Workshop
2:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Session A:
Enhanced TV and E-Commerce - Monetizing the Interactive Experience
As Interactive TV experiments grow and as Net delivered companion programming of TV shows becomes more widespread, the trial and error process of discovering how to monetize this experience is making one thing clear, that Enhanced TV, as a connected two-way conversation with its viewership, is an ideal business model for the future. ETV is going to redefine the direct market industry although how it gets there is still to be determined. In this workshop, the leading companies with hands-on experience in Interactive TV programming will discuss their experiences and take a look into the future.
Suzanne Stefanac, VP Creative & Co-founder, RespondTV
Larry Namer, founder, Steeplechase Media, Television.com
Alex Thompson, President & CEO, Mixed Signals Technologies
Dr. Scott Rigby, co-founder & CEO, thoughtbubble Digital Media
John MacDonald, President & CEO, innovatv.com
Robert Burke, Executive Vice President, Programming, Microcast
David Jensen, Vice President, Interactive Television/Broadband, Razorfish, Inc.
Steven Hoffman, CEO, Spiderdance, Moderator
Alex Thompson, President & CEO, Mixed Signals Technologies founded MST in 1997 and serves as President and CEO. Her extensive experience in engineering and digital video processing crafted the vision for Mixed Signals' innovative product line. With a background education in Electrical Engineering from The University of Maryland, Alex spent several years working in the field of naval aviation before shifting her interests to computers and video. She began work in the film and television industry, creating custom physical, optical and digital effects for film, TV and the developing multimedia industry. In 1995 Alex was recruited by Power Computing, the first licensee of the Mac OS, and relocated to the Silicon Valley where she worked on projects relating to video and new Internet technologies. After Apple Computer purchased Power Computing in 1997, she relocated to Los Angeles from the Silicon Valley, and founded Mixed Signals. Alex was recently chosen by MIT's Technology Review as one of the nation's top 100 technology innovators, and is a noted and respected industry speaker.
Robert Burke, Executive Vice President, Programming for MicroCast, joined the co
mpany in June 1999. Mr. Burke is a driving force behind the company's programming initiative to offer quality broadcast television content on demand through the Internet. MicroCast is a unique, turnkey service that dramatically upgrades the Internet video experience by offering both improved quality and quantity of information and entertainment programming. By combining its proprietary national server network with its patent-pending targeted advertisement insertion technology, MicroCast is well-positioned to become the preeminent provider of simulcast and archived television programming on the Internet. Mr. Burke's extensive 20-year executive experience in television provides him with the vast industry knowledge for creating and successfully managing the global growth and diversification of media companies. Before his present position at MicroCast, Burke was the President and Chief Executive Officer of World Television News Corporation (WTN). WTN is the world's leading international television news and services company, providing customers in more than 125 countries with a wide range of media products in news, sports, entertainment, corporate television, sponsorship, and telecommunications. In this position, Burke was responsible for all joint venture and partnership agreements, and all corporate financial, legal, human resource and client base activity. In 1985, Burke began as Vice-President at WTN, head of the international news business and then in 1989, he became Executive Vice-President, responsible for WTN's diversification in corporate sales and development, eventually rising to President in 1992 and CEO in 1997. From 1980 - 1984, Burke held various positions at ABC. He began as an ABC News Reporter/ Producer and eventually rose to ABC News, Assignment Manager in 1982. In 1977, Burke began his career as a Research Analyst in the Office of Technology Assessment for Congress. Mr. Burke received a Master's in International Affairs from George Washington University in 1977. He received a BA in History from Washington University in St. Louis in 1974.Suzanne Stefanac, VP Creative & Co-founder, RespondTV: An interactive media pioneer, Ms. Stefanac launched Macworld magazine’s Web site in 1994, and in 1996 thesite.com, the Internet alter ego of MSNBC's hour-long nightly program, The Site. At both ventures, Ms. Stefanac oversaw editorial, design, production, technology and budgets, achieving profitability in the first year of operation. The site won “Best Web site” in the 1997 Invision competition. In the ten years prior, Ms. Stefanac wrote on technology for a variety of periodicals: NewMedia, Wired, Macworld, PC World, and the San Francisco Chronicle among them. She also edited Another Room Magazine, an arts quarterly. Ms. Stefanac has served on the faculty of the Stanford Professional Publishing Course, the American Film Institute, Seybold Seminars, Macworld Expos, and the San Francisco State University Multimedia Program. She is a digital competitions juror for the Society of Professional Journalists, the Global Information Infrastructure, I.D. magazine, and the Invision Awards. Ms. Stefanac studied interpersonal chemistry at the University of Montana.
