2:15 PM - 3:30 PM
Track I:
Entertainment Concepts in Branded & Integrated Entertainment - Film, TV, Music, Cable, Wireless, Games & Broadband
The ever expanding boundaries of entertainment in the national as well as global culture presents not just opportunities for specific brand extension or advertising, the merger of Hollywood and Madison Ave. represents a quantitative shift in the creative process. As the consumer alters its relationship to media, integrating broadband into every aspect of everyday life - from the mobile, to the public space and into the home - the power of the electronic message, whether delivered as advertising or via movies, TV, games, news or even as a function of the communications device itself, is a transformational tool. The industry is now experiencing its first steps in the fusion of marketing, entertainment and content. The real excitement will be found as the creative talent in the industry gets to experiment, innovate and produce new forms.
Laura Caraccioli-Davis, Senior Vice President/Director Starcom Entertainment, Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG)
Robert Riesenberg, president & CEO, Full Circle Entertainment (an Omnicom Media Group company)
Deborah A. Forte, President, Scholastic Entertainment (SE), and Executive Vice President, Scholastic Inc.
David L. Kang, J.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Strategic Development and New Media, The Firm
Jason Brown, Senior Vice President, Screenvision National Sales
Michael Kassan, Media and Entertainment Consultant, Moderator
Laura Caraccioli-Davis, Senior Vice President/Director Starcom Entertai
nment, Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG): In 1998, Caraccioli-Davis established Starcom Entertainment in Chicago as a unit of SMG, one of the largest brand communication companies in the world. As the unparalleled link between marketers and the entertainment industry, Caraccioli-Davis and her team create exclusive opportunities that integrate brands into the very fabric of popular culture. Most recently, Caraccioli-Davis enhanced a client’s strategic vision when she began exclusive dealings with the packaging agents of enormously successful series "American Idol." She and her team quickly identified a suitable strategic partner: Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts. Caraccioli-Davis secured a corporate sponsorship for a 10-week, nationwide concert tour and built a complete program that leveraged the association with the brand’s audience, which dovetailed with other marketing initiatives. The program was so successful that Pop-Tarts is currently exclusive sponsor of the tour for the third straight year. Additional projects and partnerships utilizing her approach include: Lego’s Clikits and the Swedish girl-pop band Play; Polaroid and Fox’s Love Cruise reality series; Delta Airlines and The Second City comedy troupe; The Tony the Tiger Awards for Kellogg; and Fruit of the Loom’s Country Fest music tour and CBS television special. Other SMG clients for whom Caraccioli-Davis has leveraged entertainment strategies include Disney, Hallmark, Nintendo and U.S. Army. Recognized as one the foremost experts in entertainment marketing, Caraccioli-Davis is sought out for her viewpoints by such publications as Forbes, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Business Week, Entertainment Weekly and Daily Variety. In an impressive back-to-back recognition, Caraccioli-Davis was named by Mediaweek to its prestigious roster of 2003 Media All-Stars and in 2002 Advertising Age named her to its celebrated list of Media Mavens. She also won Promo Magazine’s Entertainment Marketing Award in 1998 and 1999, and was honored with Mediaweek’s Plan of the Year award in 1997. Her team has consistently been honored at the Cannes International Advertising Festival since the introduction of Media Lions.ROBERT RIESENBERG, President and Chief Executive Officer, Full Circle
Entertainment: Robert Riesenberg is President and Chief Executive Officer of Full Circle Entertainment, a division of Omnicom Group. Full Circle Entertainment is dedicated to the creation and production of original television programming that is funded by and serves the marketing and content needs of Advertisers. Prior to joining Full Circle Entertainment, Mr. Riesenberg established and served as a Director of Magna Global Entertainment, a business unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies where, over a three-year period, he was responsible for creating and producing over 50 hours of Primetime television programs. Included within that was the award-winning Johnson & Johnson Spotlight Presentation film series and the critically acclaimed "The Restaurant" on NBC. Prior to this, Mr. Riesenberg worked at McCann-Erickson North America as Senior Vice President, Broadcast & Programming Director/Coca-Cola, with Responsibilities for the agency’s domestic Coca-Cola media assignments. Mr. Riesenberg spent nine years as President/Owner of RER Communications, Inc. a television production and distribution company that developed and produced numerous television specials, feature films and TV movies. Earlier, Mr. Riesenberg was Senior Vice President, Director of Program Development at BBDO Worldwide where he developed programming for Chrysler Showcase and G.E. Theatre as well as numerous AfterSchool and Prime Time Specials.Deborah A. Forte is President of Scholastic Entertainment (SE), and
