The Digital Hollywood Experience

 

Online/Virtual Digital Hollywood

Friday, January 7th, 2022

3 PM - 3:45 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Internet TV, FAST and OTT: Programming Everywhere

The proliferation of TV is pushing video to an unlimited audience and the Streaming Wars are on! The TV industry has merged into mega-conglomerates and invested billions in additional programming - the New Golden Age for TV programming and 24/7 viewing.

Sang Kim, Senior Vice President, Samsung Electronics

Charlotte Maines, Director of Fire TV Advertising, Monetization, Sales and Engagement, Amazon

Jeff Clanagan, CEO, Laugh Out Loud

Angela R. Bundrant, President, PlayersTV

Scott Ehrlich, SVP, Growth Networks & Content, Sinclair Broadcast Group

Robert Rodriguez, CEO, Impaktu, Moderator

 

Charlotte Maines is the Director of Fire TV Advertising, Monetization, Sales and Engagement. In her role, Maines is responsible for the Fire TV device P&L, including marketing, monetization and building ad-supported experiences on Amazon devices that make screen time with family and friends more enjoyable. She is focused on helping Fire TV's more than 50 million active users worldwide

discover and watch all the content they love. Maines joined Amazon in 2013 as the launch Product Manager in the nascent streaming entertainment organization, leading the launch of the first Fire TV and Fire TV Stick in 2014. After two years managing the Fire TV business, she took on Prime Exclusive Phones, Amazon’s Android phone program that introduced the hands-free Alexa experience to mobile. In 2018, she led the launch of the Prime rewards program in Whole Foods Market stores nationwide before returning to Amazon Devices to focus on advertising and monetization strategy. Today, she manages the Fire TV business, inclusive of Display and Video Advertising products and on-device monetization, demand generation, customer engagement and revenue. Maines has an MBA from UCLA Anderson and a BA from Dartmouth College. She lives in Seattle with her husband and 3-year-old son, and recently completed her 32nd marathon.

 

Jeff Clanagan, CEO of Laugh Out Loud: Jeff Clanagan is an award-winning producer and innovator in entertainment. He currently holds roles as CEO of Laugh Out Loud, the entertainment company from the world’s top comedian Kevin Hart, and CEO of Codeblack Films and Codeblack Digital, a film production and distribution company dedicated to super-serving the black community worldwide. Laugh Out Loud is a global multi-platform comedy brand focused on the “Future of Comedy,” through four key divisions — LOL Network, LOL Studios, LOL Audio, and LOLX! — that aim to provide comedy in color wherever, and whenever, their audience needs a laugh, as one of the most diversified and fastest-growing Black-owned modern media companies. From stand-up legends to globally-recognized digital influencers, Clanagan works with Hart and the LOL team to curate and cultivate the next generation of multicultural comedic storytellers. Clanagan oversees the strategic vision and expansion of the brand, which includes the streaming service, multi-platform distribution deals with digital partners like  NBCUniversal’s Peacock, PlutoTV, Roku Channel, Bell Media, Snap, YouTube, Facebook, and more. In his role with Codeblack Films, Clanagan and his team have acquired and developed films for distribution such as the Golden Globe® nominated indie drama Frankie and Alice and Addicted, based on the popular urban novel by Zane, which grossed over $16 million at the box office. Clanagan broke new ground in theatrical marketing with his digital-first approach to the successful release of films like The Perfect Match and the Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez On Me, which generated $27 million in its first week. By piloting new digital-first tracking and research initiatives with a first-of-its-kind partnership with Screen Engine, he’s leveraging the millions of followers he built through Codeblack Digital, a division of Codeblack Films, to facilitate scalable research on influential African American audiences. In 2013, Clanagan partnered with Hart to produce and release his concert movie, Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, which went on to gross $32 million at the box office. He also produced Hart’s comedy concert Kevin Hart: What Now? The historic special was filmed live in front of 53,000 people, marking an unprecedented moment in comedy when Hart became the first ever comedian to headline an NFL stadium. Clanagan was also the producer of Hart’s stand-up comedy tour, What Now? which is the best-selling comedy tour of all time, grossing over $100 million with 1.3 million tickets sold. Clanagan began his career as a concert promoter for the “HBO Def Comedy Jam” tour and NWA’s “Straight Outta Compton” tour, on which the 2015 hit movie that grossed more than $200 million was based. He also promoted tours for hip hop royalty including Mary J Blige, Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff, among others. His strong reputation allowed him to secure lucrative corporate sponsorships from companies such as Citibank, Budweiser, Sprite and Snapple.  In 1998, Clanagan moved into the film and television industry when he was named the President of No Limit Films, rapper Master P’s company. During his tenure, Clanagan cultivated the startup into a $40 million juggernaut multimedia company, producing a slate of profitable straight-to-video features. No Limit Films is recognized as the pioneer of the urban home video sell-thru market. Clanagan was a driving force behind the birth of the home entertainment business, with his proven success in the strategic marketing and distribution of home entertainment properties such as: The Def Comedy Jam series, BET’s Arabesque Films, and The Fat Albert TV series. Clanagan has released over 300 movie titles, which have grossed over $350 million dollars in revenue. Clanagan has a passion for mentoring young people. In 2015, he created a sports division within his company called Codeblack Elite Track Club, which allows him to coach and mentor young adults in track and field at Calabasas High School. Clanagan graduated from the University of Washington before attending Harvard Business School in its prestigious executive program. Clanagan was awarded the Pioneer Award from the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) in 2014 and the Game Changer Achievement Award from Uptown Magazine and Kia Motors. Clanagan has also been named in the Ebony Power 150 and Black Enterprise top 50 Power Brokers and he has been profiled in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, and GQ Magazine. Clanagan currently lives in the Los Angeles area with his family.

