Click on the Video Below and Sample a Session from a previous Digital Hollywood event. For Additional Video Sessions, Click Here Media Summit 2008 Wednesday, March 12 10:45 AM - Noon Session A: Social Media & User Generated Media Economy: The Content, Personalization, Lifestyle and Advertising Phenomenon In the past year, the YouTube - MySpace - Facebook experience has revolutionized the world of entertainment, information and communications. The world of social communities, once thought to be a thing of the past has exploded and is once again on the front pages of our newspapers and magazines. There are web pages and web experiences for every human nuance and niche. Every family communicates through photo sharing and movie sharing websites. The blogging and social networking worlds have become the new "major media networks." In this session we will explore social media and user generated media as a phenomenon, as a business, as a communications and entertainment platform – as a always-connected lifestyle. Mark Goldman, COO, Current TV Josh Bernoff, Vice President, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research Marc Shedroff, Strategic Partner Development, YouTube Ty Ahmad-Taylor, Vice President, Product Development, MTV Networks and Logo Adrian Sexton, Executive Vice President, Digital, Participant Productions Stephen Smyth, General Manager & Senior Vice President, Americas, Reuters Media Ron Grover, Bureau Manager, Los Angeles, BusinessWeek, Moderator Mark Goldman, Chief Operating Officer, Current TV: With a wealth of media start-up and operating experience, Mark Goldman serves as Chief Operating Officer of Current. As COO, he is responsible for overseeing distribution, ad sales, legal and business affairs, as well as technical operations. Goldman began his television industry career at MCA/Universal Television where he spent five years as a senior business development executive, negotiating license and venture agreements and developing television channels in Asia, Australia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. In 1995 he was recruited byNews Corp. to build a satellite TV service in Latin America. As President and COO of Sky Latin America Partners, Goldman oversaw the establishment of local operating companies throughout the region, the development of pan-regional branding and programming strategies, the construction of a state-of-the art digital broadcast facility and over $700 million of financing transactions. Ahmad-Taylor, Senior Director, Interactive Products, Comcast Cable: Ty Ahmad-Taylor began his career at the New York Times in their graphics department, working in National and International news. While there, he covered the Waco, TX standoff, the Los Angeles riots, the Gulf War, the Oklahoma City bombing and other large news events from a visual perspective, using schematics, databases and cartography. In 1995, his last year at the paper, he wrote articles on the emerging Internet, special effects in cinema, and the video game industry. From the Times he moved West to join the @Home Network. Ty became the Creative Director of @Home in 1997, and led their efforts to create next-generation portals for broadband and interactive television. After a year sabbatical in 2000, where he took cooking and French lessons, he returned to technology, working as the Chief Creative Architect for MetaTV, an iTV concern based in Mill Valley, CA, just north of San Francisco. While there, Ty generated user interface patents, and led the design of interactive television portals for Comcast, Cox, Echostar and other MSO and satellite operators. After working at Comcast Cable Corporation as the Director of Strategic Planning in their broadband group, where his mandate included devising and executing Comcast’s wireless (GPRS, UMTS and WiFi) strategy, and interactive content and applications. He was the Senior Director for Cross-platform applications at the company. His job duties encompassed applications that straddle distribution channels, such as search, games and music. He is currently the Vice President for Product Development at MTV Networks in New York City, working on their music websites as well as the infusion of online community throughout their properties. Ty has over 11 years of experience in designing for broadband, 10 years in interactive television, and 17 years in information design. He has lectured at Digital Hollywood, CES, Milia, AIGA conferences, HOW Design Conferences, Seybold Seminars, as well as the Poynter Institute for Journalism in St. Petersberg, Fla. Ty lives in New York City, though he is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. Josh Bernoff, Vice President, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research: Josh Bernoff, a vice president at Forrester, is one of Forrester's most senior and most frequently quoted research analysts. Josh joined Forrester in 1995. In 1996, he created the Technographics segmentation, a classification of consumers according to how they approach technology. Forrester has used this segmentation as the basis of its consumer research offering, also called Technographics, since 1997. Josh is best known for his analysis of television. In an interview for 60 Minutes, Mike Wallace identified Josh as "the top TV industry analyst at Forrester Research, the authority on where TV is going." He led Forrester's analysis of technology change created by devices like digital video recorders, HDTV, and online video. Josh advises senior figures in the media and electronics industry and chaired Forrester's 2002 Television Summit, an event that was covered live on CNBC. In 2007, Josh began work on a book, Groundswell, which describes how people with social technologies like blogs, wikis, MySpace, and YouTube will threaten institutions of all kinds, and how companies can succeed in the face of this change. Josh's coauthor for Groundswell is the primary Forrester analyst researching social media, Charlene Li. Groundswell will be published in 2008. Josh's research, analysis, and opinions appear frequently in publications like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Broadcasting & Cable, and on national television news programs. Josh has spoken at conferences including the executive summits of both the National Association of Broadcasters and the Consumer