Get to know us

AC Coppens, portrait by Alana Range

©Alana Range

Business strategist, creative thinker, fearless performer

As founder of THE CATALYSTS, AC boosts the development of innovative players and thought leaders in the creative industries at the intersection of digital technology and creative content.

AC COPPENS

  • Having developed an extensive network of successful clients and project partners in AI, Blockchain, Neuroscience and Digital Media, to Film, VR/AR/XR, Design and Immersive Sound, AC’s cross-sector know-how is the founding of an unique way to advise clients, curate conferences and moderate events dealing with the future of entertainment across technology, scientific research, academic discourse and broader cultural and societal shifts.

    A 360-degree view of innovation & change as well as a solid background in the performing arts make AC a coveted speaker for major international events, presenting keynotes, hosting workshops and moderating thought-provoking discussions. Especially for digital and hybrid formats, AC brings events watched from a screen to life in an unique way, and make them an enjoyable, lively experience boosting the engagement with the audience, and as such a memorable and valuable moment.

    Based in Berlin, AC is also active in New York, LA, Zurich and Marseille.

    More information on AC and their speaking references here.

Anna Desponds, portrait by Alana Range

©Alana Range

ANNA DESPONDS

Arts aficionado, interdisciplinary connector, inquisitive ideator

Anna draws from her broad experience in the creative industries to enable research & business development support for consulting clients and trade missions. She curates events in the digital media & art fields, finding edgy topics, angles and speakers.

  • Anna has over fifteen years of experience in conceiving award-winning events at the intersection of audiovisual arts and digital technology. A researcher and co-founder in the creative industries, she has provided strategic consulting for a range of international institutions. She gained a broad understanding of the various actors in the creative industries by producing one of the biggest documentary film festivals in Europe, designing multimedia content for museums, marketing for cultural institutions, and being a film sales agent, before joining THE CATALYSTS in 2018.

    As a long-standing collaborator of major cultural media outlets in Poland, since 2015 she co-hosted a podcast about the impact of technology on art and society for dwutygodnik.com, acclaimed for being “the miracle of the Polish internet”.

    Anna has regular public appearances at conferences and events and in the media. She moderated and facilitated over a hundred talks, debates Q&As and workshops, both in physical settings and online. She supports THE CATALYSTS’ Founder AC Coppens in the curation and moderation of panels and talks.

    Anna holds a Master Degree in Interdisciplinary Humanities from Warsaw University. As a curator and producer, she specialises in multidisciplinary projects at the intersection of non-fiction, digital cultures and anthropology of food. Her experience spans from programming international conferences to running an art gallery in the building of the Polish Ministry of Culture.

    She is fluent in English, French, Polish and speaks Spanish and German.