 

 Sang Kim, Senior Vice President, Samsung Electronics: The way consumers connect, discover the world, and seek news and entertainment is changing. As a leading manufacturer of billions of consumer devices around the world including more than 135 million active Smart TVs, Samsung’s hardware creates the foundation for connectivity – but it is software and services that keep consumers engaged. From cloud gaming and "must-see" TV programming, to secure and convenient access to digital payments, Samsung is hyper focused on seamless innovation -- empowering users to have everything at their fingertips. As Senior Vice President at Samsung Electronics overseeing the team that builds software and services for Samsung Smart TVs and Galaxy devices, Sang Kim leads all product initiatives for the Tizen TV Platform including Universal Guide, The Art Store, Samsung Health on TV, as well as Samsung TV Plus, which has become one of the top streaming apps on the Samsung Smart TV platform under Sang’s leadership. More recently, his purview expanded to include mobile services for Galaxy devices, including Samsung Pay, Samsung Free, Samsung Rewards, The Galaxy Store, Game Launcher and more to ensure that consumers have access to the best streaming, gaming and payments experience.

 

Angela R. Bundrant, EVP, Brand Strategy, Rogers & Cowan PMK: Angela Bundrant, until recently, was senior vice president of affiliate & consumer marketing with REVOLT Media & TV, the multiplatform, millennial based music network founded by Sean “Diddy” Combs. Developing and executing strategic marketing plans to drive demand, carriage, and new system launches for REVOLT, Angela has been leading the efforts with existing partners like AT&T, Charter Spectrum, Comcast Xfinity, among others as well as internationally and over-the-top platforms – as well as conceiving and executing new opportunities to drive consumer engagement and brand awareness. Angela is also charged with building REVOLT unapologetic brand value with trade and industry organizations. A highly accomplished senior-level executive, which includes serving on the REVOLT launch team, Angela’s distinguished career includes content marketing roles at Sony Pictures Television, FOX Broadcasting, Turner Broadcasting, and Interpublic Group of Companies. Turner is a graduate of Syracuse University, recognized by the S.I. Newhouse School as a distinguished alumnus.  She recently completed an Executive Education Program with Women In Cable Telecommunications at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, as well as a Leadership Program with National Association of Multi-Ethnicity In Communications at UVA’s Darden School of Business. Angela is a board member with I AM THAT GIRL, a 501c3 that provides leadership, social, and personal development programming to girls throughout the US.  Angela is a proud native “Detroiter” but currently resides in the Los Angeles area with her family.

