Life Is Beautiful Adds Learning Program With Illustrious Speakers

Life is Beautiful Festival announces its 2014 learning programming for the culture fest’s sophomore year taking place Friday, October 24 – Sunday, October 26 from 2pm – 7pm each day. This year, the Learning Program will be expanded to feature dozens of influential visionaries from a variety of different fields. Held inside the space of the former Western Hotel, which will be transformed into an interactive festival experience, a series of 90-minute sessions with an unorthodox combination of speakers will address a multitude of topics ranging from anti-bullying to tech industry disruption and finding your life’s purpose.

“One of the cornerstones of Life is Beautiful is to give festival goers an opportunity to be inspired,” said Rehan Choudhry, Life is Beautiful founder. “Our speaker series is built on that same concept and by bringing together so many noteworthy speakers, we hope to give people the chance to be moved and challenged into thinking about the world in a different way.”

As a new addition to this year’s program, talks will be grouped into themed sessions. Examples include:

THE FUTURE: How tech is changing our food, our stores, our music and even the weather.

POWER: What happens when we give power and choice directly to those who need it?

LEADERSHIP: New leadership models that are transforming the workplace.

THE WORLD: Rethinking the developing world through socially conscious economic models.

PURPOSE: Finding it, losing it, and everything in between.

TRUTH: It’s harder and harder to tell the difference between what’s right and what’s wrong.

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL: Anti-bullying and finding your inner superhero.

IMAGINE THIS:  When technology eliminates the gap between what you can imagine and what you can do.

Speakers will present their talks individually but on-topic within their 90-minute moderated, themed sessions. Current speakers and their themes (subject to change) include:

THE FUTURE:

Dr. Gabor Forgacs is a theoretical physicist- turned-bioengineer who founded Organovo, Inc. and Modern Meadow, Inc. Both companies use advanced 3-D printing technologies to engineer organs, leather, and meat in an environmentally-friendly and ethically-conscious manner. Modern Meadow was among the first investments of the Thiel Foundation, and has been featured on TED, TEDMED, and TEDGlobal.

Andrew Hessel is a microbiologist and cancer researcher at AutoDesk Research, and the Co-Chair of Bioinformatics and Biotechnolgy of Singularity University. Hessel is a pioneer in the field of synthetic biology, a form of genetic engineering done with digital tools. His research at Autodesk, the $11.4 billion software company best known for AutoCAD (which engineers use to design everything from sunglasses to skyscrapers) will enable him and Autodesk to potentially expand into the fields of energy production and water purification. He is also the co-founder of the Pink Army Cooperative, the world’s first cooperative biotechnology company, which is aiming to make open source viral therapies for cancer.

John Rennie is the co-creator and host of Hacking The Planet, an original series for The Weather Channel. Each episode looks at whether current or future technology might allow us to better control, predict, or protect ourselves against some dangerous force of nature. For 15 years, Rennie served as editor-in-chief of Scientific American, during which time the magazine was honored with two National Magazine Awards. Rennie’s numerous television and radio appearances include PBS’s Newshour, ABC World News, The CBS Early Show, the History Channel special Clash of the Cavemen, Discovery’s Apocalypse How, NPR’s Science Friday. In 2000 Rennie was the recipient of the Sagan Award for Public Understanding of Science, bestowed by the Council of Scientific Society Presidents.

POWER:

Ricki Lake is an actress, TV host, and Emmy award winning producer, whose legacy is her role as an independent filmmaker. She has won awards for her documentaries including "The Business of Being Born," "Sweetening the Pill" and "Weed the People."

Zubin Damania (a.k.a. ZDoggMD) received the Russell Lee Award for Clinical Teaching while simultaneously maintaining a shadow career performing stand-up comedy for medical audiences worldwide. In 2013 he founded Turntable Health in Las Vegas, on a mission to “fix healthcare” in the U.S.  His novel primary care membership model has attracted national attention, and has been featured on MSNBC and in Time Magazine, U.S. News and World Report, the Atlantic, and TEDMED

LEADERSHIP:

Tony Hsieh joined Zappos as an advisor and investor, and eventually became CEO. In 2012, Tony moved Zappos headquarters to the old City Hall of Downtown Las Vegas, and began his privately funded urban revitalization effort, the Downtown Project.

Fred Mossler founded the Merchandising Team at Zappos.com. Beyond Zappos, Fred is also focused on the revitalization efforts of downtown Las Vegas.

