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ShaperTalk on Innovation in Music

On September 26, San Francisco Global Shapers hosted Johnny Hwin and Ryan Walsh at WeWork for a panel discussion on the intersection between technology and music

Johnny Hwin

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Johnny Hwin is an entrepreneur, electronic music artist, and community organizer at The SUB (a San Francisco based creative collective recently featured in The New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/10/14/131014fa_fact_heller). He is currently the songwriter/producer of San Francisco based indie band Cathedrals.

He was formerly co-founder and CEO of damntheradio, a Facebook marketing platform that powered promotional campaigns for artists such as Lady Gaga and The Black Keys, and brands such as Wrangler Jeans and Gatorade. damntheradio was acquired in January 2011 by email marketing startup FanBridge (investors include SoftTech VC, Lowercase Capital, 500 Startups, First Round Capital, Founder Collective, et al)—6 months after launch. In the spring of 2011 post-acquisition, he opened for Moby at SXSW, playing bass in the live outfit of electronic dream-pop artist Blackbird Blackbird.

Ryan Walsh

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Ryan currently serves as a Partner at Floodgate, where he leads early stage investments in technology companies. A student of great products and how they impact culture, his focus areas include marketplaces, subscription businesses, and products that include unique network effects and social psychology.

Prior to Floodgate, Ryan directed product management for media at Apple, including Apple Music and the iTunes stores for movies, music, and television. He joined Apple as part of the Beats by Dre acquisition, where he was Vice President of Product, managing design, product development, analytics, and growth. Prior to working with Beats, Ryan spent 15 years starting ventures, building businesses or helping others do the same.

He respects the process of creating something out of nothing, and believes that technology can be our vehicle to turn science into art, and vice versa.

Ryan actively performs improvisational theater and is a noted storyteller. He has produced and deejayed electronic music for over 15 years, under an alias.