 

Scott Ehrlich, SVP, Growth Networks & Content, Sinclair Broadcast Group: Scott Ehrlich has a track record of successfully creating new ventures in television, technology and new media. Currently he serves as SVP, Growth Networks & Content for Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBG), overseeing the National Networks and Platforms group, which includes Over the Air (OTA) Networks (Comet, Charge, TBD and Stadium), Over The Top (OTT) Platforms (Stirr, NewsOn), the Content Lab (development team), as well as leading innovation in content creation. Prior to his role at SBG Ehrlich founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of QYOU, a content packaging and distribution company (or some descriptor line) where he built multiple 24/7 television networks, produced thematic television shows for other networks and licensed thousands of individual pieces of content. Ehrlich also served as Founder and CEO of Agility Studios, where he led the development of Agility’s award-winning franchise; The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, created by Jon M. Chu, into a multi-faceted business with three installments of the filmed entertainment property, distributed worldwide by Paramount.  The production/show has been complimented by performances on television (including: So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, The 82nd Academy Awards, Conan, and more), tours (Glee Live), corporate (including: Mini Live: Beijing and Google Zeitgeist Europe) and social media (Coke Zero: Make it Possible). The LXD received an International Emmy among many other accolades and awards. Before Agility, Ehrlich founded and served as the Managing Partner at Impulse Media, a Seattle-based digital business consulting company, serving as an advisor to senior management at Sony Pictures Digital Networks, Rivals.com (sold to Yahoo), Infospace, Disney/ABC Digital Media Group, Navio Systems, DivX, iFilm (sold to MTV Networks), Lightningcast (sold to AOL), Rhythm Networks (sold to Blinkx), BBC, Weather Channel and Microsoft. Prior to forming Impulse Media, Ehrlich served as Vice President of Media Acquisition and Distribution for RealNetworks, where he developed key strategies, negotiated, implemented and managed product deals and relationships for the site’s GoldPass and SuperPass services, and drove growth of its services to more than 1 million subscribers, creating one of the earliest Over the Top (OTT) video services in the industry. Previously, Ehrlich was Executive Vice-President and General Manager of Rival Networks, where he oversaw all aspects of the business including advertising sales, e-commerce, content, business development, marketing, public relations and creative services. Earlier in his career, Mr. Ehrlich was the Senior Vice President and Executive Producer of News America Digital Publishing at News Corporation and Director of Audience Development at NBC Cable.

 

 

Robert Rodriguez, CEO, Impaktu: A 30 year seasoned expert in the area of entrepreneurial business leadership in the area of digital content and ecommerce for large platforms such as broadcast television stations, internet sites, telecom companies and other digital organizations in the U.S. and Latin America. Robert brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in digital content related to health, tourism, technology, ecommerce and social media. He has managed complex acquisitions and work force integrations in the U.S., the Caribbean as well as international regions such as Asia, Latin America and Europe. Currently Robert is the CEO of Impaktu, a multi platform short form video content producer and distributor. Impaktu, formerly owned by NBC is one of the leading fact based short form content producers and distributors in the U.S. and Latin America. Impaktu clients include nearly 525 Internet sites around the world, telecom operators and Fortune 500 companies such as Facebook, Amazon and Visa to name a few. In addition to Impaktu, Robert co-founded and is chairman of NC Digital (NCD) a diversified digital marketing communications agency that has developed hundreds of marketing and media initiatives for global companies such as Citibank, Porsche and Chevron to name a few. In addition to the private sector, NCD provides or has provided strategic marketing services to agencies of the United States Federal Government such as Department of the Treasury, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Health & Human Services. In 1995 NCD produced the award winning world aviation record program, “Around the World in a Day” using an Air France Concorde to break the world aviation speed record which currently still stands. Robert has a Masters degree in ALS from the University of Miami and was a featured case study at Harvard Business School. Robert was inducted into the marketing Hall of Fame at Miami Dade College, America's largest college.