Speakers

Jean-Paul Ciardullo, Associate, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Jean-Paul Ciardullo is an Intellectual Property attorney with the law firm of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP here in Manhattan. Jean-Paul graduated Princeton with an Engineering degree before transitioning into law. In his years at Kramer Levin, he boasts a perfect "winning record" for his clients. For Sirius Satellite Radio, Kramer Levin's legal team defeated a $110 million contract claim brought by an electronics distributor. This past March, a federal judge awarded a Kramer Levin client $11 million to compensate for false advertising by a competitor. Earlier this year, Jean-Paul helped a start-up nutritional supplement company defeat a patent infringement claim that threatened to put the company out of business. Kramer Levin is a full service, general practice law firm with 350 attorneys representing clients in matters ranging from full-scale litigation to contract negotiation, real estate and tax law. Kramer Levin's Intellectual Property department clients include Apple Computer, Sirius XM Radio, Honda, Canon and Starwood Hotels.

Frank J. Ohlhorst, Executive Technology Editor, eWeek Channel Insider, Ziff Davis Enterprise

As Executive Technology Editor for eWeek Channel Insider, Frank Ohlhorst brings with him over 20 years of experience in the Information Technology field. His career includes IT consulting, network administration, and programming in the private sector, network management for several important United States Department of Energy sites, and Computer Security for multiple DOE sites. In 1999, Frank joined CMP Technology’s Channel group where he held increasingly senior editorial positions at CRN and the CRN Test Center. He also contributed to Netseminars, ChannelWeb, Digital Connect, Xchange Channel events, and CRN-TV, and was instrumental in the launch of CRNTech. In June 2007, Frank was named Senior Technology Analyst and became responsible for the technical focus and edit calendars of all the Channel Group’s publications.

Frank joined Ziff Davis Enterprise in September of 2007, where he focuses on creating editorial content geared towards the purveyors of IT products and services. Frank writes comparative reviews and channel analysis pieces and participates in many tradeshows and webinars. He has received several awards for his writing and editing, including back-to-back best review of the year awards, and a president’s award for CRN-TV. Frank speaks at many industry conferences, is a contributor to several IT Books, holds several records for online hits and has several industry certifications, including Novell’s CNE and Microsoft’s MCP.

Gary Schwartz, President & CEO, Impact Mobile Inc.

With over 20 years of experience in IT and telecommunications Gary Schwartz founded Impact Mobile, an industry leader in North America promoting mobile as a media channel, in 2002. Impact Mobile provides carriers, global agencies and brands managed and self-service marketing platforms for any aspect of their mobile marketing needs. In addition to connecting through national carriers to all mobile subscribers, Impact Mobile activates traditional and digital media and helps drive consumers to high-ROI destinations such as retail point of sale, live event gate, lead generation engine, etc.
Gary has been a mobile industry leader, running the first cross-carrier short code campaign in North America, founding the CWTA Mobile Content Committee, establishing and co-chairing the US Interactive Advertising Bureau Mobile Marketing Committee, and is a director on the board of the Mobile Entertainment Forum. Gary is currently working with a joint National Retail Federation/Mobile Marketing Association task force on the vision for the "Mobile Store of the Future". Gary is also the recipient of the Macromedia People Choice Award as well as the Dodge Foundation award for innovation.
 

Moderators

Serko Artinian, Director/Editor, SERKOART®

Based in the greater NYC metro area since 2003, SERKOART® is an independent production services group specializing in digital media. Our ability to grasp the complexities of the industry quickly makes us enormously helpful as a resource for evaluating options because, just by virtue of our aptitude, we study and produce content in a variety of areas regarding new technology (e.g., digital film-making, digital photography, digital audio production & mobile communication) in great detail.
For more information please visit serkoart.com and mobiledivide.com.

Kobi Wu Pasmore, Founder & CEO. Lyonshare Communications Inc., Adjunct Professor, NYU Tisch School of the Arts

Kobi Wu-Pasmore is the founder and CEO of the experiential marketing firm Lyonshare Communications Inc. and is considered an expert and innovator in youth and music marketing. She began her professional career in the entertainment industry with a focus on managing unique and up-and-coming talents with a roster of performers including Macy Gray, Sunshine Anderson and Sy Smith to name just a few.

