Monday, October 20th

Artists in Hollywood - Actors - Writers - Performers - Directors - Producers Summit

12 Noon - 1:00 PM Marina Vista Room - Live Webcast from this Room

The TV/Film/Video - Developing Strategies and Partnerships - Developing Hollywood Content as Brand and Franchise

Liz Coughlin, EVP, Head, MATTER West

Rebecca Donohue, Director of Digital Content & Social Media, Vin Di Bona Productions (VDBP), producers of “America's Funniest Home Videos,”

Brendan Burch, CEO, Co-Founder and Executive Producer, Six Point Harness (6PH), Fox's Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

Daniel Knauf, CEO, Bxx, LLC, Creator & Executive Producer, “CARNIVÁLE” (HBO Emmy Winning Series)

Mike Rotman,  New Media Producer, TV Writer, “South Park,” “The Simple Life,” Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher”

Nicholas Reed, Academy Award Winner, The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life, Moderator

Liz Coughlin, Head of West Coast operations, MATTER, Inc: Liz brings over 18 years of experience in digital media, entertainment marketing, content creation, production and distribution, experiential, and business development. She joined MATTER from Young Hollywood, a celebrity driven digital media company where she was SVP Business Operations, responsible for business development, revenue/strategy, and digital operations. Prior to Young Hollywood Liz spent a decade at Yahoo!, most recently heading Yahoo! TV and omg! at Yahoo! Entertainment where she was responsible for  overseeing the US-based businesses, which developed the platform for omg!, the fastest growing property at Yahoo! globally. Under her leadership, these properties experienced all-time highs in unique users, page views, revenue, video streams, and premiere partnerships. During her tenure at Yahoo!, Liz was also involved in corporate strategy, strategic partnerships, and large scale events, creating several innovative media partnerships including with US Magazine, ABC, Reveille, among others, and events including the Clinton Foundation Concert, and Super Bowl 2012 (featuring live streams of  50 Cent and Pitbull performances). Prior to Yahoo!, Liz spent 6+ years in the agency world at Digitas, serving clients such as American Express, LL Bean, and Dell, and she also spent two years searching for a dotcom hit at Petopia and iMotors during the internet frenzy.

 

Rebecca Donohue, Director of Digital Content & Social Media, Vin Di Bona Productions (VDBP): producers of “America's Funniest Home Videos,” the longest-running, primetime entertainment show in the history of the ABC network, also known as “AFV.” Rebecca oversees the AFV Digital team in the production of all digital content across online platforms including Donohue produces, conceptualizes and executes innovative campaigns to expand AFV's fan base in the digital space. In addition to AFV, she works hand in hand with AFV's syndication partnerships and with the brand managers for Petsami, VDBP's pet-centric YouTube channel. Under Donohue's oversight and with the help of her dedicated team, AFV's digital footprint has experienced healthy growth with significant increase across all social media platforms. Prior to her work with AFV Digital, Rebecca wrote original concepts and copy for Maker Studios, E!'s “Fashion Police” with Joan Rivers, LA Times Web Marketing among other properties. Rebecca is also a seasoned stand-up comedian who has performed in 30 out of the 50 states, as well as abroad with Navy Entertainment. She has appeared on “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn,” Comedy Central's “Premium Blend,” Logo's “One Night Stand Up” and a handful of Vh1's “Best Break ups,” “Awesome 90s,” “Worst Everything” type shows.

 

Brendan Burch is the CEO, Co-Founder and Executive Producer of Six Point Harness (6PH), (Fox's Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey): Brendan Burch is the CEO, Co-Founder and Executive Producer of Six Point Harness (6PH), a Los Angeles-based animation studio that develops and produces animated television programming, feature films, music videos and web based content. Not long after founding 6PH in 2003, Brendan's team was charged with producing television projects for companies such as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV. Brendan is also responsible for initiating an original content development program known as Dick Figures, an adult animated web comedy series featuring two human-like stick figures. Funded with profits earned on TV and commercial work, Dick Figures has now achieved over 450 million views on Mondo Media's YouTube channel. The program has gone on to achieve nominations for “Best Animated Web Series” and “Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production,” bringing home the studio's first honors for original IP. With the series taking off, Dick Figures quickly escalated into a movie production in 2013 with the help of a successful Kickstarter.campaign. Aided by over $313,000 raised thanks to the crowd-funding site, Dick Figures: The Movie was created. Throughout the years, Brendan has maintained a loyal crew of creative talent who has helped him maintain studio independence. Over the last decade, the studio has produced major projects such as: Fox's Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Tom Hanks' series Electric City, MTV's Good Vibes and The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie for Comedy Central. In 2013, he joined forces with the neighboring independent studio, Titmouse, in developing and launching the web channel Rug Burn featuring an original slate of animated series projects. Brendan received his BFA at the world-renowned character animation program at CalArts.

