Click on the Video Below and Sample a Session from a previous Digital Hollywood event. For Additional Video Sessions, Click Here Digital Hollywood, May 4-7, 2009 Tuesday, May 5th 2:15 PM – 3:30 PM Track I: Hollywood 2.0 - Content & Commerce: New Rules for the Film, TV, Broadband & Mobile Video Industry - Deals, Advertising and Commerce Since its beginnings, technology has transformed the entertainment industry and media industries. And while there were always the naysayer, predicting such gems such as the end of Hollywood with the invention of TV or that cable would doom the TV industry, the entertainment industry has more durable than they could have ever suspected. In fact, with the coming of new technologies, the entertainment and media industries has emerged as a global powerhouse. And the more things change, the more they stay the same. Entertainment and media are being challenged once again - Hollywood 2.0 is now upon us with an entirely new set of technologies with new rules of engagement. In this session, we are delighted to welcome a group of frontline players in the Hollywood 2.0 transformation. Sandy Grushow, President, Filmaka Roy Bank, President, Television, Merv Griffin Entertainment Dean Valentine, President, Symbolic Action, LLC, former President, UPN and former President, Walt Disney Television Michael Davies, Executive Producer, “PopTub,” “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” Vince Messina, Regional Sales Director, Western U.S., Microsoft Advertising Lewis Henderson, chief executive officer, Davie Brown Entertainment Mara Sternthal, Senior Vice President, Business Development, GMX, Ascent Media, Moderator Sandy Grushow serves as President of Filmaka (www.filmaka.com ), a digital entertainment studio and robust online community of aspiring filmmakers, representing 123 countries. Grushow’s deep entertainment industry background perfectly poises him to direct and implement the company’s strategic plans and to establish its brand identity. Grushow oversees original programming and content development, and creates key partnerships in the entertainment and advertising industries which result in professional opportunities for its community. Prior to Filmaka, Grushow served as Chairman of Fox Television Entertainment Group overseeing both Fox Broadcasting Company and 20th Century Fox Television Studio’s entertainment operations, and the head of Fox’s Phase Two Productions. Grushow's appointment to oversee Fox Broadcasting's entertainment operations marked his return to the network he helped build. He first joined FOX in 1988 as Senior Vice President of Advertising and Promotion, helping to create and launch the new network's national brand identity as well as the hit programs "The Simpsons," "In Living Color" and "Beverly Hills 90210." He moved up to Executive Vice President and, later, President of the Fox Entertainment Group where he was responsible for such hit shows as "X-Files," "Melrose Place" and "Party of Five" while taking the network from five to seven nights a week. When Grushow returned to the network in 1999, the Fox Broadcasting Company was ranked number three in the 18-49 demographic. Under Grushow’s leadership, FOX surged to new heights, including the first Sweeps win in the network’s history. During this time, FOX launched new programs such as "Malcolm in the Middle," "24," "American Idol," "OC," "The Bernie Mac Show," "Joe Millionaire," "The Simple Life" and the critically acclaimed and Emmy-winning "Arrested Development." Under Grushow, Twentieth Century Fox Television rose from the eighth-ranked studio, with just five series on primetime, to become the undisputed leader in network television production two years running. As President of the studio from 1997-99, Grushow was responsible for overseeing such hit series as "The Practice," and "Dharma and Greg" on ABC; "Judging Amy" on CBS; "Ally McBeal," "King of the Hill," "The Simpsons," "Family Guy" and "The X-Files" on FOX; and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel" and "Roswell" on the WB. Grushow began his career as an intern at Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in 1983, rising to Vice President of Creative Advertising. In that role, he developed advertising campaigns for some of the studio's most successful films, including "Broadcast News," "Big," and "Die Hard. Dean Valentine, President, Symbolic Action, LLC, former President, UPN and former President, Walt Disney Television: Dean Valentine runs Symbolic Action, LLC, a media investment fund, focused on the convergence of content and technology. Valentine is the former president and chief executive officer of the United Paramount Network, a position he held from 1997 to 2001. He was responsible for the overall administration of UPN and its programming, distribution, affiliate relations, marketing, advertising, and advertising sales and research activities. Under his tenure, Valentine transformed UPN into a true destination for young viewers seeking an alternative brand of programming. While overseeing the network’s expansion from three to five nights, Valentine radically improved it’s finances. In April 2001, Valentine orchestrated a network-television coup by acquiring the sensational hit series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” When the show debuted on UPN in October 2001, it delivered its best ratings ever. Valentine also developed the latest installment of the long-running Star Trek franchise, “Enterprise,” which premiered in the fall of 2001 to 12.5 million viewers, UPN’s largest primetime audience since the network’s launch on January 16, 1995. He also brought