Click on the Video Below and Sample a Session from a previous Digital Hollywood event. For Additional Video Sessions, Click Here Digital Hollywood Tuesday, May 6th 2:15 PM – 3:30 PM Track I: The Future of Enhanced Advertising: Addressing Brands, Message, Technology, Media and Entertainment 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. Xavier Kochhar, Business Development, Corporate Alliances, The Walt Disney Company Joseph Eibert, Executive Director, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Hank Wasiak, co-founder, The Concept Farm Todd Steinman, Chief Operating Officer, M80 Matti Leshem, founder and CEO, Protagonist James Heckman, Chief Strategy Officer and Board Advisor, Zazzle Michael Kassan, Principal, Media Link, LLC, Moderator For Further Speaker Infomation - Click on highlighed Names to see their LinkedIn Profile Xavier Kochhar, Business Development, Corporate Alliances, The Walt Disney Company: Xavier is one of three corporate executives within Disney's Corporate Alliance Group who are dedicated solely to procuring and developing new, mutually value-creating strategic relationships between outside corporations and the myriad assets across all the divisions of The Walt Disney Company. The Group sits in Corporate atop Disney and pulls resources from the respective divisions within the company---Studios, Theme Parks, Consumer Products, and Media Networks (ABC and the various Disney cable assets)---in order to work with third-party B-to-B and consumer brand companies in various aspects of strategic and/or tactical relationships. These relationships include marketing, media buys, sponsorships, promotional activity, purchasing, corporate development, joint or integrated content opportunities, or co-branded JVs. Once a formal relationship is in place, the group assigns dedicated personnel, or 'partner teams', to serve as the corporate partner's representatives within the Company. The Walt Disney Company partners with best-of-breed corporate partners across categories; select members of the Disney Corporate Alliance family include Coca-Cola, General Motors, Kellogg's, Kodak, Visa, Hewlett Packard, Siemens. Prior to Corporate Alliances at The Walt Disney Company, Xavier was a strategy consultant for London-based L.E.K. Consulting, and a corporate packaging agent at the William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills. Xavier began his professional career in corporate finance after graduating from the U.C. Berkeley's Haas School of Business, as an investment banking associate for Tucker Anthony Sutro. Xavier lives in Brentwood, California and spends much of his free time working with youth education programs, such as the Inner City Education Foundation of Los Angeles, and coaching soccer for the American Youth Soccer Organization. Joseph Eibert, Executive Director, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment: An entrepreneurial executive with over 10 years experience in product and all aspects of interactive marketing – online media, promotions, publicity, web site design, mobile and viral; Strong analytical skills combined with innovative thinking and ability to thrive in fast-paced, challenging work environments; Respected, resilient leader with a proven track record at small Internet start-up, large consumer packaged goods company and vast entertainment studio. Master of Business Administration, Concentration in Product Marketing (1999) – The University of Southern California – The Marshall School of Business, Los Angeles, CA Bachelor of Arts, Sociology (1994) – University of California, San Diego – San Diego, CA Hank Wasiak, Wisdom Farmer, The Concept Far: Hank Wasiak is a communications industry leader with an impressive resume of experience working with the corporate elite of global business. He is co-founder of The Concept Farm, one of today's hottest creative development companies. Hank is an Emmy award winning TV host, executive producer, author, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and teacher.. He retired as Vice Chairman of McCann Erickson WorldGroup, the world's largest marketing communications company, to co-found The Concept Farm. Hank is executive producer and segment host of the company's Emmy award winning weekly series "Cool In Your Code" and he won two New York Emmys for his innovative interview Series, "Back on The Block" and “Code Read”. Hank teamed up with Dr.Kathryn D. Cramer, Ph.D., author and sought after leadership guru, to create one of today's most innovative and powerful business/self help books, "Change The Way You See Everything", published by Running Press. Kathy and Hank have completed two additional books in the series “ Change The Way You See Yourself” (scheduled for April 08 release) and “Change The Way You See You”, targeted to young adults to be released in Spring “09. Hank and Kathy are frequent motivational keynote speakers at Industry and Corporate events in the US and abroad. Hank earned a Bachelors degree in Advertising from Pace University, an MBA in Marketing from the Baruch School of Business, has held an Assistant Professorship at Pace University, and has taught at Eckerd College, the University of South Florida. Bellarmine College and the University of Louisville. James Heckman, Chief Strategy Officer and Board Advisor, Zazzle: James Heckman is Zazzle's chief strategy officer and board advisor where he is responsible for strategizing and directing the overall growth of the company including M&A, business development, branding, marketing and sales. Jim has spent his career leading strategic partnerships with major Internet companies and brings more than two decades of CEO/CSO operating experience and major media distribution relationships to Zazzle. Most recently, he was chief strategy officer at Fox Interactive Media (FIM). Prior to FIM, Heckman founded and led several successful Internet ventures, including Rivals.com and Scout.com (both