San Jose Lowrider Day

Today enjoy a free event highlighting Lowriders at San Jose City Hall from 12pm to 6pm. The plaza will be filled with Lowriders from car clubs, while street parking in front of City Hall will be open to all low riders first come, first serve.

There will also be food trucks parked along 4th Street.

Nvidia AI Conference taking place in Downtown San Jose right now

The latest advancements in AI hardware--which is quickly headed to becoming a multi-trillion dollar market--are being announced right now in Downtown San Jose. Yesterday Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivered his keynote at the SAP Center. Throughout the rest of the week, about 10,000 visitors will attend workshops and panel discussions at the McEnery Convention Center each day.

San Jose has a strong desire to make Downtown the AI capital of the world. Hosting Nvidia's flagship conference here is definitely a big win.

Source: San Jose Downtown Association

New Years Eve options in Downtown San Jose

There is a New Years event for everyone in Downtown San Jose this year. If you have kids, there are "Noon Year's Eve" events at the Children's Discovery Museum and 3Below Theatre & Cafe. If you like fine dining, Rollati and The Fountain have you covered. 

If you want to party there are at least a dozen night clubs doing events Downtown in just about every genre you can think of from house music to Cumbia to Bollywood. Then if you're not hung over you can do the San Jose Bike Party New Year's Day bike ride at noon on the 1st.

The SJDA has put together a handy list of all the events going on over here. Have fun and stay safe!

Champions of Magic - Contest Winner

Congratulations to David Gauthier! 🥳🎊

You have won 4 tickets for the internationally renowned show Champions of Magic. 

For those that did not win, you can still purchase tickets over here.

Champions of Magic Giveaway

As mentioned last week, the internationally renowned show Champions of Magic is doing five performances at the San Jose Civic from Dec. 27 to 29. You can buy tickets right now over here starting at $69 per person... but you might be able to get those tickets for free right now. We are doing a giveaway for four tickets for the December 27th show!

To enter the contest, all you have to do is fill out this form (below is an image of what it looks like), check "San Jose," and mention The San Jose Blog. That's it, should take 30 seconds.

We will keep the contest open for a week and then announce the winner next Friday!

Illusionist show coming to San Jose for the holidays + Giveaway

The internationally renowned show Champions of Magic is doing five performances at the San Jose Civic from Dec. 27 to 29. The show is led by a team of five illusionists that have been featured on every major US TV network. The acts take place around the whole theater and include interactive magic, levitations, several illusions that can't be seen anywhere else, and an epic finale. 

It's an ideal family-friendly activity for the holiday season and will pair well with Christmas in the Park across the street.

You can buy tickets right now over here starting at $69 per person. We are also going to do a giveaway for four tickets next week! Keep your eyes peeled for further details early next week on how to enter the giveaway.

Theater is back with "The Great Leap" @ The San Jose Stage Company

Program cover of The Great Leap at The San Jose Stage Company.

Manford (James Aaron Oh) making a basketball shot as
Wen Chang (Alex Hsu), Connie (Monica Ho), and
Saul (Tim Kniffin) watches at a distance on the court.
Photograph courtesy of Dave Lepori.

Randall King, the Artistic Director of The San Jose Stage Company, announced that "theater is back!" Yes it is and what a surreal feeling when I realized that the last time I saw a show at The San Jose Stage Company was the musical Chicago in February 2020. Oh, how great it feels to be back in the theater again ... safely!

Kicking off their 39th Season "Resilience" is Lauren Yee's play The Great Leap. Following four characters, an American basketball team travels to Beijing for a "friendship match" in 1989. There is much more to this "friendship" than meets the eye: a deep, yet strained, relationship between the two countries bringing the characters into a collision course. The most common line that shows how deep this "friendship" really goes: "no Chinese team will ever beat an American team."

The set of The Great Leap at The San Jose Stage Company.
Photograph courtesy of John Huân Vu.

On a beautiful and minimal stage centering around a basketball court, we follow two storylines eighteen years apart. This split timeline highlights two major points in our history: renewed relations between the United States and China and the Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing, China.

In the past timeline of 1971, we meet the American University of San Francisco basketball coach Saul (played by Tim Kniffin) who convinces a Chinese translator, Wen Chang (played by Alex Hsu), to a "friendship match" that will be played 18 years later in 1989. While in the present timeline of 1989, we follow 17-year-old Chinese-American Manford (played by James Aaron Oh) who pesters coach Saul to play in the "friendship match" against Beijing University. We also meet Connie (played by Monica Ho) who is a university student and is Manford's loving "cousin".