the smash hit “WWF Smackdown!” to UPN and strengthened the network’s distribution base. Before that, Valentine served as the President of Walt Disney Television and Walt Disney Television Animation. He was responsible for all creative and business areas, including the development and production of television series, specials and telefilms produced by Walt Disney Television, Walt Disney Television Animation and Touchstone Television for network, syndication, basic cable and pay-TV markets. During his tenure at the studio, Valentine oversaw the creation and production of such top-rated shows as “Home Improvement” and the history-making “Ellen”, as well as “Soul Man”, “Boy Meets World” and “Smart Guy.” He was also involved with long-running hits “The Golden Girls,” “Blossom” and “Empty Nest.” Additionally, he oversaw the development and production of an ambitious slate of original telefilms and event movies for the revived “The Wonderful World of Disney,” including “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” starring Whitney Houston and Brandy, “Oliver Twist,” starring Richard Dreyfuss, and “Toothless,” starring Kirstie Alley. In animation, Valentine expanded the scope of Walt Disney Television Animation and led the resurgence of Disney’s Saturday morning animation lineup on ABC. He is responsible for signing noted industry writers and producers such as Peter Hastings, creator of “Pinky and the Brain,” acquiring Jumbo Pictures, Inc. (producers of “Brand Spanking New Doug)”, and signing production deals with innovative animation houses such as Colossal Pictures. Valentine developed the “Disney’s One Saturday Morning” block for ABC which premiered as the #1 kid’s programming block in 1997. Shows he oversaw for ABC’s Saturday morning schedule included: “Brand Spanking New Doug,” “Mighty Ducks,” “Jungle Cubs” and animated series’, “Recess,” “Pepper Ann,” and “101 Dalmatians: The Animated Series.” Valentine was responsible for overseeing six series on the studio’s syndicated “The Disney Afternoon,” including “Mighty Ducks,” “Quack Pack,” “The Lion King’s Timon & Pumbaa,” “Gargoyles,” “Disney’s Aladdin” and “Darkwing Duck.” Fall 1997 Marked the syndication premiere of “101 Dalmatians: The Animated Series” via the Disney/Kellogg alliance with episodes exclusive to syndication airing five days a week. “Mighty Ducks,” “Quack Pack” and the classic children’s series “DuckTales” also aired in syndication during the 1997-98 season. Valentine’s responsibilities also included developing the immensely successful Disney Video Premiere line of sequels to Disney’s animated theatrical features which were produced as direct-to-video properties. These projects included the first full-length “Winnie the Pooh” feature, “Pooh’s Grand Adventure: the Search for Christopher Robin,” “Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas,” “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride,” “Pocahontas: Journey to a New World,” “An Extremely Goofy Movie,” “The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea,” “Lady & the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure,” and Hunchback of Notre Dame II.” Valentine also oversaw the production of the Emmy Award winning “Boo! To You Too Winnie the Pooh” and the Emmy nominated “A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving” and “Winnie the Pooh, a Valentine For You.” In addition, Valentine developed and greenlighted the theatrical animated movies “The Tigger Movie,” “Return to Neverland,” and “Doug’s First Movie.” Valentine began his career at Disney in 1988 as director of television development. In May 1989, he was promoted to vice president and then to senior vice president in April 1990. Before joining Disney, Valentine served as director of Current Comedy Programming at NBC Entertainment. Prior to that, he held a number of key positions at New York based magazines including Life and Saturday Review. In 1995, Valentine was instrumental in establishing the industry’s first Director’s Training Program in association with the Director’s Guild of America, which aims to improve the industry’s employment record of talented minority directors. He was nominated by the DGA for the first annual Diversity Award which honors an employer or producer who has demonstrated consistent commitment to, and leadership in, the hiring of women and ethnic Minorities in DGA categories. An honors graduate of the University of Chicago with a degree in English Language and Literature, Valentine is the founder of the Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Archive of American Television, a trustee of the Hammer museum, and a member of the KCRW Board, Los Angeles. Vince Messina, Regional Sales Director, Western U.S., Microsoft Advertising: At Microsoft Advertising, Vince is responsible for generating revenue across all Microsoft ad platforms, including Display, Search, Branded Entertainment, Video, Gaming and Mobile, as well as the Microsoft Media Network, which comprises Microsoft’s owned and operated properties including MSN, Windows Live, Office Live and XBOX Live; partner sites, including Facebook, Viacom, CNBC, Dow Jones; and access to the top 500 premium third party publisher sites across the Web. Focusing on the automotive, entertainment, financial services, retail, technology and travel sectors, he leads the ad sales efforts of a team of over 40 from his Los Angeles base and offices in Seattle and San Francisco. Previously at Microsoft, Vince was director of national sales and category development, specializing in multi-platform advertising solutions for the entertainment industry. Prior to joining Microsoft, Vince spent four years in a similar role at Yahoo. Beginning in national TV sales over 25 years ago, Vince spent 17 years at Warner Bros., where he was responsible for the off-network syndication of shows including Friends, Full House, Family Matters, Murphy Brown and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. He went on to direct the syndication sales, scheduling and marketing for all Warner Bros. feature films to the broadcast TV market. Vince has spoken at a number of high profile industry events in Los Angeles, the Bay Area and Las Vegas, including keynoting the annual movie picture industry convention Showest. