Fast Company Innovation Festival adds Pharrell Williams, Jennifer Garner
Pharrell Williams, recording artist, producer, and entrepreneur, and Jennifer Garner, actress, activist, and company cofounder, are among the speakers confirmed to participate in the Fast Company Innovation Festival this fall.
William and Garner are part of a diverse lineup that includes actress, director, producer, and activist Kerry Washington; Academy Award-winning producer Brian Grazer; entertainment executive and investor Scooter Braun; Apple executive and former EPA chief Lisa Jackson; Emmy Award-winning producer Gigi Pritzker; and Dan Barber, chef and founder of Row 7 Seed Company.
The festival will take place at various locations throughout New York City on October 22-26.
Williams will share the stage with Illumination Entertainment (Despicable Me and the upcoming The Grinch) founder and CEO Chris Meledandri for a conversation about creativity and collaboration. Garner, cofounder of Once Upon a Farm, will be joined by the company’s CEO, John Foraker, to talk about their efforts to bring organic, cold-pressed baby food to a wide market.
The festival features dozens of so-called Fast Tracks–experiential site visits to the offices of some of the world’s most innovative companies. Dozens of companies and institutions will open their doors to festivalgoers during the week, including Nike, Shinola, Red Antler, BuzzFeed, Casper’s Dreamery, Make It Nice (the restaurant group that includes Eleven Madison Park, NoMad, and Made Nice), SYPartners, Droga5 and Second Child, Equinox, CookFox Architects, R/GA, Universal Standard, Tommy John, Upright Citizens Brigade, and more.
Keynote panels and interviews will be held at the 92nd Street Y, the legendary cultural and community center on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Additional panel conversations, workshops, and curated networking sessions will take place at the festival’s Innovation Hub at 237 Park Avenue.
The festival is sponsored by Intel, Prudential, Post-it Teamwork Tools, Dell Small Business, Intrinsic Wine Co., Johnson & Johnson, Lincoln MKC, PWC, TSX Broadway, Grant Thornton, Arbor Day Foundation, Mailchimp, and Lippincott.
Visit the Innovation Festival website for ticket purchase information, a list of speakers, and more details on sessions and Fast Tracks. Additional speakers and sessions will be announced in the coming weeks.
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