11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Track E:
Television/Internet Convergence Workshop: New Channels for Consumers
While much of the entertainment industry focuses on the coming of digital TV, a much more profound revolution is already taking place. Information access and interactive programming are starting to deliver much more value to viewers, program providers and advertisers. This panel will explore real-life strategies for harnessing Internet content to increase the effectiveness of television programming and broadcast ad campaigns. Citing the differences between television viewers and computer users, they examine how each segment responds to mass consumer advertising. The session discussion focuses on innovative promotional opportunities made possible by evolving TV/Internet synergy and ways to effectively reach active viewers in the age of convergence.
Bill Sanders, Executive Vice President, Big Ticket Television, a Paramount/Viacom Company
Patrick Kennedy, SVP, Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment
Ken M. Papagan, Sr. VP, Broadband and Enhanced Television, iXL
William Bryce Combs, Chief Operating Officer, GeoVideo Networks
Todd Lash, SVP Strategic Alliances, RespondTV
Stephen Gass, President, Sesame Workshop Online
Shari Glusker, Manager of Interactive Services, WebTV Networks, Moderator

Bill Sanders, Executive Vice President, Big Ticket Television, a Paramount/Viacom company: Bill Sanders has run Big Ticket Television with President Larry Lyttle since it began in 1994. He developed its first six on-air series including Moesha and Judge Judy, and is leading Big Ticket’s expansion into new media. He has spearheaded Big Ticket’s foray into enhanced television with the interactive Judge Judy on WebTV and broadband trials of Judge Joe Brown. Bill was supervising producer of HBO’s Dream On, a comedy series that won multiple Emmy and CableAce Awards, during its first six seasons. Strongly involved in interactive media, Bill created Dream On forums for several major online services and initiated the development of a Dream On interactive CD-ROM game. Bill also served as the only producer-member of a Universal Television Interactive Task Force, leading efforts to establish Universal’s online presence. While under an exclusive production deal with MCA Television Entertainment during this time, Sanders also developed a series for HBO and executive produced a half hour comedy pilot for CBS starring Nicollette Sheridan through Universal Television. From August 1984 to January 1990, Bill was vice president, original programming, West Coast, for HBO. He developed and supervised production of pilots, specials and series including Ray Bradbury Theater, 1st and Ten, Comic Relief, Glory! Glory! (directed by Lindsay Anderson), Really Weird Tales (starring John Candy, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short and Joe Flaherty), Martin Mull’s History of White People in America, Not Necessarily the News and Dream On, as well as Bob Goldthwait, Harry Shearer, Will Rogers and Paul Reiser specials. Bill first worked with Larry Lyttle from April 1983 through August 1984 as Director, Comedy and Drama Series Development for Warner Brothers Television, where he helped develop numerous network pilots such as Night Court and the Steambath comedy series for Showtime. Prior to Warners, Sanders worked his way up the ranks at ABC, starting in New York as Scenic Services Supervisor in September, 1977 and Studio Coordinator in July, 1978 to Manager, Prime Time Series Development, East Coast, ABC Entertainment in December, 1978. Then in March, 1980, ABC Entertainment West Coast executives Stu Bloomberg, Tom Werner and Marcy Carsey moved Sanders to Los Angeles where as Director, Variety and Late Night Programs, he helped develop and oversee such successful series as That’s Incredible!, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, and Fridays (written by Seinfeld’s Larry David and Larry Charles and featuring Michael Richards.) Bill received his Bachelor of Arts with distinction from Stanford University, where he majored in Communication (Broadcasting and Film). He studied for two years in the Master of Fine Arts program in television production at UCLA. Born in New York City, Bill resides in Santa Monica, California with his wife and three children.

William Bryce Combs, Chief Operating Officer, GeoVideo Networks: Bryce Combs is the chief operating officer of GeoVideo Networks, Inc. and has extensive experience in Digital Television (DTV) through his background in public television. From 1991 until this past fall, Bryce was the General Manager and Dean of Milwaukee Public and Educational Television (MPTV). There, Bryce directed the pioneering digital efforts of MPTV with Zenith and AT&T which provided the world's first full-power DTV broadcast in 1992. Bryce developed a public/private partnership that completed the nation's first digital tall tower that is designed for current and future digital telecommunications service. As a leader in the effort to allow self-reliant public broadcasting, Bryce crafted federal legislation and has testified before Congress encouraging the development of a fully funded, non-profit, public telecommunications service. Bryce is the recipient of three APTS 21st Century awards. He is a founding member of the Forum for Public TV Executives, an appointee to the PBS Satellite Interconnection Committee, a board member of the Digital CSRG Corporation, and a past board member of Central Educational Network.



