OZY Fest Adds Exciting New Talent To Line-Up With Mark Cuban, Michael Che, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Gov. Jeb Bush, Dr. Jill Biden, And More

 Mountain View, CA—July 10, 2017—OZY Media, the daily information source for important stories told nowhere else, announced today line-up additions for the second annual OZY FEST to take place Saturday, July 22nd, 2017 at Rumsey Playfield in New York City’s Central Park (OZY.com/ozyfest2017).  Award winning journalist Katie Couric will also co-host the festival with OZY co-founder and CEO Carlos Watson.  Additions to the event include entrepreneur and television personality Mark Cuban, comedian and host of NBC Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update Michael Che, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Educator and former Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, recording artists Yuna and KAMAU and many more.

The Ford Foundation has been announced as official sponsor of OZY FEST 2017, and Lyft as the Official Transportation Partner. In addition, Tribeca Studios’ films including Emmy® Nominated 200 Miles and The Good Fight, along with an advance look from Paramount Pictures & Participant Media’s An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power, will be shown at OZY FEST.

OZY FEST, described by The New York Times as “part music festival, part TED talk, part food fair,” features entertainers, innovators, and thought leaders on the cutting edge. The 2017 previously announced lineup includes pop star Jason Derulo, comedian Samantha Bee, authors Malcolm Gladwell and Adam Grant, celebrity chef Eddie Huang, and more listed below.

"OZY Fest is a unique festival that brings together talent from all walks of life.   It's an intersection of the greatest minds including business leaders, politicians, musicians, comedians, authors, journalists and more all gathering to share new and exciting ideas in an open forum.  I am thrilled to join the esteemed talent for 2017," said Mark Cuban.

“We are excited by the wide array of talent who wanted to take part in OZY Fest 2017. The diversity of the line up to me speaks to our desire to come together as a country and engage in important dialogue, but also not take ourselves to seriously and have a little bit of fun with great food and music along with it,” said Carlos Watson, co-founder and CEO of OZY Media. “OZY is proud to be a place that brings people together and facilitates these engaging conversations and creates unforgettable experiences like OZY FEST.”

OZY FEST is something you experience — not something you just attend. Last year’s inaugural event attracted nearly 5,000 guests who interacted with art, engaged with provocative speakers, tasted inventive food and partied to live music, all in one place. In 2016, the festival featured music headliners Will.i.am, Wyclef Jean and Andra Day; a conversation with Broad City's Abbi Jacobson & Ilana Glazer; panel discussions with Senator Cory Booker, Karl Rove, Malcolm Gladwell; art exhibits with Kazuhiro Tsuji; and food from celeb Chef Alex Guarnaschelli.

Tickets to OZY FEST 2017 will be available for limited purchase on http://www.ticketfly.com/.  General admission tickets are $50.00, and VIP passes are $125.00 and include an exclusive viewing lounge, beer, wine, and snacks.

Performances and Conversations with Musicians, Comedians and Entertainers:

·       Jason Derulo; singer songwriter

·       Samantha Bee; host of ‘Full Frontal with Samantha Bee’ on TBS and comedian

·       Michael Che; comedian and host of Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update

·       RuPaul; Emmy award winning TV star of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ on VH1

·       Zara Larsson; singer songwriter

·       Talib Kweli; hip hop recording artist, entrepreneur, and social activist

·       Yuna; Malaysian singer songwriter

·       KAMAU; singer, rapper, producer

·       BeatBox House

Thought Leadership Presentations, Panels and Discussions From:

·       Malcolm Gladwell; journalist and best-selling author, The Tipping Point, Blink

·       Mark Cuban; entrepreneur and television personality

·       Katie Couric; Award winning journalist and Yahoo! Global News Anchor

·       Kirsten Gillibrand; US Senator

·       Jeb Bush; Former Governor of Florida

·       Jill Biden; educator and former Second Lady of the United States

·       Adam Grant; professor at UPenn’s Wharton School of Business; best-selling author, “Originals” and “Give and Take”

·       Indivisible; Political movement

·       Joe Sanberg; Entrepreneur, co-founder of Aspiration and founding investor of Blue Apron

·       Hakeem Oluseyi; Astrophysicist, scientist

·       Sarah Kauss, S'well founder

·       James Park, Fitbit Co-Founder & CEO

·       Van Jones; CNN political contributor, author and social activist

·       Whitney Wolfe; Founder & CEO of Bumble, Co-founder of Tinder

·       Michael Moe; Founder, Chairman, and CEO of GSV Asset Management

Mouth-watering food inventions and demonstrations From:

·       Eddie Huang; world renowned restaurateur, chef, food personality, and author

·       Marcus Samuelsson; world renowned restaurateur, chef, food personality

·      Deuki Hong; chef and author

Outrageous Live Performance Art and Exhibits From:

·       London Kaye; street artist and crochet artist

To learn more visit:

http://www.ozy.com

OZY.com/ozyfest2017

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About OZY Media

With 25 million monthly unique users and 2 million subscribers, OZY brings readers “the new and the next,” offering 100% original content, with a focus on the future, via unique OZY News, OZY Magazine, OZY TV and OZY Events products. Called “the new media magnet for the news hungry” by Fortune magazine, OZY’s in-depth and high-quality journalism has attracted a number of high-profile media partners including The New York Times, NPR, PBS NewsHour, TED, The Financial Times, The Huffington Post and many more, as well as guest editors including Bill Gates, President Bill Clinton, and Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Founded in 2013 by Emmy award winning journalist Carlos Watson and co-founder Samir Rao, the OZY team is based in Mountain View, CA and backed by leading Silicon Valley investors including Laurene Powell Jobs, Ron Conway, David Drummond, Larry Sonsini and Dan Rosensweig and a significant investment from publishing giant Axel Springer.