Seattle Interactive 2024 Agenda
Creative
CREATING YOUR OWN DESIGN CAREER PATH
Leading a team isn’t the only way to be a design leader. Being a top-level individual contributor makes you a design leader too, but there are far fewer resources out there about this path.
Choosing the individual contributor career path as a designer comes with a lot of questions: How do you have leadership impact without formal authority over a team? And how do you manage your own career path staying on the IC ladder? In this talk Val will share her take on leading as a Principal Designer, plus what worked and what didn’t in her own experience navigating the individual contributor career path. (Hint – it’s not about being the loudest person in the room.) She’ll also share insights on what effective senior individual contributor design leadership looks like from the Principal Designer handbook project created for Adobe Design.
You’ll leave with a better sense of what it takes to lead without being a manager and how to embrace the adventure of creating a career path that’s unique to you.
VAL HEAD Adobe / Principal Designer
UX / UI
Designing with AI: The Value of Human Designers
In the evolving landscape of technology, gen AI has significantly impacted various industries, including product design. While AI offers powerful tools for visualization, analysis, and personalization, the role of human designers must adapt. With extensive experience in product design for both startups and global companies, Hua will explore the intersection between AI and human creativity, highlighting the value that human designers bring to the table in the AI-driven world.
HUA LO Expedia Group / Product Designer
DIGITAL MARKETING
ZERO CLICK MARKETING
The digital world has become a zero-click world. Traffic referrals from every major network have fallen precipitously. Searchers and browsers expect native content and instant answers. Brands, especially those looking to gain a foothold in the ruthless competition for web traffic, are left struggling for scraps.
A mindset shift is needed—marketers can’t be stuck optimizing for clicks, measuring impact based on referral traffic and single-visit conversion rates. The old tactics are dying. To survive, marketers must prioritize earning engagement and growing audiences on the platforms themselves. We have to conform to new algorithmic rules and new user expectations—that's where Zero-Click Marketing comes in. In this presentation, Rand will show how it works, why it's needed, and how to apply this tactical shift to every channel and campaign.
RAND FISHKIN SparkToro / Founder
UX / UI
Perfectionism Killed the Designer
The design field is full of perfectionists. From pushing elements pixel-by-pixel to faithfully following the eight-point grid, most of us could endlessly iterate on a single screen if we didn’t have deadlines and constraints to abide by.
But what if the best designs are actually born from imperfection? What if true inspiration doesn’t come from looking at best practices, but instead eating at hole-in-the-wall restaurants or playing dungeons and dragons with your friends? In this session, Elodie will talk through why getting messy, being wrong, and rediscovering child-like wonder are crucial to becoming a better designer.
ELODIE KWAN Blink UX / Product Designer
DIGITAL MARKETING
AUTONOMOUS ADVERTISING
In the ever-evolving realm of adtech, artificial intelligence (AI) stands as a transformative force, redefining the landscape of digital advertising. This talk dives into a the intersection of AI and adtech, offering insights into how AI is reshaping the dynamics of digital advertising. Learn how leveraging AI enhances ad targeting precision, improves campaign performance, and helps marketers navigate the evolving landscape of adtech, with confidence, while unlocking more time to apply strategic growth and tactics that drive business outcomes.
RUBEN AYALA Viant / Director, Sales
BRIAN RAUSCHENBACH Seattle Interactive / Curator
CREATIVE
Designing for New Realities
Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Spatial Computing are poised to revolutionize the way we interact with the world. While these technologies are not fully mainstream yet, the time to prepare is now. In this insightful talk, we’ll delve into the semantics behind these cutting-edge innovations, explore practical applications, and guide you on when and where to implement them effectively. To top it off, we'll wrap up with a hands-on demo, showing you how to effortlessly create your very own AR filter. Get ready to step into the next dimension!
TIFFANY TA Graphiti Associates / Interactive Design Director
MARKETING / CONTENT
Pennies to Pixels: Impactful Digital Video on a Shoestring
Your brand wants more engaging videos? Well, they don’t produce themselves. Whether you’re strapped for cash, crunched on time, low on capacity, or all-of-the-above, join two scrappy content creators for their two cents on how to get the most bang for your buck video content. With iPhones, ring lights, tiny-yet-mighty microphones and creative tenacity, Madeline and Jenny showcase world-class science on a nonprofit budget with an eye toward production value, on-air talent coaching, and some well-oiled formulas. You’ll come away from this session empowered to increase video production on your team.
