2:15 PM – 3:30 PM
Track III:
Web 2.0: How Next Generation Personalized Media - Programmable Web, Podcasting & Blogging - is Transforming and Disassembling the World of Traditional Media, Communications & Advertising
Within the world of the Broadband, TV, the Set-Top, Mobile and PVR experience, searching for content, making accessible the content and at the same time, offering an advertising and marketing experience is our challenge. Everything from blogging and Podcasting to Interactive TV is altering the user experience completely. The industry is finding a ready audience with an ever growing demand for better content and a better and a completely personalized experience. With the massive amount of content and technology being thrown at the consumer, navigating through that experience is not only difficult, it can be off-putting. We have entered the world of integrated user experience – the post-TiVo generation of consumers and viewers who are watching and listening to new forms of content on new platforms of technology.
Jason McCabe Calacanis, CEO, Weblogs, Inc. an AOL Company, Senior Vice President, AOL
Phil Holden, Director:Windows Live, Microsoft
John D. Canning, Yahoo Media Group
Brad Greenspan, founder and former CEO, Intermix Media, (underwriter of MySpace.com)
Sarah Bernard, General Manager, The Huffington Post
Kevin Cohen, Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Molly Wood, Section Editor, CNET.com, Moderator
Phil Holden, Director, Windows Live, The MSN & Personal Services Division, Microsoft Corp.: Phil Holden is a director for Windows Live, responsible for industry evangelism. Windows Live, a new set of personal Internet services and software, is designed to bring together in one place all the relationships, information and interests people care about most, with enhanced safety and security features across their PC, devices and the Web. Before taking this position, Holden was the director for Business & Product Management responsible for driving the MSN communication services business globally. The Communication services group, which includes MSN Hotmail®, MSN Messenger and MSN Mobile, a group within the larger MSN division is focused on delivering rich communication tools to customers. Before taking on this business role, Holden was responsible for deploying and managing MSN subscription products in Australia, Mexico and Japan. During the more than 13 years that Holden has been with Microsoft, he has worked on a number of Microsoft product groups, including those for Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Windows® 98, Windows NT® Workstation, BackOffice® and Windows NT Server. Holden began working at Microsoft as a systems engineer in the Microsoft Sydney office, helping customers implement various Microsoft server technologies into their business environments. Holden started his career in 1984 working for IBM Corp. in the United Kingdom as a hardware engineer; toward the end of his five years at IBM he shifted roles to perform software testing. After working at IBM, Holden worked for a number of software companies in Europe before moving to Australia and eventually the United States.
Jason McCabe Calacanis, co-founder and CEO, Weblogs, Inc., an AOL Inc.
Company: Jason Calacanis is the founder of Weblogs, Inc., a media network of 85 blogging sites covering a range of subjects across niche industries through more than 160 independent, freelance experts that produce over 10,000 blog postings per month. Weblogs' more popular blogs include: Engadget (technology), Autoblog (automotive), Joystiq (gaming), Cinematical (films), Blogging Baby (parening), SlashFood, and TVSquad. Acquired by AOL int October 2005, Weblogs are now featured on AOL.com and a variety of sites in the AOL network. Prior to launching Weblogs, Inc, Calacanis was the founder of the Silicon Alley Reporter.Sarah Bernard, General Manager, The Huffington Post: Sarah Bernard joined HuffingtonPost.com, a news and blogged-opinion site, as its General Manager immediately following its launch in May 2005. She is responsible for the development, operations and management of the company. Previously, Ms. Bernard held various roles at AOL, Inc., most recently as Vice President of Program Strategy & Promotion charged with audience growth for AOL’s media business. Before that position, she served as Vice President & General Manager of AOL for Small Business, overseeing the launch and ongoing business strategy, programming and product development for AOL’s first line extension. Ms. Bernard was first recruited to AOL for advertising sales development, where she led technology and consumer electronics sales strategies across Time Warner’s interactive properties. Prior to joining AOL, Ms. Bernard was a Director at WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive, where she was responsible for guiding business and product development for washingtonpost.com’s recruitment classifieds property, washingtonjobs.com. Ms. Bernard began her career in advertising, where she held account management roles at both TBWA/Chiat/Day and Ketchum Advertising agencies. Ms. Bernard holds a BA in English from UCLA and an MBA from The Leonard N. Stern School of Business at NYU.
