2:30 PM - 3:45 PM
Session A:
Promoting Movies, TV & Music on the Net
In the few years that have passed since the entertainment industry started coordinating the release of its new movies, records and TV shows with promotional websites, the web has transformed itself from being a novelty medium into a primary communications tool. Entertainment professionals have had to take into account not only the question of promoting a specific product, but also deal with e-commerce, community building as well as coordination with their corporation’s overall plan. In the case of a record company, the problem can be even more acute. It has to contend with the challenge of promoting music and connect it to the actual selling of the product online. There are as many entertainment web strategies today as there are web professionals. In this session we bring together the real-world experts to help us understand the changing industry parameters.
Rand Bleimeister, founder, President & CEO, FirstLook.com
David Herman, President, Hollywood Stock Exchange
Ken Goldstein, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Disney Online, part of GO.com
Mike Barnes, Senior Brand Manager, LAVA.com, Creative Labs
Matt Bromberg, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Moviefone
Randy Greenberg, VP Marketing, AlwaysI.com
Mark Weiss, CEO, MusicVision
Chantal Payette, President, FLUX:Media, Moderator
Rand Bleimeister is Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of FirstLook.com, Inc. FirstLook.com launched in New York on September 15, 1999. Founded in January 1999, FirstLook.com, Inc. is backed by idealab!, the renowned Internet business incubator, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a leading venture capital firm, and Woodstock Ventures, owner of the Woodstock Music Festival and trademark. Bleimeister is a leader in the entertainment and interactive industries with more than 20 years of sales and marketing management experience. Before FirstLook.com, Bleimeister served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Scoop Inc., a Web-based business news and information service. At Scoop, he was responsible for the direction and development of IntelliSearch, a sophisticated online tool for business research. In October 1998, Bleimeister sold the assets of Scoop to Solutions Corporation of America, Nashville TN, and The Call Company of Newport Beach, California. Prior to Scoop, Bleimeister served as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Virgin Interactive Entertainment where he developed and implemented all sales, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, and customer support strategies in the Western Hemisphere. During his two-year tenure, revenues from North American computer game sales increased over 600%. Bleimeister developed the company’s Internet strategy, and launched its Web site, online store, and Web-based technical support. During his career, Bleimeister has held senior management positions at major entertainment companies including Columbia TriStar where he served as Senior Vice President of Special Interest & Interactive Programming and Nelson Entertainment where he served as Executive Vice President. Bleimeister is credited with developing a revolutionary, PC-based co-op Advertising Management System at EMD, a division of Capitol/EMI Music where he served as Vice President of Marketing & Strategic Planning. Previous positions include sales and marketing management roles at Embassy Home Entertainment (acquired by Nelson Entertainment), and Warner Home Video. Bleimeister attended Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif., where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Ken Goldstein is Senior Vice President and General Manager of Disney Online, the Number 1 entertainment destination for kids and families on the World Wide Web, part of GO.com (NYSE: GO). Responsible for all creative, technical, marketing, and financial initiatives surrounding the presence of the Disney brand on the Internet, Ken oversees development of the corporate site www.disney.com, all of the business unit Web sites of The Walt Disney Company, and the highly successful premium family subscription service, Disney’s Club Blast. Prior to joining Disney Online in November 1998, Ken served as Brøderbund Software’s Vice President of Entertainment and founding General Manager of the company’s Red Orb Entertainment division. Commercially and critically acclaimed titles on the Red Orb label included Riven: The Sequel to Myst by Cyan Productions, Warlords III by the Strategic Studies Group (SSG), The Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time by Presto Studios, and Prince of Persia 3D by the Red Orb Entertainment Studio. Before the formation of Red Orb Entertainment at Brøderbund, Ken was responsible for all aspects of development on the highly acclaimed Carmen Sandiego series, leading the product family from aggregate worldwide sales of 2.5 million units in 1992 to over 6 million units in 1997, while supervising brand development through three television series, a motion picture deal, and broad expansion of an international merchandising program. Other award winning titles his teams at Brøderbund produced include In The 1st Degree, Alien Tales, and The Last Express. Prior to joining Brøderbund, Ken worked as a Designer/Producer at Philips Interactive Media and Cinemaware Corporation, and for several years as a screenwriter and television executive. A graduate of Yale University, he has been a volunteer with Free Arts for Abused Children, Olive Crest Treatment Centers, and served on the Board of Trustees of Full Circle Programs, a residential treatment and family services agency.
