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Judges Spotlight October 18, 2021

Ask a Webby Judge: Ali Brown, PRETTYBIRD

Meet Ali Brown, President of PRETTYBIRD, an award-winning creative think tank. This year we have welcomed her as a new member of our judging body, the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS).

1. For those who don’t know, tell us a little about your background.

I’ve been in some form of entertainment since right out of college, starting as a receptionist and working across production and development. I also was a hostess at the Crocodile Cafe, a substitute teacher, and an aerobics instructor so those jobs trained me to understand that great producers understand that production is a service business, that you have to find a way to be heard even if no one wants to listen, and that you have to always have a positive attitude to truly motivate people! Now I’m President of Ventureland and PRETTYBIRD, two entertainment/artist led companies that cross the spectrum of entertainment – from original IP for film/television to branded entertainment, to world-class advertising and music projects.

2. What particular expertise are you bringing to the Academy?

I’ve been at PRETTYBIRD for 12 years now and have focused on identifying and developing young talent as well as long term career strategy for multi-disciplinary artists who create across various mediums.

3. What are you most looking forward to about reviewing this year’s Webby Awards entries?

This past year birthed some of the most powerful social cause work we’ve seen, particularly in the digital space. I’m looking forward to seeing how people found ways to get important messages heard in a time when we were all apart.

4. What piece of creative work on the Internet has recently inspired you, and why? 

I think the Reddit Super Bowl piece was hugely inspiring for how a brand took hold of what’s typically held as a rarefied space and democratized it while simultaneously maintaining their brand ethos.

5. What emerging trend or technology are you most excited about in your field of work?

Some of the work that our artists OSK have created for musicians using AI has deeply inspired me. I am excited to see where they take it knowing they are just scratching the surface.

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