Katz Kiely is the founding director of Just b Productions, a company that makes the interactive world possible.  By using freelancers and collaborators they are able to respond to each bespoke task, from the design of an interactive project be it a website or a game to networking events with a spark and development programmes making ideas into workable prototypes.

June 11th – 12th 2009, will see FACT in Liverpool play host to their annual Media Geek gathering, b.Tween– A must-attend event for those who matter in the media industry: a playground for creatives, innovators and visionaries with a commercial edge, a purpose built test-bed for innovation and new applications of digital media.

Here, Katz Kiely talks to The NextWomen about the upcoming conference and her involvement in the world of tech:

Can you tell me a little about the forum?

Many Web 2.0 companies are still running 17th century conferences.  b.TWEEN aims to break down any barriers that prevent innovation and development of new applications of digital media. We bring big players and indie talent together in one unusual, organic and honest environment where hierarchy does not exist. Successes and failures are shared across professions and positions - no single person has all the answers.

b.TWEEN is the only forum of its kind.  No other uses digital art installations to inspire people, or simultaneous webcasts to widen its audience.  We even project the chat room back into the auditorium so that comments made online can be shared in real time and with everyone engaging.  By addressing questions in this way throughout the event, we no longer have a stifling Q&A session at the end of the day when people have either forgotten their questions or feel too much in the limelight to come forward.

Where did the idea for b.TWEEN come from?

Over five years ago, I noticed that the world of Tech was changing. It was fragmented and people needed a platform through which they could collaborate, consider how a future in Digital would look, and bring together the big players with those in their infancy.

If a cost effective marketplace for Digital media was to be developed, there needed to be a convergence between all involved - the tanker-like, bureaucratic companies needed to look differently at the problem, and b.TWEEN was the place to do this.

What type of people are involved with b.TWEEN?

The audience at b.TWEEN is the most diverse and non-hierarchical you will come across.  Individuals across the Digital world come to meet and interact with those involved in the smallest of organisations all the way to multi-national conglomerates.

No-one is excluded, but generally the people who attend are those that drive creativity within their organisations and have recognised that change is necessary if we are to move fully into the Digital Age.  The forum provides a lot of high level inspiration, because of this creative diversity.

In 2008, because of our web casts, we had 10,000 viewers worldwide.  This really is a huge number of people for such an event, and is mainly due to the fact that everyone is invited to interact. In fact Nicole Yershon – a member of our advisory board - said:

‘I have never been to such a participatory, honest place where everyone wants to learn’

How did you get involved in Tech?

I have always worked within the creative industries, originally as an Art Director on films.  For years 16mm film was insisted upon, then I discovered how Digital technology could be used to distribute knowledge and ideas in such new and different ways.  As people began to understand its capabilities, they started to rethink the future, seeing it in Digital.  I realised there was the need for a platform to bring these forward thinkers together and ever since our first event in 2000, I have been a self-confessed geek.  We even used the idea of ‘You Know You’re a Geek and You Love it’ as branding for b.TWEEN a few years back.

What are your goals within the tech industry?

Our goal is to drive the economy with a push towards Digital.  By running our annual forum, and other one-day events throughout the year, we hope to bring people together that can make the adoption of Digital a global trend.

Who are your tech role models?

As we are constantly hunting for people pioneering every field of Digital expertise, I am surrounded by a myriad of amazing people.  I just couldn’t single out any one individual from such a group.

How do you see the future of tech?

Put simply, I feel Tech can only be successful if it is in Digital.  Any product or service that provides a means to and end, making life simpler, easier and happier, will be the future.

For the line up of speakers, including Simone Brummelhuis exploring online success through the seven deadly sins, check out the programme

‘Katz has become an expert in the dynamic areas between the media industries, technology and digital creativity. She acted as executive producer for the award-winning Hands Across the Ocean, a live-distributed performance across five continents, and the 3x3 digital film project with the UK FilmCouncil at BAFTA. She was also pivotal in the Shooting Live Artists commissioning scheme, a partnership between the BBC and the Arts Council.  Before Just-b., Katz was designer, producer and musician, and was instrumental in the ground breaking immersive multimedia event INCARCERATION in ‘97’