Saul (Tim Kniffin) and Wen Chang (Alex Hsu)
converses on the basketball court in 1971.
Photograph courtesy of Dave Lepori.

Without sharing the details of the story, each of the actors bring a unique dichotomy to their characters delivering comedic relief towards a dramatic, unexpected, and satisfying climax!

When we first meet Saul in 1971, he is an ambitious and confident coach but now struggles personally and professionally in 1989. Ironically, Wen became the opposite of Saul where Wen was a "nobody" in China in 1971 and is now one of the more influential citizens in the country in 1989. Although Manford started out very obnoxious and arrogant, you come to love him when you realize this kid never gives up - especially if it's for the right reason. Lastly, Connie is an extravagant and straight-to-the-point girl but works to embody that family love that was truly missing from Manford's life.

Manford (James Aaron Oh) confronted by his "cousin"
Connie (Monica Ho) on why he's not at school.
Photograph courtesy of Dave Lepori.

Personally, I was very impressed by Tim Kniffin where his body language spoke as loud as his words. As for Alex Hsu, it was personally so great to see him back on stage after last seeing him a decade ago fabulously acting in the musical Tales of the City at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Although I can't play basketball (or any sports) for the life of me, I really appreciate seeing that James Aaron Oh took the time to study up the sport so he can deliver a solid performance on stage. Lastly, the range that Monica Ho delivers during this play foreshadows that she's an actress I'd be on the lookout for in future performances.

Overall, the show delivers a great story through the impressive dramatic and comedic performances of the actors to show that indeed, "theater is back!" Please note that heavy language is used and may not be suitable for all audience members.

Wen Chang (Alex Hsu) facing the tanks at Tiananmen Square.
Photograph courtesy of Dave Lepori.

Catch a performance from Wednesdays through Sundays now until October 24, 2021. You can purchase tickets online at The San Jose Stage Company website at www.thestage.org or at their box office at 490 South First Street, San Jose, CA 95113, (408) 283-7141. Discount tickets are available for students and seniors. To ensure the health and safety of the cast, staff, and those attending, please note that you must adhere to their safety protocols which also includes a proof of vaccination.

Written by John Huân Vu, edited by Greg Ripa.

Live Action "The Rocky Horror Show" @ San Jose Stage Company

Let's Do the Time Warp Again!

The iconic red lips painted outside of The San Jose Stage
Photograph taken and courtesy by John Huan Vu

It was July 28, 2010. Under the beautiful stars surrounding Downtown San Jose, my friends and I sat in a parking lot to see a projected movie hosted by the San Jose Downtown Association Starlight Cinemas. The movie: The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I'm still in shock over the show's risqué nature along with its audience of hecklers and volunteer actors. I didn't realize that 9+ years later, I would be seeing the live action performance just steps away at the San Jose Stage Company! Truly, let's do the time warp again!

Arriving on the opening night, the big luscious and iconic red lips were painted on the wall outside the San Jose Stage. Being in line, you can definitely tell who loved the show including the cult following in full gear such as tall men in stilettos!

As I waited outside before the show started, the Phantoms, played by Brian Conway, Monica Moe, and Tracy Shaw, greeted audience members, especially those who have never seen the show before. Although their roles may be discreet, the Phantoms were adorably funny and creative. Pay attention to the scene where they use their bodies as a vehicle with windshield wipers and headlights.

Program of the Rocky Horror Show
Photograph taken and courtesy by John Huân Vu.

Keith Pinto

The program cover of the show features Keith Pinto who plays the scandalous Dr. Frank-N-Furter. I have seen Keith Pinto in multiple productions at the San Jose Stage and recently had the opportunity to interview him before opening night. The reason why Keith enjoys his time with the San Jose Stage is due to the great team he gets to work with and for being part of productions that are gritty and will take a chance in putting their own stamp on the way the company views the material. For the show itself, Keith had so much fun studying and playing the iconic character as a "sexy mad scientist." His biggest challenge was not only to deliver a strong performance to audience in drag, but also being able to dance (and not trip) with his platform heels. On opening night, I was convinced that Keith was truly Dr. Frank-N-Furter who gave the powerful justice to fans who have come to love The Rocky Horror Show.

