The Digital Hollywood Experience

Watch Videos From Digital Hollywood

Tuesday, January 6th, 2015

2:15 – 3:15 PM

Track II – DH11 - Digital Hollywood

Location: LVCC, North Hall, Room N262

Valuing and Financing Content:  VCs - Private Equity

Technology and entertainment are industries of innovation and there never seems to be a slowdown in investment or innovation. It’s the nature of the beast. Leading strategists and investors from the venture and private equity communities explain what’s happening now.

Peg Jackson, Managing Director, Mooreland Partners

René Bourdages, CEO, Elevado Media, Inc.

Mike LaSalle, Partner, Shamrock Capital Advisors

Mark A. Boidman, Managing Director, PETER J SOLOMON COMPANY

Allison Goldberg, Vice President & Managing Director, Time Warner Investments

Larry Gerbrandt, Managing Director, Janas Group & principal, Media Valuation Partners, Moderator

Allison Goldberg, Vice President & Managing Director, Time Warner Investments:  Allison is Managing Director & Vice President of Time Warner Investments, where she is focused on equity investments in companies that directly enhance Time Warner's ability to meet specific strategic goals, including the delivery of new services, enhancement of an existing product, entry or expansion into a key strategic market, completion of a strategic partnership, and critical research and development. Prior to joining Time Warner in July 2001, Allison was an Associate at Groupe Arnault, investing in and managing new media and technology equity investments for the private holding company of the Chairman of LVMH. Previously, she worked in the Global Media Group,

Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley.  Allison serves as a director or active observer on the boards of several portfolio companies including Audience Science, Bustle, Dynamic Signal, Hammer & Chisel, Joyus, NuvoTV, Trion Worlds, Visible World and YieldMo. Allison co-founded the NYPEN Women’s Forum and is a mentor for Techstars NYC and the Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator.  Allison graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Economics.

Michael A. LaSalle, Partner, Shamrock Capital Advisors:  Mike is a Partner of Shamrock Capital Advisors.  He currently serves as a director of FanDuel, Giant Creative/Strategy, and INgrooves.  Previously, Mike served on the boards of Mojiva, Harlem Globetrotters International, Media Storm, and Modern Luxury Media.  Prior to joining Shamrock, Mike was an Associate and Analyst at Putnam Lovell Securities focusing on mergers and acquisitions in the financial services industry.

Mike graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame and earned an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management as a Venture Fellow.

Peg Jackson, Managing Director, Mooreland Partners:  Peg is a Managing Director in Mooreland Partner’s Greenwich office.  She brings more than 20 years of investment banking, venture capital and operating management experience within the media technology sector. At Mooreland, she focuses on the digital media, marketing software and e-commerce industries.  Prior to joining Mooreland Partners, she was a Managing Director at Gridley & Co, where she worked on transactions within the digital media sector. Prior to joining Gridley, Peg worked in venture capital as a Managing Director at NeoCarta Ventures investing in media technology companies such as Silverpop and Myrio (acquired by Siemens). Prior to working at NeoCarta, Peg held corporate development and operational roles at NBC and Reuters.   Peg holds a BA in Economics from Georgetown University and an MBA from New York University.

René Bourdages, CEO, ELEVADO MEDIA, Inc., Film & Television Consulting: Rene Bourdages is a veteran entertainment executive with more than 30 years of senior level operating experience. Mr. Bourdages held many high level executive positions in Canada before relocating to Los Angeles and focusing his managerial skills on entertainment media consulting. Prior to founding Elevado Media, he was President of CBC merchandising from 2004 through 2011. He has also held Executive Vice President positions at Quebecor/Groupe TVA and Astral Media Movie Premium TV channels with direct responsibility for up to 1,200 employees and gross revenues of nearly $200 million. Previously, Mr. Bourdages served as Director of the Harold Greenberg Fund, which finances the development and production of Canadian feature films. He holds a Certificate in Business and Management of Entertainment from UCLA. He is a Chartered Board Director, Laval University Governance Program and was selected as one of Canada's Top 40 under 40. Mr. Bourdages is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the American Film Institute, the Executive Committee of the Canada California Business Council and the Economic Club of Canada.

