Live Talks Los Angeles Announces
Live Talks Business Forums
Speaker Lineup for 2012-2013 Season
Now Through March 2013

Upcoming Business Forum Speakers: Harley Manning, Chris Anderson, Ron Pernick,
Daniel Pink, John Mackey, Ed Whitacre & A.G. Lafley

Also Updates to Live Talks LA Arts & Culture Speaker Series

LOS ANGELES, CA – October 2, 2012 – Live Talks Los Angeles announces the upcoming guest speakers for its Live Talks Business Forums, a dynamic breakfast-hour series featuring leading business thought leaders and executives, for its 2012-2013 season.  Upcoming speakers include: Vice President of Forrester Research Harley Manning (10/4), Wired magazine editor and author of the Long Tail Chris Anderson (10/18), Founder & Managing Director of Clean Edge Ron Pernick (11/15), bestselling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind Daniel Pink (1/17), Whole Foods CEO John Mackey (1/25), former CEO of GM and AT&T Ed Whitacre (3/7), and Former CEO of Procter & Gamble A.G. Lafley (3/21).  The forums focus on entrepreneurship, leadership, social responsibility, business trends, marketing, innovation and the economy.  Tickets are generally $20.  Most of these morning business events run from 8:15am to 9:15am, with breakfast at 7:45am, and are held in Downtown Los Angeles at the new regional headquarters of Gensler, the global architectural firm (500 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071; http://www.gensler.com).  Please visit Live Talks Business Forums website for additional details and tickets at www.livetalksbusiness.com.

Live Talks Los Angeles also continues its compelling art and culture evening series of talks with speakers from the worlds of art and entertainment.  The upcoming October-November 2012 Live Talks LA art and culture schedule includes events with Hollywood legend Penny Marshall in conversation with her brother Garry Marshall (10/3 – rescheduled from 9/26), gay activist Bishop Gene Robinson in conversation with Bradley Whitford (10/5), internationally-acclaimed author Sandra Cisneros in conversation with Hector Tobat, Los Angeles Times journalist and author (10/10), comedian Chris Elliott in conversation with Merrill Markoe (10/11), bestselling author-physician Oliver Sacks (11/14), and atheist magician Penn Jillette (11/15).  Additional details and updates are listed below and please visit http://livetalksla.org.

Live Talks LA Business Forum 2012-2013 Speakers –

OCTOBER –

• Thursday, October 4 – Harley Manning [Gensler]
In conversation with Keith Ferrazzi
7:45am breakfast, 8:15-9:15am forum; $20 includes breakfast
Vice President & Research Director of Forrester Research Harley Manning shares how international brands are maximizing customer-centric service to increase profits.  Based on 14+ years of research, Manning’s new book, Outside In: The Power of Putting Your Customers at the Center of Your Business, examines why we live today in the “age of the customer” – and why companies must do more than pay lip service to the idea of pleasing them.  The talk is in conversation with Keith Ferrazzi of Ferrazzi Greenlight. http://business.livetalksla.org/2012/09/08/october-4-harley-manning-vice-president-research-director-forrester-research

• Thursday, October 18 – Chris Anderson [Gensler]
7:45am breakfast, 8:15-9:15am forum; $20 includes breakfast
Wired magazine editor and author of the Long Tail Chris Anderson will discuss the new industrial revolution led by entrepreneurs who are developing business opportunities through long tail platforms.  His new book, MAKERS: The New Industrial Revolution, contends that the collective potential of a million garage tinkerers and enthusiasts is about to be unleashed, driving a resurgence of American manufacturing.  http://business.livetalksla.org/2012/09/08/october-18-chris-anderson-editor-in-chief-wired-magazine

NOVEMBER –

• Thursday, November 15 – Ron Pernick [Gensler]
7:45am breakfast, 8:15-9:15am forum; $20 includes breakfast
Founder and managing director of clean-tech research and advisory firm Clean Edge Ron Pernick will talk about clean technology and innovation.  Pernick is the coauthor of two books on clean-tech business and innovation.  His new book, Clean Tech Nation, articulates the factors reshaping the clean-tech landscape while also providing compelling solutions to enable profound progress, all while placing these debates in the context of 21st century economic competitiveness.  http://business.livetalksla.org/2012/09/08/november-15-ron-pernick-founder-managing-director-clean-edge

JANUARY – MARCH 2013 –

Also coming to the Live Talks LA Business Forum series in 2013 are bestselling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind Daniel Pink (1/17), Whole Foods CEO John Mackey in conversation with Peter Guber (1/25), former CEO of GM and AT&T Ed Whitacre (3/7), and Former CEO of Procter & Gamble A.G. Lafley (3/21).

Live Talks LA Arts & Culture Speakers –
New guest interviewers listed – since 8/24/12 press release – in cranberry.