Madeline Burchard, M.Sc Allen Institute / Digital Media Specialist
Jenny Burns, M.Ac Allen Institute / Digital Content Manager
DIGITAL MARKETING
Reviving Loyalty: How to Reach & Retain Today’s ConsumerS
Today's consumers prioritize convenience over loyalty—many bouncing between brands based on whoever can meet their specific needs the fastest. Without loyal fanbases, how can brands seek innovative approaches to engage with their consumers and bring back brand affinity? From website refreshes to T-shirt printing activations, Gina has helped brands, including Booz Allen Hamilton and Cisco Duo, transform their consumer relationships. She will share storytelling tactics, ways to craft personalized experiences, and how to reward loyalty to establish a long-lasting customer base.
GINA MICHNOWICZ The Craftsman / CEO & Chief Creative Officer
CREATIVE
The Frictionless Creativity Era is Coming
The idea of interactivity is about to enter a renaissance, and the next wave of digital brand will give creatives a space-age collection of tools powered by AI. Crafting perfect brand experiences is currently loaded with friction. But what if AI makes that friction… disappear? In this session, I will share with you some real approaches to how to rethink the AI wave, and what it means for finally being able to create unique, bold, breakthrough digital experiences.
NILESH ASHRA OK Tomorrow / Founder & CEO
UX / UI DESIGN
Mastering the moment: How to influence behavior with perfect timing
This session delves into the challenge of navigating information overload and understanding user motivations. It focuses on identifying opportune moments in the user journey to tailor content and interactions effectively. Attendees will gain practical strategies for simplifying complex choices, leveraging cognitive biases, encouraging active engagement, and providing real-time feedback. Additionally, methods for measuring design impact and tracking key metrics will be discussed. By attending, the audience will acquire actionable insights to enhance user experiences and drive meaningful engagement.
NOA DVOSKIN, Amazon / Senior UX Designer
MARKETING
Acts Not Ads: The Power of Personal Connections in the Digital Age
In an era where consumers are bombarded with advertisements from all directions, the value of genuine, personal connections has never been higher. This talk will explore the concept of "Acts vs. Ads," focusing on how brand experiences and authentic engagement can create stronger, more lasting relationships with audiences compared to traditional one-way advertising. We'll discuss the benefits of building brand experiences that resonate with your audience, including increased trust, loyalty, and word-of-mouth referrals. Examples of successful approaches will illustrate how acts of genuine interaction outperform conventional ads in today's digital landscape.
CHRIS COPACINO, Copacino + Fujikado / Executive Director of Business Development
CREATIVE
Embark on a Data Visualization Odyssey: Unraveling the Power of D3
Embark on a journey into the world of data visualization with this comprehensive D3 tutorial series! D3, renowned for its power to create flexible, interactive visualizations, can be daunting for beginners. While there are countless examples online, finding well-explained resources tailored to novice learners is a challenge. In response, this collection is designed to demystify D3 by addressing key learning barriers.
YUANJIE TU, University of Washington / PhD Candidate
MARKETING STRATEGY
Adapt or Die with AI
AI marketing and branding expert Jon Lakefish takes his audiences through a captivating journey into AI’s potential to revolutionize your business strategies. A leading figure in the integration of AI in marketing, Jon is frequently invited to speak at industry events, offering engaging, insightful perspectives on AI's role in transforming marketing landscapes.
As a leader in AI integration for brands of all sizes, Jon's presentations, including the popular and award winning “Adapt or Die with AI,” are an interactive blend of insightful perspectives and practical demonstrations. He showcases various AI platforms that not only save time and costs but also open new horizons in marketing, branding and more.
JON LAKEFISH, Lakefish Group / Founder & Principal
DIGITAL MARKETING
Amplifying the Digital Shelf: Harnessing the Power of Retail Media Networks
Join Ashley Royalty, GM of Add3SHOP, for a deep dive into retail media networks and discover how they are revolutionizing eCommerce advertising. With the digital shelf becoming the new battleground, Ashley will unveil strategies that leverage first-party data for hyper-personalized, performance-driven campaigns. Learn how to amplify your brand's presence with sponsored product ads, navigate diverse retail networks, and stay ahead of emerging trends like 'Research Online, Purchase Offline' and Gen Z's buying power. Don't miss this opportunity to gain actionable insights and elevate your brand's eCommerce success in an increasingly competitive market.
