Breaking through the competitive cacophony vying for consumers' attention is more daunting than ever. Find out how the industry's TV, music, mobile, film and broadband marketing/creative teams are reinventing the world of entertainment, branding and marketing, with impressive results.
Andy Marks is an accomplished business and creative executive, entrepreneur, investor, and leader in branded entertainment and content marketing, helping marketers and content creators find the common ground that leads to great brand storytelling. He is President of Marks Entertainment + Media, an independent consultancy and production company through which he advises clients on a range of issues, and makes strategic investments in companies at the intersection of branding, entertainment, media and technology. Clients include CBS EcoMedia, a division of CBS Corporation, marketing intelligence software company Velocidi, Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video Entertainment, and comedy MCN Above Average. Andy is also Expert-in-Residence at BRaVe Ventures, a digital media and technology consultancy, incubator and accelerator focused on digital entertainment and Next Generation Television. Prior to founding MEM, Andy was Managing Director and co-head of MATTER, a leading entertainment, sports and experiential marketing agency, and subsidiary of Edelman, the world’s largest Public Relations firm. He co-founded branded entertainment consultancy MATTER Entertainment LLC, which was acquired by Edelman, and built it into a full service integrated marketing agency operating worldwide. During his tenure at MATTER, Andy developed entertainment marketing strategies, and award winning branded entertainment content for the world’s leading brands including Brita, Clorox, Quaker, Johnson & Johnson, Dove, Pepsi, GlaxoSmithKline, Symantec, Phillips Van Heusen, and Activision. He placed a number of clients in TV and digital programming partnerships including “The Biggest Loser,” “Top Chef,” “Project Runway,” “Cake Boss,” “The Doctors,” “The X Factor,” and “Cybergeddon” from “CSI” creator Anthony Zuiker. He has worked with best-in-class TV, film, music, and digital partners such as NBCU, CBS, Broadway Video Entertainment, Sundance Channel, Scripps, Bravo, Knitting Factory Entertainment, Live Nation, Billboard, Shine, Magical Elves, FunnyorDie.com, Yahoo!, Sundance Film Festival, and the Tribeca Institute. Before co-founding MATTER, Andy served as EVP of brand partnerships at Hypnotic, a multi-media production company backed by Universal Pictures, and home to director Doug Liman (“Bourne Identity,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”). There he launched pioneering branded entertainment programs such as Reebok’s Cannes Gold Lion award-winning “Terry Tate, Office Linebacker,” and the “Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival.” Prior to that he was Director of Sales and Sponsorships at the Hollywood Stock Exchange. He is a sought after speaker at such industry forums as NATPE, Digital Hollywood, Videonomics Summit, Streaming Media East, and Advertising Week, is a frequent contributor to TV industry blog TV(R)EV and is a member of the board of advisors for the Hollywood Advertising Upfronts. He holds a B.A. from Colgate University and resides in New York City with wife Nanette and their two children.
James DeJulio is the co-founder, president and chief product officer at Tongal. His mission is creative populism -- empowering people from all over the world to pursue their creative passions, and helping them to earn a living with their talent. Tongal, the company he founded, is the world’s first studio on-demand – a platform that connects businesses with writers, directors, and production companies who deliver outstanding creative work. At Tongal, DeJulio oversees all creative and platform development. He also works closely with a wide variety of organizations making use of Tongal's platform, while building and mentoring Tongal’s creative community. Through Tongal, DeJulio has forged strong relationships with rising filmmakers & creatives, and helped organizations of all shapes and sizes redefine what original video content can do in the marketplace. Previously, DeJulio co-founded Half Shell Entertainment, where he managed content and programming strategies for HBO and National Lampoon. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Production at Paramount’s Robert Evans Company where he oversaw motion picture development. Actively engaged in current dialogues for open-innovation, alternative work models, and branded content, DeJulio frequently serves as a front-line resource for journalists and industry analysts. He has been featured in such outlets as Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Inc., AdWeek, Mashable, Rolling Stone, MSNBC and CNBC. He graduated from Boston College with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
