Click on the Video Below and Sample a Session from a previous Digital Hollywood event. For Additional Video Sessions, Click Here Digital Hollywood, October 19-22, 2009 Tuesday, October 20th SuperSessions 10:45 AM - Noon Track IV: Games, Animation, Brands, Advertising and Commerce: Establishing the Cross Platform Business Strategy In today’s global entertainment environment, the successful extension of a franchise is not only part and parcel of the business plan, it is also welcomed and embraced by the consumer. The power, quality and popularity of the various entertainment mediums, make it possible for a game to enable a successful movie franchise, just as a successful ‘70s TV show can be recast as a worldwide movie blockbuster. This of course can start the cycle all over again, generating the next generation of game, DVD, toys, CD, t-shirts, live events and so on. Unique to this phenomenon today however, is the need to protect the brand as it is extended into each category. Competition and consumer sophistication today demand a level of creativity in the games, movies and TV shows produced, something that brand extension itself cannot overcome. David Getson, ceo, g-NET Ed Zobrist, President, ASAP Games Peter Marx, VP Production and Technology, Mattel Chris Cross, founder, Tarver Games Nique Fajors, EVP, Vector Entertainment Aaron Lassila, National Sales Manager, Massive, Microsoft Cindy Cook, former Chief Marketing Officer Vivendi Games, Moderator David Getson, CEO, g-NET Media, Inc.: America’s leading video game entertainment and marketing company. Getson focuses on the direction and growth of the company, which specializes in the creation and distribution of video game related marketing, programming, and content across all platforms, including TV, VOD, Web, and DVD. With partners that include all leading video game companies such as Microsoft, Sony, Electronic Arts, Activision, & Ubisoft, as well as the largest entertainment companies such as Viacom, AOL/Time Warner, NBCU, and Rainbow Media, Getson & g-NET have helped pioneer the way video games can extend their IP and expand their audience through branded content, entertainment marketing, and strategic cross-platform partnerships. Prior to g-NET, Getson was the Founder, CEO, Publisher, and Editorial Director of ICON Magazine. Getson graduated cum laude from Princeton University in 1994 with a BA as an Academic All-American. Chris Cross, Founder and President of Tarver Games, Chris Cross is a 16 year veteran in the video game industry; best known domestically and internationally for his role as game design director of the award-winning Medal of Honor game franchise at Electronic Arts Los Angeles. The series sold more than 50 million units globally, leading it to be named the "Best Selling First Person Shooter Series" by Guinness Book of World Records. Since 2006, Cross has been consulting on numerous game projects in Hollywood through his work with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and building the foundation for Tarver Games, an original IP design house developing games for the iPhone, Mac OS, and consoles including Sony Playstation3 , Microsoft XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii and more. Tarver Games is located in Santa Monica, CA. Nique Fajors, EVP, Vector Entertainment: Fajors brings a global mix of experience to Vector Entertainment (formerly Webcarzz) as Executive Vice President. He has co-founded two companies, launched more than 40 consumer and entertainment products into various global markets, published a book, and developed and produced an educational video. Most recently, Fajors was Vice President, Marketing for Capcom Entertainment, Inc., one of the world's most successful publishers and developers of software entertainment. There, he drove implementation of pan western business model and feature film co-production of game IP. Prior to Capcom he held a similar position at Atari, Inc. He began his business career at Procter & Gamble in brand management and has held leadership positions at Snyder Communications, The U.S. Department of Commerce, and The White House. At Snyder Communications he was President, Consumer Marketing Services of a $50 million division. Fajors' creative work has been profiled in The Boston Globe, Essence Magazine, The Source, The San Francisco Examiner, and The Bill Cunningham News Radio Show. As an interactive entertainment thought leader he has been quoted in The Financial Times and The New York Times. He holds a B.S.B.A. with honors from the Suffolk University Frank Sawyer School of Management and a M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. He has traveled throughout Europe, Japan, East and West Africa, and the Middle East. Presently, he sits on the board of the National Childhood Obesity Foundation and the advisory board of The League. He lives in Northern California with his wife and three children. Cindy Cook is an innovative marketer and creator of new businesses in the entertainment space. She is a 20 year veteran of Fortune 100 companies in interactive entertainment, digital media and beverages. Most recently she was Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at Vivendi Games. There she was responsible for leading the formulation of company strategy and driving the worldwide marketing activities for the company. She conceived, built and was the general manager of two divisions focused on casual online and mobile games. Cook was one of the pioneers in digital music launching the first commercial service at Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company. She was responsible for the development of the consumer proposition for Pressplay subscription service, now Napster. Previously she ran marketing for Flexplay, a ‘disposable’ DVD technology startup which was successfully sold to the Convex Group. Earlier in her career Cook held a variety of management roles at Pepsi-Cola, Seagram and General Electric. Cook is a frequent speaker at industry events. Cook has a master’s degree in business administration from New York University’s Stern Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University. She is the executive advisor to the Lehigh Women’s MBA Association. She resides in New York City with her husband and daughter.