Stage Set for Third Annual TedxBroadway: Announcing Complete List of Speakers and Performers

TEDxBroadway announces the final list of speakers and performers who will join in the discussion at the third annual event.

The one-day event returning on Monday, February 24, 2014 beginning at 11:00am at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street) will be filled with provocative presentations, intriguing discussions, and new connections that forward-thinking members of the community will want to join. Tickets are priced at $100 and may be purchased on the Goldstar website at the URL below.

Confirmed list of guest speakers include:
• Mark Fisher and Michael Keeler, founders of Mark Fisher Fitness
• Robert Lopez, 2014 Academy Award nominee for Best Song, Frozen, and Tony Award-winning composer, The Book of Mormon, Avenue Q
• Jonathan Mann, "the song a day guy"
• Gabe Zichermann, Chair of GSummit (gsummit.com), founder/editor of Gamification.Co (gamification.co) and EQ magazine
• Diane Paulus, artistic director of the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University and 2013 recipient of the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical
• Lea DeLaria, Jazz musician, writer, stand-up comic, actor appearing on Nextflix original Orange Is the New Black
• David Drake, founder and chairman of LDJ Capital, a private equity advisory firm, and of The Soho Loft, author of Crowd Fund Economics
• Dan Gurney, CEO and founder of Concert Window and a six-time United States Champion on the button accordion
• Yao Huang, managing partner at Pereg Ventures, founder of The Hatchery
• Craig Dykers, founding partner of Snøhetta
• Freestyle Love Supreme, from two of the creators of the Tony Award-winning In the Heights, five performers take the crowd on a non-stop hip hop improv ride
• Ainissa G. Ramirez, Ph.D., co-author of Newton's Football (Random House) and author of Save Our Science (TED Books)
• Todd Robbins, award-winning performer and creative artist
• Dexter Upshaw, founder and CEO of Distinction Interactive (distinctioni.com), head of digital for the Apollo Theater in Harlem
• Natasha Tsakos, conceptual director, creator, and performer
• David Torpey, co-founder and creative director of Image Now Consultants and Image Now Films

Organizers Damian Bazadona, Ken Davenport, and Jim McCarthy endeavor to provide an environment to answer the question, "What's the BEST that Broadway can be?" They have gathered some of the smartest, most interesting people from a wide range of fields of expertise to consider this question and present their findings. However, it's not just the people on the stage who are important to that vision, but the members of the audience, who'll come from government, academics, Broadway production and marketing, tourism, hospitality, food service, and beyond. All stakeholders in the vitality of the neighborhood of Broadway will participate in developing and sharing this vision.

TEDxBroadway is co-organized by Damian Bazadona, founder of Situation Interactive, Broadway producer Ken Davenport, and Jim McCarthy of Goldstar. They are proud to welcome back co-organizing sponsors: Jujamcyn Theaters, Google, and Broadway.com; thought leader sponsor: NewYork.com; supporting sponsors: Davis Wright Tremaine, Audience Rewards, Chase, and Camp Broadway. Joining this year as young professionals sponsors are The Nederlander Organization and The Shubert Organization. Additional support is provided by Goldstar, Metroclick, and E&E Grill House.