Patricia J. Manney (born September 29, 1964) is an American writer and speaker on humanist and futurist topics. She is the author of (R)EVOLUTION, a near-future techno thriller, which Publishers Weekly called "intriguing" and described it as being written with "poignancy and sensitivity".[1]
PJ Manney | |
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Born | Sleepy Hollow, New York, U.S. | September 29, 1964
Occupation | Author, screenwriter |
Alma mater | Wesleyan University |
Website | |
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Manney started her career in the motion picture publicity office of Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures.[2] From there she moved into story development, serving as vice president, production and development of Adelson-Baumgarten Productions, who were behind such films as Hook (1991), Universal Soldier (1992), and It Could Happen to You (1994).[citation needed]
Credited as Patricia Manney, she wrote for the TV shows Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess.[2]
Manney has been involved for many years in the research and presentation of futurist and humanist topics. She is a former chairperson of Humanity+, helping rebrand the organization, launch H+ Magazine and organize Convergence ’08, the first multi-organization conference on futurist topics. She authored "Why I Believe in Participating in the H+ Future" and "Empathy in the Time of Technology: How Storytelling is the Key to Empathy" (2008),[3] an early academic work on the neuropsychology of empathy and future media.
She is on the Advisory Board of the Lifeboat Foundation[4] and the Board of Directors of The World Transformed.[5]
Manney has presented her ideas to numerous groups including the Producers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America,[6] NASA–JPL, The Humanity+ Summit[7] and the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, and is a frequent guest on podcasts including FastForward Radio[8] and The World Transformed.[9]
She has written for and appeared in numerous online and print publications including The Journal of Evolution and Technology,[10] Sentient Developments,[11] and Popular Mechanics.[12]
Manney is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. She lives with her husband and two children in Malibu, California.[2]