Margaret Stohl is an award‑winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author, comic‑book writer, and video‑game creator. Born in Pasadena and now based in Santa Monica, she has written over a dozen novels—most notably the Beautiful Creatures series—and contributed acclaimed works to Marvel Comics such as Black Widow: Forever Red and Life of Captain Marvel. Before establishing herself in publishing, she spent 16 years in the gaming industry—co‑founding 7 Studios and serving as creative director—drawing on that experience to help craft narrative worlds. A co‑founder of two major teen book festivals, YALLFest and YALLWest, she continues to champion youth literacy and empower readers of all ages. Margaret is the Co-Founder & CEO of Stone Kite, an in-stealth, world building studio.

David Freeman has served as a visionary and innovator across the constantly evolving Entertainment, Sports, Digital and Media Landscape. Freeman has a proven track record of founding and leading companies while consistently delivering profitable revenue growth in each role he has served. Currently, he is the Founder & CEO of Kynetic Media Ventures, a next-generation culture venture studio launched in 2026 to expand fandom, activate communities, and transform talent and their intellectual property into scalable enterprises. Previously, David was the Global Head of the Digital Media department at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). As the founder of the group in 2010, Freeman was at the forefront of the digital media marketplace, leading the company and its traditional and digital endemic clients (talent and corporate) across all areas. Over 15 years at CAA with the proliferation of the Creator Economy across all Media and Hollywood, Freeman launched, created and led a number of new verticals within the department that have become best in class across the industry including creator representation, branded entertainment, gaming/eSports, social media monetization and distribution, immersive media/XR, AI, and corporate advisory. Freeman’s unique global perspective as technology has disrupted both the Advertising and Hollywood industries has led to the formation of new business models, global IP sales, the launch of new digital companies and key investments for the company. Prior to joining CAA in 2010, he served as General Manager of MATTER, Edelman Sports and Entertainment Marketing. In 2003, Freeman co-founded MATTER to forge and develop marketing partnerships for brands, entertainment companies, and content creators. The company was acquired by Edelman in 2006 and at its peak, Freeman oversaw a team of 120 executives across Los Angeles, New York and London. Previously, Freeman led a joint venture between OMD Worldwide and Aaron Walton Entertainment, two of the leading media and entertainment companies within the Omnicom network. Additionally, he held positions at CNB Entertainment, an entertainment finance and development company, and NFL Properties in its Corporate Sponsorship Sales & Marketing Division. 

Joel Savitt is the Founder and CEO of Bamboo Bridge, an operational advisory firm that helps high-scale creators and media enterprises build institutional-grade infrastructure. He specializes in the unglamorous but vital machinery of media: translating massive creative IP into scalable, repeatable global operations across every screen and experience. Most recently, Joel served as a Director at Google, leading the Google Developer Studio, where he ran a global content engine producing over 2,600 videos a year to engage 20M+ followers across 60+ owned-and-operated social channels. Prior to that, as Director and Global Head of Production for YouTube Originals, he managed a nine-figure content budget and engineered multimillion-dollar studio facilities from the ground up. His deep roots in traditional Hollywood include launching the VP of Production function at NBCUniversal’s Oxygen Network and running production for Ashton Kutcher’s Katalyst Media, in addition to being the Coordinating Producer on The Amazing Race seasons 2 & 3 - setting that franchise up operationally for decades of success. Over his career, Joel’s operational leadership has supported content that has captured five Emmys, 19 Streamys, and three Webbys. He is a member of the Television Academy and the Producers Guild of America, and serves as the Finance Board Trustee for Temple Akiba in Culver City. Driven by a belief in the power of operational mentorship, Joel volunteers regularly with Defy Ventures to help transform the lives of currently and formerly incarcerated individuals through entrepreneurship, career readiness, and personal development. He is also an avid runner who has completed 12 full marathons, with his 13th set for this October.



Ted Schilowitz, Futurist, formerly Paramount Global: Ted spends his time and pursues his passion in a unique role in the entertainment industry. Ted works across the leadership and the technology teams across Paramount Global, including CBS, CBS Sports, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Plus, MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, PlutoTV and Comedy Central, exploring emerging tech for entertainment with an emphasis on Virtual and Mixed Reality and Web 3.0/ MetaVerse pursuits. Prior to joining Paramount, Ted was the Futurist at 20th Century Fox, where he worked on the evolving art, science and technology of advanced interactive visual storytelling. He was part of the creation team for the Martian VR and Wild VR experiences, which premiered at CES and Sundance as groundbreaking projects that pushed the envelope of Virtual Reality storytelling, Ted was part of the creation teams for the Alien, Planet of the Apes and Predator VR experiences at Fox, and at his current home at Paramount Pictures, he’s been instrumental in bringing the Grease Mixed Reality experience, the Light as a Feather mixed reality experience and the Quiet Place Virtual Reality experience to life. Ted was an integral part of the product development team at Red Digital Cinema as the company’s first employee. The Red One and Epic cameras have made a significant impact on the Motion Picture Industry, winning a Sci-Tech Academy award. Many of the world’s biggest movies are now being shot with these ultra high resolution digital movie cameras. Ted is one of the founders and creators of the G-Tech product line of advanced hard drive storage products. As one of the most recognized brands in that industry, they are implemented worldwide at the highest levels on cinema, episodic television, sports and news production. In his role as Chief Creative Officer at Barco Escape, he spearheaded an experimental immersive cinema project for movie theaters worldwide.

Seth Shapiro, Two-time Emmy® Award winner Seth Shapiro is a leader in media, tech and fintech. His clients and partners have included AT&T, Betfair, Comcast, Disney, Goldman Sachs, IBM, Intel, NBCUniversal, News Corp, WarnerBros, and a range of new ventures. He served previously as an Adjunct Professor at USC Cinematic Arts as a Governor of the Television Academy, and as a Senior Producer at Disney Interactive. He is author of Amazon bestseller TELEVISION Vol. 1, a history of the media business 1890-1980. As Head of Digital Production at DIRECTV, he was key to the launch of over 25 services including TiVo, the first major DVR platform. An active investor and trader, Mr. Shapiro was an early advocate of blockchain for the media sector and has been active in the fintech sector since 2017. In the public sphere, he has served as an Expert before both the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission.