TRACK 1: AUDIENCES AND PLATFORMS
TRACK 2: VFX & DATA CENTERS
TRACK 3: PRODUCTIVITY & REMOTE
TRACK 4: DIVERSITY & VIRTUAL
10 – 10:15 a.m.
Opening Remarks
Guy Finley, President, MESA
Claudio Ludovisi, Assistant Dean, Marketing & Strategy, Pepperdine Graziadio Business School
10:15 – 10:45 a.m.
OPENING KEYNOTE: Technology & Media Outlook 2021
Between 2020 and 2024, technology and media companies will add over $374B in revenue growth dollars. It’s going to be an exciting couple of years! The entire growth curve for consumer time spent with technology and media has shifted upwards and will be sustained at a higher level than ever before, opening up new opportunities. During this fireside chat, our Opening Keynote speaker will give his perspective on how to win in this consumer and technology-driven economy.
Michael Wolf, Media Tech Evangelist, President, Activate Consulting, former Head, McKinsey’s Entertainment Practice
Interviewed by: Claudio Ludovisi, Assistant Dean, Marketing & Strategy, Pepperdine Graziadio Business School
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10:45 – 11 a.m.
Think Globally, Act Locally: Building the Borderless Streaming Service with Regional Intelligence
It’s no secret, consumers are being inundated with content more and more every day. Streaming services are crossing borders, competing for audiences with local providers, and saturating the landscape with various options to satisfy global demand. As tech giants expand their streaming platforms and breakthrough global markets, the need to create and find content that attracts and retains audiences around the world has become more important than ever before. In order for platforms to compete in today’s market, a new wave of data is needed. Join our discussion as we dive into Whip Media’s predictive analytics and first-party insights that will drive and transform content strategies to provide a competitive advantage to organizations around the world.
Carol Hanley, President, Whip Media Group
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11 – 11:30 a.m.
Transforming Operations through Data Driven Collaboration
As our industry emerges from the pandemic, a unique opportunity exists for companies to reevaluate their existing data strategy and integrate in ways that may have been seen as prohibitive before COVID. As we begin productions and planning for our “new normal”, companies are examining how to integrate data, both internal and consumer facing, in more creative, integrated and collaborative ways. This session engages the conversation to understand just how important this future is to Hollywood.
Jennifer Hollingsworth, Chief Operating Officer, Motion Picture Group, Lionsgate
Interviewed by: David Bishop, President, The David Bishop Group
TRACK 1: AUDIENCES AND PLATFORMS
11:40 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.
Attracting Regional Audiences with Original Content: The Latest Trends Among the Biggest Names in Streaming
Exporting content has played a huge role in the success of Hollywood. Giants like Netflix, Disney and Amazon are expanding traditional distribution models. We have seen non-US-originating titles find success outside their home regions all thanks to the proliferation of SVOD platforms and their recommendation engines. As a result, a more diverse array of programming is gaining traction around the world, creating more choices for content buyers everywhere, including the US. Join our Breakout session as we discuss the importance of having the right insights to stay relevant in today’s market.
Eric Steinberg, Media Research & Insights Lead, Whip Media
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12:15 – 12:30 p.m.
Build Post Production Platforms in the Cloud
Demands have never been greater for studios — content needs are at an all-time high, deadlines are tighter than ever, and the rapid shift to remote work deeply changed how creative organizations work. It’s clear that yesterday’s approaches to productivity just won’t keep up. This session introduces Qumulo Studio Q, a post production platform for creative teams that replicates collaborative editorial production in the cloud, enabling Adobe Premiere Pro-based workflows on AWS with Teradici. You’ll find out how you can move terabytes and petabytes of video to the cloud, edit video easily with your favorite Adobe tools, connect your files to AWS cloud services, manage your video files, and secure your most important file data. With Studio Q, organizations can deploy new ways to produce content quickly by harnessing the power of a global talent pool, rapidly deploy workstations, and leverage remote workflows in the cloud.
Isaac Roybal, Head of Product, Cloud & Solutions Marketing, Qumulo
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TRACK 2: VFX & DATA CENTERS
11:40 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.
Visual Effects and the Cloud
Animation and virtual production have offered technologically advanced techniques for content creation when alternatives to in-person production were sorely needed. Now, visual effects companies are faced with more to do, and with new workflows that may be here to stay. Tune in for a deep dive into the realities of a cloud shaped future for the purveyors of movie magic.
John Canning, Executive Producer, Digital Domain
Dave Ward, Chief Executive Officer, PacketFabric
12:15 – 12:30 p.m.
An Introduction to the M&E Data Center Alliance (MEDCA)
A paradigm shift is happening within our industry with the adoption of “IP everything” and data centers (large or small) are the heart of the transformation. 90% of today’s M&E workflows are based on data-centric processes while the entertainment industry is mostly built on legacy platforms which were integrated out of necessity, rather than a structured engineered approach. The “homegrown” approach is starting to show signs of weakness whereas big tech companies grew up within this space and have implemented telecom and data industry standards within their organization from their inception. Smart stages and remote connectivity require industry standard build outs for interoperability and the long term evolution of the production process. MEDCA’s mission is to provide continuing education, information, and best practices to develop a good foundation for the explosive growth in M&E data centers that we’ll see coming out of COVID.
