9 – 9:15 a.m.
Opening Remarks
Mary Yurkovic, Director, Smart Content Council
Guy Finley, President, MESA
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9:15 – 9:45 a.m.
OPENING KEYNOTE: No Terminator Apocalypse – The Real Revolution in AI and Robotics and its Impact on the Entertainment Industry
When President Obama saw the need for a dynamic conversation about robotics and AI to guide smart adoption, he turned to Dr. Eric Daimler whose message was that smart and automated machines will unlock an ability for individuals and companies to unleash their potential in ways not yet fully imaginable. Daimler sees “no Terminator apocalypse”, but he does see the urgency in understanding AI’s possibilities: adapt or risk obsolescence of skill or industry. A former Presidential Innovation Fellow from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Daimler is a leading authority in the field with over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, investor, academic, and policymaker. Currently, he is the Co-Founder and CEO of SpinGlass, a robotics and AI platform. He is also the author of the forthcoming book “Your Augmented Future”, a guidebook for entrepreneurs, engineers, policymakers, and citizens on how to understand—and benefit from—the unfolding robotics and AI revolution. This Keynote will present a unique point of view on the future impact of AI on work and daily living leaving conference attendees empowered and comforted knowing that they too have a role to play in a future that was once the stuff of science fiction.
Dr. Eric Daimler, Former Presidential Innovation Fellow, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
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9:45 – 10:15 a.m.
Does AI Make our Data Smarter?
Making effective use of data remains a difficult task within the M&E industry. There has been an explosion in sources of data and tools to gather it. To utilize this tsunami of information to drive your business model new patterns, techniques and applications are required to understand, correlate and integrate this data. This is where the promise of AI manifests itself but it is critical to understand the path needed (machine learning, process automation and ultimately cognitive decision-making by a non-human) to make this new technology applicable. This session looks at the current state of AI, the roadmap to integration, and the timeline for our industry to practically adopt Artificial Intelligence in our existing and future workflows.
Moderator: David Sugg, Vice President, Content Architecture & Engineering, WB Technology
Panelists:
Kyle Hufford, Digital Asset Management Director
Erika Steele, Program Manager, Identity & Access Management, Global Information Security, The Walt Disney Company
Tom Ohanian, Global Sales Executive, IBM Watson Media and Weather
Matt Turner, Chief Technology Officer, Media and Manufacturing, MarkLogic
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10:15 – 10:30 a.m.
Metadata Madness (Will it EVER Stop?)
“Smart” Content was born from the idea that “Metadata Madness” was sweeping through our industry at unprecedented speed. Each year’s Summit has provided an update on where we sit with adoption, engagement and collaboration among studios, TV networks and their service provider partners. MESA’s Language Metadata Table (LMT) Working Group is a forum for increased exchange of ideas and expertise in the meta(data)verse. This session looks at the core framework and provides insight into why this Working Group was formed and what new objectives are being proposed.
Yonah Levenson, Manager, Taxonomy, HBO
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10:30 – 11 a.m.
Smart Rights: The New Frontier
As a plethora of rights management and sales solutions proliferate through our industry, content creators need to balance their need to analyze and control their intellectual property with an increased need to make this content easily purchased and delivered to their 3rd party distributors. As the holy grail for rights management emerges through this platform approach to content management, this session brings together the providers, creators and distributors to discuss their monumental achievements (and some of their collective challenges) in building a seamless marketplace for global content distribution.
Moderator: Nona Janssen Walls, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Data, Analytics, & Intelligence Technology, Lionsgate
Panelists:
Tom Anthony, Senior Product Manager, Content and Licensing, Vistex
Jason Kassin, Chief Executive Officer, FilmTrack
Shiv Sehgal, Chief Product Officer, RSG Media
Thomas Stilling, Head of Product, Executive Team, Mediamorph
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11 – 11:15 a.m.
The Not-So-Smart Business of Award Screeners and a Case-study on Going Digital
Technology is advancing at a rapid pace in the M&E space yet virtually every major studio and original content creator, including Netflix and Amazon, still send out DVD’s during award season. Why? DVD’s are over 24 years old and many of you don’t even have DVD players anymore. To find out why, sit in on this case-study and be entertained by the politics, the challenges, the drama and the ultimate outcome behind one studio’s decision to try and do something different.
Christian Kennel, Vice President, Digital Media, Warner Bros.
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Presentation not available
11:15 – 11:30 a.m.
Morning Technology Showcase Introductions
Guy Finley, President, MESA
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASES (MULTI-TRACK BREAK-OUT SESSIONS
Industry experts share innovative ideas, processes, or perspectives in an interactive and intimate way with the audience who are free to choose which topic/area they find most interesting.
