Philly Tech Week 2019

Sarah Schwab is the director of marketing for the Philadelphia Flyers. Now in her fifth season with the club, she oversees the team’s branding, promotional, publicity, social, and digital media initiatives. She has previously worked in public relations and marketing roles for the National Constitution Center and the University of Pennsylvania. She graduated from Temple University with a degree in Strategic and Organizational Communications. A Montgomery County native, Sarah now lives in Aston, PA with her husband and daughter.

Owner of Family Tree Entertainment

“I’m passionate about getting my clients a fair shot at achieving their dreams. I work diligently to ensuremy rap artist get the same chances as any country artist and my R&B artist have access to the same tools and opportunities as a rock band”.

Michael “Blue” Williams, without a doubt, is an entertainment industry game-changer. With a management career spanning more than two decades, Blue has guided the careers of some of the biggest names in entertainment; Outkast, Nick Cannon, Eric Benet, Ceelo Green, Macy Gray, Nas, Faith Evans, Big Sean, just to name a few. He is also credited for helping to discover and launch the career of teen sensation Cody Simpson.

With Blue at the helm, artists have sold more than 50 million albums combined. Beyond music, Blue has created business opportunities that many artists only dream of. Whether it is helping to develop lucrative portfolios or expanding their influence across industries like television, film, fashion, and technology, Blue has earned the moniker, The Best Manager. His success, loyalty and out-the-box solutions are what make him the manager to call when artists are ready to take their career to the next level.

Success did not come easy for Blue and a career in entertainment wasn’t something he considered as a young man. He grew up on Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, an area otherwise known as the birthplace of Hip Hop. It was a place where hanging in the park also meant watching Slick Rick and Dougie Fresh battle. While music was a natural part of his life, it wasn't where Blue saw his future. Instead, he attended Central State University with a goal of becoming a lawyer or working in law enforcement.

Blue didn't choose the music business; the music business chose him.

A chance meeting with Jodeci changed the trajectory of his life. He recalls, “We clicked so they invited me to come hang with them in Chicago and Detroit. Being backstage at the concerts, hanging in the hotel, all the excitement and energy got me hooked.” Being “hooked” turned into an opportunity to work as a “roadie” for Jodeci. That opportunity coupled with his persistence and dedication, landed him a series of promotions. He quickly rose through the ranks from “roadie” to road manager. Blue’s hard work also got him noticed by Queen Latifah’s manager and owner of Flavor Unit Management, Shakim Comper who hired him as manager. In that capacity, Blue worked with a variety of artists, managing their careers, creating partnership opportunities and developing tours. In an industry built on reputations and relationships, Blue created a name for himself and was promoted to President of Flavor Unit Management.

In 1995, while he was still with Flavor Unit Management, LA Reid urged him to meet Outkast, the meeting that eventually led to music industry history. Under Blue’s management, the once unknown southern rap group experienced a meteoric rise. He recalls, “With Outkast, I wanted to make them one of the best rap groups of all time. Then, I wanted to make them one of the best bands of all time. When they became the best rap group to receivea Grammy for Best Album, as well as the first to achieved Diamond status with the Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, I knew Iachieved my goal.”

The success of OutKast led to his desire to branch out on his own. In 1998, he amicably parted ways with Flavor Unit Managementto create Family Tree Entertainment, a management company with an independent record label, as well as a film and TV division. In January of 2010, Blue forged a management deal with Primary Wave Music that allowed both companies to leverage the assets of the other. This partnership allowed Blue to expand the reach and effectiveness of his brand while creating additional revenue streams for Primary Wave Music. In September of 2011, Blue orchestrated the lucrative deal that merged Primary Wave Musicand Violator Records, creating Primary/Violator.

Blue partnered with Nick Cannon, the one-man entertainment mogul to create Ncredible Management & Brand Solutions, a full service management company with a record label and marketingarm. They are poised to make major waves and cause a seismic shift in the industry.

Passion mixed with the ability to make the impossible possible, means there are great things to come with Michael “Blue” Williams’ name on it.

Conrad Benner is a photographer, podcaster, curator, and founder of StreetsDept.com, a photo-blog that discovers art on the streets of Philadelphia. Conrad’s blog has been named one of the ‘Best Blogs for Travellers’ by The Guardian, and his photography highlighted by Mashable and Instagram, as well as printed in Time Magazine and the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Winner of the 2011 Philadelphia Geek Award for ‘Geek Culture Journalism,’ Conrad was named ‘Best Art Curator’ in 2014 by Philadelphia Magazine, ‘Rad Guy of the Year’ at the 3rd Annual Rad Awards in 2017, and one of ‘The 100 Most Influential People in Philadelphia’ by Philadelphia Magazine in 2017.