Executive Vice President of Scholastic Inc. and an award-winning producer of children’s media, including movies, television programming, CD-ROMs and Internet sites and a leading marketer of children’s brands. The Scholastic Entertainment division comprises Scholastic Productions, Scholastic Consumer Products, Scholastic Brand Management, and S.E. Distribution and represents the Company’s worldwide media, feature film, television and consumer products businesses. In addition, Ms. Forte oversees interactive media, which includes software, software clubs and Weston Woods Studios. She is leading Scholastic’s efforts in the broadband arena and is Chairperson of the corporation’s branding initiative. Ms. Forte is responsible for managing Scholastic Entertainment and serves as SE’s lead creative and business executive. Ms. Forte formed Scholastic Entertainment in 1997, creating the only full-scale, production, branding and merchandising division in the children’s publishing industry that successfully develops, produces and markets children’s brands for the global media marketplace. She has executive produced more than 300 television productions and additional producing credits include the feature films Clifford’s Really Big Movie for Warner Bros. Pictures, The Babysitters Club, The Mighty and Tuck Everlasting. She will also produce the highly anticipated feature film His Dark Materials, based on Philip Pullman’s best-selling trilogy, for New Line Cinema, set to begin production this year. Additionally, she has executive produced the top-rated Clifford The Big Red Dog™ and the highly successful spin-off series Clifford’s Puppy Days™ on PBS KIDS“; Dear America“; the Emmy Award-winning I SPY“ on HBO Family; Scholastic’s Emmy Award-winning series The Magic School Bus“ on The Learning Channel and Discovery Kids; Animorphs“ and Goosebumps“. Most recently, Ms. Forte executive produced the animated series Maya & Miguel™, which debuted to rave reviews in October 2004 on PBS KIDS GO!. Based on an original concept by Ms. Forte, Maya & Miguel is at the core of a multi-media initiative designed to entertain all children, while promoting cultural diversity and encouraging English language acquisition with a special emphasis on the growing Latino population. Ms. Forte’s productions have won more than 100 awards, and the CD-ROMs and Web sites currently managed under her direction have won dozens of awards including the Parent’s Choice and the Webby for best kid’s site. Prior to coming to Scholastic, Ms. Forte created and headed the specialty sales and marketing group of The Viking Press and Penguin Books. Ms. Forte serves on the boards of the American Center for Children and Media and the Children’s Museum of Manhattan and is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Ms. Forte is a frequent speaker regarding the creation and development of children’s brands and the production of children’s media. She was a moderator at The Second World Summit on Television and Media for Children and the keynote speaker for the 2003 Kidscreen conference. Ms. Forte, a Boston native, is a graduate of Hamilton College and lives in New York with her husband, Dr. Peter Stone, and their two sons.David L. Kang, Senior Vice President of Strategic Development and Ne
w Media, The Firm. Mr. Kang leads strategic development and New Media at The Firm, a film and music artist management firm, working with leading artists including Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Samuel Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Linkin Park, Korn, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and Kelly Clarkson. The Firm actively develops the brands of each of its managed artists, and also serves as a consultant to global brands including Toyota and Lexus. Mr. Kang is leading initiatives to develop branded, multiplatform entertainment content through The Firm Digital Productions, and is also responsible for online marketing for The Firm's artists, working with leading partners such as AOL, Yahoo!, MSN, Clear Channel, and MTV. Prior to The Firm, Mr. Kang was a media and entertainment consultant at McKinsey and Company, where he developed the growth strategy, financial model and business plan for a leading music entertainment client's digital entertainment hub and its DVD, game and merchandise businesses. At McKinsey, Mr. Kang also conducted primary market research for a leading cable MSO and led due diligence for private equity firms in wireless content and in music publishing. Prior to McKinsey, Mr. Kang was Senior