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BEMIDJI — Duncan Wardle, former Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney, will be the guest at Paul Bunyan Communications' GigaZone Gaming Championship and TechXpo, set for April 12 at the Sanford Center in Bemidji.

Wardle helped teams at Disney Parks, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, Imagineering and Animation to innovate, creating magical new storylines and amazing experiences for consumers around the globe.

From sending Buzz Lightyear into space on a space shuttle, creating an Olympic-sized swimming pool for Michael Phelps to swim down Main Street USA at Disneyland, and creating the Super Bowl halftime show for the new Millennium, Wardle has given life to some of the biggest ideas imaginable, a release said.

Wardle has been a TEDx speaker multiple times, is a frequent contributor to Fast Company, Harvard Business Review and Forbes, and teaches Innovation and Creativity Masterclasses at Yale and Harvard Universities.

He also holds the American Citizen Award presented at the White House, an Honorary Doctorate from Edinburgh University and the Duke of Edinburgh Award, presented by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.

"We are so excited to have Duncan Wardle as our special guest this year," said Chad Bullock, Paul Bunyan Communications incoming CEO and general manager, in the release. "His work at Disney touched so many different facets of technology from films to their theme parks to events."

As a special guest at the TechXpo, Wardle will speak at 2 p.m. on the main stage. A Q&A session will follow. He will also be a judge for the Greater Bemidji Northstar Pitch Competition.

The mission of the GigaZone TechXpo is to spark excitement and create opportunities with technology by connecting students and job seekers with employers, educators and technology enthusiasts from across northern Minnesota, the release said.

There is no cost to be an exhibitor as a school or business but space is limited and the exhibit must display their use of technology. Applications open Jan. 3 and must be submitted by Feb. 28 at

The event will also feature free gaming on various console and arcade games, numerous tournaments, door prizes and more. There is no cost to enter the tournaments or for any of the gaming. Tournament details will be posted on the GigaZone Gaming Discord, Twitch channel and Facebook page as well as

New to the event this year is the GigaZone Gaming High ÍáÍáÂþ»­ Invitational, a Rocket League tournament exclusively for High ÍáÍáÂþ»­ esports teams. ÍáÍáÂþ»­s interested should contact Fenworks at

The event showcases Paul Bunyan Communications' IT and web development team, which custom-built and integrated much of the online technology being used, and leverages the speed of the GigaZone, one of the largest rural all-fiber optic gigabit networks in the country, the release said. The entire gaming event is run off a single residential GigaZone Internet connection.

This Paul Bunyan Communications event includes many local partners including NLFX, Accidentally Cool Games, Northern Amusement, the Sanford Center, as well as support from several regional and national partners, the release said.

For more information on the GigaZone Gaming Championship, visit