ASHLEY ROYALTY Add3 SHOP / General Manager
BRAND STORYTELLING
Finding the Emotional Focal Point for Your Brand
If you’ve ever wondered what sets iconic brands like Disney and Nike or category disruptors like Slack apart, brand archetype theory is the secret sauce. It’s a uniquely powerful tool for achieving clarity and deepening emotional pull throughout your brand’s life cycle. If your team is unclear about your brand’s purpose, if your messaging is all over the place or isn’t landing, or if you’ve been introduced to archetypes and would like to go deeper, this session is for you. Catherine Carr’s innovative methodology has helped dozens of well-known B2C and B2B brands unlock creative inspiration and build enduring brands through the power of archetypes. You’ll come away with a step-by-step process you can use to pinpoint your brand’s emotional focal point, achieve a new sense of alignment, and inspire powerful storytelling.
CATHERINE CARR, Vitamin C Creative / Chief Inspiration Officer
UX / UI
ThrivING with Change
The technology and tools that we use in Design and Research are evolving rapidly, and teams are fighting to stay relevant. At the turning point of where the world stops changing just for us, let’s discuss how we can create a design culture that thrives with change, embraces learning, and rejects staying comfortable from the bottom up.
JENNY CHAN, SAP / Sr. User Experience Researcher
DANA LIN, SAP / User Experience Researcher
PRODUCT DESIGN
What’s Worth Designing in The First Place? How to Build Great Products
What sets a good design apart from a great one? The answer is an unwavering, almost religious commitment to doing it right. Reflecting on his 40-year career designing iconic products for Apple, Beats, and more, Robert will break down his unique design ideology and perspective and the key ideas and behaviors that result in building something truly great. He’ll share insights from working with high-profile CEOs and founders and dive into how leaders can build a culture of faith and commitment in design needed to captivate customers and revolutionize your company's products.
ROBERT BRUNNER, Ammunition / Chief Designer
MARKETING
From UK origins to US expansion: fostering children’s independence through audio
Discover how Yoto, a pioneering UK brand, is transforming children's audio experiences in the US with its innovative, screen-free audio players. Join VP Marketing Jon Kell for insights into their origins, growth and successful transatlantic journey.
JON KELL, Yoto / VP Marketing
DEI / Recruitment
LeSSONS FROM THE TRENCHES: INSIGHTS FOR JOB SEEKERS
The world of job seeking has been upended the last few years. Between the overheated hiring environment, the pandemic, and the unceasing waves of layoffs, it's harder than ever to know which way is up as someone looking for their next role. Add AI, fluctuations about the in the mix and armies of LinkedIn influencers clamoring for your attention (and dollars) and how is anyone supposed to make sense of it all? Well, this session is here to help.
Based on recurring themes from his career strategy practice Getting the Nod, in this session Donte Parks will give an overview of the challenges you may be facing to remind you that you aren't alone, before sharing tactics and strategies that have helped his clients make the next steps in their careers (and maintain a bit more of their sanity while doing so). If something isn't covered there will be time for your questions as well.
This isn't a sales pitch masquerading as a presentation and there won't be an unspoken paywall to get to "the good stuff." Instead this is going to be an open and honest discussion of frustrations, myths, and practices that can help you streamline your own job search efforts. This session can't fix everything but will be well worth the price of admission.
DONTE PARKS, Getting the Nod / Founder
DESIGN
Freelance Freedom: the Creative Journey of a Designer & Artist
Embark on an insightful journey with Damon Brown through his world of freelance design and artistry. Join him as he shares with us the exhilarating highs and challenging lows of building a successful freelance career.
Whether you're a seasoned freelancer or just starting out, this session will provide valuable insights into the realities of freelancing. Discover practical tips for finding and retaining clients, managing your time and projects effectively, and staying motivated in a fluctuating market. We'll also delve into the personal stories of triumphs and setbacks that shape the freelance experience, offering inspiration and strategies to overcome obstacles and achieve your creative goals.
Join us to gain practical advice, share experiences, and connect with fellow creatives who understand the unique journey of freelancing. Let's celebrate the freedom and challenges that come with being a freelance designer and artist.