Alec Shankman started his career in Hollywood in 2003 upon joining the West coast office of Abrams Artists Agency where he launched the agency’s renowned Alternative Programming & Digital Media Department. He ran the successful division for 6 years, representing the stars of many popular TV shows such as SyFy's Ghost Hunters, Discovery's Deadliest Catch, VH1's The Pick Up Artist and ABC's Dancing With The Stars. Alec also represented TV producers & packaged a variety of TV shows & web series. In 2009 Alec became the CEO of GotCast.com, which was the Internet’s premier interactive casting site & social network for talent. Under his supervision, GotCast innovated the talent sourcing business, casting over 750,000 entertainment projects. He also launched MediaBlastr, GotCast's popular social media-based contest platform. MediaBlastr powered hugely successful campaigns sponsored by top brands like Mercedes-Benz, Sony Playstation, L'Oreal, Dove, Charles Schwab, & Garnier Fructis. In 2010, GotCast was honored by the Los Angeles Business Journal for Innovation & Vision. In 2012, Alec accepted the position of Co-Head of Alternative Programming & Digital Media for The Kaplan Stahler Agency in Beverly Hills where he represented TV personalities from top shows like A&E's Duck Dynasty, Discovery's Gold Rush, Lifetime's Dance Moms, Bravo's Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Spike TV's Tattoo Nightmares, Nat Geo's Wicked Tuna, History Channel's Swamp People, EXTRA, etc. Alec also reps digital companies like TheLuxurySpot.com & MrKate.com. In 2014 Alec and his clients moved back to AAA where he reclaimed his role as Head of Alternative Programming & Digital Media & his business continues to quickly grow & expand representing producers, production companies and talent. Alec's 1st book, ‘Moving to Los Angeles: The ABC’s of Making Your Hollywood Dreams Come True,’ was published in 2010. His 2nd book 'Moving to Los Angeles: The ABC's of Getting an Agent,' was published in 2012.
Rob Maresca is the head of HH Productions that is currently guiding the entertainment initiatives and branded integrations for Subway restaurants in television, film and digital. Referred to as Subway’s “secret weapon” in Hollywood, Rob has earned more Nielsen top 10 “best branded integrations” awards than any other agency in the last 5 years. He credits “having a great client that values creative thinking and has clout in the community”, as a large part of the success. Rob’s career began at New York City ad agencies as “a suit” where he honed his advertising and marketing skills before jumping to the client side and eventually to the entertainment business. From there Rob became the head of strategic development for entertainment branding powerhouse Pittard Sullivan. Cumulatively, these experiences have perfectly positioned Rob to be able to successfully negotiate the needs of his client, the studios, the networks, and the writers/producers for the best possible results today. In addition to his skills in creating entertainment initiatives for advertisers, he is, in partnership with others, creating original programming in both the scripted and unscripted genres. Rob is a reformed triathlete and resides in Los Angeles with his wife, writer/producer Allison Nathe.
Javon Javon Frazier, EVP, Strategy & Business Development, Collective Digital Studio: Frazier is a marketing executive with over 10 years of experience building relationships with entertainment partners to create and execute dynamic and successful marketing campaigns. He is the founder of Maestro Media Ventures, a strategic consulting firm which specializes in all areas of the media and entertainment industry including film, television, music, video games, publishing, web and mobile media. Before launching his own practice, Mr. Frazier spent over 8 years at Marvel Entertainment in various roles including Head of Marketing for Marvel Games, Head of Marketing for Marvel Television and Manager of Business Development for Marvels theatrical and publishing divisions. Mr. Frazier received his BA from UC Berkeley and his MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business. He is also a Professor of Marketing and Public Relations at UCLA Extension.
Kenneth Hertz is a Senior Partner in the Beverly Hills law firm of Hertz Lichtenstein & Young LLP. Ken and his partners specialise in representing talent and new media companies in the sports and entertainment industries. The firm's clients include Will, Jada Pinkett, Willow and Jaden Smith, No Doubt, Gwen Stefani, The Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am, Keith Richards, Herbie Hancock, Jason Mraz, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, David Blaine, Shaun White, Wayne Gretzky and Alex Rodriguez. Prior to joining the firm, Ken was in charge of music - business and legal affairs - for the Walt Disney Company. Ken is also a principal in Membrain - an entertainment marketing and strategy consulting firm. Membrain consults a number of firms engaged in businesses operating in the entertainment content, fashion, technology and marketing industries (Membrain's clients include JibJab, BigChampagne, Hasbro Toys, McDonald's, Intel, MillerCoors, and Coty.) Ken is a frequent speaker and commentator on the subjects of entertainment, marketing and convergence, is often quoted in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal, has appeared on CNBC's monthly newsmagazine Business Nation, and has been an instructor at UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management, and an adjunct professor of law at USC.