Ivan Askwith
Askwith has been named one of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business,” and has been described by Wired as “the secret weapon” behind the biggest entertainment crowdfunding successes of the last several years, including the record-breaking campaigns for Veronica Mars, Reading Rainbow, Super Troopers 2, Mystery Science Theater 3000 and The Aquabats. Along with Kristen Bell, Askwith is also one of the Executive Producers for the upcoming animated pre-school series Do, Re & Mi (Amazon Studios + Gaumont Animation), which aims to help young listeners develop a lifelong passion for music, and the cognitive benefits that come with it. Previously, Askwith led the Digital Media division of Lucasfilm, providing creative and strategic oversight for a range of online, social and cross-platform initiatives supporting Star Wars. Before that, he spent several years as the first Director of Strategy at Big Spaceship, an award-winning digital agency in Brooklyn, NY, where he led projects for clients including Google, GE, Sony Pictures and NBC Universal. In addition, he was a founding member of MIT's Convergence Culture Consortium (C3), where he worked with Dr. Henry Jenkins to develop a new model for understanding fan behaviors and motives when engaging with popular culture. He writes frequently on fan behavior and franchise development, and appears as a frequent speaker at festivals and conferences worldwide. He's perpetually curious about the space where human behavior, fan engagement, motivational psychology, behavioral economics, social interactions, popular culture, entertainment and digital platforms meet.