Keynote Session
12:20 PM - International Ballroom
Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, Chairman and Founder of both Palm Pictures and sputnik7.com.
Blackwell started in the entertainment business over 40 years ago when he opened
Island Records in 1959. With Island, Blackwell discovered musical artists -- from Bob Marley, to Cat Stevens, to U2, to Tom Waits and Steve Winwood.-- promoted them in a nurturing environment, helped develop their careers and created a worldwide audience. Blackwell ventured into the film world when opened Island Pictures in the early 80s, releasing Academy Award winning films Kiss of The Spiderwoman and A Trip to Bountiful. Other notable Island theatrical releases were Mona Lisa (Bob Hoskins), Choose Me, Dark Eyes (Marcello Mastroianni) , and Jimmy Reardon (starring River Phoenix). The early 90s saw the creation of Island Outpost, a hotel and resort company with properties in Miami's South Beach, Jamaica and the Bahamas. Blackwell developed these properties in the same way as he has developed talent for the past four decades, each with its own personality and style.In 1998, Blackwell started Palm Pictures, an audio/visual entertainment company involved in the production, acquisition and distribution of innovative music and film projects with a particular focus on DVD and other digital carriers. sputnik7.com, an entertainment-based online destination supporting independent music, film and culture, launched early 1999. With Palm and sputnik7.com Blackwell moves towards developing independent music, film, and other developing entertainment trends/properties, using the latest in technology. A native Jamaican, Blackwell spends his time between New York, London, Miami and Jamaica.