Future Boston Alliance Announces Creative Economy and Free Boston Panels at Together Festival featuring City Councilor Tito Jackson, Greg Selkoe and Kofi Jones from Gov. Patrick's Office

CONTACT: Future Boston Alliance - Lumina Gershfield / 617.388.4992 / [email protected]
Greg Selkoe/Karmaloop - [email protected]
Sarah Cirkiel / 212.475.4919 / [email protected]

***URGENT***MEDIA ALERT***URGENT***

Future Boston Alliance Announces Creative Economy and Free Boston Panels at Together Festival
- Featuring City Councilor Tito Jackson, Local Entrepreneur Greg Selkoe, and Kofi Jones Executive Director for the Commonwealth Marketing Office

WHAT:Future Boston Alliance (FBA) is excited to announce a lively community discussion between citizens, entrepreneurs, media representatives, and our state and city government with two moderated discussion panels titled, “Creative Economy” and “Free Boston” to take place as part of the Together Festival.

“Creative Economy” focuses on the future of the city of Boston as a hub for creative based businesses, entrepreneurship, creative capital, and start ups. “Free Boston” will discuss cultural, bureaucratic forces, rules and regulations holding Boston back, as well as how Boston can address these obstacles and others facing the city to usher in a new era of change, collaboration, quality of life, creative and economic growth. A panel of government, nightlife, community and journalism highlight the issues at hand and the issues yet to come.

WHO: Panelists to discuss “The Creative Economy” include: Greg Selkoe CEO of Karmaloop.com, and founder of the Future Boston Alliance, Governor Patrick's Office represented by Kofi Jones Executive Director for the Commonwealth Marketing Office and head of a state initiative to retain talent and business called, “Mass It’s All Here.” Jay Calderin who created and currently leads Boston Fashion Week, Sam Aquillano, Executive Director of Design Museum Boston, Erik Molander, Professor at Boston University’s School of Management and Institute for Technology Entrepreneurship & Commercialization (ITEC), and Lisa Gross, who heads the Boston Tree Party, a grassroots citizen’s movement which is planting a citywide apple orchard. The panel will be moderated by Somerville Local First Executive Director and Together Director of Operations, Joe Grafton.

Panelists to discuss “Free Boston” include: Greg Selkoe, Tito Jackson the newest member of Boston City Council, George “Chip” Greenidge, from The Citizen’s Committee on Boston’s Future. Nightlife impresario Sal Boscarino of 6one7 Productions, DJ legend Dave Ralph of Royale and Bowery Presents, and David Day, Editor of the Weekly Dig and co-founder of Together Festival. This diverse and knowledgeable group will be moderated by veteran journalist Dave Wedge of the Boston Herald, whose covered news and politics in Boston for the past 12 years.

WHERE: MassArt’s Tower Auditorium as part of the Together Festival
Thursday, April 21st

“Creative Economy” 2:30 – 3:30pm
“Free Boston” 3:45 – 4:45pm

Massachusetts College of Art & Design
Tower Auditorium, 621 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA.

WHY: FBA is on a mission to unite and change Boston! The FBA wants to help improve the city's creative environment, as well as foster discussion, big ideas and start up businesses, by creating a city open and free to all, and a culture and city life that will attract and retain the best talent in the world.

About Future Boston Alliance:
Future Boston Alliance is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the creative economy in Boston and in supporting and retaining creative talent and new businesses. To sign up for Future Boston Alliance events and information go to www.futureboston.com or follow @futurebostonall on Twitter. For complete schedules of Together Boston, art and technology components and more visiting artists and panels follow Together on Twitter: @together.