TRACK 1: AI, Machine Learning and Blockchain
11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Redefining Cre-AI-tivity: How AI and ML are Influencing Content Creation
Creativity is an innately human trait, one that has rarely been considered within the realm of machine intelligence. After all, it’s difficult to imagine a world in which ideation and creative decision-making can be authentically executed by machines. Even so, we have made strides with sophisticated AI and ML algorithms that are able to mimic the work of famous painters, rewrite songs, or even inform filmmaking decisions. AI can enrich metadata so that every type of content from images, to videos, to sounds, are analyzed and catalogued to boost the value of M&E content. It begs the question: How far can these technologies go in the creative process? In this session, IBM’s Tom Ohanian will discuss how AI and ML are influencing content creation, how the technology will evolve in the near term, and what M&E companies need to know in order to keep up with this dynamic trend.
Tom Ohanian, Global Sales Executive, IBM Watson Media and Weather
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12 – 12:30 p.m.
Blockchain Security
This session presents and discusses common misconceptions regarding blockchain development and how organizations can shift their thinking to combat the noise on Blockhain and strengthen their security posture. It also reveals some of the pitfalls of blockchain development and how these impact organizations looking to adopt this emerging technology.
Ian Thomas, Business Operations Manager, Independent Security Evaluators
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TRACK 2: Metadata Madness
11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Metadata Title Goes Here
Extensible metadata changes every aspect of the media workflow, by reshaping the structure and organization of how people manage data. Rich metadata allows artists to apply the creative process to solving problems rather than adhering to storage IT concepts. AI generated metadata harvested from data makes content contextual and tactile while automating the management of data across the infrastructure. To achieve this level of data agility, we must separate the management of metadata from data. Storage systems will never do this, and MAMs don’t operationalize hybrid multi-cloud environments; both need access to expansive metadata control so that humans can process it without having to follow limitations dictated by machines. In this session, we will explore concepts and principles that illustrate how to make your metadata give your data a human face.
David Flynn, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Hammerspace
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12 – 12:30 p.m.
Evaluating IP Metadata as Capital
In today’s digital economy, global organizations rely heavily on value creation through the use of intangible assets and intellectual property (IP). Over 67% of U.S. companies own IP that is in no way commercially leveraged. Under current accounting rules, many forms of IP are not recognized as assets on the balance sheet, and thus the value of these assets are not made explicit to firm management, investors, or the public. No data-driven executive should miss this groundbreaking presentation that specifically addresses how metadata development creates future value and thus should be evaluated as a capital expenditure.
Ed Klaris, Chief Executive Officer, KlarisIP
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TRACK 3: App, Platform and Identifiers
11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Your OTT Platform Sucks!
These comments are rampant on the internet and they are hard to recover from. The good news is they are avoidable! 2019 is such a pivotal year in OTT with more platform launches than ever before. With increasing ubiquity of options, a few negative comments can have a huge impact on a platform’s success. What are the critical steps and considerations to launching a successful platform? How do you ensure Quality of Experience to avoid major mistakes, draw users in AND retain them? This session examines real use cases to outline key elements for success as well as pitfalls to avoid in order to ensure your platform performs to consumer expectations.
Jason Gish, President, Film & Television, Testronic
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Presentation not available
12 – 12:30 p.m.
Deep Dive: Advanced Supply Chain with EIDR
EIDR Content ID’s were included in two new SMPTE standards – IMF for Broadcast, and OBID / OBID-TLC (part of CIMM TAXI Complete) last year. EIDR’s Video Service ID’s were also adopted as part of OBID-TLC. Both contributions EIDR made to these emergent optimized workflows and quantitative measurement solutions seek to improve broadcast television. Over in digital workflows for retailers, EIDR is the key universal unique ID for the EMA Avails standard. Everyone knows that standards are great – but here in 2019, it’s time to talk about growing adoption and use cases that add value to the bottom-line. We’ll dive in to show the attendees where EIDR is helping catalyze media supply chain optimization and cost savings.
Will Kreth, Executive Director, Entertainment ID Registry (EIDR)
Richard Kroon, Director of Engineering, Entertainment ID Registry (EIDR)
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12:30 – 1:15 p.m.
NETWORKING LUNCHEON
1:15 – 1:40 p.m.
The Chain Reaction: Learnings from MOBI and Introducing DREAM
Blockchains, distributed ledgers and related technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way we track and manage both natively digital assets and physical artifacts. But the technology works only when a minimum viable ecosystem already exists. Industry consortia are increasingly seen as necessary to nurture these ecosystems and realize the potential benefits. This session features an overview of two groups who are pioneering the relationship between IP and technology to foster innovation in Blockchain: MOBI, the Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative was formed by auto manufacturers and their partners who envision using blockchain and related technologies to make mobility safer, greener, and more accessible; and DREAM, the Distributed Registry for Entertainment, Art and Media which is a newly formed non-profit consortium to promote and advance standards to accelerate adoption of blockchain, distributed ledger, and related technologies for the benefits of content creators, consumers, and communities.
Chris Ballinger, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative (MOBI)
Tram Vo, Founder, Distributed Registry for Entertainment, Art, and Media (DREAM) and Founding Member, MOBI
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1:40 – 2 p.m.
