2:15 PM - 3:30 PM
Session A:
The Internet Networks Go Broadband - Entertainment, Services & Commerce
It is difficult to describe the impact and future trajectory of the networks now emerging on the Internet. Call them portals or programming services, or conglomerators of information, content and personal user programs, Internet networks are how the majority of users navigate their online experience. And these networks are in a competitive race, bringing new services to their community of users every day. As each Internet network expands its operation, taking on new partners, purchasing other companies, making the connection between content and commerce as well as moving into broadband, we are witness to nothing short of a media revolution.
Benjamin Feinman, Vice President and General Manager Broadband, NBC Internet
Susan S. Bratton, Vice President, Market Development, Excite@Home
Mark Stoever, Vice President, Emerging Destinations, Lycos Corp.
Matt Rightmire, Vice President/General Manager, Yahoo! Inc.
Mike Lunsford, Executive Vice President Broadband, Earthlink
Ross Levinsohn, Vice President and Executive Producer, AltaVista Network
Chris Tucher, Senior Vice President, Business Development, LookSmart
Dave Pearce, Director of Broadband, CNET, Moderator
Matt Rightmire, Vice President/General Manager, Yahoo! Inc.: Matt Rightmire has been part of the team putting together the Yahoo! Internet navigational guide (www.yahoo.com) at Yahoo! Inc. since August 1995. He has been instrumental in building Yahoo! into the world’s most highly trafficked Web site and one of the Internet’s most recognized brands. As Vice President/General Manager of the Entertainment and Media unit at Yahoo!, Rightmire leads a seasoned group of industry veterans to craft business strategies and strategic partnerships, guiding the future direction of the company in this critical segment of its business. He holds a B.S. in industrial engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College
Benjamin Feinman, General Manager, Broadband, NBC Internet: Benjamin Feinman, General Manager of Broadband at NBC Internet (NBCi), is responsible for furthering the company’s leadership position as the next-generation Internet portal service, directing its broadband strategies and product development efforts. He reports directly to Katharine English, Snap.com’s vice president, product development. Before joining NBCi, Mr. Feinman was a Senior Program Manager for Entertainment and Senior Evangelist at Netscape Communications Corp., where he spearheaded significant content, technology and business initiatives in the Internet, broadband and streaming media space. Mr. Feinman also has been involved in standards bodies, including W3C and the IETF, and is considered an expert on Internet and multimedia technologies. Mr. Feinman has participated in numerous conferences regarding Web innovation, including SGML/XML Europe98, where he was a keynote speaker and CNET's Builder where he participated in a keynote with Marc Andreesson. Mr. Feinman earned a BA in English Literature from San Francisco State University.
Susan S. Bratton, Vice President, Market Development Excite@Home: Susan Bratton is the newly appointed VP, Market Development for Excite@Home where she manages all busin
ess to business market strategy for the @Home Network, Excite, Matchlogic and Enliven business units. Recently as Director of the Interactive Advertising Group for @Home Network, the leader in high-speed Internet services via the cable infrastructure, Bratton was responsible for deploying the first interactive multimedia advertisements on the Internet using @Home's high-bandwidth capabilities. Under Susan's leadership, the interactive advertising group pushed the limits on new, impactful advertising models. Excite@Home is charting this new territory of precision-targeted rich media advertising using the powerful combination of Matchlogic and Enliven and conducting rich media research with the leading top tier companies in the automotive, consumer package goods, financial services, technology and web publishing sectors to further the online media industry. Bratton's advertising background spans over 17 years of high technology publishing and sales experience during which she has specialized in building new advertising products and properties and developed sales teams for successful deployment of new businesses. Most recently she worked for Knowledge Industry Publications, Inc. where she was Vice President and Associate Publisher of AV/Video and Multimedia Producer magazines. Prior to that she was the Founder of Media Associates, a publisher's representation firm in trade publishing. Bratton has served on the Board of the Internet Advertising Bureau which brings standards and leadership to the online advertising market since 1996. She was also appointed to the FAST (Future of Advertising Stakeholders) Forward Steering Committee, a cross-industry group populated by major media sites, advertisers and organizations such as the AAAA's, ANA, ARF and CASIE in 1997. Bratton was also recognized by Advertising Age magazine as a "Digital Media Master" - one of the top 25 most influential