Intervention Convention in Rockville, MD

Friend of the blog Onezumi is an organizor of Intervention, a visionary combination of educational conference, art exhibition, and gaming convention that returns to Rockville, MD this Aug. 23-25, 2013 for its fourth year. Its goal? To Intervene and Inspire the whole family to take advantage of what they can do with creativity and technology. Many guest speakers will attend – and, in keeping with the convention’s focus all of the guests are creators who have made a name for themselves by using the Internet to build their fan base. Sounds like something I would love.

This year new guest speakers include Mark Frauenfelder, the founder of the incredibly popular online site BoingBoing and Editor-in-Chief of MAKE magazine; Ex-Disney / Nickelodeon animator Raul Aguirre, Jr. also joins the event from the Man vs. Art podcast; Paul Sabourin of the music group “Paul and Storm” will be on panels and workshops; and Pete Abrams of the popular webcomic Sluggy Freelance returns along with numerous other art and comics professionals.

The event’s co-founder, Onezumi Hartstein, said, “I wanted to put together an event that would empower people to take control of their lives by going DIY with the internet and to showcase those who have done so already. We feel that the internet is the present and the future. This is the event for the internet generation.” After successful runs in 2010, 2011, and 2012 this year will mark Hartstein’s fourth time organizing the event.

The convention features educational content, children’s programming, board gaming, video gaming, vintage arcade cabinets, an extensive Artist Alley / Vendor Room, live action roleplaying, musical performances, and plenty of giveaways. As in past years, there will be a charity auction to benefit the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an international non-profit digital advocacy group that helps to defend civil liberties in the digital space.

Tickets for Intervention 2013 can be bought at www.interventioncon.com/register for the pre-registration price of $40 for the full weekend. They may be purchased in advance or at the door for $45.