How Cross-Mapping Industry Standards Will Help the Industry Ecosystem
Our industry has warmed to the idea that “smart content” is the Holy Grail. But how do we reap the benefits of good, consistent metadata when content is tagged using different industry standards? These sessions look at the International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) Video Metadata Hub that was launched in 2016 and provides a cross-mapping table across most industry standard file formats as well as the MovieLabs Ontology Project. It will also discuss methods that can be implemented to better streamline processes at companies in M&E.
Linda Burman, Contributor, IPTC Video Metadata Hub
Daniel Lucas, Vice President, Business Intelligence Technology, MovieLabs
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2 – 2:30 p.m.
Real-Time Globalization, Localization and Personalization in the Smart Enterprise
This session discusses how machine learning and automation is challenging the organizational status quo in making content available globally on an increasingly shorter schedule. It also addresses personalization as the next step in transforming the consumer experience, while spurring disruptive new technologies and services to expand the global value of intellectual property through local and personal consumer engagement. Smart Hollywood is built on the backbone of a modern data architecture that allows analytics, and data integration strategies that drive new requirements for a scalable, platform-driven, “smart” enterprise to allow content creators to connect with the global consumer in real-time.
Moderator: Jason Lambert, Executive Director, Content Licensing & Metadata Sony Pictures Entertainment
Panelists:
Dan Cruz, Vice President, Digital Media and Integrated Partnerships, Marvel Entertainment
Hollie Choi, Executive Director, IT, 20th Century Fox
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2:30 – 3 p.m.
Smart Screen Meets OTT
The power of the smart screen is in the palm of everyone’s hand, but its true potential is only now being enabled by a proliferation of data-powered, entertainment OTT channels that cater to every customer’s entertainment needs. Looking at the current state of TVOD, SVOD & AVOD, the battle for engagement has just begun. Learn from the experts as they discuss our industry’s next “format” evolution with insight into the latest trends in direct-to-consumer, Over-the-Top entertainment and what will happen in 2019 (and beyond).
Moderator: Steven Chester, Smart Screen/OTT, MESA
Panelists:
Vanessa Fiola, Partner, OnPrem Solution Partners
Craig Heiting, Executive Vice President, Sales, Vubiquity
Eric Iverson, Chief Information Officer, Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
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3 – 3:30 p.m.
NETWORKING BREAK
3:30 – 3:45 p.m.
WiTH Opening Remarks
Nadya Ichinomiya & Rachel Souder-Arguedas, Co-Founders, Women in Technology: Hollywood
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3:45 – 4:30 p.m.
KEYNOTE: Harnessing Hurricane VUCA to your Leadership Advantage
The Hurricane of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) is buffeting our industry amidst turbulent winds in a landscape of disruption. While some might want to hide in their basements to consult a playbook published in yesterday’s newspaper, the critical need for leaders to emerge is even more urgent. Yet what kind of leaders will lead us into the future? How can leaders forge ahead with confidence and credibility, when the only thing certain in that future is more uncertainty? What skills and attributes do emerging leaders need to nurture? How can we develop our “Leadership Doppler Radar” to sagely predict the upcoming storms, to survive and even to thrive? Dr. Iris Firstenberg is a thought leader and specialist on creativity, innovation, and strategic problem solving. Her famous lectures at UCLA leave an indelible impression on her audiences. Join us as Dr. Firstenberg intrepidly guides us to boldly explore new lands, and how a whole-hearted embrace of uncertainty might drive more opportunities for our leadership success.
Dr. Iris Firstenberg, Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology, UCLA
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4:30 – 5 p.m.
WiTH Leadership Award Winners: Upgrading Your Leadership Code
This panel features five of our WiTH Leadership Award winners from 2017 and 2018. Each of these women are recognized as champions for the WiTH pillars, the mission statement that embodies our WiTH community. Each executive rose through the ranks in this male dominated field, having courageously advocated for gender equality, and are passionate role models/mentors for many others in the industry. This session continues the leadership conversation, addressing: What made them successful as leaders and what pitfalls did they avoid? Who is the inspiration behind their voice, and what resources do they leverage to keep their leadership skills sharp? Also, what attributes should every leader have, and what advice do they have for others who are interested in becoming a more effective leader? Join us for a genuine, no holds barred discussion on the challenges they faced and overcame in their leadership journey. Get your questions answered and update your own leadership code!
Moderator: Cybill Miklaszewski, Director of Technology and Co-Chair, Women in Tech, 21st Century FOX
Panelists:
Susan Cheng, Executive Vice President, Content Tech & Operations and Founder/Leader Internal D&I Steering Group, Warner Bros.
Denise Evans, Executive Vice President, Operations, FilmTrack
Deborah Fiorella, Senior Vice President, Information Technology, NBC Universal Theme Parks & Resorts and Co-Founder TechWomen Los Angeles
Cindy McKenzie, Chief Information Officer, Deluxe Entertainment Services Group and Co-Founder, STEM Advantage
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5 – 6:30 p.m.
NETWORKING RECEPTION