Mark Boidman is a managing director at Peter J. Solomon Company (“PJSC”), a leading investment bank in New York City.   Mark is responsible for the firm’s digital media, marketing services, mobile and out-of-home media practices, including digital signage and digital out-of-home.  Prior to PJSC, he was at Barclays Capital (originally Lehman Brothers), where he was head of the firm’s Out-of-Home Advertising, TV Broadcasting and Radio coverage.  His clients have included Branded Cities, CBS Outdoor, Cox Enterprises, DirecTV, Discovery Communications, Fairway Media, Lionsgate Entertainment, RMG Networks, Scripps Networks, TiVo and Van Wagner.  Prior to Lehman, he was an attorney in the M&A Group at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.  Boidman received joint LL.B and B.C.L degrees from the Faculty of Law at McGill University. Prior to law school, he studied business at McGill’s Faculty of Management. He writes on digital media and out-of-home media trends, and serves on the board of the Digital Signage Federation.

Larry Gerbrandt, Managing Director, Janas Group & principal, Media Valuation Partners, Moderator; Mr. Iser specializes in the areas of intellectual property, entertainment, commercial, real estate and employment litigation.  He handles complex, high-profile matters around the country for clients including Mattel, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, eBay, Univision, ICM Partners, Roland Corporation, and iconic musical artists including Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills & Nash and David Byrne.  Mr. Iser is the Managing Partner of KWIKA. In the area of intellectual property, Mr. Iser counsels clients and litigates on their behalf concerning copyrights and trademarks; patents; unfair competition; the right of publicity; defamation; clearances and fair-use analyses for films, manuscripts, and products; and contracts involving the licensing of intellectual property rights.   He counsels and litigates on behalf of Mattel, Inc. in a variety of matters, currently including a copyright lawsuit concerning the creation of the Masters of the Universe® brand, trademark opposition proceedings concerning certain Hot Wheels® cars, intellectual property clearances for the Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, American Girl®, Monster High® and Ever After High® brands; a variety of licensing issues across Mattel’s brands, and the defense of a lawsuit in which the plaintiff, a designer of board games, alleges that Mattel breached a license agreement for the distribution of the board game Outburst!  He counsel and litigates on behalf of SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment on a number of intellectual property issues, currently including the defense of a trademark infringement lawsuit concerning SeaWorld’s Aquatica water parks.  Mr. Iser serves as United States copyright counsel for Roland Corporation, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electronic musical instruments.  On behalf of Roland, Mr. Iser leads a KWIKA team handling a number of matters throughout the country, currently including the defense of a patent infringement action pending in the District of Connecticut. Mr. Iser has earned a national reputation for his representation of musical artists whose songs have been used without permission by national political candidates.  He is well known for his work in the music business, representing clients including The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills and Nash, David Byrne, The Ira Gershwin Music Trust, The Doors, Axl Rose, The Rick James Estate, The Janis Joplin Estate, The M.C. Hammer Bankruptcy Estate, The Wiggles, Intocable, Branford Marsalis, Kevin Eubanks, Yahoo!, eBay/StubHub, Univision Music, Spectrasonics, Maverick Records, Fat Possum Records and ICM Partners. In the areas of motion pictures and television, Mr. Iser has advised and litigated cases on behalf of actors, directors, producers, distributors, personal managers, talent agents, television networks and motion picture studios.  Mr. Iser routinely advises his clients on matters concerning copyright, fair-use, clearances, right of publicity and defamation. He has served for the past 25 years as outside litigation counsel for real estate developer The Watt Companies.  On behalf of Watt and other real estate clients, he has advised and litigated disputes involving breach of contract, fraud, specific performance, brokers’ commissions, landlord-tenant, construction defects and partnership disputes. Lastly, Mr. Iser regularly represents clients in commercial and employment matters involving breach of contract, wrongful termination and sexual harassment, products liability, insurance coverage, bad faith and subrogation, franchising, securities fraud, partnership disputes and dissolution, and commercial torts.  His clients have included manufacturers, importers, lending institutions, law firms, accounting firms, oil and gas companies, airlines and numerous entrepreneurially oriented companies.