Mark Weiss is CEO of MusicVision, formerly known as TVMV and he co-founded the company in April 1998. Mark is a senior Internet marketing executive with five years of experience selling and managing online advertising, direct response marketing campaigns and music-oriented promotions. In late 1997, after rising through the ranks of 24/7 Media, Mark conceived a plan for a new Internet advertising network model. Instead of establishing another broad network, Mark predicted that by aggregating web sites within a specific category on the Internet, a network could deliver more accurate media recommendations and clearly defined demographic targeting. He also envisioned faster and steeper sales growth by becoming a specialist in one category, resulting in added value marketing services and higher quality customer service for members of the network, advertisers and ad agencies. His vision became TVMV, which in just two years has become the largest advertising network focused exclusively on aggregating music-oriented web sites on the Internet. The Network represents over 250 music-oriented web sites including Pollstar.com, Sputnik7.com and the official Christina Aguilera Website, and has developed on-line marketing arrangements with the likes of McDonald's, Microsoft, Intel, Coca-Cola, Arizona Jeans, and others. As CEO, Mark is at the heart of TVMV and oversees the company’s overall business strategy, marketing initiatives, strategic partnerships, R&D and capital fundraising. His passion and expertise have been instrumental in the evolution of TVMV and the success of their execution. Mark is directly responsible for TVMV’s cutting edge technology and systems, alliances with companies such as Exodus and Adforce and motivating a skilled staff of advertising, music and Internet professionals. Prior to launching TVMV, Weiss was an online Advertising Sales Manager at 24/7 Media, the second largest Internet marketing services firm. Mark was responsible for selling rich media and targeted banner advertising to clients such as IBM, Proctor and Gamble, and Dell Computers. In 1997, he was an online Advertising Sales Manager for Interactive Imaginations, which became 24/7 Media. Also in 1997, he was an online Advertising Sales Manager for Attitude Network, selling advertising and managing and training staff for a leading online gaming website. In 1996, he was an online Advertising Sales Manager for Jumbo.com, one of the web's largest shareware and software download companies. From 1995 to 1996, he was an online Advertising Sales Manager for Venture Communications, focusing on online direct response media sales.
Mike Barnes is the senior brand manager for the LAVA! Group at Creative Labs. Mike is responsible for business development and product marketing, which includes developing relationships with artists and key industry professionals. Prior to joining Creative Labs, Mike worked at Creative's wholly owned subsidiary, E-mu Systems, Inc. in Scotts Valley, California. While at E-mu, he was involved in product marketing, product development initiatives (Audity, Emulator, Mantis Digital Mixer) and digital filter design. Mike also founded the online soundware initiative (www.emusoundcentral.com) during his tenure at E-mu and expanded the CD-ROM, CD-Audio and SoundFont catalog. Prior to joining E-mu Systems, Inc., Mike established his own soundware company, Signal-To-Noise, and consulted on product development and sound-design for a number of electronic musical instrument companies including Korg, Inc. and E-mu Systems, Inc. He also branched out into the film, game soundtrack and studio industries, which included sound-design and synthesizer programming for films such as "Stargate" and "Last Of The Dogmen." Mike was formerly head of the synthesizer group of Yamaha Research & Development Center in London where he worked for five years on an extensive range of products, including the G10 guitar synthesizer, SY/TG professional synthesizers, RY/QY rhythm products, VL/VP physical modeling synthesizers, as well as the CBX digital audio recorders and professional samplers. Mike has written columns for several key music technology publications including Sound on Sound and Future Music on Synthesis & Audio Software. He also has written several audio technology tutorial books published by Yamaha, and he was a MIDI and Mac HyperMIDI programming instructor at City University & Morley College, London. Born in the UK, Mike graduated with Honors from Exeter University in Exeter, England with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1986. He also holds a Masters degree in Music Information Technology from City University, London.
Chantal Payette, co-founder and President of FLUX:Media Inc., is a pioneer in the new media and Internet industry. Amassing an impressive portfolio of innovative new media projects, Payette has helped shape Canada&Mac226;s digital landscape. Payette began her new media career at the University of Toronto in the Information Technology Services division, where she created and designed the
CWIS (Campus-Wide Information System) Gopher system. While attending U of T, Payette spoke about the Internet at universities across North America, helped create the Toronto FREENET, and served as a member of the IRC (Information Resources Committee). In 1994, Payette went on to head up and program all Internet projects for Toronto television stations Citytv, MuchMusic and Bravo!, coordinating Internet portions for 'Intimate and Interactive' MuchMusic specials featuring Annie Lennox and the Crash Test Dummies. The following year, she joined the team at Leo Burnett Advertising and was instrumental in forming its Interactive department &Mac178; creating award-winning Web sites like the Toronto International Film Festival, Bell Canadian Open and Signature Vacations. Three years later, Payette co-founded Crave Media Inc. and quickly developed one of the most enviable Web site portfolios in Canada with clients such as Bell Canada's Canada411.com. One of Canada's leading experts on converging technologies and the Internet economy; Payette regularly speaks, teaches, writes and advises about the industry. She has spoken at and chaired several Insight conferences for The Globe & Mail, the Toronto International Film Festival and Multimedia '97 as well as spoken at the CDMA, Interactive '97, '98 conferences and for Apple Canada. She teaches courses in Production, Interface Design, Web programming and Studio Practices at the International Academy of Design in Toronto and Ryerson University in addition to contributing to Playback and Marketing Magazine. Named one of Chatelaine's „Digital Women of the Year‰ in 1997, Payette has appeared in FLARE Magazine, Life Network, Globe and Mail, Convergence and on Media Television, Movie Television & MuchMusic.
Randy Greenberg, VP Marketing, AlwaysI.com: Prior to joining AlwaysI.com, Ra
ndy spent over 5 years as VP of International Theatrical Marketing at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) responsible for all marketing, planning and strategy in international markets. Prior to joining MGM, Randy spent 6 years as an Account Director/Senior Publicist Dennis Davidson Associates (DDA), an international entertainment public relations agency focusing on independent production/entertainment labels. Randy’s former clients included Carolco Pictures, Cinergi, Miramax, Polygram Film, 20th Century Fox International, Morgan Creek and Village Roadshow Pictures. Randy has a long list of major blockbuster films for which he has been responsible for the international marketing, a sampling of which includes: The World Is Not Enough, The Thomas Crown Affair, Ronin, GoldenEye, Rob Roy, Pulp Fiction, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Basic Instinct, Total Recall, The Doors, Reservoir Dogs and Field of Dreams.