Creative Industries Symposium

Keynote Speaker

Stuart Knight

When he is not on the road speaking, you may have seen or heard him on some of Canada's biggest TV and Radio stations where he is often asked for his expert opinion on high level communication.

He is the author of two profound books, You Should Have Asked - The Art of Powerful Conversation and The Madness of My Mind and writes a weekly blog that has over ten thousand followers.

Personally, Stuart is a world traveler, an avid reader and composes music. He is also the founder of one Canada's biggest speaking extravaganzas called The Top Ten Event, which has garnered over twenty million media impressions.

As a renegade visionary, Stuart Knight has taken gut wrenching risks and came out on top. Today, with hilarious stories and thought provoking insights, he shares the lessons he has learned helping people reach goals they never imagined they could attain.

Master of Ceremonies

James Burgess

James Burgess is the author of CHAOS: How Business Leaders Can Master The Power Of Focus and "No Problem" Is The Problem: How to Attract and Retain Raving Fans. James is the Founder of FOCUS31 a professional Management consulting company for businesses from start-up to millions of dollars in Revenue.

After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1983 with an Honours degree in Commerce and Economics, James joined the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. He enjoyed 22 successful years with CIBC with the last 10 years as a senior leader of small business responsible for a portfolio of three quarters of a billion dollars with 30 direct reports, receiving the Chairman Award on three separate occasions for performance excellence.

TechEdge Panel Discussion 

RJ Juneau

RJ Juneau is the instigator of Ylab, York Region's first maker space, and founder of Maxxian, a technology company that provides unique and patented security and management tools for the telecommunications industry. He's been a speaker ranging from local entrepreneurship events to international technology conferences. He spends way too much time with his Scout groups. His creations are invariably ugly but usually functional.

Brett Hagman

The Arduino project has enabled a creative revolution in electronics by making it easy for anyone to work with technology. Brett Hagman has been working with the Arduino team on both hardware and software developments. Through Rogue Robotics, he's designed and built a wide variety of creative gadgets and displays, such as animatronic Halloween displays, advertising installations and interactive educational devices.

Lucian Mustatea

In between stints as senior architect, developer and chief technology officer for companies like Corel, Cognos and DataMirror, Lucian is the founder of the AI North speaker series and was one of the organisers of the York Region Coffee and Code group. He's built everything from mobile apps to large-scale web and e-commerce sites.

Richard Rolland

His firm is a contract designer for electronic medical devices. He is involved from the concept stage right to production and regulatory certifications. For fun, he's designed his own light sabre control circuit and has taught numerous 2D design and laser cutting classes for novices.

Session Speaker

Tiffany Pratt

Her trademark hair and big energy make Tiffany Pratt unforgettable. But her hands-on approach to design, and the care she has for her clients, make her irreplaceable. Tiffany fell in love with beautiful things at a young age when she would memorize every page of Vogue magazine. Today, that same appreciation for beauty has carried through into her day-to-day work. She sees exquisite in the unexpected, mixes old with new, merges elegant with liveable, and she lives and breathes her truth that "this can be beautiful". Tiffany hosts shows on HGTV and is a regular guest expert on CityTV's Cityline. She also recently released her first book: This Can Be Beautiful.

Photo by: Tara McMullen

ORGANIZERS

PARTNERS

SPONSORS

EXHIBITORS

Richmond Hill's Economic Development Strategy and Strategic Plan both aim to expand and support creative industries in our community. People working in all creative industries should come to the Creative Industries Symposium, including:

• Actors
• Architects
• Advertisers
• Animators
• Broadcasters (radio and television)
• Cultural and educational institutions
• Designers (graphic, industrial, fashion, interior, web, etc.)
• Engineers
• Film and video producers
• Government
• Interactive digital media, including gaming
• 'Makers'
• Music recording and publishing
• Performing artists and visual artists
• Publishers (books, magazines, newsprint)
• Scientists and researchers
• Technologists, including web and IT
• Writers

and anyone who is interested in learning more about creativity and technology.