The Digital Hollywood Experience

Watch Videos From Digital Hollywood

Monday, January 5th, 2015

Location: LVCC, North Hall, Room N264

9 AM - 10 AM

Track I - MCM1 - Mobile Content and Monetization Conference

Big Media and Viral Experiences: Creativity Challenges

Viral media campaigns define the lifeblood of marketing. From the Ice Bucket Challenge to film openings, the Viral Meme may be the most lasting relationship with the consumer. While unpredictable and mysterious, the viral strategy can lead to success.

Craig Palmer, CEO,  Wikia

Kirstin Benson, West Coast Editorial Director, WhoSay

Lia Navarro, Sales Director, Entertainment Strategy, reddit, Inc.

Jim McArthur, SVP, Global Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, Digitaria

Paul Schoknecht, Digital Experience Director, Sr. Partner, JWT Atlanta

Basil Shadid, Executive Producer of Video Services, Rational Interaction

Mariana Danilovic, Managing Director, Hollywood Portfolio, Moderator

Paul Schoknecht, Digital Experience Director, Sr. Partner, JWT Atlanta:  As Digital Experience Director, Paul drives Digital Strategy, Social Media and User Experience for clients. His group is charged with activating brands across the digital spectrum. His passion for the space and knowledge for what is coming next helps the brands he works with stay ahead of the curve. Paul leads digital engagements from program inception through creative development, and finally, to reporting. This not only gives him the insight to ensure that all pieces are meeting original goals, but also that the correct analytics are being put into place to measure ROI.  His experience includes work with Unites States Marine Corps, Nokia, Anheuser-Busch, Disney, US Virgin Islands, Sony, Electronic Arts, Nintendo, The WB, MGM, Symantec & Texas Instruments.  Paul has led digital efforts for JWT in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Atlanta.

Lia Navarro. Sales Director, Entertainment Strategy, reddit, Inc.:  Lia Navarro leads entertainment strategy and sales for reddit.com, an online community that currently has 133 million uniques and 5.6 billion page views. Back in 2006, Lia joined the advertising sales team at Conde Nast Publications where she worked closely with the newly acquired WIRED.com and reddit.com (established in 2005). In 2009, Lia transitioned her focus solely to reddit.com as its only sales representative. Two years later, reddit.com spun off from Conde Nast to become its own entity. Her clients have included Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Lionsgate, The Weinstein Company, A24 Films, VICE, Bethesda Softworks, HBO, Showtime, FUNimation, 2K Games, and many more.  Prior to reddit.com, Lia left her hometown in Mexico to attend California State University, Los Angeles. Before finishing school, she started working for an advertising agency with major clients from all over Latin America, including Universal Latino, CNN en Espanol, Gol TV, Universal Brazil, MGM Latin America, FSC and Fox Life, giving her a global business prospective and a passion for the power of digital and social media.

JIM McARTHUR -  SVP, Global Business Development & Strategic Partnerships – Digitaria:  Creating technology solutions for global brands has long been Jim McArthur’s specialty. Jim has led several key business units within Digitaria,  as well as overseen the establishment and development of several vertical practices, including most recently Digitaria Games and Digitaria Motors.  Jim's professional life began as a print and broadcast journalist for the United States Department of Defense, before quickly transitioning to the "digital" arts. Between 1995 and 2006, Jim founded several digital companies focusing on Web design and development, Content Management and Hosting Infrastructure.  After joining Digitaria, Jim honed his creative instincts as Art Director and Creative Director, then ascended to Director of Creative Services, overseeing all creative endeavors at the agency. He was subsequently promoted to head of business development, a quick transition because his hands-on experience made him a natural choice to explain the creative process and tech integration to prospective client partners. In 2010, Jim joined the Digitaria Executive Team, focused on agency growth, bringing knowledge, experience and global perspective to Digitaria’s biggest opportunities.  Jim has been part of campaigns that have won Webby, Addy and CommArts awards for clients including Ford, Mazda, Nissan, NFL, Qualcomm, GM & Subway.

