President of the Academy of Immersive Arts and Sciences, Creator of The Poly Awards
Ben Erwin is the Creator, Executive Producer and Writer of The Polys – WebXR Awards, WebXR Summit Series and MetaTr@versal. He is a prominent voice in the XR community, advocating for ethics, standards and interoperability. He recently co-founded the Academy of Immersive Arts and Sciences and serves on the board of the Metaverse Standards Forum. Ben Erwin has 35 years of experience in marketing and management as an entrepreneur. He founded his digital media consultancy, Powersimple, in 1997. He has worked on over 40 major brands for digital media agencies, including T-Brand Studio at The New York Times. For 13 years, he worked for the United Nations Office of the Secretary-General’s Special Representatives for Children in Armed Conflict and Sexual Violence Against Women. Known for his humorous and engaging talks, he’s spoken at events such as AWE and VRTO, and led innovative XR performances including “Why Open Wins”.