Emmy award-winning writer Bernie Su, best known for their work on The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, will be among the guest speakers for the upcoming Modern Audience Conference.
Other speakers confirmed for the conference are NieR Automata’s Yoko Taro and Justin Keenan from ZA/UM, the studio behind the award-winning Disco Elysium. There will also be panels from the academics at the Leeds School of Arts.
The one-day virtual conference is to be co-hosted by Leeds Beckett University’s Leeds School of Arts and the Leeds Art Research Centre in partnership with Bellyfeel on February 2nd. The focus of the conference will be the exploration of interactive storytelling through various mediums and platforms, such as video games, social media and marketing.
Dr Anna Zaluczkowska, Reader in Film at Leeds Beckett University’s Northern Film School, said: “We are organising this conference as inspiration for students and makers featuring some of the most interesting people we have met on our journey into modern media formats. This research is crucial to new industry practices and new developments in media training and education.”
“The partnership between Bellyfeel and the University has developed over many years, working together to develop new and challenging interactive narratives and story ideas that have been delivered with students across a whole range of platforms.”
Krishna Stott, Managing Director of Bellyfeel, said: “Our aim for the conference is to establish an event in the North with a very distinct focus on interactive storytelling in all its different flavours. The event will have an international reach in terms of contributors and audience but also champion creatives and work from the UK regions.”
“The speakers represent games, social media, marketing and most importantly – the point where traditional media crosses over with new media. In this first year of the conference, we’re focusing on what interactive storytelling is today – inspired by the background, context and meaning for modern audiences.”
The conference is free to attend and is scheduled for February 2, 2022. More information, full schedule and tickets are available on the Modern Audience website.
Words by Megan Roxburgh
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