Thursday, January 8 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Session A: DH5: Hollywood + Games = The Next Threshold of Entertainment Predictably each year news reports appear surprised and trumpet the fact that in the prior twelve months, the games industry grossed more than did movies. While there may be truth and lessons to be learned from those numbers, there is something more going on in this competition of entertainment forms. The movie, TV and games sectors themselves may in some way be merging or perhaps evolving and creating new entertainment forms. With the quantum leaps in graphical realism impacting both films and games along with the next generation of games systems, DVD, broadband, not to mention projection and audio systems in theaters, the technology is enabling the creators of content to enter new and yet to be traveled territory. The Matrix and Lord of the Rings may be symbols of more than massively successful entertainment franchises, they may be altering the future of entertainment. Keith Boesky, founder, Video Game Department, International Creative Management Don L. Daglow, President and CEO, Stormfront Studios Ken Goldstein, Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Disney Online Jason Rubinstein, GM, Ubi.com, Ubi Soft Entertainment William Kendall, Vice President of Content & Development, Vivendi Universal Games Louis Castle, Vice President, Electronic Arts Los Angeles Mark Friedler, CEO, Gigex, Inc., Moderator Ken Goldstein, Executive Vice President and Managing Director : Ken Goldstein is executive vice president and managing director of Disney Online, the business unit of the Walt Disney Internet Group that produces the No. 1 entertainment destination for kids and families on the World Wide Web. Responsible for all creative, technical, marketing, and financial initiatives surrounding the presence of the Disney brand on the Internet, Ken oversees development of the corporate site www.disney.com; the highly successful subscription service Disney's Blast; Disney’s Toontown Online; all of the divisional Web sites of The Walt Disney Company; the celebrated venue for tools and information www.familyfun.com and www.movies.com, a leading movie information service offering movie reviews, trailers, listings and other content for movie fans. Prior to joining Disney in November 1998, Ken served as Brøderbund Software's vice president of entertainment and founding general manager of the company's Red Orb Entertainment division. Commercially and critically acclaimed titles on the Red Orb label included "Riven: The Sequel to Myst," by Cyan Productions, "Warlords III," by the Strategic Studies Group (SSG), "The Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time," by Presto Studios, and "Prince of Persia 3D," by the Red Orb Entertainment Studio. Before the formation of Red Orb Entertainment at Brøderbund, Ken was responsible for all aspects of development on the highly acclaimed Carmen Sandiego series, leading the product family from aggregate worldwide sales of 2.5 million units in 1992 to over 6 million units in 1997, while supervising brand development through three television series, a motion picture deal, and broad expansion of an international merchandising program. Other award-winning titles his teams at Brøderbund produced include "In the 1st Degree," "Alien Tales," and "The Last Express." Prior to joining Brøderbund, Ken worked as a designer/producer at Philips Interactive Media and Cinemaware Corporation, and for several years as a screenwriter and television executive. Ken currently sits on the board of directors for Hathaway Children and Family Services, a non-profit organization that provides services for abused, neglected and emotionally disturbed children. He has been a volunteer with Free Arts for Abused Children and Olive Crest Treatment Centers and served on the board of trustees of Full Circle Programs, a residential treatment and family services agency. A graduate of Yale University, he is very active in children’s welfare issues. Keith Boesky, founder, Video Game Department, International Creative Management: Keith Boesky has been active in the content and technology communities as an attorney, a senior executive and agent. In November of 2002, Mr. Boesky formed the video game department within International Creative Management, one of the largest talent agencies in the world. The department translates games to film, brings film and television talent to games and assists studios in maximizing the value of their intellectual property. From 1998 to 2002, Mr. Boesky was the principal of Boesky & Company. Boesky & Company assisted its clients in bridging the communication gap between the worlds of content and technology. These engagements included assistance in strategic applications of technology for content Universal Studios, Paramount Studios, Squaresoft and The Upper Deck Company and advice to Apple Computer, Thomas Weisel Partners, LLC and Pacific Century Cyberworks regarding investments. In 1996, shortly after representing Eidos Interactive, Inc. (NASDAQ: EIDSY) in its initial public offering, Mr. Boesky left the practice of law to join Eidos as its President. While at Eidos Mr. Boesky focused on expansion of Eidos properties, including "Tomb Raider" and "Lara Croft.," into film, toys and publishing as well as the acquisition of new properties, such as "Final Fantasy VII PC" and "Fear Effect." From 1992 to 1996 Mr. Boesky was an attorney with Cooley Godward, where his practice included public and private finance and intellectual property protection, while his core practice covered the protection and exploitation of franchise properties. Over the next few years Mr. Boesky grew the practice into one of the United States’ largest new media practices, covering developers and publishers of content ranging from home gaming platforms to location based entertainment. For two years prior to joining Cooley Godward, Mr. Boesky practiced with the firm of Baker & McKenzie. Mr. Boesky sits on the advisory boards of Pulse Entertainment, The Marketing Factory and Angel Studios. Mr. Boesky served on the Boards of Directors of the UCSD Cancer Center Foundation and the UCSD Thriver’s Network. He was founding president of the National Association of Cancer Patients. He has spoken on the topics of