Matt Allen, Vice President of Pre-Construction Services, IES Communications
Sean Tajkowski, Technical Design & Planning Consultant
TRACK 3: PRODUCTIVITY & REMOTE
11:40 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.
Next Gen Tools: Improving Productivity for Creatives
Production and work have been forever changed, and while remote production relies more than ever on an innumerable number of tools, the next phase is to centralize and integrate them to reduce tool fatigue and make it even easier for teams to work together wherever they are. 5th Kind and Dolby are responding to the demand by crafting versatile products that bring teams together and facilitate communications. 5th Kind will introduce its latest feature LIVE Rooms, an all-in-one tool representing the next evolution of entertainment collaboration.
Moderator: Don Terry, Chief Revenue Officer, 5th Kind
Panelists:
Steve Cronan, Chief Executive Officer/Chief Technology Officer, 5th Kind
Rich Holmes, Product Lead – Media, Dolby.io
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12:15 – 12:30 p.m.
Post Covid: Moving Production Management to the Cloud to Enable Secure Remote Work
When covid brought the entertainment industry to a halt, it was the first-time producers and production companies could stop and consider how they do business. Do productions have to be managed in person and on paper the same way we have for the last 70 years? Is there a way to keep track of hundreds of productions with thousands of employees across several continents? Migrating workflows to a digital cloud platform not only allows for a better quality of life and remote work, but also improves collaboration and securely protecting IP and personal contact data. It’s time for producers, line producers, and 1st ADs to have the same high-tech tools that postproduction and the camera department enjoy.
Adrienne Lunson, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Klio Studio
TRACK 4: DIVERSITY & VIRTUAL
11:40 – 12:10
Mining for Gold with Diversity Data
How does an M&E company make its best intentions real? The case for change is top of mind for businesses, employees, and consumers. The conflicting projections are mind-bending: in one gender-based example. At the same time, the U.S. may gain $12T (as in trillion) in GDP by 2025 by significantly narrowing the gender gap, by 2030, as many as 160 million women may face career changes brought on by automation. Cultural, ethnic, and societal points of impact are no less disruptive, and the global pandemic has only elevated of their importance in the workplace. Both business leaders and their employees must understand, embrace and drive forward the connectivity between diverse representation and advancing business success. Our panel dives deep into how this understanding can be reinforced via new evolutions in data strategy and analysis.
Simon Adams, Chief Product Officer, Gracenote
Maryl Curran Widdows, Vice President, Product – Inclusion Analytics at Nielsen, Gracenote
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12:15 – 12:30 p.m.
This Isn’t Your Grandfather’s TV Studio
Here’s a fundamental question: “We all own multiple touchscreens. So, why can’t we actually ‘touch the screen’, while watching our favorite show, to interact with the content?” This session takes us behind the scenes of Live CGI’s interactive virtual TV studio, where viewers are physically reaching into the set to shop, bet and play. Saving production dollars, driving viewership and generating significant revenue.
Gavin Douglas, Head of Partnerships, Live CGI
MAINSTAGE
12:40 – 1 p.m.
Post-COVID M&E Outlook and Trends
This session features a Post-COVID outlook for the media and entertainment industry, with a focus on streaming and sports. It will include insights on trends in content consumption and how some of these trends were accelerated by the pandemic.
Nelson Granados, Professor of Information Systems & Technology Management, Pepperdine Graziadio Business School & Executive Director, Institute for Entertainment, Media, Sports & Culture
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MAINSTAGE 1: STREAMING & ANALYTICS TRACK
1 – 1:30 p.m.
Bird is the Word: 1 Year Later, Look Behind Peacock’s Feathers
One year ago, fans around the country discovered a new way to watch: Peacock, Comcast NBCUniversal’s first-of-its-kind AVOD streaming service. Join Jenny Burke, Executive Vice President of Advertising Strategy at NBCUniversal, to hear more about the journey to July 15th, 2020 and how Peacock has evolved since first taking flight across the nation. From a macro look at the video ecosystem to the Peacock vision and lessons learned thus far, learn from one of the masterminds behind the streamer’s advertising strategy and get a sneak peek at what’s hatching next.
Jenny Burke, Executive Vice President, Advertising Strategy, NBCUniversal
1:30 – 2 p.m.
Streaming Wars and the Global Connected Consumer
The transformation from tickets in local box offices to subscribers on global streaming platforms is genuinely incredible and exponentially impacted by COVID-19. As the world locked down, our industry awakened to the opportunities in end-to-end efficiencies throughout our distribution supply chains. But, with the increase in volume and the demands of international scale, there is a growing expectation from every link in the chain to “connect dots” by implementing a data-driven strategy for visibility and cross-border scale. As data and processes become more efficient, more reliable, and transparent, our supply chains begin to inform us and the content being delivered through it. These experts will provide insight into how we can work more effectively while emerging from the crisis and impact our industry’s streaming (and box office!) future.
