Roman Mars Keynote Speaker

Roman Mars is the host and creator of 99% Invisible, a short radio show about design, architecture and innovation. Its premise – 10 to 20 minute episodes focused on a single compelling story – subverts public radio’s reliance on long, strictly formatted shows, and has garnered international praise.

Despite beginning as a home production with no marketing budget, 99% Invisible has risen to be one of the most popular and acclaimed podcasts in the world, with over 40 million downloads.

Roman’s crowd funding campaigns have raised over $1.20 million, more than four times his modest initial goal, making him the highest-funded journalist in Kickstarter history. He is also a co-founder of Radiotopia, a collective of ground-breaking story-driven podcasts. In 2013, he was named one of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business.”

Roman has also been the Program Director and Host at Public Radio Remix (2009–present). From 2008 to 2010 he was a Freelance Producer working for the ongoing Hidden Kitchens series for NPR’s Morning Edition. Before that, Roman worked as a producer for the Third Coast International Audio Festival’s weekly documentary program Re:sound on WBEZ in Chicago (2005–08).