12:30 PM - 1:45 PM
Track II:
Game Power - Entertainment as Franchise - Crossover into Music, TV, Cable, Movie, Mobile, Advertainment & Custom Branded Experience
The Games Industry is quickly emerging as the premier sector of the entertainment cultural experience. As all the new technologies, from chips and microprocessors to display, broadband and mobile reach new levels of sophistication, the quality of the consumer gaming experience is altering and manifestly enhanced. And this process has hardly reached its peak. Games as an entertainment experience is just starting to be felt and embraced by the consumer. As important as film and TV have been in our cultural experience, in the few years, games will emerge as an equal player in the entertainment pantheon. What we are calling Game Power, is the result of new and expanding creative technologies in development, in platform and in delivery. And as Game Power grows, it invades and partners with all the other entertainment and advertising sectors, from movies and TV to mobile and music. Game Power is not only relevant to the games industry, it is relevant to us all.
Jonathan Epstein, United Talent Agency
Dario Spina, Vice President of Marketing & Promotions, Spike TV
Don L. Daglow, President and CEO, Stormfront Studios
Pascal Bonnet, Director of Licensing, Ubisoft North America
Germaine Gioia, Vice President, Licensing, THQ
Will Kassoy, Vice President, Global Brand Management, Activision, Inc.
Mark Friedler, CEO, GameDAILY/Gigex, Inc., Moderator
Jonathan Epstein, United Talent Agency: Leading video gaming executive Jonathan Epstein recently opened the San Francisco office of United Talent Agency, marking the first time a major Hollywood agency has opened an office in the heart of electronic and video gaming industry. Epstein's appointment significantly expands UTA's video game and interactive operations into new areas representing the convergence of gaming, filmed entertainment and the marketing and advertising worlds. Epstein brings more than 20 years of media and marketing experience to UTA,and brings a profound track record of success in creating new products, markets and business models in the Internet and gaming businesses. Epstein has played a leading role in the development of the online media serving the gamer, having worked in key executive roles for all of the top online media supporting that industry. As founding president and CEO of GameSpot.com, Epstein reshaped the way by which gamers get their information and the ways that marketers most effectively reach gamers. As president of GameSpy, Epstein transformed the company into a media powerhouse, building the largest subscriptiQn base of any gaming service. He later helped spearhead the merger of GameSpy with IGN Entertainment, where he served as executive vice president and general manager/media, for the bulk of 2004.
Don L. Daglow has served as president and CEO of Stormfront Studios sinc
e 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.Pascal Bonnet, Director of Licensing, Ubisoft North America: Pascal Bonnet is director of licensing for Ubisoft and spearheads licensing activities in North America. Pascal and the team at Ubisoft are responsible for securing videogame license deals for some of Ubisoft’s best properties including the highly anticipated Peter Jackson film "King Kong," the hit television series "Crime Scene Investigation," Sony Pictures Animation upcoming movies "Surf’s Up" and "Open Season," and Trollz for "tween" girls. Pascal has been with Ubisoft since 1999 when he joined as senior international marketing manager, working out of corporate headquarters in Paris. Before joining Ubisoft, Pascal successfully launched famous Japanese toys Power Rangers and Tamagotchi while working for Bandai Europe. Pascal was the first western marketer of Gundam model kits and Dragon Ball Z games and toys. Prior to Bandai, Pascal worked for the French Trade Commission and has more than ten years of international marketing experience working for leading consumer products companies including Danone, Reckitt & Colman and Lactalis. Pascal earned a business degree from Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commericales, a leading French business school.