DAMON BROWN, Creative Lou / Artist
DIGITAL MARKETING
Why Performance Marketing Doesn’t Have to Suck
Performance marketing is the bane of many creative agencies, or so they think. There’s a perception that reliance on data to inform creative strategy leads to milquetoast creative that does little for a brand in the long run. But it doesn’t have to be that way, argue agency Little Hands of Stone founder Michael Boychuk and Matt McCain.
A case in point is their creative work for Rover, the pet-sitting app based in Seattle. The three national ad campaigns the agency has created for Rover have all been honored for their creativity, while also being hewn by performance marketing metrics.
This session will be an engaging exploration with industry pioneers Rover and Little Hands of Stone, as they unveil their secret sauce to turbocharging performance marketing in creativity.
JAIMEE LATORRA, Rover / Sr. Growth Marketing Manager
MATT MCCAIN, Little Hands of Stone / Cofounder
PRODUCT MARKETING
Pitching Tomorrow's Products Today
Ideas are a dozen, but not everyone has the confidence, curiosity, and tools to approach turning them into a reality. Join us if you have product or new initiative ideas brewing that need to start small but present meaningfully to resonate with your audience.
Practiced, proven, and applied with early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies at Invoke, Olivia Bell shares how to deploy several low-risk, inexpensive, reusable methods to show, tell, and test the value of an idea before committing to a build.
Recently turning a concept into reality with Incrowd—a collaborative livestreaming experience—Olivia will demo her approach to ensuring your ideas not only see the light of day but also find their fit in the market. A short Q&A will follow after Olivia’s presentation to ensure you’re equipped to tangibly test and win your audience early.
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OLIVIA BELL, Invoke Digital / Head of Product
DOMINIC WONG, Invoke Digital / Managing Director
DESIGN
Reimagining Heritage for the Modern Era, Personally
In this session, Thig Gishuru, a Seattle native and seasoned Creative Director whose past experience includes leading Nordstrom Men's social content and overseeing creative at Zulily, will share his personal journey of balancing tradition with contemporary elements in pursuit of authenticity in brand creation.
Thig will take you through the creation and development of a new brand, exploring how he drew from his personal life experiences and the unique environment of Seattle to put a new spin on heritage menswear. He will discuss the challenges of resisting the safe and familiar to craft an authentic and innovative brand story. This session will provide insights into the importance of storytelling in building a brand, the strategic integration of cultural influences, and maintaining brand relevance and authenticity. Attendees will gain actionable takeaways on conducting market research, developing a unique brand identity, and infusing authenticity into a brand through personal connections and lived experiences. Thig will also delve into the design philosophy behind blending formal and informal elements in fashion.
Join us to discover how tradition can meet innovation through thoughtful and bold thinking, providing a blueprint for reimagining heritage in a modern, Seattle-inspired way.
THIG GISHURU, Independent / Creative Director
DIGITAL MARKETING
Social Media Support Group
Facebook is Meta. Instagram has reels and threads. Everybody is on TikTok. Elon turned Twitter to X. LinkedIn is LinkedIn. And executives are still asking to make it viral. How in the hashtag are you supposed to hold it all together against the professional pressure set against a backdrop of an ever-changing landscape?
Check your existential crisis at the door and let a middle-aged marketer put your mind at ease with practical ways to guide your social media program through the next trend/algorithm change/what have you.
JEN RITTENHOUSE, SiteCrafting / Director Brand Strategy
TECHNOLOGY
Don't be left behind: Jumpstart Your AI Journey
Content services expert James van Leuven dives into the slippery slope of AI innovation in digital commerce and content management. Security, privacy, accuracy, and cost present themselves like a minefield. James will share some of his experience working with top retail companies to make AI your ally.
JAMES VAN LEUVEN, iSoftStone / Sr. Director of Solution Delivery & Strategic Partnerships
DESIGN
On Brief and For the Culture: A Look at Modern Creative Strategy
So much has changed in the way brands communicate. So much has not. Michael Huang and Chike Ume of Milli will provide a unique, slightly hot take on what modern creative strategy is (and what it could be), inspired by their unique experiences and history within (and outside) the industry. A fireside chat, but the only fire is the opinions, due to safety concerns.
MICHAEL HUANG, MILLI / Managing Director
CHIKE UME, MILLI / Director of Strategy
ACCESSIBILITY / UX / UI
Accessible UX: Design for the rest of us
A lot of teams don't think about accessibility until right before launch, but most accessibility issues can be avoided in the design phase. In this workshop, Devon will talk about why accessible design matters, share best practices for making your designs work for people with a wide variety of disabilities, and give tips for integrating accessibility into your whole product development lifecycle.