OCTOBER –

• Wednesday, October 3 – Penny Marshall [Aero Theatre]
In conversation with Garry Marshall – note date changed from September 26
8:00pm, reception 6:30-7:30pm; $25, $45 with book, $95 with book + reception
My Mother Was Nuts, Penny Marshall’s humorous new memoir, gives us a backstage pass to the Hollywood legend’s personal life, her breakout role on The Odd Couple, her exploits with Cindy Williams and John Belushi, and her travels across Europe with Art Garfunkel on the back of a motorcycle.  We see Marshall get married.  And divorced.  And married again (the second time to Rob Reiner).  We also meet a young Carrie Fisher, whose close friendship with Marshall has spanned decades.  The evening is in conversation with Penny’s equally legendary brother: writer, producer, director, and actor Garry Marshall.  http://livetalksla.org/blog/2012/09/04/september-26-an-evening-with-penny-marshall

• Friday, October 5 – Gene Robinson [All Saints Church, Pasadena]
In conversation with Bradley Whitford
7:30pm, reception 6:00-7:00pm; $20, $40 with book, $95 with book + reception
A leading spokesperson for gay rights and the first openly gay person elected Bishop in the Episcopal Church, Bishop Gene Robinson discusses God Believes in Love: Straight Talk About Gay Marriage, for a provocative and personal discussion of one of the most important and divisive issues of our day. Bradley Whitford is an American film and television actor known for his work on The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and The Mentalist.  http://livetalksla.org/blog/2012/09/04/october-5-an-evening-with-bishop-gene-robinson

• Wednesday, October 10 – Sandra Cisneros [Track 16]
In conversation with Hector Tobar
8:00pm; $20, $35 with book
Sandra Cisneros, the internationally acclaimed author of The House on Mango Street, gives us a deeply moving tale of loss, grief and healing with her latest book, Have You Seen Marie?.  The work showcases this beloved author’s storytelling magic, in a tale that reminds us how love, even when it goes astray, does not stay lost forever.  Novelist and Los Angeles Times columnist Hector Tobar is the former Buenos Aires and Mexico City Bureau Chief for the Los Angeles Times and shared a Pulitzer for the paper’s coverage of the 1992 riots.  http://livetalksla.org/blog/2012/09/17/october-10-an-evening-with-sandra-cisneros

• Thursday, October 11 – Chris Elliott [Aero Theatre]
In conversation with Merrill Markoe
8:00pm, reception 6:30-7:30pm; $20, $40 with book, $95 with book + reception
Comedian Chris Elliott will discuss his new behind-the scenes memoir, The Guy Under the Sheets: The Unauthorized Autobiography, a work so personal and provocative that Elliott nearly sued himself to halt publication.  Since no one would write an unauthorized biography about the absurdist comedian, he had to do it himself.  The talk is in conversation with Merrill Markoe, the Emmy Award-winning comedy writer, perhaps best known for her groundbreaking work on Late Night With David Letterman.

NOVEMBER –

• Wednesday, November 14 – Oliver Sacks [Aero Theatre]
8:00pm, reception 6:30-7:30pm; $20, $40 with book, $95 with book + reception
Bestselling author Oliver Sacks will discuss his new book, Hallucinations, a provocative investigation into hallucinations – auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory – their many guises, physiological sources, and personal and cultural resonances.  Sacks, a physician and professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center, draws on a wealth of clinical examples from his own patients as well as historical and literary descriptions.

• Thursday, November 15 – Penn Jillette [Track 16]
8:00pm, reception 6:30-7:30pm; $20, $40 with book, $95 with book + reception
Penn Jillette, the larger, louder half of legendary magic act Penn & Teller, is back with a new collection of spiritual rants and hilarious ravings titled Every Day Is an Atheist Holiday.  In this new collection of essays, Jillette applies his trademark wit and sharp observations to subjects from the horrors of Christmas carols to celebrating his children’s birthdays, the Fourth of July and Halloween.

Venues for Live Talks Los Angeles Arts & Culture Speaker Series –
Live Talks Los Angeles hosts events at various venues throughout Los Angeles.  Live Talks LA arts and culture talks take place at either Track 16 in Bergamot Station (2525 Michigan Avenue, Bldg C-1, Santa Monica, CA 90404; 310-264-4678; www.track16.com) or the Aero Theatre (1328 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403; 310-260-1528; http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/aero_theatre_events), plus one event will occur at All Saints Church in Pasadena (132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101; 626-796-1172; http://www.allsaints-pas.org).  Most Live talks art and culture events start at 8:00pm with receptions preceding the talks.  Tickets range from $20 (general admission) to $95 (which includes the speaker’s book plus access to pre-event reception).  For more information and tickets please visit http://livetalksla.org.

Live Talks Los Angeles –
Live Talks Los Angeles, produced by Ted Habte-Gabr, brings great speakers to Los Angeles.  Authors, artists, humorists, musicians, scientists, and business and science thought leaders are presented in various Los Angeles venues.  The series has seen powerhouses Robert Reich, Ken Follet, Michael Caine, Hal Holbrook, Dave Barry, Jane Lynch, Steve Martin, Garry Marshall, Tina Fey, John Lithgow, John Irving, Amy Poehler, Jason Alexander, Anne Rice, and many others.  The Live Talks Los Angeles art and culture events are typically held in theater and gallery spaces in the evening.  The Live Talks LA Business Forums are normally held in a business setting in Downtown Los Angeles and are intended to provide an opportunity for the local business community to connect, network and hear the insights and experiences of vital industry thought-leaders and executives.  Proceeds from ticket sales support both series as well as various literacy, arts and educational causes in Los Angeles.  Media sponsors include 89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio and KCET.

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For more information, press passes, photos, to interview Live Talks LA producer Ted Habte-Gabr and/or an upcoming guest speaker, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Live Talks Los Angeles Fall 2012 guest speakers include Penny Marshall (©Eugene Pinkowsi), Penn Jillette (©author), Wyclef Jean (©Cyrille Margarit), Sandra Cisneros (©Ray Santisteban), Oliver Sacks (©Elena Seibert).