John MacDonald, President and CEO, innovatv.com: John MacDonald brings to
innovatv.com over a decade of experience in the entertainment and cable industries. Mr. MacDonald comes to innovatv.com from his position as Executive Vice President of Program Enterprises and Cable Sales for Twentieth Television (News Corporation), where he also spearheaded the division's Internet and eCommerce initiatives. Mr. MacDonald joined Twentieth Television in 1993 as Director of Business development. In 1994 he was promoted to the position of Vice President, Business Development and Cable Sales, responsible for marketing and sales of Twentieth Century Fox's library of motion pictures and television to domestic basic cable networks. During that time, Mr. MacDonald successfully negotiated the license of several key series, including Chicago Hope and The X-Files. He helped introduce a hybrid cable/syndication sales structure that has since been adopted as the norm for most high-profile "off-net" drama series. In 1996, Mr. MacDonald was promoted to the position of Senior Vice President of Program Enterprises and Cable Sales, after supervising the development and production for the first-run teen sitcom Student Bodies, and the development and execution of the Cops: Too Hot For TV direct response video campaign. He was promoted to EVP in 1999. Mr. MacDonald is a graduate of the Harvard Business School.Dr. Scott Rigby is the co-founder and CEO of thoughtbubble Digital Media, guiding the company in its mission to create innovative new media content. After graduating from Williams College, he headed to the University of Rochester to gather up a doctorate in motivational and clinical psychology. It was there that his lifelong love of computers and technology grew into a conviction that new media and the Internet were unparalleled tools for communication and learning. While in academia, Scott served as a consultant on the uses of new media and the Internet in the social sciences, and completed several publications in the areas of motivation and learning. It was with the desire to expand into creative development beyond the ivory tower that Rigby co-founded thoughtbubble productions in 1995.
Larry Namer, Chairman, Steeplechase Media Inc. Larry Namer is a renowned new me
dia and cable television industry entrepreneur with over 28 years of professional experience. Over the years he has founded and developed several very successful entertainment companies, including E! Entertainment Television and Movies USA Magazine. Under parent company Comspan Communications’ banner, he established Steeplechase Media Inc. (SMI) in 1995 to explore the possibilities of interactive television and new media. Lead by Mr. Namer’s innovation and vision, SMI has become one of North America’s most innovative, new media production companies specializing in the creation of content, business strategy and technology for PC/TV convergence and the Internet. Today, the company is involved in numerous enhanced TV co-productions with some of the country’s most prominent entertainment organizations, including Big Ticket Entertainment (a division of Spelling Entertainment), Pacific Motion Pictures and WebTV. Mr. Namer continues to serve as president and CEO of Comspan Communications, one of Hollywood’s foremost strategic planning and consulting firms for the cable television and new media industries. For some 10 years, the company has developed the business plans and models for many new niche and enhanced cable television networks, including The Documentary Channel, Recovery Networks, Hobby Craft Interactive, Museum World and Expo Networks International. Comspan was also the primary consultant to Microsoft’s innovative, interactive television initiative, MiTV. In 1984, Mr. Namer and partner Alan Mruvka conceptualized and developed the business plan for Movietime Channel (later renamed E! Entertainment Television) and raised the capital to launch the channel in 1987. Serving as president and CEO, Mr. Namer guided the network as it expanded to include 11 international markets and a successful radio show, syndicated in over 110 markets. Mr. Namer and Mr. Mruvka eventually sold their interest in E! to Home Box Office. In 1981, he became vice president and general manager of Valley Cable Television (VCTV) in Los Angeles, the nation’s first 61 channel two-way cable system. His vision and direction garnered VCTV several Emmy and ACE Award nominations, as well as recognition by Forbes Magazine as the national model for local cable television programming. Mr. Namer began his cable industry career at Time Incorporated Manhattan Cable in 1971 and was quickly promoted to the position of director of corporate operations and then director of corporate development. Mr. Namer received the prestigious President’s Award from the National Cable Television Association in 1989. Today, he is widely recognized for his pioneering efforts in the areas of cable and new media and is often invited to serve as a keynote speaker and panelist at many of the world’s leading industry trade shows and seminars.David Jensen, Vice President, Interactive Television/Broadband, Razorfish, Inc. As h
ead of Interactive Television and Broadband for Razorfish, Jensen manages client relationships while overseeing the strategic development of solutions in the broadband, convergent media and interactive television arenas. Prior to joining Razorfish, Jensen was Director of Culture Net Initiatives at the Getty Information Institute, building and leading teams that created interactive cultural networks-projects ranged in scope from community networks and broadband digital libraries, to interactive television solutions. As an architect and filmmaker, Jensen was part of the core design team for the Getty Center with Richard Meier & Partners. He designed and project managed projects in Japan and Europe for Zaha Hadid, London, and served as Project Architect for Virgin Records North America, for Frank Israel Design. Jensen has produced and art-directed feature films, music videos, and TV commercials for HBO, PBS, and Universal. He holds a B.S. from the University of Houston, and a M. Arch. from Harvard University.