What is the Future of the Internet? Fast-Paced Panel Discussion on October 20th in NYC to Explore Thorny Issues around Digital Citizenship and Our Online Lives
“In this live show, comedy and tech come together at last. Each month, the tech ethicist David Ryan Polgar and the comedian Joe Leonardo invite a wide range of guests to pick apart and laugh about such matters as algorithms and artificial intelligence.” -The New York Times
Our relationship with tech is messy…let’s discuss!
On Friday, October 20th Funny as Tech will explore The Future of the Internet! This nerdy night out takes place at The Peoples Improv Theater in NYC (123 E 24th Street) from 7 to 8 pm. Reservation info can be found at bit.ly/FunnyAsTechOct20
Is it internet healthy? What does it mean to be a digital citizen? What about net neutrality and privacy?
Powered by Firefox, the show welcomes Tracy Chou (Former Pinterest, diversity in tech advocate, recently named 35 Innovators under 35 by MIT Technology Review), Alexandra Ossola (features editor for Futurism.com), and David Berkowitz (chief strategy officer at Sysomos, frequent tech writer & speaker). Watch as a freewheeling and unexpected conversation unfolds in this fast-moving tech-comedy panel show. Both laughter and learning ensue…
The October 20th Funny as Tech show also coincides with Cyber Security Awareness Month and Digital Citizenship Week!
Funny as Tech is a fast-paced tech-comedy panel show where a diverse range of experts are able to let loose. In the process, an entertaining and meaningful conversation unfolds…Past guests on Funny as Tech have included media theorist and bestselling author Douglas Rushkoff (Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus, Present Shock), WNYC’s Manoush Zomorodi (host of Note to Self & author of Bored Brilliant), comedian Chuck Nice (Star Talk, HGTV, VH1. TODAY show regular), x.ai founder Dennis Mortensen, and CNN’s Laurie Segall (Mostly Human with Laurie Segall).
Meet the special guests for October 20th
TRACY CHOU
Tracy Chou is an entrepreneur, software engineer, and diversity advocate. She is currently exploring and advising a range of new projects across the startup world, civic tech and engagement, and diversity activism.
From 2011 to 2016 Tracy was an engineer and tech lead at Pinterest, with roles on home feed and recommendations, ads products, web, infrastructure, API, email, and growth. Before Pinterest, she worked at Quora, also as an early engineer there. During the previous federal administration she was on reserve with the U.S. Digital Service as a technical consultant as well.
Alongside her engineering career, Tracy is most well-known for her work pushing for diversity in tech. In 2013, she helped to kick off the wave of tech company diversity data disclosures with a Github repository collecting numbers on women in engineering. Tracy is now a founding member of Project Include and focused on driving solutions in the space. For her advocacy and activism work, she has appeared on the covers of The Atlantic, WIRED, and MIT Technology Review; been named Forbes Tech 30 under 30, MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators under 35, and Fast Company Most Creative People in Business; and been profiled in Vogue, ELLE, and other media outlets.
ALEXANDRA OSSOLA
Alexandra (Alex) Ossola is the features editor at Futurism, a web site dedicated to the science that will shape the future. Before that, she was a freelance science journalist specializing in biotech, medicine, and the environment. She received her masters at New York University’s Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program (SHERP) and her bachelor’s at Hamilton College.
She has lots of opinions but is rarely paid for them.
DAVID BERKOWITZ
David Berkowitz is the chief strategy officer of Sysomos, the insights-driven social platform. His previous roles include serving as chief marketing officer at Publicis Groupe agency MRY and vice president of emerging media at Dentsu agency 360i.
Mr. Berkowitz has contributed more than 500 columns to outlets such as Advertising Age, MediaPost, and VentureBeat, and he has penned his Serial Marketer blog since 2005. He has spoken at more than 300 events globally.
What is FUNNY AS TECH?
Funny as Tech is a tech-comedy panel show. Each show is also taped for those unable to attend (available on iTunes and more). Monthly shows happen at the Peoples Improv Theater (123 E 24th Street) in NYC where co-hosts David Ryan Polgar (tech ethicist) and comedian Joe Leonardo invite a diverse range of guests to unpack our absurd present and uncertain future. It is a wild and winding conversation around social media, tech etiquette, AI, self-driving cars, the power of algorithms, privacy in the digital age, and the latest trend du jour.
The show is based on the premise that comedy is a great vehicle to have a conversation around our tech use that is entertaining, informative, and accessible. Outside of the live shows, Funny as Tech will soon be adding weekly studio interviews.
“This new New York-based podcast is a mixture of deep thoughts and belly laughs as writer and technology ethicist David Ryan Polgar shoots the breeze with comedian Joe Leonardo who is a performer at the Upright Citizens BrigadeTheatre (comedy nerds will be impressed).”-The Irish Times
“Above all, both men want their show to be funny. And given the slew of scandals, failures and ‘solutionification’ in Silicon Valley and further afield in tech, they aren’t short of material.”-Red Herring
YOUR HOSTS FOR FUNNY AS TECH
Some people are the future of comedy. These guys are the futurist comedy.
David Ryan Polgar is a frequent speaker (3-time TEDx, The School of the New York Times, TNW New York — upcoming), tech commentator (SiriusXM, CNN.com, Inc.com, HuffPost), and contributing writer/expert for Big Think, Quartz, and IBM thinkLeaders. He is currently focused on whether we are becoming “botified” online, along with the ethical concerns facing emerging tech. Some of his recent writing around AI, VR, automation, and more can be found here.
Polgar co-founded the global Digital Citizenship Summit and currently works with the virtual world startup Friendbase. As a Tech Ethicist, he explores our evolving relationship with tech from an ethical, legal, and emotional perspective.
Joe Leonardo is a comedian, improviser and writer who has been featured on ESPN, Travel Channel, NPR, Anderson Cooper LIVE, Cafe, and Prank Academy to name a few. He is currently a house team performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York and co-host of their WednesdayNight Improv Jam. Joe is also the creator/host of The Flying Blind Sketch Show, which plays bi-monthly at The People’s Improv Theater and is one of the founders of Sea Tea Improv.
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After October 20th, the next Funny as Tech live show will take place on November 7th (The Future of Tech Talent & Diversity). There will also be future podcast interviews, taking place in NYC. Would you like to get involved or have an idea? Please reach out or email Info@FunnyAsTech.com
