Digital media event set for Tuesday, Wednesday in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah organization is spearheading an effort to showcase the best and brightest in the world of digital media technology.

Kaysville-based Grow Utah Ventures — a nonprofit organization promoting entrepreneurship — along with the Governor's Office of Economic Development and the Utah Science, Technology and Research Initiative, are collaborating to present this week's first-ever Pushbutton 2010 Summit. The two-day event is designed to bring together industry and technology leaders, as well as entrepreneurs, students and community leaders interested in bolstering Utah's digital media businesses.

"Utah has had a great legacy in digital media … and we've got some great rising stars and companies in this industry that deserve attention and support so that we can continue to grow and expand," T. Craig Bott, president and chief executive officer of Grow Utah Ventures, told the Deseret News.

The summit will be at the Rose Wagner Theatre on Tuesday and Wednesday. Featured speakers will include John Warnock, co-founder of software company Adobe Systems Inc., and Ian McKerlich, director of mobile Internet and content for T-Mobile.

"There is no question that digital media is playing a greater role in the way people work, do business and are entertained," Bott said in a news release. "What is exciting about this event is seeing the contributions Utah has made to this industry in the past and what the current trends are."

In addition to the keynote presentations, Pushbutton 2010 will include panel discussions from experts in a number of industry fields, including financing and running a digital media business, securing and working with strategic partners, and the state of 3-D animation and gaming.

Utah has been recognized as having the world's best universities for animation training, and many leading companies in the marketplace call Utah home, Spencer Eccles, executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development, said in a news release.

"The digital media industry is an important industry (sector) for the state of Utah," Eccles added.

"Utah has always been a big contributor to and played a significant role in advancing the digital media industry," A. Scott Anderson, president and chief executive officer of Zions Bank, said in a prepared statement. "It's an exciting time in the state, and the Pushbutton Summit will hopefully influence other leaders in the industry to come to Utah."

e-mail: jlee@desnews.com