interactive media, branding and interactive television at Comdex, NATPE, NAB, Showbiz Expo, IBC, The Rotterdam Film Festival, Digital Hollywood and a number of other conferences and has been a guest lecturer at UCLA. He received a B.A. in economics from UCLA and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a J.D. from University of San Diego. Louis Castle - Vice President; Electronic Arts Los Angeles: As a Vice President and a senior studio leader at EALA, Louis Castle is responsible for assisting the studio's management team in developing EALA's business strategies, as well as helping EALA's creative teams realize their product vision. Castle was co-founder of Westwood Studios, which became a part of EALA in January 2003. EALA creates product for some of the most successful and best-known intellectual properties within Electronic Arts' formidable portfolio including the original product lines of Medal of Honor and Command & Conquer and licensed properties Lord of the Rings and James Bond. Prior to EALA, Castle was the General Manager of Westwood Studios from 2000-2003 and served in creative, business and financial roles while growing Westwood from two employees in 1985 to over 250 in two locations in 2002. In his creative roles, Castle has contributed as executive producer, creative director, technical director, programmer and artist to over 100 games created by Westwood over the past 18 years. His business positions include serving as the COO and finance officer for Westwood Studios between 1992 and 2000, a period in which the company negotiated 4 multinational acquisitions. Castle is passionate about the products and the people who create them. His role as Vice President at EALA allows him to leverage his considerable interactive entertainment experience to add value across the spectrum of EALA's creative and business developments. Jason Rubinstein, GM, Ubi.com, Ubi Soft Entertainment: Jason has 15 years of entertainment and technology experience and is currently General Manager of ubi.com, the online division of Ubi Soft Entertainment (www.ubi.com). Prior to joining Ubi Soft in 2001, Jason was VP/GM of the live music division at Riffage.com and produced critically-acclaimed programming for TV and the web including The 2000 New Orleans Jazz Festival, "BBC Music Live," and "Live From The Great American Music Hall." Before his 12 month tour of duty at Riffage, Jason managed Intel's games and music industry market development and technology initiatives and held posts in marketing and business development at Total Entertainment Network (renamed Pogo.com, then sold to Electronic Arts), DreamWorks Interactive and Sierra On-Line/The Imagination Network (sold to AT&T, then AOL). Prior to joining Sierra On-Line, Jason held both production and marketing posts at CBS Records and the Warner Music Group. Don L. Daglow has served as president and CEO of Stormfront Studios since founding the company in 1988. Stormfront's most recent best-seller is "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" for PS2 and Xbox from EA Games, based on the film from New Line Cinema. Don's work has earned recognition in publications ranging from Computer Gaming World to Inc., Upside, The Red Herring and the San Francisco Business Times. Electronic Games called him "one of the best-known and respected producers in the history of the field." Prior to founding Stormfront, Don served as director of Intellivision game development for Mattel, as a producer at Electronic Arts, and as head of the Entertainment and Education division at Broderbund. He developed the first-ever computer baseball game in 1971 (now recorded in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown), the first mainframe computer role-playing game (1976), the first sim game (Intellivision Utopia, 1982) and the first original play-by-email game (Quantum Space for AOL, 1989). Don co-designed Computer Game Hall of Fame title Earl Weaver Baseball (1987) and the first massively multiplayer online graphic adventure, Neverwinter Nights for AOL (1990). He holds a BA in Creative Writing from Pomona College and a M.Ed. from Claremont Graduate University. Bill Kendall is Vice President of Content & Development for Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games), a global leader in multi-platform interactive entertainment. He is responsible for original and licensed content development, focusing on concepts with crossover potential to and from film and television. Collaborating with filmmakers and game designers, Kendall oversees VU Games’ development integration on key studio franchises, including Universal’s The Hulk, Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Van Helsing and Battlestar Galactica. He reports to Michael Pole, Senior Vice President of Product Development for VU Games. Kendall brings 15 years of content strategy, development and production experience across motion pictures, television, visual effects, video games and online entertainment. Prior to joining VU Games in 2002, Kendall served as a Director of Content & Programming at Geocast Networks, a digital content delivery network whose partners included Thomson Multimedia, Philips, Liberty Media, Electronic Arts and Echostar. He was part of the core team that designed and programmed Geocast’s broadband entertainment channels with personalized content from NBC, Sony, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Dreamworks, MGM, CNET, AP and TWC. Previously, Kendall was Visual Effects Producer on the Sci-Fi Channel’s The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne. As Executive in charge of Digital Studios, Kendall built and managed an award-winning, 60-artist CG-production team that integrated Sony’s HD-cinema solution to capture the 22-episode series. Verne producing partner Talisman Films (Rob Roy, Complicity) brought Kendall in to expand their all-digital feature and television development slate. Kendall’s interest in digital content creation began with on-set production roles on national commercials (e.g. Pillsbury, Yamaha, McDonald’s, JC Penney), television (NBC’s Hang Time, Bruckheimer Production’s Soldier of Fortune) and film (Casper: A Spirited Beginning). Kendall graduated with distinction from Stanford University with a B.A. in Urban Studies (Planning & Design) and focus on Asian Studies.