Kobi's foundation in talent management evolved into event production. She is credited with a long line of event successes serving the disparate needs of clients ranging from celebrities to corporations. She has managed entertainment events for Morgans Hotel Group which includes the five star Mondrian Hotel brand; and developed and ran the Events Group at the New York-based award-winning youth marketing company Cornerstone.

She has managed and activated a wide variety of programming executions for some of youth cultures most important and influential brands such as Nike, Levi’s, Xbox, Converse, The Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Cartier, E&J Gallo Winery, Boost Mobile, Diageo, SXSW, CMJ, Zune, with live performances from the likes of Kanye West, T-Pain and a host of others.

Most recently, Kobi Wu-Pasmore has become an adjunct professor at New York University's prestigious Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at Tisch School of the Arts.

Oz Sultan, Consultant & Co-Founder, Nextweb

Oz Sultan is a seasoned technology and digital marketing executive who has built and advised Fortune 1000 Companies across CPG, Automotive, Lifestyle, Media, entertainment and financial verticals over the past 15 years. Previously, Oz ran digital online for Transworld Entertainment, managed portions of Microsoft passport and messenger, led an emerging technology practice at Sapient, and directed web 2.0 projects for the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Over the course of his career, Oz has also advised and built over 25 startups within the media, luxury, emerging technology and entertainment sectors.

More recently, Oz has returned to consulting where he advises Beauty, Luxury, Media, Entertainment and Publishing clients on client engagement, new technology (social media) trends and interactive marketing projects. Oz also serves as Co-founder of Nextweb, a technology networking and event organization that holds technology and social communication-focused events in Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, and Washington DC.
 

Panelists

Brian August, Chief Rainmaker, Box of Rain

Brian has worked at the intersection of technology, music and digital media for more than 20 years. For the last 18 months, as head of Webster Hall Digital Media, he has driven the integration of video, mobile, interactive and other social media technologies into the venue. Brian has a diverse background in law, business development and digital technology. He maintained a legal practice that catered to all aspects of internet law, launched several technology startups, and has worked as general counsel and head of corporate development for two technology businesses and as an in-house attorney at NBC/Universal.

Gennadiy Borisov, Consultant, Alpha Media: Maxim Digital

Gennadiy is a current consultant and former Chief Technology & Product Officer at Alpha Media Group: Maxim Digital (Maxim.com & Blender.com). Prior to Maxim, he founded and was General Manager of MTV Ukraine (MTV Europe) and Vice President, Advanced Products at MTV Networks US, Viacom.

While at Alpha Media, Gennadiy oversaw all technical and product development efforts for Maxim / Blender digital properties. He currently advises Media and Technology companies on digital media efforts including development of products and strategy, growth initiatives, expansion to new platforms, vendor relations, implementation management, content management and delivery, digital rights and IT integration.

Kevin Brail, Owner, Zeitbyte, LLC

Kevin Brail brings over 10 years of media website and IT experience to the Zeitbyte team. He has extensive experience with coding and project management working with data feeds, video, databases, ecommerce and multiple language sites. Kevin got his professional start in the early 90’s in the print industry working with hi-end photo technology, digital layouts photo retouching. He joined internet startup MediaStream in 1995 as a project manager and front end coder creating dynamic client websites. Some early projects included Cushman & Wakefield, DoubleClick, Princeton Review and Gambling.com.

Kevin joined Conde Nast’s interactive team, CondeNet as the production manager for epicurious.com in 1997. The site won several ASME and Webbie awards during his tenure. Kevin joined Dow Jones as the head of project management with Smartmoney.com in 2000 where he oversaw the development of their subscription model site Smartmoney Select as well as developing tools for clients JP Morgan, Chase Bank, Wall Street Journal and Fidelity Investments. Kevin joined Reuters as the Global Head of Product Operations in 2005 before co-founding Zeitbyte. Zeitbyte will be providing a live webcast of the event.

