Ben Parr Technology Keynote Speaker | Worldwide Speakers Group

Bio

Ben Parr is an award-winning journalist, author, entrepreneur, investor and expert on attention. Through his unique experience as a leading technology writer, venture capitalist and prolific public speaker, Parr has coached dozens of young startups and Fortune 500 corporations on how to get attention for their products. He was named one of the top ten tech journalists in the world by Say Media, and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2012.

Parr is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of DominateFund, a venture capital firm that invests in and accelerates the growth of early-stage technology, software and product startups through its expertise in press, marketing, customer and user acquisition, viral products and strategic celebrity partnerships.

Parr is the author of Captivology: The Science of Capturing People's Attention (2014, HarperOne/HarperCollins). His book dives into the science of attention, why we pay attention to certain people, products, companies and ideas, and how to capture and retain somebody's attention. He has interviewed dozens of “Masters of Attention” for his book, including Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh, Entourage’s Adrian Grenier, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto and the Mythbusters, along with leading researchers such as Dr. Michael Posner and Dr. Adam Gazzaley.

Previously, Parr was the Co-Editor and Editor-at-Large of Mashable, where he wrote more than 2,400 articles on social media and technology, managed Mashable’s editorial team, and interviewed everyone from Ashton Kutcher to Mark Zuckerberg. He also served as Columnist and Commentator for CNET. Parr’s work has been featured in a variety of media, including CNBC, CNN, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, NPR and The New York Times.

Parr is a graduate of Northwestern University, majoring in Science in Human Culture and Political Science, and minoring in Business Institutions. He is based in San Francisco, in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Download Full Bio >

Speech Topics

Captivating Our Attention: Lessons from Tech's Great Innovators

The former editor of Mashable, Octane AI founder, and bestselling author of Captivology discusses the lessons he’s learned from his time with technology’s top entrepreneurs and execs – Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, Sheryl Sandberg, Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, and more. He pairs these lessons with his Captivology research for a unique look into the minds of the masters.

Bots and the Power of Conversational Storytelling

Bots – specifically chatbots and voicebots – have become one of the worlds most talked about technologies. Businesses are eagerly anticipating the potential of bots and AI, but have not yet figured them out. So how can you be creative and innovative with bots?

Captivology author, former Mashable editor and Octane AI founder Ben Parr discusses the potential of bots, the importance of having a messenger strategy, and the most effective ways businesses can engage with their customers. He discusses a new concept, conversational storytelling, and how businesses can use it to connect with consumers and unlock the creative potential of AI.

Captivology: The Science of Capturing People’s Attention

In his signature keynote, Captivology author Ben Parr vividly brings the science of attention to life and demonstrates how anyone can capture attention for their passions and ideas. Parr explains why attention is the currency of the modern world, and that the people and brands who know how to command it are the ones who succeed.

Harnessing his entertaining, humorous, and participatory presentation style, Parr takes a deep dive into the seven “Captivation Triggers” that drive attention, why these behavioral and psychological phenomena capture our attention, and – most important — offers practical advice for how anybody can utilize the Captivation Triggers in daily life. Whether his audience is a room of schoolteachers or advertising executives, Parr gets the message across: everyone has the power to captivate others.

Parr is happy to customize this keynote to maximize relevancy to your audience.

Attention for Brands: How to Make Your Launches, Campaigns and Brand More Captivating

In this brand-centric, customizable keynote, Captivology author, Ben Parr, reveals the secret science of how to make any brand more captivating. Drawing from his extensive research in psychology and behavioral economics, Parr explains how brands can harness the power of the seven “Captivation Triggers” to create more attention for their product launches, drive more traction for their marketing campaigns, and increase long-term positive brand recognition.

Utilizing his signature presentation style – engaging, funny, participatory, and zero bullet points – Parr reveals the secrets to creating the most captivating brand possible.

