Avalon Theatre Washington, DC
Brendan Bordelon
Reporter, Politico
moderated byJason Dick
Editor-in-Chief of CQ Roll Call; Host, Political Theater podcast
BlackBerry— How the BlackBerry revolutionized daily life, even as it flamed out spectacularly
Program Description
Brendan Bordelon, Politico’s tech lobbying and influence reporter, and series host Jason Dick, Editor-in-Chief of Roll Call, discuss how a quirky Canadian start-up company ushered in the attention economy, rewiring our personal communication, jobs, politics and attention spans.
Presented At
Avalon Theatre Washington, DC
Film Synopsis
The story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone.
A company that toppled global giants before succumbing to the ruthlessly competitive forces of Silicon Valley. This is not a conventional tale of modern business failure by fraud and greed. The rise and fall of BlackBerry reveals the dangerous speed at which innovators race along the information superhighway.
Photo credit: IFC Films
About the Speaker
Brendan Bordelon, Politico’s tech lobbying and influence reporter, tracking how Silicon Valley burrows into Washington policy making. He’s particularly focused on lobbying efforts related to emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, advanced microchips and quantum computing. Brendan has covered tech policy in the nation’s capital for over seven years. He joined Politico in 2022 and previously reported for National Journal. Brendan grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, but has lived in Washington, D.C., for over a decade. He graduated from the University of California at Riverside in 2012, and earned a master’s degree in international science and technology policy from George Washington University in 2022. He lives with his wife and dog in the H Street neighborhood, where he can often be found at one of several local watering holes. In his spare time he enjoys hiking and playing video games. Despite being several decades from retirement age, he also plays in a pickleball league on Thursdays.
Jason Dick, editor in chief of CQ Roll Call and the host of its Political Theater podcast. He has also worked at National Journal and for the AmeriCorps program, and is a former English teacher at the university and high school levels. A one-time screener for the SXSW Film Festival, he is a native of Arizona and lives on Capitol Hill.