Tickets

We're taking a brief pause. But Ticket shall return...

Back in the late 2000s a number of community-driven internet companies began to change the way new products and services were brought to life. But even the most forward-thinking of those companies’ founders may have been surprised at where their platforms are now being utilized. One example is in the Interaction Design Program at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Over the last 7 years, over 100 students have taken on the challenge the make $1000 by design, launch and complete a...

Think about talent agents and the first image that comes to mind may be something similar to the character of Ari Gold in the TV show ‘Entourage’; fast-talking, fickle, and more focused on the action toys and awards than the quality of the art. But beyond the caricature, there’s of course far more to this kind of work than meets the eye - and a growing range of talent with important ideas to share with the world. On this episode of Tickets I’m joined by David Lavin, founder and CEO of...

Believe it or not, some of the key fundamentals of university haven’t changed much in over a thousand years. But with the US student debt crisis continuing to make headlines, employers’ talent needs rapidly evolving, and software still eating the world, traditional higher education - like other industries before it - is now undergoing change like never before. Today on Tickets I’m joined by Daniel Pianko. Co-Founder and Managing Director at University Ventures, a New York based venture...

Imagine the world’s most awarded advertising school. Perhaps you’re picturing it housed in an imposing campus of magnificient Edwardian buildings made of stone and marble, or a gleaming high rise in midtown Manhattan. In fact you’ll find it on the top floor of a former church and nightclub in a South London neighbourhood. Its unexpected characteristics don’t end there - from the curriculum design to the class size, the mentors to the learning outcomes. It’s called the School of...

In the Spring of 1987, a group of music fans and journalists organised a small live event in Austin, Texas. They were pleasantly surprised by its success - around 700 people showed up. That first edition of South by SouthWest has become a 10 day conference and festival with over 28,000 attendees heading to Austin each March. It’s now one of the most recognised and respected live events on the planet, and its core tracks of music, film, technology and education inform as well as reflect...

Over the last 10 years Adobe’s annual 99U conference has captured the imaginations of creative thinkers from around the world through its 2 day programme of talks, workshops and collaborations, featuring a who’s who of both industry leaders and rising talent. And alongside the New York conference, 99U has now grown into a year-round online resource for building a creative career. Today on Tickets I’m joined by Adobe’s Head of 99U Andrea Rosen. In this conversation we talk about the future...

Spend some time around the world of startups and it probably won’t be long until you hear someone mention the term startup studio. It’s recently become a bit of a buzz term for consultancies, ad agencies and brands, but New York company Betaworks have been working in and around this area for over a decade. As well as their work building and investing in companies, Betaworks have recently opened Studios, their own membership space in the city’s Meatpacking district. James Cooper is the...

In a world that’s now full of influencers, thought leaders and keynote speakers, how do you know who’s worth paying your attention, or your money, to? What sets the best education experiences apart from the rest? And how do you know if your new business idea is worth pursuing? Today on Tickets we delve into the answers to these questions and much more with Rob Fitzpatrick. Rob has been working in entrepreneurship and education for over 10 years as a founder, author and educator. His...

It’s that app with the owl. That app where you can instantly start learning anything from Spanish to Swahili, Hebrew to Hawaiian. But what’s behind the enormous success of Duolingo, the language learning app that now has over 300 million users around the world? Laura Nestler is Duolingo’s global head of community, bringing together learners and teachers from a multitude of countries and cultures. On this episode of Tickets we get into the art & science of building global communities, the...

What have Harry Potter, Steve Wozniak, Los Angeles County School Board and the Indian Prime Minister got in common? They’ve all been part of the story of Kano, a London based computer company intertwining technology, education and entertainment. Today on Tickets I’m joined by Kano’s co-founder Alex Klein. We talk about the future of collective experiences, overcoming the dark times as an entrepreneur, the key ingredients of a compelling Kickstarter campaign, and how a 6 year old’s question...

We're back! Tickets returns for its second season this November. Here's a brief introduction to this season and a bit of back story on how we got to now.

On the guest list today is James Beshara, global head of concerts at Airbnb. James leads Airbnb’s growing presence in the world of music experiences, providing guests, hosts and artists with new opportunities to share and enjoy live music. Inevitably it was at our season finale that we finally encountered a ton of of technical problems. Luckily James was more than accommodating - letting us overrun so we got a decent amount of time to chat and rescuing the episode by setting up the recording...

What do you get if you combine circus performance, immersive theatre, and electronic music? The answer is Elrow, a global events brand based in Barcelona. The party started at a venue in the city in 2010, but this business goes back to the mid 19th century, staying in the same family for nearly 150 years. On the guest list today is Victor de la Serna, Elrow’s global talent director, overseeing programming for events around the world. In this highly entertaining conversation, we talk about...

Think about the last trip you booked. You may have done it all from your mobile phone. Flights - Kayak or SkyScanner. Hotels? Expedia, Tablet, or maybe Hotel Tonight Transfers - well, Uber and Lift make it easy But what about a tour, an exhibition or an attraction at your destination? Even if the booking is online you may still need a paper ticket to gain entry. It’s a headache for both consumers and businesses alike. On the guest list today is Leith Stevens of Redeem, a Colorado based...

As the retail apocalypse looms large, the hospitality and entertainment industries are sitting up to take note, and the world of commercial office real estate is coming under threat like never before. The big question is what happens next. On the guest list today is Bart Higgins, a partner at the international innovation consultancy WhatIf. Bart runs the firm’s 4D Experience practice, helping companies across retail, workspace, hospitality and entertainment identify new business models,...

Make a list of the most respected international festivals and Sonar is bound to feature. Starting in 1994 as a 3,000 capacity event in Barcelona, Sonar has grown to host over 120,000 attendees in the city each year and now has a presence in locations as diverse as Istanbul, Buenos Aires and Hong Kong. On the guest list today is Ventura Barba, CEO of Sonar’s parent company Advanced Music. Having known the Sonar founders since that very first edition, he spent time at BMG and Yahoo Music...

On the guest list today is Mia Tramz, Editorial Director of Enterprise and Immersive Experiences at Time Magazine. Following a degree in Visuals Arts at Columbia University, Mia began her career as a photo editor before branching out into VR through her role running Time’s Life VR initiative. In this conversation Mia talks about how she tackles telling compelling VR stories across over 30 brands, what’s it like to run a startup within a large organisation, the 4 levels of VR immersion, and...

On the guest list today are Will Prince and Charlie Marshall, principals at Parc Office, a New York based experience design practice. Blending digital technology with physical environments, Parc’s projects include Google’s Cultural Institute, flagship store design for Adidas, reimagining Le Meridien hotel in Istanbul, and creating a modern day fashion Museum for Gucci in Florence. Listen on for the duo’s insights into the impact of Instagram, how they assess new technologies, customising...

The numerous challenges facing venues of all shapes and sizes have been well documented over the past few years. So how do you go about creating a new place for arts and music in one of the world’s most competitive real estate markets? Dhruv Chopra is one of the three co-founders of Elsewhere, a 24,000 sq ft space in New York that opened at the end of 2017. After a childhood playing in a wide range of bands, Dhruv spent 5 years as an investment manager at Capricorn, before making the move to...