Vice President, New Technology and Strategic Development at BMG Entertainment, where he led a team of technology, strategy and finance specialists with worldwide responsibility in $4.7 billion music company. At BMG, Mr. Kang developed , wholesale online distribution, CD copy protection and digital rights management strategies, negotiated and closed BMG’s first online music download and subscription license with MusicNet, and managed a $50 million strategic investment fund and held board seats in two portfolio firms. Prior to BMG, Mr. Kang was an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School where he researched and presented published articles analyzing the effects of corporate governance on firm strategy and performance. At Harvard Business School, Mr. Kang also served as a technology evangelist for the School’s online course platform and distance learning initiatives, and taught in both the MBA and Executive Education programs. Mr. Kang holds a Joint Ph.D. degree in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University and Harvard Business School, an MA in Sociology from Harvard University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.Jason Brown, Senior Vice President, National Advertising Sales, Screen
vision: A 13-year veteran of media sales, Jason Brown heads the U.S national and regional sales teams for Screenvision, the worldwide leader in cinema advertising. Based in Screenvision’s New York office, Brown develops sales strategy and manages five sales teams in the firm’s New York, Los Angeles, Detroit and Chicago offices. He is responsible for revenue generated via national cinema spots, slides, promotional extensions and in-theatre integrated marketing programs. Since March 2005, when Screenvision launched its digital platform, Brown has been an integral part of the internal task force that develops strategy and rollout. He has also spearheaded custom content deals with blue-chip advertisers and marquee brands like American Express, HBO, Discovery Networks and Verizon Wireless for the digital pre-show. A member of the Screenvision team since 2001, Mr. Brown served as the Vice President of the eastern regional sales force until he was promoted to Senior Vice President of national sales in 2004. Prior to joining Screenvision, he was the National Sales Manager at Discovery Networks, where he supervised advertising sales across Discovery’s portfolio of cable networks where he helped launch Discovery Health Channel and discoveryhealth.com. Mr. Brown began his career as an account executive at NBC Cable, where he was part of the launch team at MSNBC. Mr. Brown holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Skidmore College, where he has spoken on several occasions as an expert on cinema advertising. He has also at industry events, most recently Screenvision’s First Annual Insiders’ Ball.Michael Kassan, Entertainment and Media Consultant:
Michael E. Kassan is a internationally recognized leader in the area of media and entertainment. Mr. Kassan has acted as a development consultant presently to brands and companies including Home Depot, National Lampoon, Visible World, DIC Entertainment, Mindshare Worldwide, TV Guide, FBC (Fact Based Communications), Brandsense, Warner Home Entertainment, Revolution Studios, Entertainment Industry Foundation, Microsoft, Verizon, Constellation Ventures (Bear Stearns), Cerberus Capital Management and The Leverage Group, BNC, Cimarron Group. Previously, Mr. Kassan was the President/Chief Operating Officer and Vice-Chairman of Initiative Media Worldwide a division of The Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG:NYSE), at the time, the largest and most diversified media management company in the world, with more than 75 offices in North America, Europe and Asia. In 1997, he was named one of the top media executives in America by Advertising Age magazine. Mr. Kassan joined Initiative Media Worldwide in 1994 and was instrumental in the sale of the company to IPG. While there, he oversaw the day-to-day operations in North America and was the architect of the firm’s international expansion and grew media billings from $1.5 billion to over $10 billion. Mr. Kassan, an attorney was counsel to the Los Angeles law firm of Christensen, Miller, Fink, Jacobs, Glaser, Weil & Shapiro. He had been President and Chief Operating Officer of International Video Entertainment (Artisan Entertainment). Mr. Kassan has acted as a director and advisor to many charitable and community organizations, including The Hollywood Radio and Television Society, and previously serving on The Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy. He also has been Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on the Entertainment Industry in California and in 1998 was elected to the Board of the American Advertising Federation. Mr. Kassan has served on the following Boards as Director: H.E.L.P Group, Big Brothers of Los Angeles, Stephen S. Wise Temple and Skirball Cultural Center.