Magenta (Allison F. Rich), Brad (Parker Harris),
Janet (Ashley Garlick), and Riff Raff (Sean Okuniewicz)
Photograph courtesy by Dave Lepori

A direction that I enjoyed in the production were the two strong couples who were counterpoints throughout the show. At one end, we journey along with the beautifully naive and bubbly couple, Janet and Brad, who are played by Ashley Garlick and Parker Harris. The other end, we witness the the sexually naughty and conniving couple, Magenta and Riff Raff, played by director Allison F. Rich and Sean Okuniewicz. My highlight was to see the beautiful Ashley Garlick and the dashingly handsome Parker Harris deliver some numbers with some great singing.

Of course, Rocky himself, played by Matthew Kropschot, will not disappoint you, being a hunk to some and a twink to others. Do note that his ugly headshot in the program does little justice to his pretty looks. As a recent college graduate, Matthew was not only able to dance in his ripped six-pack body with swim briefs, he was also able to sing!

Rocky and Dr. Frank-N-Furter
Photograph courtesy by Dave Lepori

Now, a couple words of caution: this show may not be appropriate for everyone and discretion is strongly advised due to the show's language, sexual nature, and taboo humor.

Will hecklers and callbacks from audience be allowed? Most definitely. During rehearsals, Keith Pinto shared that the cast and company would need to be ready to read the audience's response. For example, the Narrator, played by Edward Hightower, got us to giggle because there were moments in which he couldn't keep a straight face. The whole audience was caught up in howls of laughter when, as the answer to the question "Where are we?" as characters Janet and Brad entered the castle, someone yelled out "Mar-a-Lago"! Of course, if you are not used to hecklers and callbacks from the audience, you are strongly advised to watch the movie beforehand. And if you decide to participate, audience members are politely asked to not throw anything to the cast or on to the stage.

You can catch a performance playing from Wednesdays to Sundays now until November 3, 2019. You can purchase tickets online at the San Jose Stage website at www.thestage.org or at their box office at 490 South First Street, San Jose, CA 95113, (408) 283-7141. Discount tickets are available for students and seniors.

Written by John Huân Vu.

"A Spoonful of Sherman" U.S. Premiere @ 3Below Theaters & Lounge

A great song is always "singable, sellable, and most of all, sincere."

This is the core belief of The Sherman Brothers where we come to love many of their songs including those from Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Winnie The Pooh, Charlotte's Web, and the infamous, "It's a Small World After All." Nevertheless, "A Spoonful of Sherman" is much more than The Sherman Brothers  - it's about their family.

The San Jose Blog was given an opportunity to talk with Robert J. Sherman, the son of Robert B. Sherman and the nephew of Richard M. Sherman. After his father passed away in 2012, Robert launched a posthumously biography of his father but thought a book signing wasn't really appropriate. Given this, Robert decided to do a small cabaret show in London with just four cast members and with him as a narrator. With low expectations, Robert did not realize that his show would garner rave reviews including 4 stars from The London Times. Robert worked with a producing partner and reworked the show to what we have today as "A Spoonful of Sherman."

3Below hangs these colorful umbrellas in their lobby to welcome "A Spoonful of Sherman"
Photograph taken and with permission by John Huân Vu.

"A Spoonful of Sherman" is a loving tribute to Robert's family starting from the roots of his grandfather, Al Sherman, to The Sherman Brothers, to his own life as a songwriter and composer today. In addition to 55 songs, the show is narrated by the singers themselves where we follow the family during the Great Depression, the fight in World War II, the successful work under Walt Disney, and their continued legacy to today. The show had its world premiere in the United Kingdom with a tour in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In the future, they are hoping to do a production in South Africa and Singapore.

Nevertheless, it was an honor for Robert when Guggenheim Entertainment reached out to have the United States Premiere at 3Below Theaters and Lounge! Like The Sherman Brothers, it was no coincidence that the brothers and producers of 3Below (Scott Guggenheim and Stephen Guggenheim) really wanted "A Spoonful of Sherman" to be at their theater in San Jose. As Robert puts it, the brothers were persistent!

A close up set of "A Spoonful of Sherman" from Row E
Photograph taken and with permission by John Huân Vu.