Marie Forleo is an award winning life coach, best-selling author, and CEO of "The B-School," a virtual, women-owned and run, socially-conscious company that focuses on small business and personal development training for female entrepreneurs. She’s been featured on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday, and has developed programs with and for motivational guru Tony Robbins and Virgin mogul Richard Branson.

Mel and Patricia Ziegler  are both former journalists in San Francisco who, with $1,500 and without any business experience, turned a wild idea into a company that would become the international retail colossus, Banana Republic. They also co-founded The Republic of Tea, and are the co-authors of the 2012 book Wild Company.

THE WORLD:

José Andrés is an internationally-recognized culinary innovator, passionate advocate for food and hunger issues, author, educator, television personality,  chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup, and founder of the World Central Kitchen.

Kavita Shukla is the inventor and Founder/CEO of Fenugreen, a pioneer in the movement towards sustainable, active, natural food packaging. According to a study conducted by the Swedish Institute for food and biotechnology (upon request from the food and agriculture organization of the united nations), roughly one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, amounting to a staggering 1.3 billion tons (and $450 billion in losses) annually. The paper Kavita developed was a awarded her second U.S. Patent in 2002, when she was 17. Her first patent came at age 13. Forbes Magazine named her one of its “30 under 30 Social Entrepreneurs” in 2014.

Adam Braun, Founder of Pencils of Promise , an award-winning "for-purpose" organization that has built more than 150 schools across Africa, Asia, and Latin America since 2008. His experiences have intriguing "reverse innovation" implications for the U.S. education system. Braun left a lucrative career on Wall Street to pursue founding Pencils of Promise, a prototype organization that makes money while solving difficult social problems. He believes that the Wall Street profit making engines are "dinosaurs" of the past and that the future of the global economy is all about purpose driven organizations with heart -- and a robust social media engine. In 2012, he was named to the Forbes “30 Under 30 List.”

PURPOSE:

Isaiah Austin is an American basketball player who was considered a first-round prospect in the 2014 NBA draft until he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome. He has since partnered with the Marfan Foundation, launching a #DreamAgain campaign to raise funds and awareness.

Amelia Rose Earhart  is a young pilot who just completed her namesake's flight around the world in a single-engine airplane, making her the youngest female to ever to circumnavigate the globe in this type of plane.

Giles Duley spent 10 years as an editorial photographer in the fashion and music industries in both the US and Europe. In 2011, whilst on patrol with the United States Army in Afghanistan, Duley stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED). He was severely injured, losing both legs and an arm. He is still working and now focuses his work on humanitarian projects.

THE TRUTH:

Oscar Goodman is the former mayor of Las Vegas and defense attorney who spent more than 35 years representing some of the most notorious alleged mob figures, as recounted in his book, Being Oscar. More recently he has been heralded as a champion of downtown revitalization.

Ed Gavagan, is a sculptor, architect, storyteller and designer who has built furniture on four continents. Once the victim of random gang violence and left for dead, his stories have been featured on TED.com and NPR’s The Moth. Earlier this year, his first short story “Whatever Doesn’t Kill Me,” was published in The Moth and climbed to the top of the New York Times Bestseller list. Ed currently lives in NYC and is the owner of Praxis, NYC.

Sekeena Gavagan is the wife of Ed Gavagan, and also a speaker. After the attack on her husband she became a public defender, currently practicing law at the Legal Aid Society in one of the busiest and most challenging jurisdictions in the country: New York County. 

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL:

Sue Bryce is an award-winning Australian portrait photographer. She aims to help women find their inner confidence through the power of photography. In 2014, she teamed up with Oil of Olay to create their "Best Beautiful" campaign.

Rehan Choudhry is the Founder of Life is Beautiful and a highly sought-after inspirational speaker. He began his career as a programmer in Homeland Security, and after suffering a heart attack at age 23 rethought his career. Formerly the Director of Entertainment & Special Events for the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, he founded Life is Beautiful in 2013 as a social platform dedicated to helping people conquer their fears and chase their dreams.

Lizzie Velasquez   has a medical condition that is so rare that there are only two other known cases of it in the world. She became a motivational speaker, and developed a passion for redefining beauty after she discovered at 16 years old a video of herself labeled "World's Ugliest Woman." She is the author of three books, Lizzie Beautiful, Be Beautiful, Be You and Choosing Happiness as well creator of her upcoming documentary, The Lizzie Project.

