Click on the Video Below and Sample a Session from a previous Digital Hollywood event. For Additional Video Sessions, Click Here Digital Hollywood Events at CES 2010 Wednesday, January 6th 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Track II – GP5 - Game Power Casual Gaming – The Next Great Platform in Gaming – Console, Broadband and Mobile Casual games are now a huge business. With all the major players from the consoles to the broadband and mobile portals in the middle of the action, this sector is the hottest player in the games field. Casual games are Apps for the Smartphone. Casual Games are addictive to the PC user. With the expansion of casual games reaching into all demographic sectors, from kids to hard core gamers and now with women, seniors and teens, the marketplace is formidable. Great news! We are just at the start of another new phenomenon. Liz Huszarik, SVP, Warner Bros. Media Research, Warner Bros. Stephen Baer, Managing Partner, The Game Agency Chevon Hicks, President/Creative Director, Heavenspot Nique Fajors, COO, Vector Entertainment Dale Strang, CEO, Viximo Sangita Verma, CEO, TAG Networks Michael Cai, VP of Research, Video Games, Interpret David Getson, ceo, g-NET, Moderator Stephen Baer, Managing Partner, The Game Agency: As a Managing Partner of TGA, Stephen oversees account management and product development. In his role, Stephen counsels clients on game design and marketing initiatives and ensures that TGA produces results that directly and positively impact client’s business objectives. Key publishing clients have included Atari, Capcom, Electronic Arts and Nintendo. TGA has also built relationships and worked with global brands such as Citigroup, Intel, Lexus, Nokia, McDonald's Pfizer and State Farm. Prior to starting TGA, Stephen was Director of Brand Integration at Atari Inc. In this role, he oversaw the development and marketing for all branded games developed by the company. Prior to taking on this role, Stephen was a Senior Global Product Manager at Atari, Inc. In this role, he developed and executed million dollar marketing plans for several game franchises including Dungeons and Dragons, Alone in the Dark, Driver and Test Drive Unlimited. Before joining Atari, Stephen was a marketing and sales executive for three divisions of General Electric (NBC, GE Appliances and GE Plastics). Earlier in his career, Stephen was Director of Business Development at GCI Group, a public relations subsidiary of WPP. He managed a team focused on marketing, client strategy, and new business development and sat on the company’s Board of Directors. Stephen began his marketing career at Lowe & Partners, an advertising subsidiary of Interpublic Group. Stephen is Six Sigma Certified and has received several corporate awards including the General Electric Marketing Excellence Award and the GCI Entrepreneurial Spirit Award. Stephen received his Bachelors degree from Oberlin College and his MBA from Columbia University. Nique Fajors, COO, Vector Entertainment: Mr. Fajors' summation of experience includes co-founding three companies and launching 59 software entertainment titles over last five years resulting in $450,000,000 in revenue. Mr. Fajors' creative work has been profiled in The Boston Globe, Essence Magazine, The Source, San Francisco Examiner, Bill Cunningham Show on News Radio, and America’s Radio Network. As an entertainment executive he has been quoted in The Financial Times and BusinessWeek. Mr. Fajors holds a BSBA with honors from the Suffolk University and a MBA from the Harvard Business School. Most recently, he is COO of VC-backed online game publisher, Vector Entertainment. He was directly involved in raising $4MM for the venture and successfully launched its first MMOG product, Vector City Racers. In the past he has worked with Warner Brothers, Weinstein Company, and Walt Disney Studios on videogame adaptations of film IP. 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. Sangita Verma, CEO, TAG Networks: As Chief Executive Officer of TVHead, Sangita Verma leveraged 16 years of executive experience in the videogame industry to found the world’s preeminent interactive games-on-demand network in May 2003. A comprehensive turn-key content offering, TVHead delivers important new revenue streams, as well as builds customer loyalty for its network operator customers. In her role as CEO, Verma has secured Series A and B rounds of funding from private equity investors, established exclusive content agreements with leading game suppliers and global brands, and has filed seven patents covering key proprietary technologies for delivering interactive content under the TVHead brand. A strategic planner, veteran marketer and business visionary, she taps skills gleaned from a varied yet focused career to lead TVHead’s management team of seasoned game, licensing, video-on-demand, interactive television, technology and consumer entertainment product specialists. Prior to founding TVHead, Verma worked with Midway Games, starting with the company in 2000 as director of worldwide syndication. In this post, she developed her strategic vision for emerging businesses as a result of being charged with the financial analysis and due diligence reviews of new business opportunities. Structuring, negotiating and securing distribution agreements for Midway Games on wireless, iTV, handheld and Internet platforms, including with such providers as Sprint, Verizon, Qualcomm, AT&T, and Motorola, she was promoted to general manager of Midway Games' handheld business unit in 2002. This promotion added the responsibility of managing the GameBoy division for the company, while continuing to grow its businesses on the Internet, wireless, iTV and handheld platforms. Just prior to leaving Midway Games, Verma negotiated a million dollar OEM deal with Motorola to supply two games for Motorola wireless handsets. Verma came to Midway Games from Craig New Media, her own online marketing company, where, for two years, she developed online marketing, promotion