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Hofstra University. Roy J. Bank, President, Merv Griffin Entertainment: As President of Television of Merv Griffin Entertainment, one of the industries most respected and historically rich production companies, Roy Bank is leading a resurgence of the late Merv Griffin’s brand. A seasoned entertainment industry veteran, Bank has seen his creativity and leadership flourish while working with such well-known companies as Mark Burnett Productions, Reveille Productions and alongside TV icon Woody Frasier. Some of his notable successes are Martha, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?; (on which Bank served as both the Creator and Executive Producer); and The Apprentice. His expertise on both the business and creative sides make Bank the perfect leader to take Merv Griffin Entertainment to the next level. In 2005 Bank took the role as Head of Development, Production and Corporate Operations for Mark Burnett Productions (MBP), where he quickly began work on The Apprentice and Rockstar: INXS. While holding that position, the company experienced record growth with the launch of new prime-time shows, daytime programming and the expansion into on-line content. In addition to the continued success of its prime-time programming strategies, MBP’s 2005-2006 saw the premiere of Martha, the new Martha Stewart daytime program which was picked up for a 4th season, and Gold Rush on AOL, the largest internet event initiative to date. It was also in 2006 that Bank was named to The Hollywood Reporter’s “Next Generation, Hollywood’s Top 35 Executives 35 and Under.” In 2007, Bank orchestrated a major shift in the type of programming that MBP is known for with the introduction of two new prime-time network game shows. First, in early 2007, Bank served as Creator and Executive Producer of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, which premiered on FOX as the most watched game show premiere in television history as well as being one of the most syndicated programs internationally. Later in the year, Bank again created and Executive Produced a new game show, Amnesia, starring Dennis Miller for NBC. Before joining MBP, Bank worked in development at Reveille Productions, which was founded by the current Co-Chairman of NBC, Ben Silverman. It was there that he teamed with MBP to produce The Restaurant, the first fully ad-supplied network television show in 30 years. A graduate of University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, Bank began his career in the finance industry and gained notoriety in the field with being one of the founders of the first internet bank in the United States. From there he changed career paths and took his business acumen to the entertainment industry, starting his career producing for television icon Woody Fraser which proved to be the beginning of a very successful career in entertainment. Michael Davies, President, Embassy Row: Executive Producer, “PopTub,” “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” As one of the most prolific producers in the history of the television business, Davies has logged more than 500 episodes of primetime television, more than 1000 episodes of first-run syndication, more than 500 episodes of cable television and more than 1000 pieces of digital video content. With the continued success of Emmy Award-winning Millionaire in syndication, Wife Swap (with RDF Media) in primetime and a wide range of projects in production for broadcast, cable and digital networks, Davies has firmly established himself as one of the most versatile show runners in the business. As President of Embassy Row, the global television format and digital production company that Davies sold to Sony Pictures Entertainment in late 2008, he and his team are dedicated to developing original concepts and adapting international formats for television networks, digital and wireless distribution in the U.S. and around the world. Davies specializes in the genres of games, comedy, reality, factual, sports and food and is a pioneer in the fields of brand-supported and digital content. Davies' latest credits include: Newlywed Game for GSN; America's Strongest American for CBS primetime; Power of 10, the Rose D'Or-winning game show for CBS primetime that has been sold in 53 countries worldwide; Chain Reaction and Grand Slam for GSN; Fast Cars and Superstars: Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race, the major sporting show for ABC; The World Series of Pop Culture, the multi-platform quiz event for VH1 and POPTUB for YouTube. Vince Messina, Regional Sales Director, Western U.S., Microsoft Advertising: Vince Messina is the regional sales director for the Western U.S. at Microsoft Advertising. He is responsible for generating revenue through the Microsoft Media Network, which comprises Microsoft’s owned and operated properties including MSN, Windows Live, Office Live and XBOX Live; Microsoft’s partner sites, including Facebook, Viacom, CNBC, Dow Jones; and access