The set of "A Spoonful of Sherman" from Theater 3 Entrance
Photograph taken and with permission by John Huân Vu.

Well, the persistence paid off when I had the opportunity to see the show on Sunday, April 14, 2019 at their matinee. The last time I got to see a stage production was "Sondheim on Sondheim" and you can read my article on The San Jose Blog here. The production was significantly different from "Sondheim on Sondheim" where "A Spoonful of Sherman" was focused on a gifted, talented, and close-knitted family.

Although I would consider myself a Disney fan, I was more keen to hearing about the Sherman family and listening to other unknown musical pieces. Fans of Mary Poppins would know its songs including the infamous "A Spoonful of Sugar", "Jolly Holliday", "Feed the Birds", "Step in Time", "Chim Chim Cher-ee", and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". With the amazing lighting and set design, the singers were able to narrate the story while bringing all its songs to its fruition. 

Robert J. Sherman talks to the cast and audience after the show of "A Spoonful of Sherman"
Left to Right: Susan Gundunas, F. James Raasch, Barry Koron, Robert J. Sherman, Theresa Swain, Stephen Guggenheim, Shannon Guggenheim
Photograph taken and with permission by John Huân Vu.

For me, there were some songs that stood out. Although he is the main pianist throughout the show, Barry Koron sung "Crunchy Crackers" humorously as a bird from the musical "Love Birds." In honor of one of Al Sherman's work, Theresa Swain sang "Now's the Time to Fall in Love" taking a positive spin during the Great Depression. If you love Winnie the Pooh, you would enjoy the singing and acting of "The Wonderful Thing about Tiggers" done by Shannon Guggenheim. F. James Raasch was able to make us laugh by monkeying around in "I Wanna Be Like You" from "The Jungle Book." Giving life to "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," Stephen Guggenheim lend his opera voice to the song "Hushabye Mountain" with Susan Gundunas expressing her pining love in in "Lovely Lonely Man."


Although some might consider the song "It's a Small World After All" an annoying song, learning about its history, especially at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, brings us the reality of why The Sherman Brothers wrote it. And if you get to see the show, try to hear that one extra verse added and only been shared on "A Spoonful of Sherman."

Robert J. Sherman with the cast of "A Spoonful of Sherman"
Left to Right: Stephen Guggenheim, Shannon Guggenheim, Susan Gundunas, Barry Koron, Robert J. Sherman, Theresa Swain, F. James Raasch 
Photograph taken and with permission by John Huân Vu.

Robert J. Sherman with the cast of "A Spoonful of Sherman"
Left to Right: Stephen Guggenheim, Shannon Guggenheim, Susan Gundunas, Barry Koron, Robert J. Sherman, Theresa Swain, F. James Raasch
Photograph taken and with permission by John Huân Vu.

Although I only covered the tip of the iceberg of "A Spoonful of Sherman," only you can experience the entire production in your own ears, eyes, and heart. Catch a performance today until May 5, 2019 on Thursdays to Sundays by purchasing tickets online at the 3Below Theaters and Lounge website at www.3belowtheaters.com or at their box office at 288 South 2nd Street San Jose, CA, (408) 404-7711. Discount tickets are available for seniors, students, military, and youth. Please note that although it's a family-friendly production, children under the age of 10 may find some parts boring and some parts exciting like "Let's Go Fly a Kite."

Written by John Huân Vu.

Apple WWDC 2019 returning to Downtown San Jose

Apple's largest event of the year will happen in the middle of San Jose between June 3 and June 7th. The event brings tens of thousands not only the the McEnery Convention Center, but to supplemental events hosted all over Downtown.

If you are a developer and and want to register, today is your last day to join the lottery for a chance to buy the $1,599 admission pass over here.

Source: SVBJ

Sacred Art presents Illuminate

At the SubZERO Festival last weekend, I stopped by a booth promoting this year's Sacred Art event. This is an annual immersive art and music show that is free to attend, but requires registration. This year's event will be at Forager, and the theme for Illuminate will focus on technology, spirituality, and the South African food crisis. Eat, drink, and enjoy the designs and installations!

Here's a video from the previous event to give you an idea of what to expect:

s a c r e d a r t • 2 0 1 6 from Jeremiah Hutchens on Vimeo.

The event will be on Saturday, June 30 at 7pm, and will go until 1am the next day. The location is Forager. You can register for tickets here and learn more about the event here.