Brad Greenspan, founder and former CEO, Intermix Media: A recognized expert, Greenspan not only finds successful online ventures, but start-up companies with products or services people can truly interact with in their daily lives. For these firms Greenspan serves as a strategic business advisor, investing capital and resources to help them exceed short- and long-term business objectives. Greenspan’s roots in the investment community were planted when, in 1999 he created eUniverse. As chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors Greenspan desired to create the foremost interactive entertainment network on the Internet. Greenspan was one of the first to recognize social networking as a vital online environment, and contributed to the development of MySpace.com. Greenspan’s accomplishments at eUniverse include taking the company from an initial 300,000 to more than 51 million unique visitors a month (comScore), raising several rounds of financing, and bringing the company from the OTC Bulletin Board to the NASDAQ. eUniverse, renamed Intermix Media, was acquired by News Corp. in 2005. Greenspan started his career by founding Palisades Capital, Inc., a private Beverly Hills merchant bank immediately after graduating from college. Greenspan raised more than $60 million in funding for his clients and he served as his company’s president until 1999. Greenspan attributes his success to persistence, not taking "no" for an answer, and believing in his business and himself. Greenspan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Kevin Cohen is senior vice president of strategic planning for Turner
Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.). Cohen is responsible for Turner’s corporate and new technology strategic planning. He is based in Atlanta and reports to Norman Bellingham, senior vice president of strategic planning. Cohen most recently served as senior vice president business development and general manager of interactive and enhanced television, where he was responsible for developing and managing the company's interactive and enhanced television efforts; coordinating all Turner network interactive TV initiatives; partnering with the networks in Turner’s interactive TV product creation and design; and exploring external partnerships and furthering distribution affiliate relationships. Cohen managed Turner’s relationships with Wink, AOL TV, Real Networks, Mystro TV, GoldPocket and Visionik, among others, as well as Turner’s interactive/enhanced TV, broadband and wireless distribution. Cohen also managed Turner’s VOD business, successfully launching CNN, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Adult Swim and TCM VOD services. Previously, he served as vice president, business development, new media for Turner International Asia Pacific Ltd., where he managed Turner’s interactive business development in Asia. He was responsible for developing new interactive properties, including regional/local language versions of CNN Interactive and exploring strategic new media partnerships and equity investments. Cohen also oversaw Turner’s mobile phone and broadband licensing revenue streams. In addition to interactive responsibilities, Cohen worked on business development functions that included Turner’s on-air properties. He helped engineer Turner’s equity investment in the Korean animation channel Tooniverse and served on the Tooniverse board of directors. He also played a key role in planning, implementing and launching Cartoon Network Japan in 1997 and served on the network’s management committee. Cohen joined TBS, Inc., in 1996 as director of business development, responsible for identifying new business opportunities and leveraging CNN Interactive content across new distribution platforms. Prior to joining Turner, he served as administrator for the Asia Pacific Policy Center. From 1988 to 1991, Cohen worked with the story departments of 20th Century Fox Films Corp. and MGM/UA and assisted in the development of United Artists’ films from 1986 to 1988. Cohen holds a bachelor of arts degree in government and legal studies from Bowdoin College and a master of science degree in business administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.Molly Wood, CNET.com section editor, is responsible for special editorial features focusing on multimedia and consumer electronic trends. She develops, edits, and writes analysis and trend stories for CNET.com. She is also author of the daily Buzz Report column and host of the AnchorDesk newsletter. Before joining CNET.com in 2000, Molly was senior associate editor at MacHome Journal, where she wrote and edited Macintosh-specific product reviews, news, features and trend stories at a national magazine for Apple enthusiasts. Prior to MacHome Journal, Molly was a reporter and supervising editor at The Associated Press (AP), where she was in charge of state, national and international news for three AP bureaus. She has a BA in Journalism from the University of Montana.