THE LA Times NewStory 2018
celebrating the art of music through storytelling
The LA Times 'Festival of Books' (150, 000 attendees) introduces a whole new area to the festival this year with the introduction of NewStory, guest-curated by conceptual artist and composer Beatie Wolfe. NewStory will celebrate storytelling beyond the book and feature the best in music/tech/art from LA's leading creatives, inventors and thinkers - from NASA, Magic Leap, Stanford and Nokia Bell Labs through to multi-platinum producers and songwriters
Highlights include the premiere of the Raw Space AR chamber pop-up and Space Beam, NASA JPL's lead creative Dan Goods on seeing the unseen, Songwriters Hall of Fame 2018 inductee Allee Willis, Emmy-winning screenwriter/producer Donick Cary (The Simpsons, Parks and Recreation), Magic Leap's executive producer for cinematic reality, award-winning production house The Mill, rock star tailor Mr Fish (Hendrix/Bowie), Elliott Smith/Beck video director Ross Harris and multi-platinum producers Kerry Brown (The Smashing Pumpkins) & Linda Perry (Gwen Stefani, Adele)... in addition to premiere screenings, live performances, immersive AR/VR installations, music as medicine and a galactic whisper station
Speakers in numbers:
4 x Grammy • 4 x Emmy • 8 x Nobels • 2 x Songwriter Hall of Famers • 1 x Tony • 2 x Webby •
4 x Grammy • 4 x Emmy • 8 x Nobels • 2 x Songwriter Hall of Famers • 1 x Tony • 2 x Webby •
The Newstory Stage
Schedule Saturday April 21st, 2018
Opening Session
10:30am-10:50am
How Immersion Corporation’s Haptics “Touch Technology” Brings Vibrant Realism to the Digital World
Talent: David Birnbaum (Immersion Corp)
Talk summary: Bringing a sense of touch to our virtual reality worlds, Immersion Corp’s David Birnbaum will be sharing the very latest in haptic technology that literally enables you to feel a vibrant and humanistic experience at your fingertips.
10:55am-11:20am
How Blockchain is Empowering Songwriters & Creators, with Classical Musicians Leading the Way
Talent: Hélène Muddiman & Matthias Röder
Talk summary: Karajan Institute CEO, Matthias Röder (Musicology, PHD) in conversation with multi-award winning film composer and songwriter Hélène Muddiman (Happy Feet Two, Ice Age 4) about how Blockchain is bringing greater transparency to the music industry and empowerment to the songwriter
Morning Session
11:30am-11:55am
Seeing the Unseen with The Studio at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Talent: Dan Goods
Talk summary: In Seeing the Unseen NASA JPL’s lead creative Dan Goods, “one of the most interesting people in LA,” shares how his team transforms complex concepts into meaningful stories that can be universally understood and remind people of the gift and privilege of being alive. Highlights include the Voyager Golden Record and the “Museum of Awe.”
12:00pm-12:25pm
Talent: Ross Harris
Talk summary: Featuring rare footage, filmmaker Ross Harris shares stories of directing Elliott Smith (‘Coming up Roses’ and Oscar-nominated ‘Miss Misery’), touring and art directing with Beck and shining the light on young artists such as Aloe Blacc and Anderson Paak. He also talks to drummer extraordinaire Dean Zimmer about shooting the viral “Drummer Wanted.”
12:30pm-1:00pm
Talent: Allee Willis & Beatie Wolfe (Moderator)
Talk summary: 2018 “Songwriters Hall of Fame” inductee Allee Willis talks to British innovator Beatie Wolfe about penning hits for everyone from Earth, Wind & Fire (“September”) to The Pointer Sisters (“Neutron Dance”), sessions with Bob Dylan to James Brown, and co-writing the Friends theme tune, The Color Purple Musical (produced by Oprah) and so much more!
