Valerie Madden is an Executive Creative Director and AI Integration Strategist with 20+ years of experience in entertainment marketing, branding, and emotionally resonant storytelling. A former creative lead at Amazon MGM Studios, NBCUniversal, and creative agencies, she has branded and launched more than 350 titles across streaming, film, and television—treating each as a distinct product brand within a broader enterprise. Valerie’s career reflects a consistent blend of strategic clarity and creative originality. Many of her campaigns have earned industry awards and delivered long-term brand resonance. Through her consultancy, VMCre8, Valerie empowers creative teams and organizations to work more intuitively and strategically with AI—enhancing originality, streamlining workflows, and reigniting creative confidence. She is the creator of Promptsteer Playground™, a growing suite of human-first AI tools built for marketers, creatives, and communicators navigating real-world challenges. Explore the tools at Promptsteer.com. She also coined the terms Prompteteer™ and Promptsteer™ to define the emerging roles of creative humans who guide AI like an instrument—infusing intention, resonance, and delight into the output. Her ZAG Approach guides individuals and teams to reframe complexity, rethink defaults, and generate ideas that rise above the noise and connect meaningfully with audiences. She believes AI doesn’t replace creatives—it makes their intuition executable. AI can scale content, but only humans scale meaning.

Elav Horwitz is a visionary leader reimagining the intersection of technology, creativity, and business transformation. As EVP and Global Head of Strategic Partnerships and Solutions at WPP, she translates complex technological landscapes into breakthrough opportunities, guiding organizations to harness emerging technologies like Generative AI and crafting innovative marketing solutions for global brands. With over 20 years of experience driving growth for industry giants like McCann Worldgroup, L'Oréal, GM, and Nestlé, Elav specializes in turning innovation into impactful business results. Her expertise spans AI, XR, and Web3, consistently pushing the boundaries of what’s possible by creating new pathways for organizational transformation. A dedicated champion of responsible technology and diversity in leadership, Elav is a founding member of Chief and an active mentor to AI startups, where she fosters human-centered innovation and empowers female founders. She serves as an advisor to influential groups like the Meta Creative Council and has built global C-Suite Innovation Councils, establishing herself as a leading voice in innovation and strategic partnerships.Her contributions to the industry have earned her recognition from Cannes Lions, Campaign Magazine, and ‘The She Runs It’ Award. Elav is frequently sought after as a speaker, industry judge, and thought leader, sharing her insights in top publications like AdWeek, The Drum, and Forbes. 

Kate Cook is the founder of Era Seven Partners, a marketing consultancy helping brands, agencies, and enterprise teams build AI strategies and evolve their businesses through digital innovation. As a brand development expert with a mission-driven career, Kate is dedicated to creating positive change in the world through storytelling and innovation. Her 20 years of experience as brand strategist, marketer, content creator and business development leader spans multiple verticals including entertainment, consumer products, retail and technology. Kate is certified in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence from Caltech. She's committed to using these skills to help marketers navigate times of radical technological disruption and change.

Boo Wong is Accenture Song's Managing Director, Global Leadership of Spatial Computing/XR and GenAI. A senior emerging technology and entertainment executive, she was formerly the Director of Live Entertainment for Unity Technologies and Global Director of Emerging Technology at The Mill, a Technicolor company. A strategic futurist thinker with exceptional tactical execution, Boo has a track record of leading global multifunctional and motivated teams forging industry-bending Emergent Technologies and Experience Design into new business lines and products for the most prominent companies and brands in the world. With a 20+ year history across media and entertainment, interactive and experience design, technology and marketing, she excels in building organizations fueled by innovation, speed and creativity. Boo is a frequent speaker and contributor to industry publications on the topics of innovation, entertainment, interactive and creative technologies, XR and the future of human interactions and marketing. She has judged leading industry festivals including the Producers Guild of America’s Innovation Award, Siggraph, Prix Ars Electronica, AICP Next Awards and the Brand Film Festival. Boo's work has earned accolades from a variety of awards including Cannes Lions, VES, D&AD, Broadcast Design, Siggraph, Clio, LIA, British Arrows, Ciclope, AICP, APA, BTA Craft, Andys, ADC, The One Show, Graphis, Webbys, Sundance, Oscars and Emmy Awards, as well as a personal distinction through the Advanced Imaging Society’s Distinguished Leadership Award.

