Monday, January 8 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM DH18: Session B: Deploying Broadband Technology: Building Next Generation Media Networks In our continuing investigation of broadband delivery of entertainment, in this session will take a closer look at what it means to build and deploy a “Next Generation Media Network.” Many Digital Hollywood attendees are becoming intimately familiar with the constraints of their current Internet networking model, having to face up to the problem of inconsistent performance in the midst of expansion and massive growth. In this session, leading players from the computer and telecommunications industries will present their visions of our evolving networking future. There never is only one solution to a problem, and with a task as large as this one, evaluating various approaches will be fascinating. Matt Lewis, Senior Vice President, Content Strategy and Production, Interactive Video Technologies (IVT) Ram Viswanathan, Vice President of Marketing, Cidera Bob Hess, Director, New Media, Lucent Technologies Lawrence R. Kaplan, President & CEO, Omneon Video Networks Reed Majors, Director Worldwide Business Development, Minerva Networks Paul Hoffmann, Vice President Hosting Services, Epoch Internet Michael Bloom, President, Communication Strategies and Planning, Inc., Moderator Lawrence Kaplan is the President and CEO of Omneon Video Networks, the company providing networking and storage infrastructure for new media. Omneon systems are used by content providers and distributors in the converging industries of television and the Internet. Under Mr. Kaplan's leadership, and that of his management partners, Omneon has created the VIDEO AREA NETWORKä, an integrated networking and storage platform that enables customers to route, store, and share digital audio, video, and any type of related data throughout and among facilities. With substantial experience in television and computer networking, Mr. Kaplan's tenure in the business includes strong relationships with computer network, satellite and television companies worldwide that deploy sophisticated digital media networks. Before creating Omneon Video Networks, Mr. Kaplan was most recently senior vice president at Sony Electronics with overall responsibility for Sony broadcast, production and data products and systems. His organization also included the Sony systems integration and software development operations that designed and built several major television facilities including DIRECTV and AskyB (Primestar). Prior to joining Sony in 1995, Mr. Kaplan had overall responsibility for both the computer graphic and television operations at Tektronix-including the color printer division and The Grass Valley Group. These businesses generated more than $1 billion dollars in revenue. Mr. Kaplan has an MBA from Rutgers University and a BSEE from the University of Wisconsin. Paul Hoffmann is Epoch's Vice President of Hosting Services, responsible for developing and managing all of Epoch's hosting and electronic commerce activities. Prior to joining Epoch, Mr. Hoffmann was the Director of Hosting Sales and Marketing for UUNET, where he was responsible for hosting and ecommerce sales and marketing. Before directing the hosting division of UUNET, Mr. Hoffmann was Manager of Web Product Marketing and Development and Manager of Business and Product Development. He also held management positions at General Electric Information Services. Mr. Hoffmann earned his M.B.A. from Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland, and holds a B.S. degree in Mathematics from the University of Delaware. Ram Viswanathan, Vice President of Marketing, Cidera: Ramachandran Viswanathan was previously Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales for WorldSpace Corporation, where he was responsible for both the launch of streaming audio and multimedia services and building a consumer media brand in the emerging markets of Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Prior to that, he served at WorldSpace as Vice President, Strategy and Business Development. Mr. Viswanathan was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, where he served Fortune 500 clients in the software, computing, and telecommunications industries. He has also held positions at Goldman, Sachs & Company and Atma Technologies. Ram previous speaking experience include various Goldman Sachs conferences, Streaming Media East 2000, and NAB. Reed Majors, Director, Worldwide Business Development, Minerva Networks: Mr. Majors has over five years experience in the digital video networking industry. As Director, Mr. Majors is responsible for product strategy, strategic relationships, developer relations, and business development for Minerva's VNP, VDK and iTV Manager broadband products. Mr. Majors has authored a number of white papers on building video networks. Prior to joining Minerva, Mr. Majors was responsible for product management and marketing at both Optivision and NUKO Information Systems. Matthew Lewis, Ph.D., SVP Content Strategy & Production, LA, Interactive Video Technologies, Inc.: As SVP of Interactive Video Technologies' Content Strategy & Production group, Matt is responsible for the analysis, design, development, and deployment of rich-media solutions for customers using IVT's technology platform and tools. Ten years of experience in consulting and software development as a senior computer scientist at the RAND Corporation provide a strong foundation for helping define and deploy technologies at IVT. Having co-founded the first company to build commercially viable, artificially intelligent tutoring systems, Matt supports the entrepreneurial spirit of IVT's technology development. Matt received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from Carnegie Mellon University in 1985, where he focused on computer simulation of human skill acquisition. He also served as a Research Faculty member at Carnegie Mellon for 3 years. Robert B. Hess, Marketing Director, New Media, Lucent Technologies: As market segment development director, Robert Hess is responsible for developing and implementing the global marketing strategy for the New Media and Application Service Provider (ASP) industry segments. This includes overseeing the development of end-to end solutions and marketing programs for the New Media industry and Service Provider segments, as well as identifying and establishing key relationships and partners for Lucent in the communications industry. Mr. Hess joined the Lucent Global Marketing Organization in January 1998 to lead the development and global marketing strategy for the Broadband Access Solutions Offers, focused on the DSL industry. Previously, Mr. Hess held positions concentrating on developing the strategy and business development for the newly formed Communications Software Business Unit. He served as Account Executive and Business Development Manager for Lucent's Central Region Customer Business Unit supporting Network Wireless Systems initiatives. Mr. Hess brings a highly energized and enthusiastic perspective to the New Media and Application Service Provider segments leveraging his broad knowledge and experience in the broadband access and service provider markets, one of the most dynamic aspects of the communications industry today.