Tuesday, October 21st

9:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Track I: Salon I - Live Webcast from this Room

Over the Top TV - Content and the Consumer Experience - New Technologies as Gateway to the New Hollywood

Michael Alexander, Strategy & Growth Initiatives, IBM Global Telecommunications Industry

Jeffrey Thompson, Partner, Four Screens Partners

Demir Gjokaj, Brand and Partner Development, Magisto

Jason Berger, Head of Development, Kids At Play

Wilson Kriegel, Chief Revenue Officer, PicsArt

Miguel Santos, General Manager, Myx TV

Bernee Strom, CEO and Co-Founder, WebTuner

Bruce Eisen, founder and president, Digital Advisors, Moderator

provider strategic transformation) in IBM's global telecom solutions. He consults with clients globally as an NGN telco subject matter expert (SME) and as a technical leader in VoIP solutions. In addition, Alexander is responsible for the development of telco technical NGN and specifically for VoIP solutions developed by IBM for U.S. clients AT&T, BellSouth, Qwest, SBC & Verizon. He was previously  the IT architect profession executive and enterprise architecture practice lead for business innovation services, Australia/New Zealand. Before joining IBM, Alexander was technical partner & chief architect in the solutions integration practice at AT&T Solutions. He was responsible for the development of solution architectures that ensured successful engagements with all clients. Previously, Alexander worked at Unisys for 22 years and was the chief architect for Unisys' global systems integration practice. He has previously spoken on digital media topics at TM Forum Americas and TM Forum Nice

Jeffrey Thompson, SVP and GM, RNN (Regional News Network):  Jeffrey is responsible for RNN’s national expansion and serves as SVP Business Development, with particular emphasis on expanding RNN’s reach onto fast-growing OTT and digital platforms. Jeffrey’s role includes development of content partnerships, joint ventures and alliances in addition to managing RNN’s West Coast office. Jeffrey is a veteran of the media industry, previously serving as Vice President, Global Business Development at The Walt Disney Company and Vice President, Digital Strategy & Business Development at Conde Nast prior to joining RNN. Jeffrey currently serves on the Board of Advisors of Digital Hollywood, the Board of the Congressional Awards Foundation and previously served on NYC’s Latin Media Commission, having been appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.  Jeffrey is an active triathlete, having competed in the 2012 US Ironman Championship in New York City.

Bernee Strom, CEO and Co-Founder, WebTuner:  Bernee Strom is a serial entrepreneur who has founded or run a number of companies, including Gemstar International, Priceline.com, Infospace, Inc., and Ibiquity (USA Digital Radio). Bernee has more than 20 years’ experience in media and technology businesses, and is a current or former member of the board of directors of Benchmark Electronics, Hughes Electronics/DirecTV, Polaroid and Software Publishing Corp., as well as other public and private companies.  She is a Trustee of the NPR Foundation.

Reid Genauer, CMO Magisto: Reid Genauer champions a holistic approach to creating consumer-facing digital products at the intersection of technology and creativity. His driving personal mandate is to foster long-term vision for companies that are changing the face of commerce and culture and transforming the world we live in. Genauer is the CMO of Magisto, a social mobile video ecosystem driven by artificial intelligence and automated mobile movie production. His previous roles include management positions at Fox Mobile Group, eMusic and Snapple. Genauer holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont and an MBA Cornell University He is an avid musician and perform.

Wilson Kriegel is Chief Revenue Officer and General Manager of US Operations at PicsArt, a free image editing app with 155 million installs and nearly 50 million active monthly users. Wilson Kriegel brings 15 years of entrepreneurial and executive experience across multiple Internet and mobile start-ups. Most recently, he served as President & COO of Paltalk, the largest and highly profitable live topic, content-based and cross-platform video and chat community. Prior to this, he was CRO of OMGPOP/Zynga, the developer of the global hit franchise “Draw Something”. OMGPOP was acquired by Zynga in 2012 for $210 Million. Kriegel’s prior experience includes executive posts at MMO freemium publisher Outspark (which was acquired by Gamigo in 2013), Curse, Inc. (now the world’s largest MMORPG web destination with nearly 30 million unique visitors per month and another recent $16 Million in funding), in-game advertising network IGA Worldwide, GameTimeNation, and NewPower Co., an Enron subsidiary that went public in 2000 raising $500 Million.