Electronics Association. He also testified before the Gore Commission on Public Interest Obligations for Digital Broadcasters. Adrian Sexton, Executive Vice President, Digital, Participant Productions: Adrian Sexton joined Participant Productions, as Executive Vice President in charge of Digital, in January, 2007. He will oversee the company's expansion into global media, the production of new programs and digital distribution. Sexton most recently consulted with Participant on the DVD release of the Academy Award ® nominated documentary “AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH,” Richard Linklater’s “FAST FOOD NATION” and “THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SESAME STREET.” Sexton comes to Participant from TAG Strategic, a digital media and entertainment agency he co-founded with EMI veteran and digital pioneer Ted Cohen. TAG’s diverse client roster has included Lionsgate, Eyespot, Qualcomm, Revver, Sandisk and LivePlanet. He continues his successful relationship with select TAG clients which are relevant to Participant’s strategic mandates. Before forming TAG, Sexton headed Digital Media at Lionsgate, where he oversaw the day-to-day operations, production, media planning and business development for digital and mobile properties. His duties encompassed theatrical, home entertainment, television, international and physical studios. He oversaw the digital campaigns for such movies as the Best Picture Academy Award ® -winning “CRASH,” Oscar ® -winning “MONSTER’S BALL,” as well as “FAHRENHEIT 9/11,” and the “MADEA’S FAMILY REUNION” and “SAW” franchises. A pioneer in the creation of studio blogs for emerging directors and audience participation, Sexton released the first MPAA-approved age-gates for online content, and negotiated an innovative digital cinema deal with BMW Films around Lionsgate titles “SHATTERED GLASS” and “THE COOLER.” Sexton identified multiple-platform marketing, distribution and sales opportunities for the studio’s 8000+ title film library in such high-growth markets as broadband, mobile, digital cinema, peer-to-peer and IPTV. Sexton also was part of the team which secured the $350 million credit facility involving the acquisition of Artisan Entertainment. A frequent media presenter, Sexton delivered the studio keynote at the Opening Forum of the 60th Anniversary of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, as well as keynotes at the 2006 Intel Viiv announcement in Tokyo and 2006 Forrester conference in Brazil. He is also an Advisory Committee Member for non-profit Film Independent and its Los Angeles Film Festival. Additionally, he is on the Interactive Media Peer Group Awards Committee for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and a new media council member of the Producers Guild of America. Prior to Lionsgate, Sexton was the New Media Director at Mediapact Capital, a media management and investment capital firm. His professional experience also includes work in television at Sony Pictures Entertainment with programs including “MAD ABOUT YOU,” “PARTY OF FIVE,” “THE KING OF QUEENS” and “DAWSON’S CREEK”; in production and development at HBO Pictures with "AND THE BAND PLAYED ON" and “THE LATE SHIFT”; and, at 20th Century Fox and Saban Entertainment. Sexton graduated with dual bachelor degrees in Government and English from Cornell University, and received his Masters from the University of Southern California as a Phi Kappa Phi fellow. STEPHEN SMYTH, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Americas, Reuters Media: Stephen Smyth is responsible for the Reuters Media business in the Americas, driving revenue and audience for the online, mobile, interactive TV, signage and digital syndication services in the region. He oversees advertising sales, advertising operations, business development, programming and signage operations. Prior to his current role, Stephen led Reuters’ mobile, video, and digital signage products globally. He was responsible for maximizing revenues and brand value from the company’s presence in these emerging media and oversaw relationships with key technology providers and distribution affiliates across the globe. In addition, he launched and managed Reuters Labs, a public showcase of the latest consumer product innovations from Reuters. Previously, Stephen was responsible for media strategy and business development for Reuters. Before joining the company in January 2003, he was a Director of Business Development for Bertelsmann, the media group. At Bertelsmann, Stephen worked for a number of divisions including the RTL Group, Bookspan and the firm’s E-Commerce Group, and worked on a number of properties and partnerships, including American Idol and Napster. He received his B.A. and B.A.I. from Trinity College, University of Dublin and his M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Marc Shedroff, Strategic Partner Development, YouTube: As a member of the YouTube business development team, Marc executes content acquisition deals with major media companies, news organizations, and universities. Prior to joining Google, Marc was a Director in Time Warner's Corporate Strategy Group, where he assisted with strategic planning and business development deals across Time Warner. Prior to joining Time Warner, Marc was a strategy consultant at Mercer Management Consulting. Marc graduated from Brandeis University and has an MBA from Wharton. Ron Grover is BusinessWeek’s Los Angeles Bureau chief and west coast media and entertainment reporter. A one-time Washington Post sports reporter, he joined BusinessWeek’s Washington Bureau in 1979, where he initially covered energy issues. He later covered the Carter and Reagan Administrations before moving to LA in 1986. As BusinessWeek’s Hollywood reporter, his cover stories have included those on the Walt Disney Co., Rupert Murdoch and Steven Spielberg. In recent years, he has expanded his coverage to include new media and emerging digital technologies, including those distributing content online and through wireless devices. He is author of the 1991 book, The Disney Touch, and is a frequent commentator for CNN, CNBC and other news outlets. Grover graduated from the George Washington University, has a Master’s Degree from the Columbia School of Journalism and a MBA from George Washington University.