Christina Heller is the Chief Development Officer of VR Playhouse, a creative production studio based in LA which is dedicated to creating great content for virtual reality experiences; a company she co-founded in 2014. It’s an industry she’s found by way of her love of storytelling, with a background in theater, political journalism radio, and documentary filmmaking. Over micheladas, Christina shares her thoughts on the budding industry, how it’s suffered because of unrealistic expectations set by those within it, the obstacles that still need to be overcome in order for it to reach mass adoption, and some of her great experiences creating content (which may or may not include a run in with one of her heroes, Ken Burns).   What You’ll Learn: Why VR is far from “dead.” Insights into developing some of the first VR experiences for Time, amongst others. The future of virtual experiences - and how you can eventually date without leaving the privacy of your own home.

Ben Jackson has made a career in tech from figuring things out on his own. He got an early start with technology - tinkering around and teaching himself different coding languages - which lead to a series of IT jobs and the rest is history. Over beers at Fool's Gold in NYC we learned how those humble beginnings were just the start of a path in entrepreneurship, how he's evolved his role throughout, and eventually landing where he is today, helping fledgling companies make strategic decisions with his consultancy company For The Win. What You’ll Learn: - The challenges of evolving from print to digital at an agency in the early days of tech. - An insiders perspective in starting a company abroad - and the circumstances that drive the decision to ultimately leave. - Why company "politics" are important and shouldn't be considered a bad thing.

As VC who invests in early stage companies - Adi Levanon of Symmetrical Ventures embraces the opportunity to help grow companies from the ground up. In fact, growing up in Silicon Valley with visionary-type parents, she was poised from an early age to enter the industry. However, she attributes a lot of her success to her time living in Israel, serving in the military, and later becoming a lawyer. Over mezcal margaritas at Fool’s Gold in New York City, Adi enumerates how “everything I’ve done has lead me to what I am doing now” - including sharing her daily experiences in her own podcast “The Adi Tells” podcast. What You’ll Learn: How to take a headstrong approach to entering a new field and finding a job in a new city. Why learning you’re not a fit at a company is not a failure. The value of working with investors who understand your industry. Mistakes to avoid when you pitch.

Alexander Reyna is the Creative Director, Games and VR at MLB Advanced Media - whose primary role is to help bring to life the most innovative ways to put baseball content into the hands of its passionate fans. It’s a role that suits him well, as it intersects his entrepreneurial spirit and his design background, dreaming up big ideas and solutions as technology evolves. However, the road to get there was not without its perils. Over The Main Brewey’s Tiny Beautiful Something at Fool’s Gold he talks about the many failures and obstacles he overcame as an artist in his early career, his entry into tech from the gaming world, and how those experiences shape the work he’s doing today. What You’ll Learn: - How to take an entrepreneurial approach to the product design process - Insights into how the tech and design industry has evolved - Learning how to thrive beyond “failure”

Emily White is the co-founder of Dreamfuel and Whitesmith, two companies helping musicians and athletes achieve their goals. However, she began her professional career as a competitive swimmer. Born into a family of athletes, it only made sense that Emily attempt a stint in the pool but, when her interests deviated to the music world, she resourcefully used her competitive career as a springboard to get into the program of her choice at Northwestern. Over mocktails at Fool’s Gold in NYC, she describes her path through the music world - where she’s experienced almost every role in management from touring to talent - and how it’s lead her full circle back to swimming, as she contributes in a way she could’ve never envisioned.   What You’ll Learn: - The important career lessons one can learn from jam bands.- A woman’s perspective to the perils and biases encountered while fundraising.- How understanding each part of your business is fundamental to being a strong leader.

Phillip Bowden has spent over the last decade entrenched in the world of tech; arguably the most evolutionary period in the industry’s history. What’s more, he’s experienced its growth from several key vantage points. From his earliest experience with computers - by way of tinkering around on a household PC he wasn’t supposed to - he essentially dove into the field in early development roles at Gowalla and Tumblr. However, when friction within the industry increased, he ultimately decided to do his own thing, co-founding consultancy Brooklyn Computer Club with Buzz Andersen. Over Penicillins, he explains the challenges of this ever-evolving industry and his shifting role within it, even today as he helps tech darling Spotify continue to grow. What You'll Learn: - Why having more people on a team doesn't ultimately solve a problem faster. - The pros and cons of working in the tech field with little formal tech education. - Insights into working for both early stage and larger companies - and the benefits of each.

When Jess Brown got her start with computers she spent her time designing for fun and trolling chat rooms online - seemingly a world away from a career in the then fledgling user experience industry. In fact, it was her love of math and the practical application of it at Stanford University that set her in motion. Over an Aperol Spritz, Jess tells us about those early days in a nascent industry, how she was able to guide her first gig with user research and why that lead her to join other startups like Threadflip and Rent the Runway. Today, she is Head of User Experience at Vice - applying the knowledge she’s gained along the way to this ever-expanding, content behemoth - which is no small task.   What You’ll Learn: - Why test methodology matters in user research - and the importance of determining which is appropriate for understanding the specific user behavior you are testing. - Why founders of companies may not necessarily need to be their end users and how that impacts design decisions.

Khayyam Wakil boasts a career with an unbelieveable trajectory - all thanks his ability to identify and capitalize on trends. From Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, he rose to Twitter fame in the early 2000s, but what he didn’t know at the time was that his lighthearted exercise in gaming the platform would actually lead to true social influence. Over Malopas (mezcal palomas), he explains just how he became one of the 5% creating content on Twitter which lead to being one of the few selected to be a part of the UN’s envoy to curing malaria and how those experiences, in addition to his time in VR, have shaped his take on both activism and tech. This is especially important today, as he aims to bring more “first hand” experiences to the public in his latest endeavor as Head of Creative Partnerships at Live Planet. What You’ll Learn: The pros and cons of the “empathy machine” that is tech and Virtual Reality Why sometimes having the propensity to learn is far more powerful than a linear path in education The unfortunate truths about how social media has changed activism

Bianca Bosker is a journalist and nonfiction author whose body of work truly runs the gamut; from bowling to covering tech for HuffPo and spending a decade plus becoming an expert in Chinese “duplitecture” and beyond - it’s a career that appears to have no rhyme or reason. However, over Sage Beers at Fool’s Gold she helps explain the method to her madness - that, as a storyteller, she’s found true the old adage that “truth is stranger than fiction” and her obsessive nature helps her get to the heart of these truths. This is especially the case for her latest, bestselling book “Cork Dork” which chronicles her choice to drop everything and start at the bottom of the wine industry as “cellar rat” to endure the challenging path to certified sommelier. What You’ll Learn: - Behind the scenes of the early days of HuffPo’s tech coverage - and their thesis for differentiation - The ins and outs of paving one’s way in the often elusive wine industry

In the startup community - from founders to investors to customers and employees - the first question that should be asked is “does this product solve a real problem?” Enter Preston Pesek, the founder of Spacious, a coworking company that aims to answer “yes” to solving not one, but two problems in major cities. Over Micheladas, Preston describes the painstaking process he took to identify and solve the problems of an ever-growing and displaced coworking crowd, as well as the vacancy of off-hours restaurants; with beta testing and shifting business models to transforming physical spaces - it’s a product that attempts to benefit all parties, and ultimately a story that shows how a real product process can lead to success. What You’ll Learn: - How to approach being a first-time founder - The value of knowing what skills you possess and how to hire for those you don’t - Understanding how to create a product that addresses a real problem vs. creating a problem to fit your product