Conrad has used his growing influence not only to celebrate Philly’s burgeoning arts scene, but also to affect change. Most notably with his successful #SEPTA247 campaign, in 2014, which pushed the South Eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to reintroduce overnight weekend service to Philadelphia’s elevated and subway trains. As well as with his work on Next Stop: Democracy, a Knight Cities Challenge winning project, which aims to increase voter turnout in Philly with the help of local artists. And his work in 2016 with Covenant House Pennsylvania to create #AmICutOut, a pop-up art installation to help raise awareness and money to end youth homelessness in Philadelphia. And in the Trump-era, with his work co-organizing Signs of Solidarity, an inauguration day public art protest in opposition to hate and in protest of any and all that embolden divisiveness; co-organizing Collective Action, a silent art auction which raised over $23k for 10 local and national social justice organizations; and curator and organizer of Revolutionary: A Pop-Up Street Art Exhibition, a six-week exhibition, commissioned by Visit Philadelphia, which featured the work of 13 contemporary Philly-based artists who are challenging the current political and social status quo installed at 13 locations across Philadelphia’s Historic District.

Born and raised in the heart of the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Conrad has indeed eaten a WAWA hoagie for breakfast before, and on many occasions, and he’s not mad about it.

Founder and CEO of The Ladipo Group, Tonya Ladipo, LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), is the visionary behind the region’s only counseling and consulting practice specializing in serving Black and African-American communities. Tonya has a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Widener University (2004). She is also a graduate of the Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses program (2016).

Using her unique perspective as a clinician, Tonya understands what motivates people and organizations to change. She is driven to help individuals and organizations develop healthy and sustainable relationships that fosters growth and opportunities for all. With a commitment to making workplaces more inclusive so people of all backgrounds can succeed, Tonya applies her clinical knowledge and expertise to the consulting and training services The Ladipo Group conducts with organizations.

Our motto of Knowledge is Good, Behavior is Better underscores the approach to creating and maintaining an inclusive and welcoming workplace that is free of bullying with opportunities for advancement for all.

As an engaging speaker on inclusive workplace cultures, emotional intelligence, and women’s wellness Tonya speaks to large audiences (500+) as well more intimate gatherings.

Recent speaking events include Black Enterprise’s Women of Power Summit (Feb. 2019), Philadelphia SHRM Conference (March 2019) and PHL’s Diversity and Inclusion Conference (March 2019).

Tonya was the keynote speaker at the Philadelphia Works’ Workforce Development Conference in 2017, as well as the keynote speaker for Villanova University’s Women of Color luncheon in May 2015. She was a speaker at the Black Women Talk Tech conference in 2018. In 2015 she was also awarded the Advena World Most Outstanding Speaker award.

Meghan Miller is a Director of Consulting Services at CGI leading digital initiatives in the Health and Life Sciences industries. Focused on helping her clients identify what’s next for their organizations, Meghan and her team are helping pharmaceutical companies to adapt and innovate with agility in a rapidly changing industry. Prior to joining CGI, Meghan led sales and marketing for two software firms in the Greater Philadelphia area. A native to Delaware County, she is a graduate of Villanova University and recently finished her MBA in Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing at Saint Joseph’s University.

Stephen Babcock is the Assistant Editor for Technical.ly. Stephen Babcock began reporting for Technical.ly in Baltimore in 2014. A graduate of Northeastern University, he moved to Baltimore following stints in New Orleans and Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Baltimore Fishbowl, NOLA Defender, NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune and the Rio Grande Sun.

Amy grew up among the amber waves of Midwestern grain outside of St. Louis (a proud VFA city) and then followed her love of post-punk music to sunny Southern California. After earning a degree in philosophy and government from Claremont McKenna College, she did stints in Cameroon and Cambodia, where she helped grow highly-innovative international development organizations. While earning her MBA at NYU’s Stern School of Business, Amy joined the team at B Lab, where she helped launch B Analytics, the leading data platform for impact investors. Amy joined Venture for America in 2013 to lead fundraising and external relations, rose to Managing Director in 2016 and became CEO in 2017. As CEO, Amy is focused on making VFA the go-to path for aspiring young entrepreneurs and helping lower the barriers to entrepreneurship for all. She lives in beautiful Park Slope with her husband and two children, and can be found attending Cirque du Soleil performances around the globe (she’s up to 15 shows and counting!).

Lauren Capone is the Marketing Communications Coordinator for the Philadelphia Flyers. Now in her second full season, Capone serves as a main contact for all off-ice public relations efforts and helps shape messaging for all major marketing campaigns. She also assists the Flyers social media team, providing live content for home games and other special events. Previously, Capone spent two years as an Athletic Communications Assistant with Temple University Athletics while she earned her Master’s Degree in Sports Business from Temple’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management. In 2015, Capone graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Strategic Communication where she was a four-year letter winner and First-Team USAG All-American on their Division I women’s gymnastics team.