Lane Buschel, President, SeisMK

Lane Buschel, president of SeisMK and a vice president at The Morris + King Company (MKC), has more than a decade of public relations and marketing experience with an emphasis on media, entertainment, technology and B2B clients. Mr. Buschel is the recipient of several awards for outstanding public relations programs, including Entertainment Weekly's Best of the Internet, two Creativity in Public Relations Awards (CIPRA) and multiple commendations from PRWeek magazine.

Mr. Buschel holds a J.D. from New York Law School, where he specialized in Intellectual Property law. He was a Founding Producer of the annual State of Play: Law, Games and Virtual Worlds' conference, a Summer Fellow at the Institute for Information Law and Policy, and a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Asia Pacific Technology and Legal Policy. He earned his B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland at College Park. He currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, where he co-founded Wiimbledon, the world’s first Wii tennis tournament.

Tom Dunkley, GBH  

GBH is one of New York City's leading dance party promoters. For the last 10 years, Tom has been at the forefront of the house, electro and indie rock scene in New York and at the epicenter of New York nightlife in general. GBH's affiliation with Lotus is the force that kicked off the current meatpacking-district party scene. Among the acts that Tom has regularly booked are Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Crystal Method, and Justice.

Alex English, DJ

Alex English as the resident spinner at the GBH-affiliated Girls & Boys bash, the long-running affair that currently occupies the main floor of Webster Hall every Friday night. Alex is an extremely versatile and sought after artist and is a master spinner of electrorock, electro-house and other sounds with a buzzy bassline.

Richard Johnson, Director of CRM and Digital, Kaleidoscope Sports & Entertainment (a unit of the Interpublic Group)

Richard Johnson has over 18 years of experience in the digital aspects of CRM , including advertising, marketing, internet, sales and call centers. Mr. Johnson’s experience spans clients in a range of industries, among them automotive, technology, telecommunications, retail and financial services. He has pioneered the opening, implementation, integration and marketing techniques of new customer communication channels including; voice response systems, email, chat, mobile and social media.

In addition to his CRM experience, Mr. Johnson has also held various management positions in sales and operations, and management consulting with firms such as Ernst & Young, EDS, eLoyalty and McCann Erickson. Currently he is the Director of CRM and Digital at Kaleidoscope Sports and Entertainment a unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG). He manages operations for all digital, CRM and business intelligence activity.

Ben Kartzman, CEO, Spongecell

Ben is the CEO of Spongecell, an innovative rich media technology that allows advertisers to increase ROI (or RO Engagement) by creating ads that make it easy for messages to flow into calendars, mobile devices, social networks and email inboxes directly from the ad unit. Ben established himself working for global leaders in consulting, banking and technology such as Accenture, Morgan Stanley and Intel. As an executive at Accenture, Ben led the sales and delivery of high-value management consulting engagements. Ben also has formidable experience leading teams in building highly usable software products as demonstrated for venture backed start ups in New York. Ben graduated with honors from Carnegie Mellon with a dual BS in Human Computer Interaction and Information & Decision Systems.

Holger Mannweiler, Founder and Board member of match2blue

As founder, Holger is responsible for strategy and corporate development at match2blue, which is developing a location-based social networking application and helps bring organizations and communities into the mobile landscape as a technology partner to existing social networks and Internet communities. Prior to foundint match2blue, Holger was Founder and Board member of Enligna AG, Founder and Partner of Elsner Mannweiler Credit Consult Partnerschaftgesellschaft, Senior Associate at the Business and Technology Office of McKinsey&Company in Frankfurt, and Founder and Managing Director of KOM New Media GmbH, and internet software firm. He holds degrees in Physics from the University of Mainz and Stanford University and obtained his MBA from Bradford University.  

Bobby Markowitz, VP of Events, Sponsorships & Promotions, Earthquake Media

Bobby has more than 15 years of experience in both online & offline advertising and marketing and is responsible for the company’s overall events strategy, promotional development and sponsorship activation for the company and its clients. He has spearheaded the rapid growth of Earthquake Media’s client’s event production, sponsorship placement & activation and customer acquisition efforts.