Downtown Farmer's Market begins May 4th

Downtown San Jose Farmers’ Market season begins May 4

Fresh produce, hot food, unique gifts available each Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

SAN JOSE – The  Downtown San Jose Farmers’ Market, presented by Kaiser Permanente, opens for its 26th season on May 4 along San Pedro Street between Santa Clara and St. John streets.

Open each Friday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., the Farmers’ Market offers fresh-picked fruits and vegetables direct from California growers, gifts, goodies and garb from local artists, cut flowers and gourmet foods.  

The Farmers’ Market features from 25-40 vendors curated by the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association (PCFMA).  The market also features live music, demonstrations, recipes and other special events throughout the season. On Opening Day, activities include live music by Amigos Music, games and prize wheel giveaways by Mix 106.5 FM, and a participatory art project by Local Color.

Admission is free.

The market continues each week into November.  On average, 2,500 residents, office workers and visitors head to the Farmers’ Market and San Pedro Square for lunch, activities, people-watching and shopping.  Customers are encouraged to bring their own reusable and washed bags.

Market partner Kaiser Permanente has teamed with the Downtown Association and PCFMA for eight years to focus attendees on healthful and “green” living.

Follow the Downtown Farmers’ Market on Twitter (@SJ_Downtown) and Facebook (/sjdowntown and /DowntownFarmers’Market).  The market website is https://sjdowntown.com/farmers-market-presented-by-kaiser-permanente/

Parking validations for Farmers’ Market shoppers are available for the Market-San Pedro Garage at the SJDA information table.  Visit www.parksj.org.

About the San Jose Downtown Association:  The San Jose Downtown Association is a non-profit group of business and property owners working to improve the vitality and livability of downtown San Jose.  Established in 1986, SJDA programs more than 100 days of events each year.

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is returning to Downtown San Jose

WWDC 2018 will take place in San Jose for the second year in the row. This is Apple's largest event and it will take over the McEnery Convention Center as well as various other parts of Downtown from June 4-8.

The conference starts with a keynote that goes over the latest software releases for MacOS and iOS devices. Often times, major new hardware is announced as well. Last year the Apple Homepod as well as new iPads and an iMac Pro were all revealed.

The 2017 event appeared to be a huge success. Thousands of attendees roamed Downtown and multiple parallel events related to the Apple community also took place in the area. Feedback from attendees on location was very positive. The true test of success was that Apple chose to run the event in San Jose again this year instead of returning the conference to Moscone in San Francisco. Hopefully the 2018 event will be even better than last year's conference.

If you are a developer and are interested in attending, all you need to do is sign up for a lottery by March 22nd for a chance to spend $1,599 on a conference pass.

Source: SVBJ

Apple has moved its big conference to San Jose

The largest company in the world announced that they are moving their World Wide Developer Conference Conference (WWDC) from San Francisco to San Jose earlier this year. This will make our city ground zero for new software and app announcements related to iOS, MacOS, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. This is not the first time that Apple has made major product announcements in San Jose in recent years, but it is the first time since 2002 that they have hosted their largest event in Silicon Valley proper.

The direct impact goes far beyond the conference itself. There are many related events such as AltConf (the Alternative Apple Developer Conference) which has also moved from San Francisco to the San Jose Marriott and the Layers Design Conference, which has moved to the Montgomery Theater. Both events run nearly the full duration of the Apple conference.

Apple has also worked with the City of San Jose to plan for entertainment and special events outside of the Convention Center for attendees to enjoy. 5,000 developers will be attending WWDC, but double that number could be in the area for festivities and supporting events built around the conference.

The Apple WWDC kicks off today and runs until June 9th. If you are an Apple fanboy or fangirl, this is a good week to swing by Downtown.

Sources: SVBJ, 9to5Mac

Loving Day 2017 - June 10th, 11-3pm in SoFA

One of San Jose's biggest strengths it its diversity. In fact, we are statistically the most diverse metro in the United States. It gives us a unique culture with a better perspective of challenges around the globe as well as the wonderful opportunity to access traditions different than the ones we grew up with. The more diverse we are, the stronger our culture and society will be.

Loving Day is a celebration of the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage in the US. Shockingly, this happened only 50 years ago with the case Loving v. Virginia.

