Wednesday, September 25 2:30 PM - 3:45 PM Session C: Broadband Advertising and Branded Media - Merging E-Commerce and Content In this, the final session of the day, we bring together a group of the most experienced professionals in the field of broadband advertising and content delivery and we look forward to it being a truly visionary look into the future of the marketplace. The projections on broadband penetration are now becoming more clear, but what can we seriously expect from the merger of content and commerce? That’s the question that we hope to explore. What will e-commerce look like in the next three years? Will the B to C relationship emerge in the coming year or is it still possible that it will fail to measure up to the expectations? Let’s find out. John Zappe, Vice President New Media, LA News Group Shawn Gold, co-President & Chief Strategic Officer, eUniverse Chris Gibbin, founding partner & Chief Operating Officer, DNA Studio Tom Des Jardins, Chairman & Chief Technology Officer, Lightningcast Ken Goldstein, Executive Vice President and Managing Director , Disney Online Ira Rubenstein, Senior Vice President, Sony Pictures Integrated Network Susan Bratton, founder Cendara, Moderator Ira Rubenstein, Senior Vice President, Sony Pictures Integrated Network: As senior vice president of Sony Pictures Integrated Network (SPIN), an operational unit within Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment (SPDE), Ira Rubenstein creates integrated online promotional opportunities coordinated across all lines of company business. Rubenstein oversees the day-to-day initiatives of the Network, generating online awareness for the studios’ properties and driving traffic through partnership marketing, media buys, community building, e-commerce, auctions, the creation of network games and effective syndication of trailers and content. Via the management of online creative services, creation of media plans and identification of promotional opportunities, Rubenstein directs SPIN’s brand integration and sponsorship strategies with a focus on generating awareness for the studio’s film, television and home entertainment properties. Rubenstein also oversees the robust and unified online destination www.sonypictures.com which was created by the Network to develop, build and host the official websites for SPE content and provide a gateway to all of the entertainment that Sony Pictures Entertainment offers. Before his current post, Rubenstein oversaw the establishment of Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment’s on-demand movie initiative to offer theatrically released motion pictures via digital delivery for broadband Internet users. From concept to working technical trials, Rubenstein directed the project (developed under the name Moviefly), which ultimately became a groundbreaking partnership among five studios. Previously, Rubenstein was vice president, marketing, Columbia TriStar Interactive, charged with the strategic implementation of media planning, promotional and creative advertising campaigns for more than 100 film sites including Stuart Little, Men in Black, Air Force One, As Good As It Gets and The Mask of Zorro. Recognition for his work includes honors such as Webby awards, a Gold Clio and The Hollywood Reporter Key Art award. Prior to joining Columbia TriStar Interactive, he served as manager, media research and interactive marketing for Twentieth Century Fox. Rubenstein holds a B.A. in Management Science from the University of California at San Diego and an M.F.A. from the Peter Stark Motion Picture Producing Program at the University of Southern California. 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; 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. A graduate of Yale University, he is very active in children’s welfare issues. 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. Shawn Gold, Co-President and Chief Strategic Officer, eUniverse: As Co-President and Chief Strategic Officer for eUniverse, Shawn is responsible for overseeing and driving the network’s business strategy, expanding customer acquisition and retention, developing strategic business partnerships, and implementing effective advertising campaigns and affiliate relationships. Regarded as a pioneer in the industry, Shawn joined eUniverse with an 8-year background in interactive marketing and business strategy. Prior to eUniverse, Shawn served as vice president of marketing and communications for ecommerce company WHN. There he built company owned WhatsHotNow.com to more than 1 million visitors a month, while providing ecommerce service to some of the worlds biggest entertainment brands, including The 2002 Olympics, ABC, NBC, Comedy Central, MTV, and Fox. Additionally, he developed partnerships with Yahoo!, Warner Lambert, Pizza Hut, Sony, Columbia/TriStar Lycos, and Maxim. Prior to WhatsHotNow.com, Shawn spent two years at Rare Medium where he served as head of strategic planning. He was responsible for opening the 1st satellite office in Los Angeles as well as creating the inaugural interactive strategies for clients such as Betty Crocker, Pampers, Hot Wheels, Butterfinger and Cheerios. In 1995, Shawn joined Icon New Media, where he served as GM and Founder of the company's advertising/sponsorship division. There he established markets for Word.com and charged.com via sponsorships and content syndication, and built ome of the first Internet sites for cross-promotional tie-ins. Shawn and his group were know for creating the first interstitial ads on the web and for creating an industry-leading, advertising integration system based on time rotation and contextual integration. Shawn started developing interactive content in 1992 as a partner with TouchTunes Interactive, a telecommunications music marketing service in the USA, Japan and New Zealand. There he created and implemented tie-ins between telecommunications carriers, record labels, music retailers, and consumer package goods companies like Keebler, Chevy Camaro, and Gatorade. Shawn attributes his success to "a fascination with understanding how people consume and communicate with interactive media." He took notice of the interactive world during Time Warner’s interactive TV tests in Orlando, FL in the early 90's and he knew it was inevitable. Shawn received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Statistics from Syracuse University. He lives in Southern California with his wife. Tom Des Jardins, Chairman & Chief Technology Officer, Lightningcast: As a founder of Lightningcast, Mr. Des Jardins held CEO/CTO responsibilities until recently assuming the Chairman and CTO role. An avid self-starter and innovator, in Mr. Des Jardins