Goalhanger’s Tony Pastor, Electrify’s Ian Shepherd, and Complexly’s Julie Walsh Smith have joined the agenda of the World Congress of Science & Factual Producers (WCSFP) as the event ups its focus on digital media.
The new speakers represent organizations that generate a combined 200 million views, streams, or monthly downloads.
Pastor, co-founder of Goalhanger, one of the U.K.’s most successful independent podcast networks, will sit for a discussion with Richard McKerrow. Shepherd, co-founder and co-CEO of Electrify, will discuss investing in creator-founded companies like Veritasium, fern, and Astrum. Smith, CEO of Complexly, brings the perspective of one of the world’s largest educational media producers. Both Shepherd and Smith will be interviewed by digital factual pioneer Sam Barcroft, CEO of Attention Industries.
“At World Congress of Science and Factual Producers, we don’t want to set up a false divide between broadcast and digital,” said Sara Ramsden, editorial director at WCSFP. “We want WCSFP to be where that conversation moves from talking about change to shaping what comes next.”
The agenda will also feature Anthony Morgan, co-host of CBC’s The Nature of Things, in a session about AI and creativity with Estonia’s leading neuroscientist, Professor Jaan Aru.
World Congress of Science & Factual Producers 2026 will take place in Tallinn, Estonia, from November 9 to 12.
