Multi-Hyphenate Artist and Entrepreneur Steve Aoki to Appear at Adweek’s Social Media Week Summit and Creator Visionary Awards

The “unabashed futurist” joins a packed roster including executives from Twitter, VaynerNFT, Meta and Anheuser-Busch InBev

Social Media Week was founded in 2009 in order to foster conversation about the impact of social media on advertising, media and culture. It has been part of the Adweek family since 2021. That same year, Adweek and Social Media Week launched the Creator Visionary Awards, a celebration of innovators in the field of social media. The awards recognize those creators whose contributions have helped expand the idea of what social media is capable of, as well as the marketing professionals and practitioners who play instrumental roles in support of the creator movement.

A photo of Steve Aoki
Steve Aoki

When it comes to creative innovation, Aoki is a true renaissance man. Billboard described the two-time Grammy-nominated artist, DJ, producer and Dim Mak Records founder as “one of the most in-demand entertainers in the world.” He has released seven studio albums, in addition to collaborations with Lil Uzi Vert, Maluma, BTS, Linkin Park and Louis Tomlinson. Dim Mak, which Aoki started in his college dorm room in 1996, served as a launch pad for global acts such as The Chainsmokers, Bloc Party, The Bloody Beetroots and The Kills. Aoki’s Hollywood club night Dim Mak Tuesdays hosted early performances from future superstars such as Kid Cudi, Daft Punk, Lady Gaga and Travis Scott.

Aoki is also a fashion designer, author and entrepreneur. In 2012, he founded The Aoki Foundation, supporting organizations in the field of brain science research with a specific focus on regenerative medicine and brain preservation. His clothing line Dim Mak Collection features original designs and collaborations with the likes of A Bathing Ape and the Bruce Lee estate. Aoki’s journey is chronicled through the Grammy-nominated Netflix documentary I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (2016) and his memoir BLUE: The Color of Noise (2019).

As a long-time collector and “an unabashed futurist” (Fortune), Aoki has been at the forefront of the NFT movement, generating over $4 million with the launch of his first NFT, the Dream Catcher series. He co-created the first blockchain-based episodic series with Dominion X, partnered with Sotheby’s on their Contemporary Curated series and worked with comic book legend Todd McFarlane to create OddKey, an NFT marketplace on the Solana blockchain for comic artists to freely showcase and sell their original digital artwork.

Recently, Steve Aoki launched the A0K1VERSE, a brand-new community ecosystem bridging the metaverse with the real world, ambitiously integrating web 2.0, web3 and IRL experiences together in a one-of-a-kind tokenized social club. Citizens of the A0K1VERSE gain unrivaled access to both on-chain and physical experiences including pre-sale NFT access and rewards, free Steve Aoki tour tickets and apparel, exclusive access to merch collaborations with some of the world’s most iconic IP and token-gated access to A0K1VERSE-only events. Members will also receive access and rewards through opportunities only possible in the metaverse, including virtual performances, NFTs, wearables and more.

“Since its first issue, Adweek has been celebrating creatives and innovators who expand the boundaries of what is possible,” said David Griner, Adweek’s international editor. “Steve Aoki exemplifies that spirit more than anyone, combining hard work with a spirit of play.”

Social Media Week will take place in New York City as a hybrid live and virtual event, May 9–11, culminating in the Creator Visionary Awards. CVA winners will be featured in the May 2 issue of Adweek.

Other speakers at Social Media Week include Avery Akkineni (president, VaynerNFT), Remi Bader (content creator and curve model), Spencer Gordon (VP, Digital and draftLine, Anheuser-Busch InBev), Nada Stirratt (VP, Americas, Meta) and Beverly Jackson (global VP of brand and consumer marketing, Twitter).

To learn more and register for Social Media Week, click here.

For press inquiries about Adweek, Social Media Week and the Creator Visionary Awards, please contact pr@adweek.com.

For press inquiries about Steve Aoki, please contact Shore Fire Media at steveaokipr@shorefire.com.

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