James C. Kaufman is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut who is one of the leading experts in the field of creativity. He is most passionate about how creativity can be a source of positive change for people – by offering meaning, inspiring passion, helping issues of equity and social justice, engaging students and workers, and generally improving quality of life. James has written or edited more than 50 books. These include the forthcoming The Creativity Advantage (Cambridge), Creativity 101 (Springer), and the Cambridge Handbook of Creativity (with his mentor, Robert Sternberg), as well as books with his wife, Allison, on animal creativity and pseudoscience and a book about terrible baseball pitchers with his father, Alan. He is also a playwright and lyricist whose work has been performed all over the world; his musical Discovering Magenta played NYC and its cast album is available on CD and most streaming services.

James has won many awards, including Mensa’s research award, the Torrance Award from the National Association for Gifted Children, and APA’s Berlyne, Arnheim, and Farnsworth awards. He co-founded two major journals, Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts and Psychology of Popular Media Culture. His theories and research include the renowned Four C Model of Creativity, which outlines a developmental trajectory of creativity that moves from mini-c (personal) to little-c (everyday) to Pro-c (expert) to Big-C (genius), and the “Sylvia Plath Effect,” which highlights a higher rate of mental illness in eminent female poets compared to other well-known writers; the effect has spawned multiple rock songs, blogs, poems, and stories.

He has been interviewed for numerous publications, from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal, and appeared on multiple podcasts (including NPR multiple times). James co-wrote, co-produced, and appeared in the APA documentary Creativity in the Classroom. He has tested Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s creativity on CNN, helped nurture creativity on the hit National Geographic show Redesign Your Brain, and appeared onscreen, complete with white lab coat, in the comic book documentary Independents.

Dana P. Rowe is a New York-based American composer and musical director whose works have been performed in NYC, the West End and around the world. His off-Broadway musical, Zombie Prom, has reached cult status and was filmed starring RuPaul and Katy Mixon. There have been over 3,000 different productions around the world, with a major West End revival in the works. Zombie Prom: The Atomic Edition is also available for licensing for younger performers.

Dana’s next two musicals were produced by Sir Cameron Mackintosh. The Fix premiered at the Donmar Warehouse, starring John Barrowman and directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes. A major London revival is in the works. The Witches of Eastwick premiered at Drury Lane on the West End starring Ian McShane and Lucie Arnaz. It subsequently has had major productions in Australia, Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia Slovenia, Sweden, and the United States. A star-studded one-night-only concert featuring Carrie Hope Fletcher and directed by Maria Friedman was held at the Sondheim Theatre in London on June 20, 2022. Both The Fix and The Witches of Eastwick were nominated for four Olivier awards each (including Best New Musical) and, subsequently, Washington’s Helen Hayes Award.

Dana has written many other shows. See Jane Run had a developmental run at The Studios of Key West in February of 2023, and is under consideration at other venues. Both Brother Russia and Blackbeard premiered at the Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. Brother Russia, a recipient of a National Endowment of the Arts grant,  won the Edgerton Foundation Award for New American Plays. The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde played at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Other produced musicals include The Reluctant Dragon and Frida, about the legendary painter Frida Kahlo.

Dana recently wrote the original musical score for the documentary film, Crystal City, which is included in NBC’s Best LGBTQ-inclusive TV shows and films of 2019 list. He is a Professional Certified Coach from the International Coaching Federation and works with arts professionals around the world. He has worked as a musical coach/supervisor for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus, Burt Reynolds, the Miss America Pageant, and multiple cruise ships.