Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019

1:00 – 1:45 PM, Herscher Hall, Guerin A, Live Webcast

Because You Can't Pay Your Rent With Free Product: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Navigating Deals

Panelists will discuss the different ways for influencers to make money

• Using networking to find different types of money-making opportunities either working with brands or in other ways

• Selecting brands and partners that are a good fit for you

• Marketing yourself to these brands and partners to work with them

• Understanding what marketers want and creating a one-sheet of analytics that they care about

Kasia Szarek, Casting Director, Harlowe Casting (@kasia)

Mahzad Babayan, Director of Talent, Fullscreen

Diego Vargas, CEO, GOAT Marketing (@diegovargas)

Peggy Glenn, (@GrannyPottymouth)

YeeLi Lee, CEO, 4MeGlam (@4meglamsg)

Moderator - Mike Prasad, CEO, Tinysponsor (@mikeprasad)

Kasia Szarek, Casting Director, Harlowe Casting: Kasia began her career in the entertainment industry as a child in San Francisco, getting involved in anything and everything the industry had to offer in her hometown. She was the girl whose parents had no interest in being stage parents, so she secretly submitted herself to agencies and pretended to be her mom on the phone to secure jobs. As a sought-after voiceover actress for video games and computer software when she was in high school, she moved to Los Angeles at 17, where she

booked one of the starring roles on TheWB.com's Downer's Grove after only having been there for a few months. After a few years of acting, hosting and stand up comedy, she decided to start working behind the scenes in production so that she could stimulate her love for both the creative and business aspects of the industry. While working with various production companies, she acquired the nickname "The Casting Queen" because casting was always her favorite part of the job. As an influencer with 40k followers herself, Kasia specializes in working with digital influencers and has access to pools of talent in the digital domain who are not typically part of the casting process. She is known for providing fresh and unique talent, fashionistas, artists, bloggers, and personalities in addition to more traditional talent.  Kasia is known for her ability to bring genuine, authentic talent to the table for projects varying from commercials, branded content, films (short & feature) and music videos for top artists.

Mahzad Babayan is Director of Talent at Fullscreen Media, the social content service and talent management company that empowers talent and brands to grow, engage and monetize at scale. Mahzad manages a high-profile portfolio of Fullscreen talent, representing  Cody Ko, Alyx Weiss and Andrea Russett, among many others. In her role, she is responsible for helping her digital talent expand into traditional mediums, as well as helping "traditional" talent expand into social. Mahzad also oversees casting and development for Fullscreen’s roster of talent. Most recently, Mahzad produced series such as Jack and Dean of All Trades and GOAT Rodeo with Cody Ko, as well as spearheaded development deals with marquee talent like Tyler Oakley, Alexis G. Zall and Andrea Russett. With nearly ten years of experience in both production and management, Mahzad brings unique insight into bridging the gap between traditional and digital entertainment industries. Prior to her work at Fullscreen, Mahzad collaborated on feature films at Red Wagon Entertainment including the “Divergent” series and the Academy Award-winning film, “The Great Gatsby.”

Diego Vargas is the CEO at GOAT Marketing as well as a marketing strategist and speaker. From growing Twitter accounts to 1.2M+ at the age of 11 to building an Instagram empire with over 50M+ total followers, Diego has worked with celebrities, spoke at events, consulted for major companies and started a marketing agency.

Peggy Glenn: Granny PottyMouth is a very sweet, very real grandmother with an affinity for cussing. She's bawdy, yet tasteful - she's no BS and full of fun - she's the granny you wish would sit around the table with you and let opinions and wisdom flow freely, censors be damned! She's full of spunk and piss'n'vinegar - and she's irresistible. Just don't call her "old."

Yeeli Lee, CEO & Founder of 4meglam: A true global citizen, Yeeli Lee has spent the last 20 years traversing the world in various leadership roles including the Vice President of Amazon (Beijing, China), Managing Director of behavioral science agency PRS IN VIVO (Shanghai, China) and General Manager of Motorola for East Asia (Singapore). Yeeli is the founder of 4meglam, her second start-up based in tropical Singapore (yes, also where Crazy Rich Asians was filmed!). Asia is the most culturally and religiously diverse region in the world, where there is a tremendous potential for inclusive beauty products.

Mike Prasad, CEO, Tinysponsor: Mike is the Founder & CEO of Tinysponsor, the world’s first programmatically-addressable and inventory-driven marketplace for influencer and content sponsorships. Mike brings his diverse experience as an entrepreneur, VC, and digital strategist to focus on building a platform that can help creators and business collaborate and thrive together. Prior to Tinysponsor, Mike co-founded ventureLab, a cross-market early-stage VC and incubator, and before that he worked with startups from Y Combinator, Idealab, 500 Startups, Yetizen, Supermassive, HAXLR8R, SOSventures and more. In 2008, as the digital strategist and co-founder at Kogi BBQ, he started the worldwide twittering food truck trend that is now a billion dollar industry. Prior to his work in startups, Mike delivered digital strategy and implementation for companies large and small, from local businesses to Fortune 500's, including Microsoft, Amadeus, Nolet's Gin, Fatburger, Burger King, Fedex, Outrigger Hotels, Wynn Hotels, Tasting Panel Magazine, NVIDIA, Toynami, and others. He was also Social Media Advisor to SAG New Media, Founding Member of SMCLA, and as a creative director, he and his teams have won numerous awards and recognition, including 2 ADDY's. With his diverse background, Mike has spoken around the world on social media, digital strategy, startups, and investing across global ecosystems. He has also been called upon as an expert by TechCrunch, Fast Company, Tech in Asia, e27, NPR, FOX, to name a few, and his work has been covered by most major news outlets in multiple countries. He is also an avid foodie and cocktail enthusiast with a passion for exploring culture.