Prior to joining Earthquake Media, Markowitz built and directed the marketing for Ziff Davis Media’s video gamer social network 1UP.com in San Francisco and Sports.com, a sister site to Viacom’s CBS SportsLine and Europe’s largest online sports entertainment destination, based in London. Also while in Europe, Markowitz developed business and activated sponsorships for RPMC, an LA-based experiential marketing excitement agency.

Hugh McGrory, Creative Director, Box of Rain

Award-winning film director and producer Hugh McGrory has been commissioned as a writer/director/producer/executive producer on over 30 short films including film plus digital, live-action with CG, and documentary plus drama, and has also directed television commercials. As an innovation consultant he specializes in exploring and documenting the narratives of innovation and networking collaborators who seem at first glance to have little or nothing in common. He has been a delegate on International Digital Media Trade Missions as Creative Entrepreneur. His areas of expertise include film-making, imaging, social networking, online video and communication, video for mobile and other handheld devices, experimentation, innovation, motivation, positive energy, an open mind, seeing new connections between traditionally separate things.

Gerard McNamee, Director of Operations, Webster Hall

Gerard directs the night to night operations of Webster Hall, a venue that attracts more than 700,000 people per year and is regarded as one of the leading nigtclubs in America. Gerard manages a staff of more than 50 and is responsible for overseeing all security, service and patron relations issues for over 300 club events, concerts and corporate functions each year.

Evan O'Neil, Managing Editor, Policy Innovations

Evan O'Neil is a program associate at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs and managing editor of Policy Innovations magazine.

Evan started with the Carnegie Council in October 2002 and has worked on a variety of initiatives over the years. From 2003 to 2004, he assisted the Council's Empire and Democracy Project in its exploration of multilateralism, democracy promotion, and corporate social responsibility. In 2004, he transitioned to Global Policy Innovations to help launch its program on positive alternatives for a fairer globalization.

In his spare time, he is an avid New York cyclist and regular volunteer for Transportation Alternatives, and writes on environmental issues for his blog Inside Climate. He suspects that even small changes in human attitude and behavior can have profound effects on our world.

Anne Marie Principe, Affinity Projects LLC

Ms. Principe has a successful track record as an executive and consultant in development and funding for a variety of charitable organizations including Books for Kids, United Cerebral Palsy, NY Detox, Worldwide Children's Foundation, and From the Ground Up. She has produced numerous high-profile special events such as a regional holiday toy/book drive, a major league soccer opening day, a celebrity charity auction, and Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards. She also has lobbied and advocated with community leaders, city and state legislators, the Ground Zero Task Force, and on Capitol Hill, resulting in legislative change.

Among Ms. Principe's numerous awards and honors including the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Award, the Congressional Leadership Award, the League of Women Voters 2009 Women of Distinction Award, and the Republican Congressional Committee National Leadership Award. She has served as Co-Chair of the Small Business Advisory Board for The City of New York and is on the executive board of the World Wide Children’s Foundation.

Drew Pitts, Senior Director of Sales, Impact Mobile Inc.

Drew joined Impact Mobile in 2005 as an account manager based in Toronto. He has over 10 years experience working in mobile with carriers, hardware, software, and rich content companies. He has been working with live events in Entertainment and Sports, activating media and driving fan engagement since 2006. Drew has been instrumental in driving application sales and landing and supporting large clients at Impact Mobile including: Coca Cola, PHD, OMNICOM, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, House of Blues and American Eagle. He has extensive experience consulting on integrated mobile marketing campaigns in a number of different verticals and possesses extensive knowledge of mobile technology.

Aubrey Sabala, Marketing Manager, Digg

Aubrey's marketing experience encompasses both traditional and new media strategies. She has extensive expertise in SEM and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), as well as performance-based online marketing strategy (including rich media, email, display and SEM programs), from previous senior marketing positions at Google and Ask.com. In her current role as Marketing Manager at Digg, Aubrey develops and executes marketing programs to drive user growth and retention, create a customer segmentation model, and develop product strategies that support key segments of the Digg community.