participated in several successful business ventures during his 20-year career. Leveraging his engineering and development background, he launched his first venture -- East Tech, a small engineering services organization. This firm specialized in networking software, simulation software for networks and several aircraft simulators. This was followed by the launch of Xylan/Alcatel's Northern Virginia office, where he served as the senior systems architect. During this time he designed and developed leading cable modem technology and led design efforts on several key products. Prior to Xylan, Mr. Des Jardins held key engineering and managerial roles at FORE Systems. In this capacity, he was responsible for managing the router QA group, and was a systems architect for the Inbound Technologies Group and OEM partnerships as well as evaluating proposed OEM equipment. He also designed key ASIC technology to implement leading-edge QOS on FORE's ATM switches and served as Lead Inventor on US Patent 5,936,939 "Early packet discard mechanism with adjustable threshold." Mr. Des Jardins has spoken frequently at national venues, and has authored numerous columns and papers. In addition, he was a contributing author to Multimedia Networking Handbook. Susan Bratton founded Cendara, Inc., a rep firm that has hand-picked a roster of the latest in thoughtful, next generation marketing companies: a creative boutique that takes branding to an altered state – Cendera distills the succinct communication between the consumer and the product to generate more revenue and create buzz. It is an online marketing technology company promoting adaptive targeting in the "offer optimization" space – the digital direct marketer’s manna and a web technology company kick starting the next era in loyalty and promotional programs Cendara helps marketing, advertising and communications pros take up the latest marketing strategies to maintain the lead in their competitive field. By scouring the market, Susan has fused a portfolio of companies that offer better "marketing mousetraps" for her high-level customers in the high-tech, consumer goods, retail, finance, automotive, and telecommunications industries. Formerly, Susan was the senior vice president of sales and marketing for Excite@Home’s media business, in charge of PR, marketing and the advertising sales organization. This was the most recent position in her 6-year career with the company. Prior to Excite@Home she was an independent publisher’s representative, having founded her own company, Media Associates, in 1988. Susan specializes in pioneering new products and developing a sales force for successful deployment of new businesses. She has 20 years of high technology media, marketing and sales experience. Susan has held a board of director position with Enliven, Inc. as well as advisory board positions with Unicast, DeltaClick and the @d:tech series of professional conferences. She served 5 years on the Board of the Internet Advertising Bureau, which brings standards and leadership to the online media market, including one election as Vice Chairman. As well, she is recognized by Advertising Age magazine as a "Digital Media Master" – one of the top 25 most influential professionals in the online media space. Chris Gibbin, founding partner & Chief Operating Officer, DNA Studio: It’s no surprise that Chief Operating Officer Chris Gibbin began his career as an artist, because it’s creative problem solving that has fueled his success. Since co-founding DNA Studio in 1995, Gibbin designed and managed all facets of the digital communication company’s operations--from production to marketing, from finances to staffing—developing systems in an arena for which there is no "how-to" book or roadmap. Gibbin built DNA from a three-person Web design operation into a marketing communications corporation spanning all digital media (Internet, DVD, ITV, etc.) with headquarters in Beverly Hills and offices in New York and Atlanta. The company now employs upward of 100 and has a client base comprised of almost every Hollywood studio as well as Fortune 500 companies and foundations such as Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola and Rock the Vote. Under Gibbin’s leadership, DNA created Bud Light’s innovative, online marketing efforts, including a Website that’s garnered a 90.7% increase in visitation; produced Michael J. Fox Foundation’s award-winning, American for Disabilities Act-compliant Internet headquarters; and served as the primary Web developer for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which hailed more than 27,000,000 unique visitors (DNA is currently working on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). Recognizing the growing relationship between marketing and content, Gibbin spearheaded DNA’s alliance with television production shop Diplomatic. The two companies have twenty interactive entertainment projects on their plate, among which is the much-talked-about, corporate-sponsored television series "Live From Tomorrow." Several of their joint ventures have already hit the "networks" such as the word game show "Smush," currently on USA and the fantasy-come–true themed "Dreamchasers," broadcast on A&E. Gibbin got his start in film production, valuable experience in a landscape tied to entertainment. After studying theatrical design at Virginia Commonwealth University (his home state), he worked as a set decorator and set designer on a host of leading films including Seven, Sleepless in Seattle, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Junior. Fascinated by the emerging Internet world, its creative and business possibilities, Gibbin partnered with CEO John Moshay to form DNA Studio and has overseen the company’s operations ever since. John Zappe has been Vice President of New Media for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group since May 2000. LANG publishes eight daily newspapers in Los Angeles with a circulation of 570,000 and 12 websites that attract more than 1.4 million monthly visitors. Several of the sites have won awards of excellence including a prestigious Edgie this year from the Newspaper Association of America. John has worked in the digital world since 1995 when he first posted the Long Beach Press-Telegram to the Internet. From 1998-2000 he was new media director for the Press-Enterprise, a 170,000 daily in Riverside, California. Prior to his online career, he was a reporter and an editor and the winner of numerous awards, including the National Headliner Award and an APME Freedom of Information Citation. He holds a law degree from Syracuse University and an undergraduate degree in political science from Marist College.