tuscan+gun&qid=1607035612&sr=8-2&tag=mh0b-20"Extra Virgin": https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Virgin-Recipes-Tuscan-Kitchen/dp/0385346050/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&hvadid=77653071690874&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=tuscan+gun&qid=1607035666&sr=8-3&tag=mh0b-20Bio:Italian celebrity chef, entrepreneur, TV personalityCreator and cohost of “Extra Virgin” on the Cooking ChannelNew York Times best-selling book “Extra Virgin”Raised in Tuscany outside of Florence ItalyStudied medicine at the Italian military academy for several yearsPassion was music and decided to study drums so he left the military and travels to Brazil, Cuba and Morocco to study drumsRestaurant:Owned the “Tuscan Gun Officine Alimentari” in BrooklynMet Debi Mazar in Florence – moved to LA - married in 2002Starred with wife Debi Mazar in “Extra-Virgin Americana” on the Cooking ChannelThey were asked to be hosts of the Cooking Channel’s first original cooking showIn 2019 Corcos was honored “Knight” by the Italian President of the Republic for work on behalf of Italian heritage in the US (this is the highest civilian honor for an Italian citizen)Charity work:While competing on the television show chopped he competed on behalf of the charity “Feeding America”In 2014 he became a council member at the food bank for New York CityExtra Virgin Americana TV Show:Premiered 2011 and had 5 seasons until 2015Extra Virgin Book:Released in 2014Amazon’s #1 In Italian cooking ratings for 6 months and remained in top 10 until October 2015June 2014 Makes NY Time best-sellers listCrazy huge collection of knive, rides a Duccati and loves the power of technologySHOW INTRO:When I think “Renaissance man” I have images in my head of sculptors, painters, physicians, inventors… people like Leonardo, Brunelleschi and  Michelangelo - all worked in Florence about 20 km away from my guest’s hometown. I don’t often think of James Beard award winning celebrity chef and restaunteur, a multi book New York Times best-selling list author, An Italian Military Academy student who decided that studying medicine wasn’t for him and went off to Morocco, Brazil and Cuba to study drums, who also loves to ride Duccati’s, has some pretty serious leaves (as in tattoos), was also Knighted in 2019 and who you can now see often on Instagram doing ‘lives’ with his wife Debi Mazar cooking up a festival of food from the kitchen of their Brooklyn home.That said, I do think about somebody who is on a continual search for the NXTLVL and not afraid of being reborn - in the true sense of the word “Renaissance.” Someone like Gabriele Corcos who seems to be in a continual search for filling his life with the adventure of the unknown. ABOUT DAVID KEPRON:Website: https://www.davidkepron.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582b/Instagram: davidkepron and NXTLVL_experience_designTwitter: @davidkepron The next level experience design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.

ABOUT GABRIELE CORCOS:Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thetuscangun Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriele_Corcos LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gcorcos/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheTuscanGun Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetuscangun/ Books: "Super Tuscan": https://www.amazon.com/Super-Tuscan-Heritage-Recipes-Pleasures/dp/150114359X/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&hvadid=77653071690874&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=tuscan+gun&qid=1607035612&sr=8-2&tag=mh0b-20"Extra Virgin": https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Virgin-Recipes-Tuscan-Kitchen/dp/0385346050/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&hvadid=77653071690874&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=tuscan+gun&qid=1607035666&sr=8-3&tag=mh0b-20Bio:Italian celebrity chef, entrepreneur, TV personalityCreator and cohost of “Extra Virgin” on the Cooking ChannelNew York Times best-selling book “Extra Virgin”Raised in Tuscany outside of Florence ItalyStudied medicine at the Italian military academy for several yearsPassion was music and decided to study drums so he left the military and travels to Brazil, Cuba and Morocco to study drumsRestaurant:Owned the “Tuscan Gun Officine Alimentari” in BrooklynMet Debi Mazar in Florence – moved to LA - married in 2002Starred with wife Debi Mazar in “Extra-Virgin Americana” on the Cooking ChannelThey were asked to be hosts of the Cooking Channel’s first original cooking showIn 2019 Corcos was honored “Knight” by the Italian President of the Republic for work on behalf of Italian heritage in the US (this is the highest civilian honor for an Italian citizen)Charity work:While competing on the television show chopped he competed on behalf of the charity “Feeding America”In 2014 he became a council member at the food bank for New York CityExtra Virgin Americana TV Show:Premiered 2011 and had 5 seasons until 2015Extra Virgin Book:Released in 2014Amazon’s #1 In Italian cooking ratings for 6 months and remained in top 10 until October 2015June 2014 Makes NY Time best-sellers listCrazy huge collection of knive, rides a Duccati and loves the power of technologySHOW INTRO:When I think “Renaissance man” I have images in my head of sculptors, painters, physicians, inventors… people like Leonardo, Brunelleschi and  Michelangelo - all worked in Florence about 20 km away from my guest’s hometown. I don’t often think of James Beard award winning celebrity chef and restaunteur, a multi book New York Times best-selling list author, An Italian Military Academy student who decided that studying medicine wasn’t for him and went off to Morocco, Brazil and Cuba to study drums, who also loves to ride Duccati’s, has some pretty serious leaves (as in tattoos), was also Knighted in 2019 and who you can now see often on Instagram doing ‘lives’ with his wife Debi Mazar cooking up a festival of food from the kitchen of their Brooklyn home.That said, I do think about somebody who is on a continual search for the NXTLVL and not afraid of being reborn - in the true sense of the word “Renaissance.” Someone like Gabriele Corcos who seems to be in a continual search for filling his life with the adventure of the unknown. ABOUT DAVID KEPRON:Website: https://www.davidkepron.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582b/Instagram: davidkepron and NXTLVL_experience_designTwitter: @davidkepron The next level experience design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.