Jill Vialet is the CEO and founder of Playworks. Playworks creates safe, inclusive school environments that allow kids to thrive and discover their own superpowers. They currently serve more than 380 schools in 23 cities, reaching nearly 425,000 students annually.  For the results she achieved for improving scholastic performance and reducing bullying incidents through play, Jill was named to the Forbes “Impact 30” as one of the 30 leading social entrepreneurs worldwide. She was also honored with a 2013 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award for her contributions to advancing proven, innovative solutions to some of California’s most difficult problems

IMAGINE THIS:

Dave Audé is a Grammy-nominated producer, house DJ, and remixer with 97 #1 hits on the Billboard charts. He has produced for artists including U2, KoЯn, Coldplay, will.i.am, One Direction, t.A.T.u., Katy Perry, Barenaked Ladies, Faith No More, Sting, Juanes, Rihanna, Yoko Ono, Amy Grant, The Pussycat Dolls, Lady Gaga, Lunascape, Madonna, Wanessa, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion and Beyoncé, to name a few.

Adam Pesapane (a.k.a. PES) is an award-winning director and stop-motion animator of numerous short films and commercials. His film Fresh Guacamole is the shortest film ever nominated for an Academy Award.

David J. Peterson is a writer and language creator who created the Dothraki and Valyrian languages for HBO's Game of Thrones, and helped to found the Language Creation Society. He has also been the alien language consultant for the Syfy since 2011. Living Language Dothraki, the first compendium and language instruction course, will be released in October this year, and he is working on his second book, The Art of Language Invention, to be published in 2015.

Louie Schwarzberg has long been considered the world’s foremost time-lapse cinematographer. His documentary work has been featured on Oprah, TED, and has even inspired military engineering designs. Schwartzberg has earned a myriad of awards and honors including two Clio Awards for Best Environmental PSAs and an Emmy nomination for Best Cinematography ( for “Oceans of Air” on the Discovery Channel). He has also been recognized as one of the “Top 70 Cinematographers” for the On Film Kodak Salute Series.

*Additional speakers may be announced at a later date.

Life is Beautiful’s Learning Program and Speaker Series is included in the price of the festival ticket, and complements the already impressive music and culinary offerings. Previously announced musical acts include Kanye West, Foo Fighters, OutKast, Arctic Monkeys, Skrillex, Lionel Richie, The Flaming Lips, The Weeknd, Girl Talk, Alt-J, The Roots, Kacey Musgraves, Fitz & The Tantrums and many more, plus a special performance from The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil with members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic. Back for another year of culinary copiousness are chefs Bruce Bromberg and Eric Bromberg (Blue Ribbon, Brooklyn Bowl - Board Co-chairs), Scott Conant (Scarpetta - Board Member), Hubert Keller (Fleur by Hubert Keller - Board Member), José Andrés (minibar by José Andrés), Cat Cora (Co-Founder of Chefs for Humanity - Board Member), Nancy Silverton (Mozza Restaurant Group), and dozens more.

“Life is Beautiful delivers a completely unique experience that isn’t offered elsewhere,” said Lisa Shufro, Speaker Series Curator for Life is Beautiful. “There isn’t another single event where people can see the biggest names in the music world, savor dishes created by highly-acclaimed chefs, take in a sprawling art program and – now with the expanded learning program—also get to attend talks with world-class technologists, creatives, social entrepreneurs and business leaders.”

Tickets for the 2014 Life is Beautiful Festival are on sale now atwww.lifeisbeautiful.com.

About Life is Beautiful

Life is Beautiful is an inspirational company dedicated to helping people conquer their fears and chase their dreams. Its signature project, the Life is Beautiful Festival was founded in 2013 and launched in October of that same year as a highly successful lifestyle event featuring marquee musicians, chefs, artists and speakers. Held in the heart of Downtown Las Vegas, Life is Beautiful Festival attracted more than 60,000 patrons in its first year, and is now branching out to an international online forum for social change. For more information on the company’s projects and the latest festival news, visit www.lifeisbeautiful.com, or connect with Life is Beautiful socially atFacebook.com/LIBFestival, Twitter.com/lifeisbeautiful, Instagram.com/lifeisbeautiful and YouTube.com/user/LifeIsBeauitful.