Dario Spina, Vice President, Marketing and Promotions, SPIKE TV: S
pina joined the network in 2001 as Director, Marketing and Promotions (when the network was called The National Network) and has been responsible for integrated marketing, trade and consumer advertising, special events, new media strategy, strategic partnerships and promotions. He has played a significant role in Spike TV's transformation to become the first network for men. Some of Spina’s accomplishments have included managing the network’s successful, annual Upfront event and roadshow presentations; creating and executing promotions, managing original show launch campaigns and a variety of stunts and sponsorships packages for the network’s various tentpole events. He has supervised a staff responsible for executions on a variety of integration promotions for a diverse clientele list for Spike TV that varies from movie studios, to video games, to automotive and wireless companies and beyond. Previously, Spina was director of promotions at MTV Interactive (MTVi) where he created and executed convergent promotions for VH1, MTV and Sonicnet.com. Prior to MTVi, he was a special events and production director for DDB Needham, specifically working on the New York Lottery account. Earlier in his career Spina worked in the music industry as a marketing manager at Mercury Records working on album releases for such artists as Bon Jovi, Brian McKnight and Vanessa Williams. Spina earned his undergraduate degree from Pace University and attained a MA in Corporate Communications from Seton Hall University. He resides with his wife and family in Verona, NJ.Mark Friedler, CEO, GameDAILY : Mark is CEO and c
o-founder of Gigex, Inc./GameDAILY (http://www.GameDAILY.com) a leading provider of video game news, reviews, free downloads and the leading provider of trade news with the GameDAILY newsletter. He has been with the company since 1995. He has 10 years experience marketing video games online and is a frequent speaker and panelist at industry events including CES, E3, Digital Hollywood and events sponsored by Microsoft, IQPC, Jupiter Communications, Digital Media Wire and IEMA. He was chairperson for both conferences "Best Practices for Marketing, Selling and Distributing Software over the Internet" and the European Electronic Software Delivery Conference. Mark’s television experience includes several features in 2003 including NBC’s "TechNow," "NBC Today About the Bay" (San Francisco/San Jose KNTV) and "Silicon Valley Business." He is the video game columnist for the IMedia Connection newsletter and he has written for industry publications Software Business , GameDAILY and SIIA’s Upgrade. Previously, Mark was Director of Marketing at Reach Networks in New York from 1994-1995 where he managed marketing and sales of integrated services to Fortune 500 clients. From 1992 – 1994, Mark was Managing Director of Teleworld Sweden AB, a division of Philips Media. Teleworld developed and operated interactive voice and television-based online entertainment and transaction services together with MTV Europe and other major European broadcasters. From 1988-1992, he founded and operated Sweden’s first chain of cookie stores. He holds a B.A in Political Science from Hamilton College in New York and has taken graduate courses in business law, programming and network management. Mark is 40 years old and lives in the San Francisco bay area with his wife and 2 sons..Dario Spina, Vice President of Marketing & Promotions, Spike TV: Dario Spina discusses integrated marketing strategies surrounding video games, including Spike TV’s overall video game strategy and how the brand is growing into the gaming sphere through a combined use of the network’s resources – programming, promotions, marketing, online and tentpole events. Mr. Spina was formerly director of promotions at MTV Interactive and is now responsible for integration promotions for Spike TV including ties into movie studios, video games, automotive, wireless and beyond.
Will Kassoy, Vice President, Global Brand Management, Activision, Inc.: As Vice President of Global Brand Management, Will Kassoy oversees the worldwide brand development of Activision’s Superheroes, Sports and Racing businesses. In this capacity, Mr. Kassoy has been instrumental in identifying and building several key brands for the company including Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Tony Hawk’s Underground, True Crime: Streets of L.A., Spider-Man 2 and X-Men Legends. In addition to his brand management responsibilities, he also is in charge of Activision’s consumer and market research department. Prior to joining Activision in 1997, Mr. Kassoy worked at The Walt Disney Company – Consumer Products, where he worked in various business units including Disney Interactive, Disney Publishing and Business Development. While at Disney, he helped build two publishing labels – Mousewerks and Funwerks, and led the brand marketing efforts for Disney Interactive’s entertainment software products including Toy Story, The Lion King and Nightmare Ned. Before this, Mr. Kassoy worked in Paris, France for two years consulting for a firm in artificial intelligence and expert systems and began his career at Capitol Records/EMI in Hollywood, CA marketing 80s rock bands and hip-hop music. Mr. Kassoy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics/Business from UCLA.