and merchandising campaigns, as well as provide web statistics and trend analysis to such game industry clients as Psygnosis and Panasonic Interactive Media. In fact, Verma first began working with Panasonic in 1996 as a consultant, handling marketing for its PC games and children’s educational titles software. Charged with organizing the online infrastructure, Verma is credited with creating the first online store for Matsushita Electric Corp. (Panasonic). She also developed a public relations campaign for the Baldies PC game, securing millions of dollars worth of television time through media coverage that included over 50 local stations' news programs as well as national broadcast coverage on NBC’s Today morning news program and a six-minute segment on CNN. In recognition of her accomplishments, Verma was named group marketing director for Panasonic Interactive Media Co. in 1997, with responsibility for all entertainment marketing activities. She helped established the Ripcord Games brand for the company, and launched its flagship product – Postal, a highly controversial game which won the 1998 SPA Award in Excellence for Software Packaging. She also devised Postal Online Beta Test Contest, the first contest of its kind, which yielded over half a million downloads, forty thousand registered participants within the first four weeks and tremendous media coverage - including CNN. Before working with Panasonic, Verma provided marketing support to I-Motion Inc (now Atari Corp.)., creating and managing an online contest for the Knight's Chase PC game that increased its website traffic by 1600%, overseeing two product launches and providing management stability during the company's merger with Ocean of America; and the creative execution of various marketing challenges for Velocity Inc. From 1992 through 1994, Verma lived and worked in London as general manager for Data East Europe Ltd., responsible for establishing the company's European office, as well as all of the marketing, media relations, sales and licensing of Data East's Nintendo and Sega product lines in Europe. She joined Data East USA in 1990 as a marketing manager, launching over 15 Nintendo and Sega titles, as well as five PC titles over a two year period. A graduate of UC Davis with a Bachelor of Arts degrees in Communications and Economics, Verma began her career in investor relations with Stoorza, Ziegus & Metzger before making her move into the game industry. Michael Cai, VP Research, Video Games, leads Interpret's gaming vertical, providing a wide variety of market research, analysis, and consulting products to help clients gain a comprehensive understanding of consumer gaming habits and interest and make strategic decisions. He’s a well-regarded industry expert on MMORPGs, online gaming business models, and Asian gaming markets, having authored numerous reports on such topics and moderated numerous panels at industry conferences. Over the past several years, Michael has worked with many leading game publishers and device companies with their research needs. Prior to joining Interpret, Cai served as Director of Digital Media and Gaming for Parks Associates. During his tenure with Parks Associates, Cai established and grew its gaming coverage practice and led a research team to provide syndicated and custom research for digital media, gaming and service provider industries. Cai has authored and managed more than 30 industry reports and custom research projects and has presented his findings to many Fortune 500 companies and at such high-profile events as Game Developer’s Conference, E3, Consumer Electronics Show, Digital Hollywood, Virtual Worlds Expo, and The New York Games Conference. Michael received his MBA from Baylor University in 2002. Michael also holds a Master of Leadership and Management degree from Langegg International University in Switzerland and BA of International Economics from Shandong University in China. Chevon Hicks, President/Creative Director, Heavenspot: Chevon Hicks is president and creative director of Heavenspot (www.heavenspot.com), an independent creative agency that works closely with big brands, movie studios and major media companies to concept and execute marketing strategies that have a digital emphasis. As president, Hicks oversees the development of creative initiatives for Heavenspot and its clients. His extensive background in design, interactive media and advertising perfectly poises him to direct and implement the company’s strategic plans and client initiatives and establish key partnerships in the entertainment, design, and advertising industries. The African American entrepreneur first founded Heavenspot in 2003 and sold it four years later. In a surprising turn of events, Hicks bought back the company in 2009. Unlike many independent business entrepreneurs, Chevon needed to keep the integrity of his company and its work, no matter what. While other companies struggled to stay afloat during the recession, Chevon used his resources to rebrand and re-launch Heavenspot. With Hicks’ direction, Heavenspot has been working under the radar, garnering a huge buzz in the industry. From small independent companies to global entertainment properties, Heavenspot is creating powerful visual elements adding a signature flavor to its client’s campaigns. Clients such as CBS, Adobe, Fox Broadcasting, Focus Features, Paramount Pictures and Hurley International have turned to Heavenspot for strong and graphically-rich Web sites, trailers and ads. Prior to Heavenspot, Hicks held top creative positions at Universal New Media, Sony Online Entertainment, Attitude Network, and MGM Creative Advertising. Additionally, he directed music videos and completed work as design director on film, television, and commercial projects. Creative advertising has always been Hicks’ calling. Even at a young age, he longed to communicate his ideas to as many people possible. He held his first position at Kresser/Craig, a top 5 West Coast Ad Agency when he was still in High School.