Superna Kalle, President of International Networks, Starz
Interviewed by: Eric Iverson, Chief Technology Officer, Global M&E Vertical, Amazon Web Services
2 – 2:30 p.m.
360-Degrees of Customer Awareness: Innovations in Data Management and Analytics
The year 2021 began under unforeseen circumstances never imagined before. For worldwide leaders in the data space, the year 2021 means making choices that will define the arc of their businesses for the remainder of the decade. The cutting-edge issues and trends will get a thorough unpacking in this discussion. Our panel will touch on topics ranging from AI and machine learning evolution to augmented data management to the vital matter of data governance. The ones and zeroes have never been more important; this session welcomes industry leaders who must manage the entire data matrix today and in the future.
Moderator: Nina Skorus-Neely, Executive Board Member, WiTH Foundation
Panelists:
Tracie Kambies, Global Analytics Leader, Merkle
Adam Sutherland, Head of Data Science, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
MAINSTAGE 2: SPORTS/ESPORTS & VIRTUAL TRACK
1 – 1:30 p.m.
Stick and Balls, Sports and Gaming
The numbers are astronomical, both in terms of audience growth and global revenue. From esports tournaments and hours of gameplay by streamers to live events featuring live music performances and movie premieres, esports and gaming are redefining what fans watch, how users interact and new avenues for programming distribution. How are top athletes, production companies, broadcasters, and streaming platforms taking advantage of the exponential growth of the global gaming and esports industry? Our panel of thought-leaders and marquee athletes discuss how the seamless engagement between athlete and community in real-time drives deeper consumer engagement in innovatively authentic ways.
Moderator: Nelson Granados, Professor of Information Systems & Technology Management, Pepperdine Graziadio Business School
Panelists:
Ahman Green, NFL Legend and Host, Ahman Green Gamer’s Lounge, iHeartPodcast Network
Gary Kleinman, Founder, Skins.GG and WHAM Network
Harley Parks, Chief Executive Officer, BearClaw Gaming
Eric Yoon, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, ESTV (Esports TV)
1:30 – 2 p.m.
The Future of Sport and Community through the Lens of the Olympics
With the Olympics (literally) right around the corner, and with the pandemic as the catalyst, more emphasis is being placed on community than ever. The timing is also critical as the Games arrive in 2028 to Los Angeles and California’s communities will be positively impacted in the years leading up to the event. Combine that with featured audiences, youth engagement and social interaction and there is a technology opportunity in utilizing the world’s greatest sports stage to further the goal of global community engagement. What can we anticipate along the way to future Olympics? And how do we leverage the emerging trends in Esports technology community development to achieve our global goals? Join this session to hear from these experts!
Moderator: Alicia Jessop, Associate Professor of Sport Administration, Pepperdine University
Panelists:
Paul J. Foster, Chief Executive Officer, Esports Federation and former Head of Events & Hospitality, IOC
Christina Low, Chief Operating Officer, Oakland Roots Sports Club and former Head of Broadcast Partnerships, IOC
2 – 2:30 p.m.
Productions Go Virtual: A New Evolution of Content Creation
Data is infiltrating all areas of media and sports. Today’s newest content experiences are next-level innovations in creation and delivery. With studios creating more content than ever, matched by the R&D taking place in Silicon Valley and the rest of world, new formats for creating worlds and universes are revealed with regularity to an ever-growing creative base. With the advent of virtualization, we can also be anywhere, at any time and at almost any budget. Combine that with the unprecedented level of data being generated on or near-set, this visionary session will take you into their (authentic) world of virtual content production and distribution.
Moderator: Ben Baker, Partner, NextGen Productions
Panelists:
Jonathon Lee, Head of Innovation Lab, Amazon Studios
Derick Stace-Naughton, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Business Operations, Quixote Studios
John Ziffren, Senior Vice President, Production, ABC Signature Studios
MAINSTAGE
2:30 – 3 p.m.
CLOSING KEYNOTE: Storytelling, Live Performance & Data
Our closing keynote discusses the emerging scene of live performance in VR, and the role that data plays in determining outcomes for the audience experience. Taking us behind the curtain of the Venice Film Festival award-winning production “Finding Pandora X” she will talk about participatory storytelling, how to engage with audiences in virtual environments and the role of branching narrative. Partnering with hardware and software company HP to work with an entirely remote cast and crew, Benzing’s team developed new remote collaboration practices. Finally, she’ll will share lessons learned from worldbuilding in XR and how to translate that data into great storytelling.
Kiira Benzing, Executive Creative Director, Double Eye Studios and Founder of the Virtual Repertory Theatre