ABOUT JAY NORRIS:Website: https://guesst.co LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynorris007/Instgram: https://www.instagram.com/jaynorrisvision/Bio:The Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Guesst Software since 2017,The Guesst software platform allows "Host" retailers to find and connect with complementary brands aka "Guesst" to display, merchandise and or sell their products or goods in their "Host" retail location. This simple process allows retailers to lower their monthly fixed cost, increase revenues and maximize both parties' brand awareness, return on investment and customer experience in a brick and mortar location.Jay Norris is a true go-to-market strategist who utilizes his innovative marketing skillset, invaluable relationships and keen understanding of the retail landscape to curate partnerships and experiential activations between retailers, landlords, media partners and brands in all sectors of retail.Mr. Norris found early success as a strategic marketing executive at Arista Records from 1994 to 1997, developing marketing strategies for Notorious BIG, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Deborah Cox, TLC, Pink, Alicia Keyes, and a long list of music artists who have scaled their careers through groundswell campaigns.Before Arista Records, Mr. Norris worked in the promotions department of Sony Music Entertainment from 1993 to 1994.Mr. Norris has further flourished as the co-founder of Detroitbuiltco.com since 2016. Norris and his partners vision was to curate a retail platform for Detroit makers and innovators.Norris's Growth Business Incubator Lifestyle Equities is a management consultancy specializing in innovative solutions for small, and medium to large size companies who aspire to either expand, streamline or become re-imagined.2015 to 2016 and both the founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Tastemakers Media from 1997 to 2007, which was a national and international guide highlighting the best lifestyle offerings in each market.Constantly in the pursuit of helping other entrepreneurs get their ideas out into the world,Mr. Norris's favorite quote is "one's imagination is everything!! If one can use it wisely, it can become a brief snapshot of life's coming attractions."In addition to his primary responsibilities, he dedicates his time to volunteer at his local soup kitchen and with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Mr. Norris holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Howard University in Washington, D.C.Mr. Norris received a scholarship for swimming and in the 1980's Norris held city and state records in butterfly and freestyle from his high school, Cass Technical, in the state of Michigan.SHOW INTRO:My guest todaylaunched his multi-faceted career in the promotions department of Sony Music Entertainment (from 1993 to 1994). He was then quick to succeed as a strategic marketing executive at Arista Records (from 1994 to 1997). While at Arista, he developed marketing strategies for Notorious BIG, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Deborah Cox, TLC, Pink, Alicia Keyes, and a long list of music artists who have grown their careers through some of the insight and strategies he created. Given this, you might think that he fits neatly into the Arts part of the NXTLVL acronym DATA but that would mean we stop looking at his career in 1997. With a vision to curate a retail platform for Detroit makers and innovators, He co-founded of Detroitbuiltco.com in 2016.If that isn’t quite enough, his Growth Business Incubator Lifestyle Equities is a management consultancy specializing in innovative solutions for small, and medium to large size companies who aspire to expand, streamline or become re-imagined.When not constantly in the pursuit of helping other entrepreneurs get their ideas out into the world, he dedicates his time to volunteer at his local soup kitchen and with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.He is a true go-to-market strategist who utilizes his innovative marketing skillset, invaluable relationships and keen understanding of the retail landscape to curate partnerships and experiential activations between retailers, landlords, media partners and brands in all sectors of retail.I believe that with his new company GUESST we have the emergence of a new paradigm in retail experience making. One of Jay Norris’ favorite quotes is "one's imagination is everything!! If one can use it wisely, it can become a brief snapshot of life's coming attractions."This discussion will be like sitting through the “coming soon” trailers at a blockbuster (retail) movie.Jay Norris holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Howard University in Washington, D.C., received a scholarship for swimming and in the 1980's (Norris held city and state records in butterfly and freestyle from his high school, Cass Technical, in the state of Michigan.)ABOUT DAVID KEPRON:Website: https://www.davidkepron.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582b/Instagram: davidkepron and NXTLVL_experience_designTwitter: @davidkepron The next level experience design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.