DEVON PERSING, Self-Employed / Digital Accessibility Person
CREATIVE
REsilience: a daily practice in a dumpster fire age
In a time when rampant layoffs and corporate restructurings are impacting the best and brightest, how do we bounce back? How do we shift our view of resilience from a “personality trait” to a necessary skill imperative to innovation, inclusion, creativity and success? How do we make resilience a daily habit for ourselves and those we lead? Hear inspiring takes on resilience from a global leader in inclusive design; a Marine veteran and former Amazon exec; one of the head creative directors at LEGO; creative leaders on the warfront in Ukraine and more.
NICOLE MICHELS MCDONAGH, Freelance / Group Creative Director
INNOVATION
Both Yes & No: Creating in the gray
Creativity flourishes in the world of gray. Together we’ll explore how creativity not only survives but thrives at the crossroads of evolution and transformation. Despite concerns about a crisis in the creative field, this moment is the opportunity for creatives and strategists to stop predicting the future, and just focus on influencing it. Embracing ambiguity leads to innovative solutions infusing traditional, technological and inherently emotive techniques. Let’s explore both the yes and no.
RAY PAGE, We Communications / EVP, Head of Global Innovation and Social Impact
CREATIVE
R.I.P. Creativity. Pour 1 Out 4 Tha Brainstorm
Creativity is now expected in all jobs, everywhere, all of the time, but how do we create an environment that facilitates and optimizes creativity, whether in our own personal practice or while managing a creative team? This is especially challenging in a world of a 24-7 tech hype cycle, constant notifications from social media, chat, email and Slack, Zoom meetings every half hour, and all the distractions of the hybrid/WFH lifestyle.
In this session, Zach, Didi, and Marianne will each present on their best practices for maximizing creativity on an individual, technical and organizational level, how to really think out of the box, and what AI can do (so you don’t have to) in three distinct presentations followed by a lively discussion and Q&A.
ZACH HUNTTING, CROWN / Founder & CEO
DIDI BETHURUM, Meow Wolf / Chief Communications Officer
Marianne Goldin, SRC Material / Founder
TECHNOLOGY
Putting the Creative in Tech
Join us a for a panel with representatives from creative industries, tech sector, government, and creative tech, as we discuss the economic fabric of our region. This conversation will take a deep dive into the intersection, barriers, and opportunities for growth with our sectors.
ANISA KHOSHBAKHTIAN, City of Seattle / Technology Sector Strategic Advisor
JAMES MILES, Seattle Office of Economic Development / Fresh Professor
BUDI MULYO, City of Seattle / Seattle Film Commissioner
FAYE TYSON, Lead Producer / Echtra Games
CREATIVE
YOU ARE USELESS
As AI revolutionizes creativity and skills, the statement "You Are Useless" provokes a rethinking of our roles. This talk explores how AI enhances, rather than replaces, human creativity. By embracing AI, we unlock new levels of innovation and efficiency, proving that humans and machines together can achieve remarkable outcomes.
DAVIDE COLLA, 150UP / Professor, Creative Director
CREATIVE
Unlocking Creative Potential: The Value of AI and Human Creativity for the Long-Term
The session will still focus on the importance of maintaining a creator community to fuel the creative economy and building and incorporating responsible AI, as well as emphasizing what commercially safe actually means for SMBs and marketers and how AI as one element in a broader toolbox of marketing and creative efforts.
DAN GIFFORD, Gettty Images / Principal Data Scientist
STRATEGY
Unlocking Gaming Audiences for Savvy Brands
In today's fractured media landscape, connecting with audiences—especially GenZ—is an uphill battle for brand marketers. However, there's one massive consumer arena that remains relatively untapped: the world of video gaming. With staggering numbers of engaged gamers across all demographics, this passionate community represents an amazing opportunity for brands willing to learn how to engage authentically.
This session will equip you with the facts, figures, and smart tactics needed to unlock gaming audiences without being seen as an interloper or disruptor. You'll gain insights into the immense size of the gaming market, the positive aspects that attract loyal fans, and how to leverage gaming's inherent love, passion, and competitiveness. From understanding gamer psychographics to native advertising activations, you'll walk away with a comprehensive playbook for creating genuine connections within this booming space.
Zachary Rozga, Thece / CEO