9:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Session A:
The TV and PC Internet Connection - Technology, Content, Commerce & Mass Deployment
Entertainment, News, Sports, Stock Reports - the content is flowing from the Internet into the home, landing on TVs, PCs, and new forms of big and small personal Internet appliances. With the number of broadband homes just beginning to take on speed, the flood of information is just starting to build. This is truly the start of the digital revolution that everyone has predicted. This is where the TV, the Internet and Content and Commerce all meet. In this session we will bring together various segments of the convergent industries, from the traditional TV industry, the technology industry that provides everything from the set-top boxes, microprocessors and broadband infrastructure to entertainment content and e-commerce providers who will turn all of these interactive relationships into gold.
Bill Sheppard, Lead Business Development Manager for Digital Television, Sun Microsystems
Errol Gerson, Principal, Four-Leaf Management, LLC., Investment Management Advisors
Paul Mitchell, Senior Group Manager, Interactive Television, Microsoft TV Platforms
Bruce Crowley, President, HyperTV Networks (Division of ACTV)
Greg Meidel, President and COO, Massive Media Group
Michael Karasick, CTO and Director of Technology, Pervasive Computing Division, IBM Corp.
Michael Silberman, Executive Editor, MSNBC.com
Bennett McClellan, Director, Strategic Change Consulting, PricewaterhouseCoopers Entertainment & Media Practice, Moderator
Bill Sheppard is Lead Business Development Manager for Digital Television within Sun Microsystems' software organization. Since joining Sun in 1997 he has been centrally involved with the strategic direction and deployment of Java technology within the television industry, dealing with leading service operators, device manufacturers, content providers, and standards bodies worldwide. Prior to joining Sun Mr. Sheppard spent eight years with a leading embedded operating system vendor working with pioneering ITV platforms and applications. Mr. Sheppard holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Iowa State University.
Paul Mitchell, Senior Group Manager, Interactive Television, Microsoft TV Platforms: Paul Mitchell is the Senior Group Manager for Interactive Television, responsible for content and services for the Microsoft TV Platforms. He and his team manage a collection of evangelism and training programs for interactive content developers seeking to deploy their content and services on the new interactive television platforms, as well as for television programmers and executives looking for ways to expand their traditional businesses. He is also responsible for the development of developer tools for the TV Platforms. Mitchell was instrumental in the creation of the Advanced Television Enhancement Forum (ATVEF), an organization now involving over 70 companies worldwide, representing all aspects of television production, distribution, consumer electronics, and software, and is Microsoft’s Founder representative to the ATVEF. A veteran of Interactive TV, Mitchell formerly worked in Microsoft’s Advanced Consumer Technology group during the early experimentation with interactive technologies in the early 90s. Prior to that he worked in Microsoft’s developer division, where he launched several successful tools products, including Visual C++, and Visual C++ for Windows NT, the company’s first professional toolset for the Windows NT operating system. Recent speaking experience includes, Digital Hollywood and Convergence 2000.
