11:05 AM - 12:20 PM
Track III:
DTV, the Set-Top and Interactive TV - Middleware Enabling Solutions: from Interactive Guides to Interfaces
As consumer offerings via the set-top, from broadband, interactive TV and DTV emerge, the choices in "middleware," that solutions that make the content useful and dynamic for the TV viewer become more vital. Whether it is called DTV, ETV, TVs with Interactive Programming, on-demand TV viewing, or customized or Personalized TV, there are a group of companies who have set the stage for this next TV generation, and we are pleased to have them represented at this session
David McElhatten, Creative Director, Vidiom Systems
Daniel Putterman, President and CEO, Mediabolic
Jack Perry, President and CEO, Decisionmark
Colin Dixon, Executive Strategy Advisor, Alticast
Aslam Khader, VP, Marketing & Strategy, Ensequence
Bill Niemeyer, Chief of Analysis and Research, DiMA Group, Moderator
Daniel Putterman is President and CEO of Mediabolic. He founded the
company in 1999 and his leadership and vision have driven the company’s success. Prior to Mediabolic, Putterman founded Maximum Information, Inc., the first enterprise Web management solution company, acquired by NetManage (NASDAQ: NETM) in 1996. He went on to co-found EoExchange, a supplier of Internet Research Solutions to vertical portals, one year later. A technology industry veteran, Putterman held senior management positions at Borland International and Symantec Corporation and was responsible for product management, business development and worldwide evangelism.Aslam Khader, Vice President, Marketing and Strategy, Ensequence: Aslam Khader's international business experience spans the globe, having lived and worked in India, Japan and the United States throughout his career. He has held positions in engineering, marketing, business development and business management during his 17 years high technology. "Developing the product strategy and driving product growth for the on-Q software suites is my primary goal," said Khader. Khader holds a bachelor's in electronics and electrical engineering with honors from the Indian Institute of Technology. Khader leads cross-functional teams, builds strategic partnerships, implements business processes and develops high-quality employees at Ensequence. In his most recent position as vice president of product marketing at Intertrust Technologies, Khader established product processes, product roadmaps and product requirements that established Intertrust as a pioneer in digital rights management technologies. At IBM and Sequent Computer Systems, he increased revenue to more than $300 million in three years. A fluent English, Hindi, Bengali and Japanese speaker, Khader has been invited to speak at numerous industry events and has been published in a number of magazines. In Japan, he established a UNIX engineering organization and represented Japanese interests at various X/Open forums. In India, Khader's group played an instrumental role in popularizing UNIX by implementing innovative, cost-effective solutions using UNIX systems.
David McElhatten, Creative Director, Vidiom Systems: Spanning over two decades of unparalleled experience in the development of interactive products and new media production, David McElhatten has been a leader in the interactive entertainment industry since 1980. Mr. McElhatten is currently the Creative Director of Vidiom Systems where he is involved on a number of new and diverse interactive television projects. Activity in this role includes advanced product development and design for new digital TV services as well as the creation of a suite of interactive applications for the new OCAP cable standard. Other recent consulting activity has included work with the following clients: MTV, Showtime, Time Warner, Marvel Entertainment, Playboy Enterprises, 5000 Feet, and the Marine Channel. In addition, McElhatten serves on the board of Exient, Ltd, a UK mobile and handheld game development studio. Previous to these activities, McElhatten was the President of Philips Media Games, an international software publishing division of the electronics giant, Royal Philips of the Netherlands. Based in London and Los Angeles, Philips Media Games was responsible for the development and publishing of computer and video game software across a variety of computer and game console platforms. Prior to his role as head of an international publishing label, McElhatten was Senior Vice President of Production at Philips Interactive Media, where he was in charge of all production and engineering in company owned and operated studios located in Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. Mr. McElhatten joined Philips 1988 and initially served in the role of Vice President of Design. In that capacity, he oversaw the design and pre-production activity for all interactive products in development. Before his work at Philips, McElhatten was President of Image Access, Inc., an internationally recognized interactive design, production and consulting company. Image Access was a pioneering company in the development and delivery of computer controlled optical disc based systems and interactive products for both the consumer and professional markets serving an array of Fortune 500 clients. Prior to Image Access, McElhatten held key positions in production and design with Pioneer Electronics and with DVA, the MCA / IBM joint venture, which originally launched the Laser Disc into the U.S. market in 1980. A graduate of Allegheny College, McElhatten was elected to Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities in 1979. In addition to his new media business pursuits, McElhatten is also a licensed U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Captain.
Bill Niemeyer, Chief of Analysis and Research, DiMA Group: Bill Niemeyer is the Chief of Analysis and Research of The DiMA Group. Bill provides DiMA Group clients and program members with research, information, analysis and insights to assist them in making critical tactical and strategic decisions regarding DVRs, VOD and other advanced TV services. He also writes the widely read Niemeyer Review email newsletter. Bill has been in the interactive and new media industry since 1991. Previous to joining The DiMA Group, Bill founded Centrimedia, a consultancy focused on DVR, VOD and Interactive TV and their impacts on television industry business models. His clients there included Fortune 100 firms and investment funds. Prior to founding Centrimedia, Bill was a key member of the executive team at Spiderdance, a leading provider of infrastructure and technology to television networks for creating and operating interactive TV programming. Venture-funded Spiderdance developed and deployed six groundbreaking and award-winning ITV enabled series for TV networks including "Weakest Link" for NBC, "No Boundaries" for WB and "webRIOT" for MTV. Bill has also been a member of the team at venture-funded firms in PC/platform gaming and 3D virtual community technologies. Bill is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He is a regular panel moderator and speaker at industry events including the Consumer Electronics Show, NAB and Digital Hollywood.
Colin Dixon is Executive Strategy Advisor to Alticast, Inc. In this role, he
advises Alticast on market strategy, business development and business alignment in the US market. He has held senior positions at companies such as Microsoft, Liberate and Oracle and is currently an Executive Consultant to the rich media industry. He has overseen the successful delivery of products such as Electronic Program Guides and Video Servers and created Interactive TV Games services and Broadcast Interactive Systems. In addition to his experience in the rich media industry, he has extensive experience in the communications, networking and network management industries working at companies such as Novell and Bay Networks. Mr. Dixon has a Masters Degree from the University of Florida and has post-graduate business education experience from Stanford. He is a published author.