to the top 500 premium third party publisher sites across the web. Focusing on the automotive, entertainment, financial services, retail, technology and travel sectors, he leads the ad sales efforts of a team of over 40 from his Los Angeles base and offices in Seattle and San Francisco. Previously at Microsoft, Vince was director of national sales and category development, specializing in multi-platform advertising solutions for the entertainment industry. Prior to joining Microsoft, Vince spent four years in a similar role at Yahoo. Beginning in national TV sales over 25 years ago, Vince spent 17 years at Warner Bros., where he was responsible for the off-network syndication of shows including Friends, Full House, Family Matters, Murphy Brown and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. He went on to direct the syndication sales, scheduling and marketing for all Warner Bros. feature films to the broadcast TV market, including the Batman and Lethal Weapon series, The Matrix, You’ve Got Mail, Analyze This, The Wild, Wild West, Deep Blue Sea and Three Kings. In his last role, he created and managed Telepictures Distribution, a start-up distribution arm within Warner Bros. Studios. Vince has spoken at a number of high profile industry events in Los Angeles, the Bay Area and Las Vegas, including keynoting the annual movie picture industry convention Showest. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Hofstra University. Lewis Henderson was named chief executive officer of Davie Brown Entertainment in March 2009, replacing the retiring James Davie, who co-founded the agency in 1985. Prior to joining Davie Brown, Henderson spent nearly 20 years with the William Morris Agency, most recently serving as head of William Morris' digital practice. In that role, Henderson built WMA's digital entertainment businesses on behalf of the agency's clients across film, television, music, publishing, theater, sports, corporate and international. Henderson drove a number of the industry's most notable technology and media partnerships, having counseled many of today's leading companies from the broadband, mobile and video game arenas. Prior to the launch of William Morris Digital in 2006, Henderson was a co-founder of WMA's corporate consulting division. In this post, he advised Fortune 500 companies on entertainment marketing as well as content development, licensing, acquisition and distribution. Henderson has consulted with a number of international brands and organizations, including Nokia, Pfizer, 24 Hour Fitness, Monster.com, U.S. Olympic Committee, NFL, British Telecom and Compaq. Henderson earned a bachelor's of science degree from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas. Mara Sternthal is the Senior Vice President of Business Development for Ascent Media’s newly announced Global Media Exchange (GMX), spearheading efforts to bring buyers and sellers of premium content onto the platform. GMX will be the first online marketplace to provide content owners and rights holders with a platform to sell and distribute film, television, short films and other video content to web publishers, cable, satellite and IPTV channels, television networks and stations around the world. Ascent Media, formerly known as Liberty Livewire, is the world’s largest provider of integrated global services for the creation, management and distribution of media content. The company services major film studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, channels, advertising agencies and other content producers and aggregators from more than 70 facilities worldwide. Prior to joining Ascent, Mara consulted entertainment and new media clients, specializing in developing and implementing content acquisition and programming strategies, sourcing new revenue opportunities, negotiating partnerships and alliances. Her clients included media and technology companies such as Microsoft, VCs and institutional investors. Prior to becoming a consultant, Mara served as Senior Vice President of Business Affairs and Development at Paramount, overseeing the full spectrum of transactions for the Home Video Group and the development of new media business worldwide. Mara led her team in structuring and closing Paramount’s first content deals with online video platforms, e.g., Amazon, Apple and CinemaNow. She was also a Paramount board representative for Movielink, the first studio-owned movie download service on the Internet. Before Paramount, Mara was Vice President, Business Development and Pay TV at Warner Bros., where she initiated and managed relationships with international media companies, in addition to being a Warner representative on the board of HBO’s Latin American satellite TV platform, HBO Ole. Mara also served as Vice President, Corporate Development of Sony Pictures Entertainment, where she was responsible for evaluating and recommending investments and acquisitions to senior management. Prior to joining Sony, Mara negotiated content and equity agreements for HBO, leading her team in securing Disney as a key content partner for HBO Asia. Mara launched her entertainment career with ABC, where she was responsible for the international distribution of ABC-owned programming (including the Academy Awards and Major League Baseball) to Latin America, Asia, Middle East and Africa. She began her career as a banker on Wall Street with Irving Trust. In addition, she has been an advisor to Internews and Irex, both non-profit organizations dedicated to the development of free and independent media worldwide. Mara is a member of the Los Angeles Committee of the Council on Foreign Relations.