 

Daniel Knauf, CEO, Bxx, LLC, Creator & Executive Producer: Daniel Knauf created and served as Executive Producer of his Emmy Award-winning series, "Carnivále" (HBO). He has since written episodes of "Supernatural" (The CW) and "Fear Itself" (NBC). He has served as a Consulting Producer on "Stand Off" (FOX) , "My Own Worst Enemy" (NBC) and the hit cult series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" (Starz). He is presently developing an epic 3D series, “Pharaoh,” for Canal+. Additionally, he and his son, Charles Knauf, have collaborated on "The Invincible Iron Man" for Marvel Comics and the SyFy pilot/mini, "The Phantom.” As a feature writer he developed a feature trilogy for Will Smith and Overbrook Productions, "The Legend of Cain," as well as "Honey Vicarro" for Flame Productions. He has also been active with creating internet content since 1999, developing several award-winning websites. He is one of the founders of Bxx, LLC, and is currently developing the “box-narrative,” a non-linear transmedia format designed specifically to tell stories via multiple new-media platforms. Mr. Knauf currently runs NBC's “Dracula,” starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

 

Mike Rotman,  New Media Producer, D, TV Writer, “South Park,” “The Simple Life,” Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.”:  Mike Rotman is a new media producer, director, and 20 year TV veteran. His credits include “South Park,” “The Simple Life,” “Nanny 911,” and an Emmy nomination for Best Writing on “Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.”   Mike was one of the first traditional media professionals to transition to web. In 1993, he produced the first live AOL chat on NBC’s “Later with Greg Kinnear.” Mike also wrote, directed, and produced the first “Blair Witch” spoof to debut online (“The Oz Witch Project” in 1999). In 2002, he created the first live daily online reality show called “Star Wait” and independently built up the site to over 200,000 views per day (nearly 4 years before the official launch of YouTube) that in 2005 lead to a distribution deal to sell the DVD in Target stores across North America.   In 2010, Mike left television to create his own online production and live streaming company called Streamin’ Garage. Literally built in his own garage, Streamin’ Garage was the first ever multi-camera HD live streaming company on the web and featured innovative shows including “Stupid for Movies” & “Stripped Down Live with Curt Smith.”  Since then, Streamin’ Garage has sold shows and ad campaigns to Will Smith, Nerdist, Ora, Trojan Condoms and Discovery Online as well as live streamed some of the biggest names in entertainment including James Cameron and Brad Pitt.  Mike’s latest show is the first ever worldwide game show called Take My Bitcoins. Streamed live on TakeMyBitCoins.tv every Thursday night, the show has paid out over $40,000 in Bitcoins to people from all over the world including: Egypt, Israel, Germany, Israel, Estonia, Denmark, Bulgaria and Singapore.   Recently, Mike was Head of Production for the YouTube multi-channel network Big Frame and ran the YouTube funded channel Bammo. Through Mike’s leadership, the channel received nearly 13 million views and built up over 160,000 subscribers in less than one year - all while he simultaneously produced, wrote, developed, marketed and directed much of the 46 hours of content.

 

Nick Reed, Strategist RELISHMIX: Reed won the Oscar® for Best Documentary Short for THE LADY IN NUMBER 6: MUSIC SAVED MY LIFE. Nick is a Hollywood film producer and former head of the Literary Department at International Creative Management (ICM). Reed has been named one of the Most Influential Brits in Hollywood by The London Times and has represented some of the biggest entertainment properties of the past 20 years including CSI, THE BOURNE IDENTITY, TRAINING DAY and the AUSTIN POWERS franchise. He served on the Los Angeles British Film Board advising the UK government on film policies. Reed also served as a consultant to government ministers with the UK and Finnish governments on their film and entertainment businesses. Reed resides in Los Angeles and is a frequent guest speaker for UCLA's graduate film program. He is an active entrepreneur/ investor in the new media space.