San Jose's first event in honor of Loving Day will take place on June 10th at Parque de los Pobladores from 11am-3pm. There will be music, dancing, arts and crafts, a food truck, and plenty of good times. For more info, head over to the San Jose Loving Day Facebook page.

New Downtown San Jose site for events (including NYE options)

It is difficult finding a one-stop shop for all of the great events in Downtown San Jose. Matt Spergel has taken a shot with a new site called DTSJ.Events. The website currently pulls from the 70 different Facebook pages of Downtown venues and is still a work in progress.

The Site lists several New Years Eve options that cater towards all budgets. Now is a great time to go check out the site and make plans!

Creative Convergence Silicon Valley: C2SV returns to San Jose’s SoFA District, Oct. 6-8

The fourth annual C2SV conference kicks off next week in SoFA. It is Silicon Valley's version of South by Southwest, combining a tech conference with music festival. For all of the details, schedules, and for tickets (which range from $99-199), head over to the C2SV website.

San Jose, CA., — Now in its fourth year, Silicon Valley’s pre-eminent technology and music festival, Creative Convergence Silicon Valley (C2SV), will bring together business disrupters and technology luminaries for two days of forward­-looking discussions and three nights of music and parties with established and emerging musical artists.

The festival will take a deep look at the technology industry’s mixed record of promoting women into leadership positions as Michele Madansky and Hillary Mickell take the stage to present “The Elephant in the Valley.” Thursday evening will feature the SoFA Design Crawl, in which the district’s marketing and product design firms welcome visitors into their studios, and a night of music headlined by electronic music legend DJ Donald Glaude.
                                                                     
Friday will feature a rich lineup of speakers and topics, with highlights including best-selling author Antonio García Martínez talking about “Chaos Monkeys,” and a discussion about business reinvention with George Zimmer, former CEO of Men’s Wearhouse and current CEO of Generation Tux.

More notable presenters will be added. Previous conferences have featured industry legends such as personal computer inventor Steve Wozniak, video game pioneer Nolan Bushnell and antivirus buccaneer John McAfee.

C2SV will be held at the historic California Theatre, 27 South Market Street, in downtown San Jose’s creative district, SoFA. The conference starts on Thursday, Oct. 6, and ends on Friday, Oct. 7, 2016.

   # # #

About C2SV

Creative Convergence Silicon Valley (C2SV) was established in 2012 as the one­-day Silicon Valley Sound Experience (SVSX) and was greatly expanded in 2013 as the first conference of its type at the expanded San Jose McEnery Convention Center.  Visit:  www.c2sv.com  for more details.

1st Annual Timmy Awards

The 1st Annual Timmy Awards is a new event recognizing the best places for tech professionals to work. There will be cocktails, hor d'oeuvres, music, and product demos. The moderator for the night is Katie Roof from Tech Crunch and the award presenters are Kerry Davis from Engadget, Marc Acton from Mix 106.5, and Jennifer Elias from the Silicon Valley Business Journal. Categories include Best Tech Startup, Best Tech Work Culture, and Best Tech Manager.

The event will take place this Thursday, September 22nd from 6pm-9pm at the San Jose Women's Club. For more information head over to the Tech in Motion site. You can RSVP for free over here.

We're excited to present Silicon Valley's 1st Annual Timmy Awards in an effort to recognize the best places for technology professionals to work. We asked the Silicon Valley tech community to weigh in by nominating companies they believe deserve to win and then voting for the finalists!

Organizations and individuals will be crowned the winners of each of the categories below on September 22nd. The evening will begin with cocktails, hor d'oeuvres, music and product demos from the best of the best in Silicon Valley tech.

Silicon Valley's Best Technology Manager

Bill Hu – CEO of Kika Tech
Erik Kostelnik - Founder & CEO of TextRecruit
Han Jin - CEO of LucidCam
Venkatachalam Rangasamy – Principal Software Architect at Equinix
Waqaas Al-Siddiq - CEO of Biotricity

Silicon Valley's Best Technology Startup 

Avegant
Blue River Technology
Cloudian
DataVisor
Datos IO
Engagio
Liquid Robotics
Loop Commerce
Primary Data
Rubrik

Silicon Valley's Best Technology Work Culture 

Branch
Drawbridge
Identity Guard
Kespry
MATRIXX Software Inc.
Peloton Technology
Pinger, Inc.
Retail Solutions Inc. (RSi)
Shipwire
Whipsaw, Industrial Design and Engineering

Silicon Valley Pride festivities take place this weekend

Pride kicks off tomorrow in Downtown San Jose with an electronic dance music party on Almaden Boulevard from 6pm to 11pm. Then on Sunday, the parade starts at 10am on Market Street and is followed by a huge festival from 11am to 6pm. There will be food, drinks, cosplay, a family garden, games, and live performances. They are even advertising 7 hours of Pokemon Go lures (why not). For more information and for tickets, head over to svpride.com.

