Path 101  

The Slanket Story as told by Gary: One subzero night in 1998 during my first semester of college I could not escape Maine's winter bite. While watching Late Night with Conan O'Brien I decided I needed to tear a hole in my sleeping bag so I could keep my upper body warm as I channel surfed during the commercial breaks. During Christmas vacation I commissioned the first Slanket to be made by my mother...and it was born. Everyone behind the The Slanket is on the same level when it comes to life. Besides creating a product to make people comfortable and warm, our life goals are not to accumulate mansions, SUV's, expensive watches and closets just for shoes. What we want in life is to travel the world and experience all its cultures while representing humanity positively. Whether surfing in Costa Rica, snowboarding in Austria, or studying language in South America and China, we love to spread our sleeves and let them flap in the wind, giving back in the process. BUT... there is nothing like coming home, wrapping up in THE SLANKET on your own couch and feeling the warmth of your friends and family.

An independent musician with the heart of a geek, Jonathan Coulton is a Yale graduate who left his day-job as a computer programmer to stay home and write songs. Between 2005 and 2006 he wrote, recorded, and published a new song every week as a free podcast project called “Thing a Week.” This year-long experiment produced 52 consistently well-written and solidly produced songs, and he soon became an internet sensation. Jonathan’s songs cover unusual topics not often heard in music and tend to make even the most jaded listeners excited about music again. Coulton's is the voice of every elementary school kid who could never quite keep his shirt tucked in or shoes tied; every lovelorn mason and mad scientist; every vengeful nerd; every one of us who has ever sat despairingly on the floor, surrounded by parts of an Ikea endtable, weeping over an allen wrench. Coulton releases all his music under a Creative Commons license that allows for legal file sharing and copying, as well as non-commercial derivative works. His worldwide community of fans has rallied around him to generate airplay on hundreds of podcasts, create a library of music videos, and arrange gigs around the United States. When not traveling the globe or using his powers for good, Jonathan Coulton resides in New York City with his wife and two children.

Charlie O'Donnell, Co-Founder & CEO of Path 101 will interview Leah Wechsler, an experience designer and information architect. Leah grew up in upstate NY. From a background of fine arts, literature and science, she was inspired by a lecture on programming to trade conventional tools for a laptop. Intrigued by technology and inspired by contemporary design she continued her studies and received her Master's from New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program. She has lectured at NYU, done experience design for Digitas and Deutsch, and even worked at McKinsey.

Clara Shih is the author of The Facebook Era: Tapping Online Social Networks to Build Better Products, Reach New Audiences, and Sell More Stuff. She is the creator of Faceconnector, the first business app on Facebook. Clara joined salesforce.com in 2006 and is responsible for Social Networking Alliances and Product Strategy. Previously, she was the product line director of AppExchange, a marketplace for business SaaS applications. Clara has worked at Google and Microsoft, and has degrees from Stanford and Oxford. She is a frequently invited speaker to social media conferences worldwide.

Path 101 Co-Founder & CEO Charlie O'Donnell will be interviewing Dave Schappell, founder of TeachStreet. Dave developed his experience creating customer-focused marketplace initiatives at Amazon.com, JibJab and Unitus. He has deep experience in online marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), affiliate marketing, and high-impact public relations– yes, he spends a LOT of time online. As a Director at Amazon.com from '98-'04, he was a driving force in the emergence of the marketplace platform (used and new product sales by third-party merchants) that grew from 0% to more than 24% of Amazon's unit sales today. Prior to joining Amazon, Dave was a CPA and consultant with Arthur Andersen LLP. Dave attended the MBA program at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and has a BS from the Pennsylvania State University.

Originally From Northern California, Lindsay moved to New York to begin her acting career in 2003. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University in English and Dance as well as an M.F.A in Acting from the National Theater Conservatory. Lindsay was the host of a daily online show called Wallstrip and then Moblogic. Lindsay has appeared on Law & Order, in the film "Our Bundle of Extraordinary Joy" and has performed in theaters all over NYC including Here Arts Center, The Connelly Theater, Galapagos, Theater 5. Regionally, she has worked at Baltimore's Centerstage in a production of "Speed-the-Plow" directed by Daniel Fish, at New York Stage and Film in Bill Pullman's "Expedition 6" and in several productions with the Denver Center Theater Company. She was also be featured in two episodes of the last season of HBO's The Sopranos. Lindsay performs regularly in NYC as part of the Cabaret Cucaracha which is directed by Richard Caliban and musical directed by Giovanni Spinelli. You may have also seen Lindsay in commercial campaigns for the following companies: Hallmark, Miller Genuine Draft, Volvo, Earthlink, Netscape, Dunkin' Donuts, Lowe's Home Improvement, Infamil, The Learning Channel, and many more.