Michael Pachter is a Managing Director at Wedbush Securities, providing coverage of the Entertainment Software, Entertainment Retail, Social Internet, E-Commerce, and Movies & Entertainment sectors for the last 20 years. He also hosts one of the most significant and highly-regarded industry events during the annual E3 conference. Previously, Michael spent two years as the Director of Research at Wedbush Securities. Before joining Wedbush Securities, he served as the Director at Management Resource Center, a middle-market investment bank. Before that, Michael spent 15 years in various financial and management positions at Atlantic Richfield Company, most recently as Director of Strategic Planning. Michael has been recognized as StarMine’s Top Earnings Estimator year after year and Best on the Street by the Wall Street Journal. Michael holds an M.B.A. from the Anderson School at the University of California at Los Angeles, a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University, an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida, and a bachelor’s in Political Science from California State University, Northridge.

Evan Osheroff is a Managing Director at Jefferies in their TMT Investment Banking Group with a focus on AI and Software. He has nearly 20 years of investment banking experience that includes advising CEOs and Boards on M&A, IPOs and other strategic and capital considerations. He has advised on more than 100 transactions over the course of his career. He attended Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business and Columbia Business school.

David Higley is a Partner in Perella Weinberg’s Advisory business. Based in Los Angeles, Mr. Higley is part of the Firm’s Global Media & Technology Group, providing strategic advice to clients globally in the media, entertainment and technology sectors. Mr. Higley joined Perella Weinberg from Lazard, where he served as a Managing Director and the Global Head of the Interactive Media and Technologies Group, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and strategic advisory. Prior to joining Lazard, Mr. Higley was the Founder and Managing Partner of Bond Lane Partners, a boutique investment bank focused on digital media and interactive entertainment. Previously, Mr. Higley was a Managing Director and the Global Head of Digital Media at UBS Investment Bank. Mr. Higley earned a BBA from the University of Southern California and a JD from the University of Virginia.

Paul Lekas, Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy, Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA): Paul is an experienced advocate, lawyer, and expert in technology policy, government affairs, regulatory design, privacy, and national security. He has advised senior leaders in business and government for two decades. Previously, Paul served in senior legal and policy positions with the U.S. government. He was the Deputy General Counsel (Legal Counsel) at the Department of Defense, with responsibilities for significant litigation, constitutional issues, privacy, congressional investigations, and certain counterterrorism and cybersecurity matters. He also served as General Counsel of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Services and as director of research and analysis and senior advisor to National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI). With NSCAI, Paul led all work on foreign policy and developed recommendations that have served as a blueprint for Biden administration initiatives on critical and emerging technologies. His government service followed over a decade in private law practice in New York and Washington, DC, where he represented dozens of individual and institutional clients in litigation, sensitive investigations, and strategic counseling. Paul’s outside activities include membership in the following: Future of Privacy Forum Advisory Board; EdSAFE AI Alliance Advisory Counsel; G7 Task Force on Governance for a Digitized Society; and NIST Generative AI Public Working Group. He is an advisory on foreign policy and AI for the Special Competitive Studies Project and served as national security legal counsel to the Biden-Harris Transition Team in 2020-21. Paul received his A.B. and J.D. degrees from Harvard University.