DIGITAL WAVE

Speakers

A big ‘thanks’ to all our speakers, you made Digital Wave 2017 really special.
Take a look at who we had on the bill.

• 

  Amanda Follit

  Head of Digital Operations Services | Amaze

  At 18 Amanda was homeless and living out of a stationary car on a seafront. She trawled the streets to look for her first job and ended up in a retail position.

  With an interest in computers since her teens she taught herself HTML and this led to her moving into IT and then digital roles including being the Project and QA Manager on the first ever ‘comparison engine’ to launch whilst working for Moneysupermarket.com.

  Now working for agency Amaze Ltd, Amanda has developed unique and innovative services and is also Chair of Young Talent for the British Interactive Media Association.

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• 

  Jack Bishop

  Global Head Pilot | Propel RC

  Jack has been flying anything with a remote control(RC) for the past 14 years. Competing at a national level for RC helicopters around the UK and Europe. Jack joined Propel as a demonstration pilot last year, helping to prove how well the Propel line of drones flew to retailers all over the world. With a background in performance, he always likes to put on a show!

  Soon he was whisked off to Propel's development facilities in China to help in the development of the Star Wars drones, especially tuning their flight controllers to make them fly as well as they do today! Jack has been a key contributor to the Star Wars line of products, from tech features to conceptualising new technologies that really do make them 'Out of this world!'

• 

  Mike Hawkyard

  Managing Director | Amuzo

  Mike Hawkyard is an expert on games design, gamification, self-publishing and digital marketing. He has given many presentations for organisations like Adobe, Microsoft, UKTI and TIGA on these subjects.

  As MD of Amuzo, he helps brands harnesses the power of play to engage, educate and inspire mobile audiences around the world. As a Board member of TIGA, a trade association for computer game companies, he helps British studios stay competitive in a global marketplace.

  Outside of work Mike is a Manchester United fan and plays golf.

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• 

  Matt Hawkins

  Director | MiMiC

  Serial entrepreneur Matt Hawkins has built multiple technology businesses since childhood. Starting from the age of 5 selling sweets out of a plastic till to creating one of the fastest growing ISP’s in the UK which was acquired in 2015. He has won various Entrepreneur and business thinking awards.

  As well helping get better internet connectivity to people and businesses, Matt now enjoys helping people start businesses and guiding/investing in technology start-ups.

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• 

  Vivienne Rudcenko

  Communications and Content Manager | YEAY

  Vivienne Rudcenko is a Berlin-based communications specialist with more than 10 years of experience telling stories through print, digital and social media. She started out as a magazine journalist before moving online and managing the digital channels for musicians, building PR campaigns for big technology companies and, in more recent years, developing content strategies for start-ups in London and Berlin.

  She currently looks after the brand voice and communications strategy for YEAY, a mobile shopping app where people buy and sell products with video.

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• 

  Ari Rubenstein

  Lead Compositor | Film Industry Professional

  Ari Rubenstein is a visual effects craftsman with 25 years of industry experience. Ari has worked on a variety of live-action vfx and feature animated films, from Matrix, Constantine, and Charlottes Web, to Blue Sky Studios’ Ice Age and Rio franchises. Currently, Ari is a Lead Compositor at Blue Sky working on the 2017 film.

• 

  Oliver Selby

  Scriptwriter | LoveLove Films

  Since the start of this year, Oliver has worked with LoveLove Films as their in-house Scriptwriter. At the tender age of 22, Oliver has already written a multitude of TV adverts and radio adverts for national clients.

  Oliver has always been a keen storyteller with artistic flair; he graduated from Bournemouth University with a first in BA (Hons) Scriptwriting last year, the first of his welsh family to ever go to university or work in the digital sector.

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• 

  Georgina Hurcombe

  Founder and Managing Director | LoveLove Films

  Georgina is LoveLove Films company's founder and Managing Director. As a producer she has worked on a range of award winning content from TV adverts, music videos to factual entertainment and features seen across the likes of CH4, ITV, SKY and the BBC. Georgina regularly works with large multinational brands, organisations and agencies around the world.

  In 2016 Georgina won the LinkedIn 'Are you ready for tomorrow' competition and was also named the DCCI Businesswomen of the year. Away from running LoveLove Films Georgina is a fan of Spinning and eating cake (often at the same time).

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• 

  Joanne Salmon

  Animator | LoveLove Films

  Joanne has always had a passion for animation and despite having Treacher Collins Syndrome she has never let this hold her back from her dream of being an animator and has gone on to be an award-winning illustrator and animator.

  Most recent successes include being part of the LoveLove Films team winning a main prize at the Ekotopfilm awards 2017 for an animated project named ‘We Save Land’ about land and wildlife conservation. Joanne works on a range of animated content from TV adverts to Children’s TV content.

• 

  Jamie Sergeant

  Founder and Director | Crowd

  Jamie has over 25 years' experience in the creative industry and agency life, he started his career drawing Disney characters and now focuses on big ideas for the agency he founded called Crowd.

  Crowd are a creative communications agency with offices in Bournemouth, London, San Francisco, Detroit, Dubai, Toronto and Shenzhen. Crowd devise strong creative solutions deeply rooted in sound principles. By creating and nurturing carefully coordinated communication strategies, we help brands burst into life.

  The confidence to be creative, the capacity to surprise and the experience to deliver... the team at Crowd help brands build an audience.

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• 

  Thor Mitchell

  Founder | Product.Careers

  Thor was born and raised in the Bournemouth area, and studied Physics at the University of Oxford. After 8 years at Sun Microsystems, he joined Google, spending 9 years in London, Sydney, and Silicon Valley as an Engineer and Product Manager.

  Thor returned to the U.K. in 2015 to join Crowdcube, the world's leading investment crowdfunding platform, where he leads a team of Product Managers who are responsible for product strategy, planning, and delivery.

  Thor is also the founder of product.careers, a non-profit initiative to raise awareness of Product Management as a career path amongst undergraduates and graduates.

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• 

  Joe Bor

  Comedian and freelance video creative

  Joe Bor is an incredibly talented observational comedian and is highly respected on the circuit. He regularly works at many of the top comedy clubs including Glee, 99 Club and The Comedy Store and has also been booked as tour support for Jack Whitehall, Kevin Bridges and Alistair McGowan.

  He's also been booked for corporate work, writing jobs and TV warm-up for shows including The Graham Norton Show, Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You, Still Open All Hours and Alan Carr Chatty Man.He's a reliable performer with a wealth of material to suit different audiences. His broad range of talent and likeable nature allow him the capability to headline, open and host gigs, and his MA in Screenwriting enables him to write for all types of comedy shows.

  Joe has also worked on a range of Buzzfeed videos, writing, starring in and directing over ten viral films that have reached an online audience of millions.

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• 

  Tom Davis

  Service Delivery Manager | Cloudserve

  At the age of 22, Tom heads up the Managed Services Team at a successful Cloud Computing business and is an Ambassador for Microsoft. He has consulted for the likes of the American Red Cross, Samsung and Santander. Tom's also a former Microsoft Apprentice of the Year and has been recognised in several awards and publications.

  Tom is a big believer in the power of youth and ambition in the workplace. In his talk, he’ll share some top tips and tools for getting ahead in the tech sector, standing out to potential employers and getting qualified for free. He’ll also reflect on the last 6 years of his career from Microsoft Apprentice, to building a Cloud Computing business.

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