Afternoon Session
1:15pm-1:55pm
Talent: Donick Cary & Special Guest TBD
Talk summary: Emmy-winning Donick Cary shares his story, from writing and producing for Parks and Recreation, Letterman, The Simpsons, Silicon Valley to founding Musack, an organisation all about giving kids and teens a voice and how it has expanded worldwide with the help of an annual music festival in his Los Angeles backyard. Featuring special comedic and musical guests
2:00pm-2:25pm
Talent: Walter Werzowa & Beatie Wolfe. Moderator by Nusha Askari, PhD (Stanford Medical)
Talk summary: A powerful, uplifting conversation between Moby-endorsed HealthTunes Founder Walter Werzowa and artist Beatie Wolfe (founder of Wired featured ‘Power of Music & Dementia’ & Utley Foundation Patron) about the necessity of music for people living with conditions ranging from depression to Alzheimer’s and how music supports healing in hospitals and homes worldwide. Featuring live demos
2:30pm-2:55pm
The Mill, DTS (Xperi) and Magic Leap discuss the next frontiers of audio and visual storytelling
Talent: Prudence Fenton (Magic Leap), Phil Crowe (The Mill) & David McIntyre (Xperi)
Talk summary: Executive Producer for Cinematic Reality at Magic Leap, Prudence Fenton, Lead Executive Creative from The Mill, Phil Crowe, and Xperi’s Senior VP David McIntyre discuss how sound and vision can truly come together as one, leading to greater immersion and artistry
Closing Session
3:15pm-3:55pm
Talent: Beatie Wolfe, Domhnaill Hernon (Nokia Bell Labs) & David Mason (Mr Fish)
Talk summary: Singer songwriter Beatie Wolfe talks about creating new formats for music that bridge the tangible and digital, which include a 3D vinyl for the phone; a Musical Jacket - designed by Bowie and Hendrix’s tailor out of fabric woven with Wolfe’s music - and the world's first live 360 ̊ AR stream. With special video premiere of the Raw Space galactic broadcast, via the ‘Big Bang’ horn
4:00pm-4:30pm
Talent: Linda Perry & Kerry Brown
Talk summary: Songwriter Linda Perry and fellow multi-platinum producer & We Are Hear co-founder, Kerry Brown, discuss the state and future of artist development in 2018 and beyond. Is artist development at labels dead? Who is actually doing it right and what does it mean for career longevity? Find out why the time and money put into artist development is worth it and what it can do for the artists
4:45pm-6:00pm
Surprise Secret Session till Close
Talent: Secret
NewStory Festival Speakers
THE NEWSTORY x Beatie Wolfe Installations
Across APRIL 21ST & 22nd, 2018
Beatie Wolfe will curate the inaugural 2018 Newstory (within Festival of Books) across the following platforms: an exhibition of music storytelling curiosities, a lively stage of world class speakers and the global premiere of an AR sound chamber pop-up and world's first Space beam via the Big Bang Horn
The “Raw Space” Chamber
The Raw Space Chamber tells the story of Raw Space - the world’s first live 360 AR stream from the quietest room on earth. Inside the pop-up chamber visitors can fully immerse themselves in this truly magical and ceremonial listening experience, while live AR animations bring the album’s artwork and lyrics to life in real-time, as a first of its kind, via vintage coin-operated binoculars and a spinning vinyl
The Raw Space experience was described as "walking around in a dream someone had made for me" by The New Scientist and “a modern day Fantasia experience for the album” by the BBC
Following the Raw Space Chamber's BETA in Los Angeles it will be exhibited in the V&A Museum as a London Design Festival Highlight 2018
With special thanks to Nokia Bell Labs
The Raw Space Beam
A very special premiere from Beatie Wolfe, Nokia Bell Labs and The Mill of Beatie Wolfe's Raw Space Beam - a short documentary telling the story of how this musician was the first to send her music into Space via the Horn that proved the "Big Bang" (classified a National Historic Landmark) and with the help of Nobel Prize winning scientist Robert Wilson
The Galactic Whisper Station
Record a sentiment that you would like to share with the Universe at the Galactic Whisper Station and it will be beamed into Space via the Nokia Bell Labs Holmdel Horn which was used to prove the Big Bang. Special thanks to Blue Microphone to help capture those words
Other ExperienceS & Exhibits include
The Musack Music Academy
The National Geographic Space Centre
The Immersion Corp Haptic Augmented Paint School
NewStory Festival details
NewStory is at Founders Park b/t George Finley Bovard Admin Bld & Mark Taper Hall of Humanities or cowboy.chairs.stable on What3Words
Location
University of Southern California
NewStory Outdoor Stage
USC Park Campus
Los Angeles, CA 90089
United States of America
Dates and Hours
Saturday, April 21, 2018
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday, April 22, 2018
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