Miguel Santos is the General Manager of Myx TV, the fastest-growing Asian American cable network available in over 12 million households nationwide. He sets the overall direction and strategy for the network, including programming, production, creative, digital media, marketing, and business development.   Under Mr. Santos’ leadership, Myx TV has evolved into a prolific media brand in the Asian American community, which includes a Special Recognition Award from the City and County of San Francisco for the network’s support of Asian Americans in the arts and entertainment. He has garnered numerous industry accolades for the network, including winning a 2011 CableFAXIES Award for Multicultural Marketing from CableFAX Magazine for the groundbreaking Myx Mash, an east-meets-west “mash up” TV concert featuring T-Pain, K-Pop girl group Brown Eyed Girls, and the then-unknown Bruno Mars. Mr. Santos also expanded Myx TV’s distribution to digital platforms including a VOD app on top-selling streaming media devices such as Roku and Samsung Smart TVs.  Prior to joining Myx TV, Mr. Santos was with MTV Networks Asia as Head of Production and On Air Promotions for MTV Philippines and has produced shows aired on various MTV channels across Asia.

Bruce David Eisen is the founder and president of Digital Advisors, a digital distribution consulting firm advising a broad range of clients, ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies whose clients have included Twentieth Century Fox, Blockbuster, Technicolor, Zoran Corp. and Juniper Networks. Most recently Eisen was the Vice President Online Content Development & Strategy for DISH Network where he was responsible for the strategy and implementation of the company’s on-demand, online and Internet based initiatives.  To that end, Eisen launched DISH’s TV Everywhere offering, making television content available to its subscribers on a variety of devices including computers, tablets and SmartPhones.  Eisen successfully negotiated license agreements with most of the major broadcast and cable television networks, licensing over 20,000 television shows for on-demand distribution on DishOnline.com and related iPad, iPhone and Android apps. Eisen devised and implemented the company’s SVOD strategy to compete with Netflix, launching DISH's  Kids/Family SVOD offering which includes over 3,000 pieces of content including Thomas the Train, Barney, Heathcliff, Strawberry Shortcake, VeggieTales and Jim Henson property content.  Eisen was a key member of the executive team to develop and implement the company's movie SVOD offering, Blockbuster@Home which includes early window content from Sony, Disney and Paramount. Eisen negotiated affiliation agreements with Starz, Showtime, Sony Movie Channel and other broadcast and cable networks for carriage of those linear and on-demand offerings on the DISH satellite system.  In addition, Eisen acquired on-demand rights from the major Hollywood studios including VOD/EST/SVOD rights for distribution across multiple platforms including set-top boxes, DishOnline.com, iPad, iPhone and Android devices. Eisen was one of the principals who started CinemaNow in 1999 and grew the company from a three person operation to a fifty person company.  In connection therewith, Eisen negotiated five rounds of venture financing totaling in excess of $40 million with companies including Microsoft, Blockbuster, EchoStar and Cisco.  Eisen was responsible for day-to-day operations of the company and for all of CinemaNow’s business development and legal activities.  In that capacity he successfully negotiated CinemaNow’s agreements with over 200 content licensors including such major Hollywood studios as Warner Brothers, MGM, 20th Century Fox, Sony, Paramount, Universal, and The Walt Disney Company. In addition, Eisen brought great success to the company, spearheading distribution and marketing partnerships with MSN, AT&T, Best Buy and other globally-recognized companies including HP, Creative, Archos, Sandisk and Linksys. Prior to joining CinemaNow, Eisen served as senior vice president of the Production/Business Affairs Department for Trimark Pictures, Inc.  Eisen’s responsibilities included negotiating Trimark’s film production and distribution agreements.  In that capacity, Eisen worked with the Walt Disney Company, Miramax, The Samuel Goldwyn Company, Columbia Pictures, HBO and others.  On the production front, Eisen structured Trimark’s relationships with the Screen Actors Guild, the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America as well as such talent as Samuel L. Jackson, Renee Zellweger, Peter Jackson and Jim Belushi, amongst others. Eisen’s experience in the legal arena of the entertainment industry is matched by his creative endeavors.  His producing credits include cult genre favorites “Warlock: The End of Innocence,” starring Bruce Payne, “The Dentist 2,” starring Corbin Bernsen “Leprechaun in the Hood,” starring Warwick Davis and Ice-T as well as two films based on Stephen King properties, “Trucks,” and “Sometimes They Come Back For More.”  In addition, he shares a writing credit on “Warlock: The End of Innocence,” the third installment in the popular series. Eisen has lectured at U.C.L.A. and U.S.C. and has spoken at conferences organized by institutions including Digital Hollywood, iHollywood Forum, Streaming Media, the California State Bar Association, the Beverly Hills Bar Association, NATPE, NAB, USC, UCLA, Piper Jaffray, the Independent Film and Television Alliance, the Entertainment Merchants Association, the British Screen Advisory Council, the Bangkok Film Festival, MultiChannel News and Broadcasting & Cable magazine. Eisen received his J.D. from the University of Southern California in 1991 and his B.A. cum laude with high honors in Philosophy from Clark University in 1984.

Day Two - SuperSession Day