brands eventually sold separately to Fox and Yahoo!) and previously operated as president of Scout.com, responsible for more than 60 sports publications for NFL teams and Major Universities. Todd Steinman, COO, M80: M80 develops online marketing campaigns for top entertainment properties and consumer brands. M80’s primary focus is online social media, viral and word of mouth marketing, grassroots community empowerment, influencer outreach, digital publicity and content placement. Todd oversees the company’s operations and strategy. Clients include Microsoft, Fox Home Entertainment, Cisco, Warner Bros. and MTV. Prior to M80, Steinman served as General Manager of Media & Entertainment for iXL, a global internet services firm. His blend of technical expertise, product development and strategic planning enabled him to help foremost publishing, broadcast, filmed entertainment and music companies identify and develop successful digital business solutions. Steinman began his career at Warner Bros. Records, where he became Vice President, New Media and Marketing. He founded the company’s New Media department in 1993 and was instrumental in putting them on the map as the first major record label online. He developed and managed the company's online presence including highly trafficked artist sites, mailing lists, and e-commerce. Todd managed strategic partnerships with technology companies, content providers and internet portals and played a key role in the conception and launch of Warner Bros. Online. Steinman got his start at Warner Bros. Records in Product Management and Creative Services. Matti Leshem is the founder and CEO of Protagonist, a Brand Energy company that focuses on integrating and leveraging brands holistically into populist broad platform media: TV, Broadband, Internet, and Mobile. The company’s efforts are focused on creating content at the intersection of Brand DNA, Entertainment and Marketing with a critical focus on design. Currently, Mr. Leshem guides Protagonist’s role as strategic consultant for Pepsi-Cola North America’s entire portfolio of brands. It is Mr. Leshem’s responsibility to keep Pepsi on the cutting edge of entertainment through ventures such as Mountain Dew’s DEWmocracy, an immersive online gaming experience, MDN (Mountain Dew Network), a late night variety show for SPIKE TV and “Retronym,” a Manhattan gallery dedicated to fostering and inspiring innovation at Pepsi. HE is also working with Pepsi owned IZZE sparkling juice to create The IZZE Campaign which will identify eight to ten thought leaders over the next months and create IZZE cocktails to celebrate their achievements and speak to their personality. Protagonist has also been retained by Xanadu, a two-billion dollar retail-tainment development in the Meadowlands, New Jersey. For Xanadu, Mr. Leshem has been tasked with creating new ways of connecting brands to their consumers and developing broadcast strategy for this revolutionary project. Leshem’s eye for innovation and brand integration allow him to offer a distinctive perspective, along with a fully integrative approach. His background runs the full gamut of television production, Internet content development, and product design. Mr. Leshem’s career span includes an array of high profile multi-media positions, including television producer and online content developer. Mr. Leshem created and produced the 2-hour network television special Pepsi’s Play for a Billion. Protagonist also took the lead in launching In2TV, a joint venture between AOL and Warner Bros. Mr. Leshem’s team designed eight channels of broadband, immersive, interactive digital programming utilizing the Warner library of television shows. Mr. Leshem’s aptitude for discerning creative marketing opportunities for a specific brand’s DNA is also demonstrated by unique ventures such as the USA Rock Paper Scissors League. Mr. Leshem founded the league, and then conceived of a nation-wide tournament that serves as a unique marketing platform for Bud Light (Anheuser Busch) currently in its third season. The League finals were broadcast on ESPN 2 and made headlines around the world declaring a new $50,000 winner. This year, Leshem decides to have the USARPS League, the official governing body of Rock, Paper, Scissors in the USenter the 2008 Presidential race with the release of a new online game available exclusively on the League web site, www.USARPS.com. The interactive Rock Paper Scissors (RPS) application pits Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama against five opponents on his way to the Oval Office. Earlier in his career, Mr. Leshem rode the first wave of Internet programming as founder of Cobalt Moon, one of LA’s seminal interactive entertainment companies. He was then recruited by Barry Diller to run an experimental television station, WAMI-TV (USA Broadcasting), where he led a team of three-hundred to the successful launch of the station and the creation of over forty hours a week of locally produced original programs. Other endeavors included: Anteye.com, a community-driven studio on the Web committed to changing the traditional development and creative process and Diplomatic, a multi-faceted production company, where Mr. Leshem started the development of integrated brand shows as well as ESPN’s 2-Minute Drill, Smush for USA Network and the documentary series Ultimate Reality on A&E. Many of Leshem’s early achievements are chronicled in John Geirland’s book Digital Babylon: How the Geeks, the Suits, and the Ponytails Fought to Bring Hollywood to the Internet. (Arcade). He is also featured in Madison and Vine: Why The Entertainment & Advertising Industries Must Converge To Survive, by Scott Donaton (McGraw-Hill). Mr. Leshem’s endeavors have been featured on MSNBC, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, in New York Newsday, Variety, and the Wall Street Journal. 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.