DIY Trendspotting: Your Practical Guide to AI, SEO and the Metaverse Hype

Tamra Knepfer is the founder and president of Metabrands. The agency helps usher brands into the metaverse, with services ranging from strategic planning to execution across virtual events/concerts, gaming, NFTs and more.  Metabrands is an extension of TK Brand Group LLC, a licensing and influencer marketing agency that Tamra founded in 2010, with clients including Microsoft/Nokia, Comcast, NBCUniversal, Disney, Sony and WaveXR, a company that produces live, interactive virtual concerts. Previously, she was senior vice president at Branded Entertainment Network (BEN), which is privately-owned by Bill Gates. In addition to overseeing Greenlight, a global leader in rights representation and merchandise licensing for classic icons including Albert Einstein, Steve McQueen, Sophia Loren and more. Her career began at The Walt Disney Company, where she managed marketing and licensing programs for Disney Consumer Products. Following Disney, she held various senior-level roles with other major brand owners, including Sesame Workshop, American Greetings, Rodale and Iconix Brand Group/Peanuts Worldwide.

Regina Walton is the founder of the largest reading club on Clubhouse, "What Are You Reading?" She's also an administrator of the "Community Club" on Clubhouse, one of the app's largest groups. She was first invited to Clubhouse by Jeremiah Owyang. She serves as director of SFTech4Good, a monthly meetup with events in San Francisco that focuses on how technology is being used for social impact. She's currently at Reforge, a startup that offers selective growth-focused programs for experienced professionals in marketing, product, data and engineering. She also has experience at notable companies including Toyota Motor North America where she was the community manager for the Mirai Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle, Salesforce where she worked with their developer community, and CreativeLive where she worked with their instructor and student communities.

Alan Bush is vice president of Ignite Visibility and an instructor of SEO and web analytics at the University of California, San Diego, where he teaches three accredited digital marketing courses. His classes focus on advanced SEO, website architecture, code optimization, link-earning techniques, content marketing strategies, social media, local SEO and white hat versus black hat SEO tactics. He has worked with hundreds of Fortune 500 clients over the past decade and specializes in SEO and SEM strategy, Google AdWords, remarketing PPC campaigns, Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools.

Brian Pittman is an event producer for Ragan Training and a regular contributor to PR Daily, where he interviews industry leaders to help readers improve their careers as communicators. A seasoned journalist and publisher, he's the former editorial director for Bulldog Reporter, CommPRO.biz and Utah Business Magazine, among others. He's also a digital marketer and content strategist with LA-area agencies, as well as an executive producer on multiple films and documentaries.