SimOnAir

Coding, arts, Cards Against Humanity, software, creativity, and self-imposed restraints. Scott is a web developer and co-creator (with Naz Hamid) of Vapid, an intentionally simple content management system to create websites. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Comedy. teaching, Drunk Jcrew, empowering others, and having fun. Jen Ellison is an actor, writer, director, and professor focusing on comedy and theatre. She performed and directed at ComedySportz, Collaboraction, The Neo-Futurists, and The Second City—the legendary improv theater where Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Key and Peele, and Stephen Colbert first learned how to be be funny on stage. As a professor, she is the former lead of an Ethics in Gaming class, analyzing how we, as players, can become somebody else, living through another point of view, experience empahty, and how videogames and cinema are powerful tools of storytelling and human connection. Jen also mentors students on how to become funnier at Columbia College Chicago by teaching comedy classes in the Comedy Studies program. You can check out her work both on stage, and throuhg "Drunk JCrew", a parody of Jcrew's adversiting shots. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Radio, curiosity, podcasting, health, and becoming smarter. Cody Gough is a radio host, producer, and audio editor. For over a decade he worked as a producer and content creator with WGN Radio, GonnaGeek Network, and Curiosity.com. Mr. Gough's skills help shows to take shape and become even more successful while he works with hosts like Spike O'Dell, Brian Noonan, Nick Digilio, Steve King and Johnnie Putnam, Milt Rosenberg, and Pete McMurray. He hosts the award-winning, daily curiosity.com podcast and Game/Life Balance U.S., a lifestyle show. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

First-ever review of Space Channel 5 VR in May 2018, the day before the official opening of VRLA. Okamura-san is the CEO of Grounding, an independent video-game company based in Japan and currently developing the virtual reality sequel to one of SEGA's most successful and bizarre games ever: Space Channel 5, a visionary music game first released in the late 90s where Ulala, a space news reporter in the 25th century, saves humanity by defeating evil aliens through dance moves and singing, sometimes even helped by Michael Jackson as Space Michael. As one of the few executive women and entrepreneurs in a male-dominated videogames industry, before founding her own company Okamura-san worked on many legendary SEGA games and developers like Tetsuya Mizuguchi's REZ, a musical shooter inspired by Kandinskji's work as a painter. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Disabilities, emapthy, understanding yourself, and community. Dr. Luca Badetti tries to embrace both abilities and inabilities, arguing that this is the best way to become a more complete and connected human being: by encountering disability. Professor at Loyola and DePaul University, as Director of Community Life at L'Arche holding a PhD in Disability Studies, in his TED talk Luca shares powerful stories from his live-in experience with persons with and without intellectual disabilities, inviting everyone to befriend and accept their own perceived limitations to stimulate human growth. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

SNL, Police Academy, shifting careers, writing, and what really matters in life. Tim has performed on SNL for years, starred in movies like Police Academy, musicals like Wicked, paid for Eddie Murphy's dentist. We discussed what really matters in life—even when you reach fame. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

TV shows, race, sexuality, and comedy. Ashley shares her personal stories with no filters, touching important topics like gender, race, unconventional relationships, and sexuality. She writes for The A.V. Club, Vice, and The Chicago Reader. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Physical comedy, aging, changing ideas, and opening up to infinite beauty. Adrian is a co-founder of 500 Clown and a physical performer known across continents for his skill and shows. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Mental disabilities, social justice, theater, and becoming a catalyst. Lisa spent over 30 years connecting people with developmental disabilities, marginalized communities, and incarcerated women to their own still point through art and theater. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Being constructive, learning from failures, comedy, yes and, and mental flexibility. Kelly is a historical producer from the legendary The Second City theater where improvisation was born. He helps to study improvisation under the lenses of business and behavioral science. Get more on https://sim.show. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Chicago, history, 20th century, urban development, and cities as living organisms. Dominic is a historian and author who spent almost 4 decades analyzing Chicago and its history. Professor at Columbia College and the University of Chicago, he published several books on "the most American city". Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Comedy, teaching, improvisation, adapting and changing, empowering others. Anne is an author, writer, comedy professor and researcher. She created the Comedy Studies program at Columbia College Chicago. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Honesty, self-improvement, comedy, and surreal reality. Rachael is a comedian and legendary Chicago performer and teacher from Chicago's The Second City and the Annoyance Theater. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Comedy, empathy, sickness, stepping up, laughing, and the balance between fun and seriousness in life. Susan is an improviser and iconic comedian from Chicago's The Second City, the Annoyance Theater, and iO Theater. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Humans, behavior, relationships, business, technology. Linnea is a behavioral scientist, adjunct professor at Chicago Booth and co-founder of Behavioral Sight. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Drawing, videogames, movie studios, academic studies and work, plus ninjas. Shawn is the creator of Shawnimals, a universe made of plush, toys, and videogames! Shawn created Ninjatown, Moustachios, Dumplings, and tons of art. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Puzzles, creativity, games, shifting career, and being incapable of bullshit. Sandy is the creator of The Mystery League and creates puzzles, games, and escape rooms at any chance he can get. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Founding socially responsible companies and creating sustainable platform that respect creators and users. Jake is a co-founder of PRX (Public Radio Exchange) and RadioPublic. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Simplicity, using the tools right for you and not conforming to social expectations, creating meaningful videogames, and what matters in life. Jason is a videogame developer, author of games like Passage and One Hour One Life. Get more on https://www.simone.org.

Understading the effect of metrics and social media on us as individuals, and recognizing the interrelationship between the self and comprehensive systems. Ben is an artist and the creator of Twitter and Facebook Demetricator. Get more on https://www.simone.org.