Pratt Institute
Invites you to the second in a series of discussions about our borough. The topic:
Brooklyn: What is Hip?
Moderator
Dirk Wittenborn
Panelists
Gavin McInnes
Danny Simmons
Vickie Starr
Marc Anthony Thompson, a.k.a. "Chocolate Genius"
Monday, November 17, 2003
6:30 pm
Memorial Hall
Pratt Institute
Brooklyn Campus
Admission is free, but seating is limited.
To reserve seats, call 718-636-3657 or email events@pratt.edu. For directions, go to www.pratt.edu/directions.

"Brooklyn: What is Hip" explores the borough's purported new hipness and what this means, in terms of commerce, the arts, and society in general. Does it mean anything at all? If so, what does it mean, and to whom? And how does this perhaps real, perhaps ersatz, hipness get communicated to the mainstream? What kinds of social, racial, class, and economic dynamics underlie or are masked by the word "hip"? The panel's conversation will be informal, wide-ranging, and perhaps a little ironic.
Dirk Wittenborn is a novelist (Eclipse, Zoe, Fierce People), screenwriter (Highboys and Lowboys, for 20th Century Fox, starring Rupert Everett, Chris Rock, and Joe Forristal), and former staff writer for Saturday Night Live. He is producer of the upcoming HBO documentary special "Born Rich" and a resident of Brooklyn.
Gavin McInnes is co-founder of VICE, a Williamsburg-based magazine considered among the most successful in the world. VICE has established ancillary international businesses, including a music label, films, and clothing stores. The magazines first book is already an Amazon bestseller.
Danny Simmons is an author, artist, collector, and philanthropist. He is the co-founder, with his brother Russell, of the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on providing arts and education for children. He is also the founder and president of the Rush Arts Gallery, showcasing the work of both established and emerging artists. Simmons converted part of his Brooklyn loft into the Corridor Gallery, which serves as an adjunct exhibition space to Rush Arts. He is currently organizing Project Diversity to promote the ethnic and geographic diversity of art produced in Brooklyn today. In addition, Mr. Simmons serves on the boards of Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and the New York Foundation for the Arts.
Vickie Starr is co-owner of Girlie Action Media and Marketing. For ten years Girlie Action has represented some of the most groundbreaking artists and companies in music. Clients include Bjork, White Stripes, Good Charlotte, Felix da Housecat, Peaches, My Morning Jacket, The Rapture, Beth Orton, Blue Man Group, Spiritualized, and Le Tigre. Formerly a music journalist and editor, she produced a weekly show on WBAI-FM for eight years before retiring from radio in 1996. She has lived in Brooklyn for close to twenty years and has two children.
Marc Anthony Thompson, a.k.a. Chocolate Genius, is a musician and Obie-winning sound designer. He has released two albums and recently produced three songs for the Larry Clark film Another Day in Paradise, staring James Woods and Melanie Griffith. He is currently working on the soundtrack of a new film Brother to Brother and an HBO movie produced by Fort Greenes own Nelson George. He lives in Brooklyn.

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