Silicon Valley Comic Con is returning in 2017 bigger and better

Steve Wozniak's comic con has announced dates for its sophomore debut next year. The expanded event will run from April 21-23 at the San Jose Convention Center as well as neighboring Downtown San Jose venues (South Hall, The City National Civic, and the California Theatre).

Silicon Valley Comic Con 2017 features sessions with celebrities, tech innovators, scientists, comics, artists, video games, virtual reality, and consumer electronics. The inaugural 2016 event drew 60,000 attendees, making it the largest fan expo in Northern California and it generated $12.5 million in revenue for San Jose and local businesses. Next year's event will very likely exceed those metrics.

For more info check out the press release below or the Silicon Valley Comic Con website over here. VIP Platinum and Gold ticket packages are already available.

SILICON VALLEY COMIC CON REVEALS DATES FOR 2017 AND EXPANSION INTO ADDITIONAL DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE VENUES
VIP Tickets on Sale Now for Steve Wozniak’s Pop Culture and Technology Expo

San Jose, Calif. - July 13, 2016 - Silicon Valley Comic Con (SVCC), Steve Wozniak’s popular expo celebrating the Age of the Geek will return to downtown San Jose the weekend of April 21-23, 2017. Over the course of the three-day show, the 2016 event welcomed 60,000 attendees who enjoyed a sold-out show floor of 350+ exhibitors and dozens of packed panels and fan Q&As. The largest fan expo in Northern California, Silicon Valley Comic Con generated $12.5 million of revenue for the city and surrounding businesses, making it one of San Jose’s largest revenue generating events. Pairing science with fiction, Silicon Valley Comic Con aims to inspire and entertain with celebrity appearances, science/tech discussions, film / TV screenings, panels with award-winning authors and artists, displays with comicbook artists, cosplay contests and more.

“Where else can you participate in Q&As with a renowned quantum physicist and the cast of ‘Back to the Future’ in one day? What an amazing time to be a geek!” said Steve Wozniak. “The first SVCC went well beyond everyone’s expectations, and we walked away from the event absolutely brimming with ideas for 2017. As technology and pop culture continue to drive each other, SVCC will showcase the best of Silicon Valley.”

After its successful inaugural year, SVCC has already outgrown the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. Three new surrounding locations will host SVCC events and exhibits: South Hall, The City National Civic, and The California Theatre, with more venue expansion plans in the works. In addition, Silicon Valley Comic Con is working closely with Team San Jose and the City of San Jose to increase public parking and public transportation options.

“Nearly 90% of SVCC’s 2016 attendees said they would recommend the show to their friends, and the most common feedback was that they wanted even more great content across exhibits, panels and opportunities to meet or hear from their favorite celebrity and tech icons,” said Trip Hunter, CEO of Silicon Valley Comic Con. “Expanding into a variety of new venues will allow us to bring even more compelling content our fans and partners are seeking.”

VIP Platinum and Gold ticket packages can be purchased today at www.svcomiccon.com. VIP ticket package perks include early entrance to the show, priority panel entry, access to a private VIP lounge, private autograph signings and more.

To inquire about custom sponsorship and exhibitor packages or media partnerships, contact marketing@svcomiccon.com. The exhibitor application is also available online now. For more information about SVCC, visit www.svcomiccon.com.

ABOUT SILICON VALLEY COMIC CON
With Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak at the helm, Silicon Valley Comic Con celebrates the Age of the Geek by bringing together America’s two greatest superheroes: pop culture and technology. Featuring top celebrities, tech innovators, comics, scientists, independent artists, cosplay, video games, virtual reality, consumer electronics, music, apps and more, Silicon Valley Comic Con is where the entertainment and technology worlds intersect. Silicon Valley Comic Con 2017 will take place April 21-23, 2017 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center and surrounding downtown San Jose locations.