Tobin Schwaiger-Hastanan, Co-Founder, Cupid's Lab

A software engineer with over 14 years of experience building enterprise and Internet applications, Tobin and partner Jevaun Howell created Cupid's Lab an online social network focused on creating a trusted and fun environment for online dating. Launched as a social experiment among friends, Cupid's Lab opened its doors to the public in 2007. Tobin is currently a freelance developer for MTV Networks where he is re-architecting Nickelodeon’s Go City Kids community site. He has also worked at FOX Interactive Media and MLB Advanced Media, where he architected the e-commerce system behind MLB.com’s digital subscription and download service.

Leonard Shostak, Producer, Box of Rain
Entrepreneur Leonard Shostak has been helping organizations adopt new technologies since 1992, when he founded his first consulting firm after leaving the event catering business he managed. Since founding Box of Rain, he consults on all aspects of business growth and development, focusing on startups, interactive media, and events. Leonard has led workshops and seminars for universities and professional associations and has been quoted in Inc., Newsday, and the BBC News, among others. He is active in several business networking groups and founded the networking and fundraising venture A Networking Event Made in Heaven.

Matthew Snyder, CEO, MOBIFY

Matthew is a seasoned technology and business leader with a 20 year+ track recorder that spans from developing consumer electronic products and mobile devices to consumer services in music, video, advanced user-interfaces, search, and location-based new media social advertising. He has been a pioneer and business development leader in the new emerging areas of mobile search and mobile advertising. Most reciently, he was the Head of Strategy and Business Development in Nokia’s Multimedia Business Group. Just prior, he was General Manager, Nokia Search where he developed new innovative search offerings that included a music search interface for bands, artists and viral free music. In addition, he leads a team doing Advanced Development activites creating new design formats for Mobile Devices.

Richard Stanton, CEO, Bintro

Richard Stanton is the CEO of Bintro.com, an opportunity matchmaking service for individuals, businesses, employers, job seekers, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. Bintro anonymously matches you to those that need what you provide or provide what you need, whether it be jobs, services, goods or a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Mr. Stanton joined Bintro in June 2008, bringing significant experience in new media and internet related business. He was previously a senior executive and one of the founders of GiftCertificates.com, where he was instrumental in growing revenues derived from online sales and led product management and creative marketing services teams through two mergers. After leaving GiftCertificates.com, Mr. Stanton was Managing Director of Stanton, Walker & Company, where he provided operational, marketing, financial, and merger and acquisition advice and analysis. Prior to GiftCertificates.com, Mr. Stanton was an independent consultant specializing in marketing and operational strategies for new media and e-commerce initiatives. He is a frequent speaker on the topic of “Defining the Essence of Ourselves” and blends such inspirational topics with his love of technology and how it can benefit the greater good. Mr. Stanton is a thought leader in the area of the Semantic Web and is actively involved in raising awareness for Web 3.0 applications. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from American University.
 

Emcee

Juliette Powell, Founder, Powell International Entertainment, Inc.

Entrepreneur and digital media strategy consultant Juliette is the author of 33 Million People in the Room: How to create, influence and Run a Successful Business with Social Networking. Her background includes broadcast television as well as in interactive/new media content and formats, and a lifelong interest in people and community-building. Juliette has worked with major corporations, government and new media organizations, including Red Bull, Mozilla, Microsoft, Compaq, Trump International, the United Nations, the Department of Justice, Paltalk, Rocketboom, and Nokia.

Juliette has helped produce the world-renowned TED Conference and began her career as a television producer-interviewer and Founder of Powell International Entertainment, Inc. (PIE, Inc.), an integrated media production and development company that produces cross-platform content with newsmakers such as Nelson Mandela, Prince Charles, Sir Richard Branson, Steven Spielberg, and Tom Cruise. Most recently, Powell was commissioned to create Canada’s first cross-platform interactive show designed for TV, Internet, radio, and mobile applications.

A popular keynote speaker, Juliette writes for huffingtonpost.com and can be reached via facebook and twitter.com/juliettepowell (@juliettepowell) or via her website, juliettepowell.com
 
 

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