From Holograms to Teleporters: How Technology Is Going to Change the World in the Next 5, 10, 20 and 50 Years

Predicting technology trends is a multi-trillion dollar business – just ask Apple and Google. It’s the key to staying ahead of the competition. In this futuristic talk, Ben discusses the technologies that will change the landscape of human nature over the next 5, 10, 20 and 50 years. As an investor, journalist, author and Silicon Valley icon, Ben has unique insight and access to the technologies that are going to revolutionize computing, transportation, medicine, education and every aspect of our lives.

How to Change the World through Entrepreneurship

In this motivational talk, Ben inspires audiences to change the world by following the path of entrepreneurship. He draws from his experiences as an award-winning journalist (Co-Editor of Mashable), investor (Managing Partner, DominateFund), author (Captivology: The Science of Capturing People’s Attention), and entrepreneur to discuss the reality of what it takes to change the world, his experiences with entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs, and his keys to entrepreneurial success.

A Conversation with Ben Parr

Up to a 60 minute on-stage dialogue and open Q&A between Ben, the interviewer (which we would be happy to assist you in selecting), and your attendees. The interview format offers tremendous control over the content of the appearance and allows for a more unique and highly interactive experience for your attendees. Ben will answer any question that comes his way, including insights from his book Captivology, his experience as an award-winning journalist, and his insightful opinions on the future of technology, business, and media. We are available to assist with the interview format and content to help you create a dynamic and thought provoking event for your audience.

Ben Parr as Interviewer and Moderator

Ben – former Editor of Mashable — is a prolific interviewer and moderator, and well versed in a wide variety of topics, including: technology, marketing, behavioral economics, entrepreneurship, and many more. He has a keen ability to ask pointed questions, dig deep, keep things interesting – and flowing, and engage the audience.

News

Source
Meet the Man That’s Getting Everyone’s Attention

He started his first gig as a lowly writer for rising tech blog Mashable back in 2008, but quickly rose the ranks to become editor-at-large in just three years’ time.
Source
Ben Parr: How to Win Attention and Influence People

Ben Parr is managing partner of San Francisco-based DominateFund, an early-stage venture capital firm. He explains that he wrote "Captivology" out of "necessity." In his world — that of technology and start-ups — attention is the difference between success and failure.
Source
Former Princeton Native Captivates Audiences

By: Goldie Currie
In his book, Parr combines the latest research on attention with interviews with more than 50 scientists and visionaries — Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, film director Steven Soderbergh, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, New York Times bestselling author Susan Cain and many more — who have successfully brought their ideas, projects, companies and products to the forefront of cultural consciousness.
Source
Ben Parr Wants Your Attention: Q&A With the Author of Captivology

By: Katherine Dill

(Forbes) Parr has devoted much of his career to grabbing eyeballs in various capacities, formerly as the co-editor of Mashable and now as cofounder of VC firm DominateFund. His author bio describes him as an “expert on attention.” But he’s careful to point out that Captivology is not a how-to for self-promoters.

“It’s not about capturing attention for just yourself,” said Parr, “it’s about capturing attention for the great ideas, the great art, the great projects that you have. Everybody has some passion more people should see or notice.”
Source
Ben Parr Ranked #54 of Top-100 Social Media Power Influencers in 2015

This marks the third year that StatSocial and Haydn Shaughnessy publish a list of Twitter users most influential in the realm of social media—that is, social media experts with a great following among people also interested in social media. Excluded from this list of the top-hundred influencers are journalists and actual employees of social media companies. We’ve published this annual list on Forbes.com for two years. Take a look below for this year’s list of movers and shakers.
Source
General Catalyst-backed Octane AI will make you a bot

(Tech Crunch) – Bots are hot. But how do you make a bot? Many businesses don’t have developers that are adept at creating them. Enter Octane AI, a newly formed startup launched by media personality Ben Parr
Source
Tips For Nailing Your Chatbot Content Strategy As An Advantage

(Forbes) – Chatbots have received somewhat of a mixed response since they hit the market at scale – both praised for the ease with which they can offer customer service for instance, yet critiqued for their lack of true intelligence.
Source
Why I Joined the Samasource Board of Directors

(Medium) – I joined the board of Samasource to help Leila Janah and her team accomplish this mission, but I also joined because I believe Samasource is at the forefront of the future of work.