Shannon Pruitt, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Stagwell Brand Performance Network: As the Global Chief Marketing Officer for Stagwell’s Brand Performance Network, Shannon draws on her extensive experience in delivering innovative marketing solutions across various industries like media, content, technology, sports, and entertainment. Her primary role involves supporting Stagwell’s portfolio of agencies by identifying new service offerings and opportunities aimed at driving revenue and success for both the agencies and their clients. Shannon's expertise stems from her involvement in all facets of consumer engagement, including brand management, publishing, agency work, and intellectual property rights. She specializes in designing and implementing strategic revenue streams, programs, and partnerships across verticals for clients and agencies alike. In 2023, Shannon spearhead Assembly Global’s Assembly Impact division. Under her leadership, the division launched initiatives such as "Partners for Progress," focused on supplier diversity and inclusion investment, and "Assembly Green," dedicated to sustainable environmental investment. Previously, Shannon served as Chief Marketing Officer for The Honest Company, where she played a pivotal role in reshaping the company's mission and expanding its product line. During her tenure, she transformed the brand's consumer experience, guiding it towards a more modern and measurable omni-channel approach. Before joining Stagwell and The Honest Company, Shannon held key positions at Dentsu, where she led initiatives in branded content and entertainment. She collaborated with Fortune 100 brands like GM, Xbox, P&G, and Fox to develop and execute omni-channel campaigns that resonated with target audiences. Shannon’s career also includes leadership roles at entertainment giants like 19 Entertainment, Mark Burnett Productions, and Warner Bros. She was responsible for strategizing and activating sponsorships for major events like the FIFA World Cup, Major League Baseball, and the NFL. Shannon holds a public board position with Versus Systems and serves as an Executive Board Advisor to companies Paragon One and Modwell. She also serves as an Advisory Board Member and Committee Steer for Brand Storytelling’s Diversity Imperative and Measurement Council. Shannon graduated from the University of Oregon with a BA in Japanese and earned her MBA from the University of Oregon’s Warsaw Sports Business Program. As the proud mother of three children, including a daughter with disabilities, she spends her time doing board work and advocating passionately for people with rare genetic syndromes, including her daughter Emma, through her family’s fundraiser initiative, Quinn’s Cocoa for the Cure. This initiative is dedicated to finding therapeutics and providing resources for families and individuals with Angelman Syndrome.

Adam Simon, Managing Director, IPG Media Lab: Adam has been developing innovation strategy for over twenty years, starting with producing one of the first branded podcasts for Unilever way back in 2005. For the past nine years, he’s led the IPG Media Lab, part of IPG Mediabrands, tracking the intersection of emerging technologies and changing consumer behavior for IPG’s global brands. Adam is also a published board game designer and industry expert on innovation in theme parks, interactive, and immersive entertainment. This entrepreneur is passionate about over-the-top television, and the potential for new kinds of contextual computing enabled by smartphones, wearables, and the Internet of things. Fresh out of NYU’s cutting-edge Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), he founded Socialbomb in 2008, and worked with the likes of HBO, Red Bull, Technicolor, and the BBC building breakthrough mobile social software. Adam joins the Lab bringing innovative-driven solutions and a love for exercise. He once rode a bike 500 miles across Alaska, from Fairbanks to Anchorage. No joke.

Steve Kazanjian is a globally recognized brand strategist, community builder, and marketing consultant, helping professionals, businesses, and industries navigate transformation. With a career spanning executive leadership, agency strategy, and creative excellence, he has built, scaled, and redefined businesses at the intersection of entertainment, marketing, and technology. As the founder of The Next [Next] Group, Steve provides strategic advisory services focused on growth, competitive positioning, and business development—helping agencies, brands, and creative professionals sharpen their value propositions and accelerate success. He also leads partnerships for Social Dept, an AI-powered social marketing platform revolutionizing how entertainment brands maximize audience engagement. Social Dept unlocks the hidden value of content libraries, transforming legacy assets into high-performance social campaigns at scale by blending AI-driven insights with strategic marketing expertise. A recognized creative leader, Steve has shaped industries at the intersection of strategy, design, and media innovation. As the former President & CEO of Promax, he led the global association representing thousands of entertainment marketers, helping define the industry’s approach to branding, promotion, and audience engagement. His background spans award-winning creative direction, brand strategy, and foundational leadership in agency and design—earning recognition for driving innovation and elevating creative excellence.