Kristin Benson is the West Coast Editorial Director at WhoSay. Having worked as a digital content creator as well as in front of the camera, Kirstin brings with her a unique perspective on the entertainment, celebrity, and tech worlds. Prior to joining WhoSay, Kirstin served as the Director of Entertainment and Engagement at ConnecTV. No stranger to start-ups, she was an instrumental member in launching Bonnie Fuller’s latest venture -- HollywoodLife.com -- at Penske Media Corporation. In addition to contributing to Parade Magazine and E! Online, Kirstin has produced the Primetime Emmys’ Backstage Live! show for the past two years.  A graduate of USC with majors in Communication and Theater, Kirstin also holds a Masters in Communication Management in the Entertainment Industry from USC Annenberg. Her hobbies include mixology, tap dancing and binge-watching TV.

Basil Shadid, Executive Producer of Video Services, Rational Interaction:  Basil is an award-winning Producer and Camera Operator whose documentary and narrative film credits include the Academy Award nominated 'Iraq In Fragments', and the Emmy winning 'Girls On The Wall'. He currently serves as executive producer of video services at Rational Interaction and also produced Live@Sundance, a daily one-hour live episodic series that brought audiences the official voice of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Basil has co-authored 'Screenwriter's Toolkit: 101 Writing Exercises’. Previous projects have taken him through Asia, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and South America. Basil holds an MA in Mental Health Counseling and a propensity for adventure. Ask him about open-water winter swimming or freight-train hopping in the United States.

Craig Palmer, CEO,  Wikia:  Wikia’s Chief Executive Officer, Craig Palmer is leading the web’s largest network of collaboratively published entertainment, gaming, and lifestyle content into its next phase, with an emphasis on expanding efficient processes and rapidly scaling Wikia’s community, marketing reach, and revenue.  Craig has more than 25 years of industry experience, leading several diverse companies to success. Most recently, he was the President and CEO of Gracenote, a digital media pioneer whose content and technology is embedded in almost all top digital media brands.  During Craig’s eight years of leadership, Gracenote enjoyed a dramatic increase in revenue, employee growth, international scope, and industry footprint. The company was purchased by Sony in 2008 for $260 million. Prior to Gracenote, Craig helped lead Aspect Development, a market-leading supply chain management company, through an IPO and eventual sale for over $9 billion in 2000 – at that time, the largest software sale in history.

Mariana Danilovic, CEO, hollywood portfolio:  Ms. Danilovic is the Founder and CEO of hollywood portfolio, an incubator and accelerator that develops and operates entertainment, digital media, and technology companies. Through hollywood portfolio, Ms. Danilovic launched and helped develop several digital media companies, and served as the President, CEO and Director of ultralivetv, serves on the Board of Directors of reframeit (observer), and the Board of Directors of Emerge Digital.   Ms. Danilovic was the EVP Business Development for NTN Buzztime, Inc. (AMEX:NTN) and Head of Business Development, Content Aggregation and Programming for MediaZone, broadband video company owned by NASPERS/MIH media conglomerate. She also founded and directed the Digital Media Incubator at KPMG LLP, which developed about two-dozen digital media companies. The companies Ms. Danilovic helped develop received institutional funding from KPCB, Sequoia Capital, Hummer-Winblad, Constellation Partners, Softbank, North Star Ventures, HP, and Intel.   Ms. Danilovic headed business development for Peter Guber’s Mandalay Entertainment and was on the management team of the venture fund at Sony Pictures Entertainment, investing in media companies worldwide. Ms. Danilovic also worked for Michael Milken’s Knowledge Exchange and at the Twentieth Century Fox International Television Group. She serves on the Board of Directors of C3, the Arts and Media Node of the Millennium Project, served on the Board of Directors of the Producers’ Guild of America, and is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.   She previously served on the Board of Directors of Tim Draper’s Zone Club and was a member of former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan's Digital Coast Roundtable. Mariana earned a Masters in Business Administration from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, with a Minor in Biomedical Engineering from University of California, San Diego.