Ken Papagan, Senior Vice President of Broadband and Enhanced Television for iXL, Inc., leads iXL’s Digital Media Solutions Practice Group. He is responsible for the company’s global strategy, sales and services for Enhanced Television and Broadband initiatives for iXL’s 19 offices worldwide. The group provides strategic consulting, prototype design, production, business modeling, digital asset management and application development for cable, telecommunication and satellite providers and supports most Enhanced TV platforms in the world today. Mr. Papagan has an extensive background in programming for cable network start-ups including Nickelodeon, MTV, and The Movie Channel for Warner Amex, ON-TV, The Fashion Channel, the JCPenney Shopping Channel and Guthy-Renker Television Network. He began his career in 1977, at the launch of QUBE, the world’s first Interactive TV system, and has since consulted to numerous Interactive TV ventures including TVAnswer, EON and U S West. At iXL he has been working on ETV initiatives with TCI and Liberty Media, Interactive Channel, WorldGate, Universal Studios, Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, Intel, Bloomberg, Cable & Wireless and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. He is a member of the American Film Institute’s Advisory Board on Enhanced Television, and a frequent speaker at NATPE, NAB, DMA, CTAM, MIM, eTV WORLD and other Broadband and ETV conferences.

Shari Glusker, Manager of Interactive Services, WebTV Networks: As the Manager of Interactive Services within the Network Media Group at WebTV, Shari oversees the support and development of television services that extend and enhance the businesses of broadcasters and advertisers. Her team is working to define and drive revenue-generating features in WebTV products that go beyond current ATVEF ITV capabilities while continuing to support on-going ITV efforts. Prior to joining WebTV Networks, Glusker spent 18 years overseeing the creation of video applications and programming. Her experience ranges from leading development in the interactive TV space as Manager of the ITV Design Team at Silicon Graphics, to gambling game development as Director of Game Development at Silicon Gaming, to production of TV commercials and Network IDs as Senior Producer at Colossal Pictures and a Producer at Pacific Data Images. Her career experience has allowed her the opportunity to work with every major advertiser, network and channel in the U.S, giving her a unique perspective as WebTV creates new opportunities for the interactive television medium. Glusker holds a degree in Design and Product Design from Stanford University.

Stephen Gass is Group President of Online Services for Sesame Workshop. As Group President, he leads the Online Services division of the Workshop, which encompasses www.Sesameworkshop.org and www.sesamestreet.com. He is responsible for providing creative and technical direction for future site content and managing partnership opportunities, as well as helping the company further articulate its broadband and interactive television strategies. Mr. Gass joined the Workshop from The Gass Company, the creative strategy and media production studio he founded in 1988 to develop innovative products and programs for learners of all ages. Former clients included Nickelodeon, Citibank, Ford Motor Company, Discovery Communications, and Tiger Toys. Recent projects include crafting a plan and creative approach for a kids' online financial literacy program for Citibank, concept, branding and creative development for an educational channel for Latin American television markets, and strategic and creative direction for an online service targeted at pre-schoolers and their families. As a founding editor of Scholastic's Electronic Learning Magazine and later its software division, he helped to launch the first journal dedicated to the use of interactive media in the classroom as well as Scholastics' first new media. At CBS, Mr. Gass helped to create CBS Interactive Learning, a unit whose charter was to develop software to support the company's educational publishing arm. As Vice President of Research and Development, Mr. Gass launched an educational toy division at Coleco. In his role as Senior Vice President of Product Development for Viacom New Media, he built and managed a team of 30 people whose responsibilities included planning, acquisition, development and production of CD-ROMS and console games for Viacom's entry into the software entertainment market. He also served as the senior creative executive for Viacom's research and development efforts in the home learning market. Mr. Gass is trained as a child psychologist; he got his start as an elementary school science teacher and went on to become the first Director of Education for Sesame Place. Mr. Gass received a B.A. in psychology from New York University, a M.A. in developmental psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University, and completed work toward a Ph.D. in educational psychology at City University of New York.