A look back at the talks that made XOXO.
On our first day, we heard from creators of all kinds — musicians, filmmakers, illustrators, game designers, and more — who creatively used the Internet to find their audience, build a community, and make a living doing what they love.
Welcome
Kicking off the festival with some opening comments about how XOXO came to exist, what it's all about, and what made it unique.
Product Design
Creators of the Glif and Cosmonaut, two blockbuster projects on Kickstarter, and authors of a new self-published book on design entrepreneurship.
Comics
For 12 years, Diesel Sweeties pioneered webcomics, experimenting with newspaper syndication, merchandising, crowdfunding and bacon.
Film
Directors of the Sundance-award winning documentary tracking the agony of indie game development. Interviewed by filmmaker Jason Scott.
Art / Illustration
Emily’s dolls and illustrations made her the top seller of handmade art on Etsy, helping her fulfill her dream of creating children’s books.
Video Games
Co-founder of 2D Boy, the creators of World of Goo, and partner at Indie Fund. Interviewed by Jamin Warren, founder of Kill Screen magazine.
Hack / Hardware
Co-founder and CEO of Makerbot, the first company to bring 3D printers to the home, and Thingiverse, the online community for sharing digital designs for real-life objects.
Music
How recording ukulele covers in her dorm room for her friends at home led to 50 million YouTube views, four self-published albums, and Conan O’Brien.
Business
Founder of MetaFilter, one of the web’s longest-running and most respected web communities, and its popular Q&A section, Ask MetaFilter.
Keynote
Emmy-winning writer, former executive producer of Community, co-founder of Channel 101, and executive producer of Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa.
On day two, we heard the stories of the creative technologists who’re creating the platforms being used to rewrite entire industries, from filmmaking and music to publishing and fine art.
Funding
Co-founder of Brooklyn-based Kickstarter, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects.
Music
Executive directors of CASH Music, an open-source toolkit for helping independent musicians support themselves.
Publishing
Wired journalist turned startup founder, Evan’s helping find new outlets for longform writing and multimedia storytelling.
Visual Art
Founder and CEO of 20x200, a marketplace helping artists make a living by turning everyone into an art collector.
Online Video
Co-founder of VHX, a new streaming video platform helping filmmakers bypass the studio system to distribute DRM-free films directly to fans.
Finance
Like all of us, Josh hated his bank. Unlike most of us, he started a company to fix it as the CEO and co-founder of Simple.
Handmade Art
CEO and former CTO of Etsy, the world’s largest marketplace of handmade art and vintage finds.
Community
Founder of two of the Internet’s most creative communities, the notorious 4chan, and Canvas, its playful image remixing cousin.
Keynote
Obsessive model maker, passionate defender of maker culture, and co-host of Mythbusters and Tested.