professionals in the online media space. Bratton holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She lives in Los Altos Hills, California with her husband and daughter and can be working on her remodeling projects if she makes it home before dark.Mike Lunsford, Executive Vice President, Broadband Services, Earthlink: When not at work, Mike spends a lot of time at his local home improvement center -- constantly working on creative ways to improve his home. Mike carries this handyman’s knack into his job, finding ways to build EarthLink’s broadband services from the ground up, with the goal of providing the highest quality service in the industry. Building on the foundation of a dual strategy that encompasses both cable and DSL offerings, EarthLink is poised to stake a significant claim to the future of broadband offerings. Mike and his team are responsible for maximizing current market potential and demand for broadband products. In addition, they are also developing new processes and models that systematize all the intricacies behind broadband deployment. From vendor relations and line qualification to hardware installation and post-sales provisioning, Mike's challenge is to integrate what goes on "behind the scenes" in order to provide a seamless member experience. In addition, with cable and DSL as a foundation, Mike’s team is dedicated to expanding the broadband strategy and vision to keep wireless, satellite and any other emerging broadband technologies high on the radar, so EarthLink can continue to be at the forefront. Mike comes to EarthLink with a great deal of business consulting experience, and most recently served as the company’s vice president of special projects. He was an adviser to EarthLink for more than a year before being hired to oversee consulting and cross-functional projects for the company. Mike started his career at Andersen Consulting in Chicago, where he managed teams of peers and clients working to design, code and test business software. He then moved on to Scott, Madden & Associates, a management consulting firm in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he led projects in marketing, sales, finance, human resources and operations functions for a number of companies in a variety of industries. It was at Scott, Madden & Associates that Mike was introduced to EarthLink. Mike has earned a reputation, both as a consultant and as an executive at EarthLink, for strong client relationships and finishing projects on time and on budget. His attraction to EarthLink and the Internet comes from the fast pace and challenges that present themselves in such a new and important industry. A native of North Carolina, Mike received his bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s of business administration from the University of North Carolina. In his free time, Mike seeks out anything that involves physical activity. He enjoys skiing, snowboarding, golfing and hiking. He relaxes by reading historical and scientific novels, and spending time with his wife and his very spoiled dog, Max.
Ross Levinsohn, Vice President and Executive Producer, AltaVista Network: Ross L
evinsohn is the Vice President and Executive Producer of the AltaVista Network. He was previously Vice President, Programming and Executive Producer of CBS Sportsline, where he oversaw all content for the site. Prior to joining CBS Sportsline, Levinsohn was Director of Production for HBO. In that role, he developed television programming, and licensing, merchandising and new media opportunities. He received a BA in Broadcast Communications from the American University in Washington, DC and sits on the South Florida board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.Mark Stoever, Vice President of Emerging Destinations, is responsible for steering the development of the rapidly growing content on Lycos. His specific responsibilities in this postion include the product management and operations of the emerging destinations in the Lycos Network: Entertainment, Computers, Travel, Small Business, Sports, Kids, News and the My Lycos family of products. Previously at Lycos, Mark served as the director of product management and was responsible for the development, design, and implementation of Content, Community, and Personalization products. He created Lycos' strategic vision in these areas and was responsible for fulfilling the vision by delivering Lycos' first personalization service, the My Lycos product line. Mark is also credited with building Lycos' Community offering. Under his leadership, Lycos launched a portfolio of products including Chat, Message Boards, Email and Online Gaming. His accomplishments have helped Lycos enjoy a multi million user base, which continues to grow by tens of thousand per day. Mark brings over ten years technical sales and marketing experience in the computer software industry. Prior to Lycos, Mark served in Senior Product Management roles at ON Technology Corporation and Microcom, Inc., where he developed product strategy for the companies' communication software products. He holds a B.S. in Technology Management, high honors, from Wentworth Institute of Technology.