Using social media for social good, exploring the media’s lack of diversity, and building skills and knowledge through sessions on sports, food, fashion, writing and photography are among the highlighted subjects and program offerings at the 2014 V3 Digital Media Conference, to be presented June 20-21 in celebration of Asian American contributions to media and culture.
Richard Lui of MSNBC will show how social media can be used by everyone, from everyday citizens to celebrities, to effect social change. Phil Yu, the popular blogger known as Angry Asian Man, will lead a session on innovative ways to fund projects.
Panelists led by David Ono of ABC7 in Los Angeles will conduct a no-holds-barred conversation about making media organizations more representative of the communities they cover. A second session on diversity will explore the landscape for television writers and others who work behind the camera. The panelists include Jessica Gao, who has written for “Silicon Valley” and “Robot Chicken.”
“This year’s schedule brings in some interesting new topics and old favorites, like food critics,” said Kim Bui, V3con’s programming director, referring to a panel on the effects of blogging, social media and review sites on food criticism and writing. Susan Hirasuna of KTTV Fox 11 in Los Angeles will moderate.
“We’re also excited to bring back last year’s popular workshops that bring a little more learning to V3con,” Bui said. “We worked hard to get a little bit of everything in there for everyone.”
The full programming schedule can be found at http://v3con.com/schedule, and speakers, performers and panelists at http://v3con.com/schedule/speakers/.
The third annual V3con, presented by the Los Angeles Chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association, recognizes the “Vision. Visibility. Voice” of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in digital and social media, with the goal of showcasing the most influential and interesting Asian Americans online while connecting diverse communities and building new media skills.
The two-day event will consist of a gala opening awards reception on Friday, June 20, from 6 to 9 p.m., to be followed by an all-day Digital Media Conference on Saturday, June 21, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event, which drew more than 500 attendees in each of its first two years, will return to the Japanese American National Museum, 100 N. Central Ave. (at First Street) in Little Tokyo, for both days.
Broadcast journalist Ann Curry of NBC News, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold of The Los Angeles Times and singer-songwriter Judith Hill will be honored at the Friday reception. The three “V” awards given at V3con acknowledge the contributions, talents and values of path-breaking individuals who have enabled Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to become recognized as a significant force in media and the broader community.
Tsujita L.A. will cater the reception. The L.A. location of the Tokyo-based artisan noodle chain will offer selections from its traditional Japanese dinner menu. Food critic Gold, this year’s V3con Visibility Award winner, is among Tsujita L.A.’s fans. He rated it No. 30 on his annual list of Southern California’s 101 best restaurants.
The reception will include beverages from Coca-Cola, as well as beer from Kirin and desserts by Spazio Caffé. Entertainment will be provided by drum troupe Kokoro Taiko Kai, hip-hop artist Dan Matthews and folk-electronic band Magic Giant. McDonald’s will provide breakfast and lunch at the Saturday media conference; Coca-Cola will provide beverages.
Pre-registration ends tonight, June 17, but onsite registration will be available. http://v3con.com/registration/
V3con is the only digital media conference centered on AAPI mainstream journalists, digital media journalists, bloggers and those interested in social media. The conference is an opportunity for those communicating on multiple digital platforms, including social media and blogs, and their audiences to interact, engage in person and inspire those who are interested in communicating online. Visit http://v3con.com for full conference details.