Seattle author and futurist Rob Salkowitz will be at Comics Dungeon (250 NE 45th St) this Saturday, June 30th from 1 – 4 pm supporting his new book: COMIC-CON AND THE BUSINESS OF POP CULTURE: What the World’s Wildest Trade Show Can Tell Us About the Future of Entertainment
The story of “The Con’s” evolution from meek to monster mirrors the legendary transformations of comics’ most iconic superheroes. In 1970, a few hardcore fans assembled to trade issues and meet the pros; over the decades Comic-Con has mutated into a fearsome creature, with tentacles reaching into all forms of media.
…noted business writer Rob Salkowitz offers an exclusive inside perspective on this convergence of geekdom and big business. “The Con” is a swirling vortex of super-brands, super-fans, movie stars, and zombies, covering over half a million square feet of exhibit space and thousands of hours of panels, programs, films, tournaments, and wild parties.
Lest you think this is just going to a conversation with that comic nerd in The Simpson’s, read on. Rob’s no slouch:
Rob Salkowitz is a writer, speaker and consultant specializing in the future of creative industries in the digital media era. His influential and widely-respected books have covered topics including disruptive business models, entrepreneurship and innovation, generational change in society and the workplace, the impact of knowledge industries in emerging economies, and the future of work. His recent work around comics, visual communications and entertainment combines his professional focus on disruptive business trends with a lifelong love of comics and popular culture.
Rob is the author of five books: Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture, Young World Rising, Young World Shining, Generation Blend and Listening to the Future. His work has appeared in FastCompany.com, FastCoCreate, The New York Times, Forbes, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Internet Evolution and other publications.
Rob is co-founder of the Seattle-based communications firm MediaPlant, LLC, where he serves as Director of Strategy and Content, serving clients including Microsoft, Herman Miller, The Walt Disney Company, Ford Motors, HP and others. He is also adjunct professor of digital media at the University of Washington and serves on the advisory board of the University’s MCDM (Masters in Communication – Digital Media) program.
Ask him about his TEDx talk, “Transmedia in the Hour of the Nerd”.