Greg Meidel, President and COO, Massive Media Group: Greg Meidel has more tha
n 20 years of television experience, most recently serving as chairman and CEO of Studios USA, where he orchestrated the orderly transition of television assets between the company and Universal Studios in 1998. He had held the position of chairman, Universal Television Group, since 1996, where he streamlined the company’s management structure and established an environment in which profits soared dramatically. He also oversaw all of the studio’s domestic and international television operations and production, including "Law & Order," the 1997 Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Drama Series, and the long-running ABC series, "Coach." In addition, under Mr. Meidel’s watch, Universal Television Group acquired a majority interest in Brillstein-Grey Productions to expand the studio’s investment in adult comedies, and became a talk show powerhouse with the acquisition of Multimedia Entertainment. Weekly action dramas "Xena: Warrior Princess" and "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" skyrocketed to the top two first-run hours in syndication during his tenure as well. Prior to joining Universal Television Group, Mr. Meidel served as president and chief operating officer of Fox’s Twentieth Television syndication wing from 1992 to 1995, where he was responsible for the unit’s programming, sales, marketing and barter advertising efforts, including such top notch projects as "The X-Files," "NYPD Blue" and "The Simpsons." As executive vice president and general sales manager for Paramount Domestic Television, Mr. Meidel was responsible for some of the industry’s top syndicated projects including "Entertainment Tonight," "Cheers" and "Star Trek: Next Generation." He joined Paramount as Southwest Division Manager in 1979. Mr. Meidel is the former chairman of NATPE, a board member of the School of Communications-University of Texas and the Hollywood Radio and Television Society. Recently, he joined the board of Internet company iFUSE, and served as consultant to DreamWorks, Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, Playboy Entertainment and ABC.Michael Karasick, CTO and Director of Technology, Pervasive Computing Division, IBM Corp.: As Director of Technology for IBM's Pervasive Computing Division, Michael Karasick is responsible for the design and evolution of middleware and device software needed to extend information and e-business applications and services to non-traditional computing devices, including mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cars, home appliances, games, and medical devices. Prior to his current position, Karasick led the Pervasive Computing Systems and Software Department at IBM Research. Karasick directed the work of more than 50 researchers at the TJ Watson Research Center in this area, spanning, hardware design, system development, cognitive psychology and useability, user interface design, speech, and middleware. Between 1994 and 1998, Karasick was a Senior Manager in the area of Software Development Technology at IBM Research, and led a group of researchers in the areas of computer languages and compilers, and software engineering. Karasick was also a lead architect in IBM's C++ product, Visual Age C++. Before joining IBM, Karasick was at Sematech from 1993-1994, where he led a multi-company effort at producing a system for simulating semiconductor manufacturing logistics. Prior to 1993, Karasick worked in the areas of robotics and geometric modelling and robotics. Karasick has published numerous papers in the areas of software engineering, geometric modeling, programming languages and compilers, and pervasive computing. He is a member of the ACM and IEEE. He received an Hons B.S. from the University of Manitoba, MS from McGill University, and Ph.d from McGill and Cornell Universities, all in Computer Science.
Bennett E. McClellan is the Western Region Director of Corporate Strategy for the Entertainment/Media practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Mr. McClellan’s experience includes more than a decade in the management consulting field, seven years as a senior entertainment executive, and an equal number of years in creative positions in the entertainment industry. As a consultant, Mr. McClellan enjoyed 6 years with McKinsey & Company, 3 years with Arthur D. Little Inc. and a year with GeoPartners Research prior to joining PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1997. He has held general manager positions with Hanna-Barbera Productions, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, and Nickelodeon Animation. Mr. McClellan earned his BA from UC San Diego in Biochemistry. He holds master degrees from The United States International University, Harvard University Graduate School of Business, and UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television. Mr. McClellan received his MBA with High Distinction ("Baker Scholar") from HBS and was awarded the UCLA Alumni Association Outstanding Graduate Student Award upon receiving his MFA from UCLA. He is an active member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Writers Guild of America, and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Mr. McClellan’s ties with the academic community continue as a guest lecturer at UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management and as a designated instructor for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Global Consultant training program.
Michael Silberman is Executive Editor of MSNBC.com, the leading news and information service on the Internet. He was part of the start-up management team that developed MSNBC on the Internet prior to launch on July 15, 1996. Silberman came to MSNBC from CBS News, making the switch from old media to new after more than ten years at the Tiffany network. While at CBS he was a producer for several programs including "Eye to Eye with Connie Chung," "48 Hours" and "CBS This Morning," contributing to "CBS Evening News" as well. Silberman covered a variety of beats at CBS: the 1988 and 1992 presidential campaigns, health and medicine with Dr. Bob Arnot, economics with Robert Krulwich and consumer stories with Hattie Kaufman.