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February 7-11, 2022
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THANK YOU!

We'd like to thank our speakers and attendees for participating in another successful Digital Entertainment World!
Special shoutout to our sponsors that make our events possible: Whip Media, Tipalti, Grant Thornton, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, Vevo, Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, Goal Ventures, Comcast Technology Solutions, Metrological, Amagi, Venable, Anzu, Signiant, Eluvio, and HFA | Rumblefish. 

If you missed any sessions, registered attendees should have received an email containing links to all the videos. If you didn't register, you can join our Patreon.
Our next event is LA Games Conference. We can't wait to see you there!

ENTERING THE METAVERSE

The 9th annual Digital Entertainment World (DEW) will explore “Entering the Metaverse” – a theme that is central to the future of the entertainment, media & technology industries. We will explore this theme - including the explosion of businesses around blockchain games, NFTs, XR & virtual worlds - alongside other key digital & technology developments that continue to drive the "Creator Economy", such as streaming, OTT, influencer marketing, esports, games, podcasting, licensing, UCG & branded content.

2022 KEYNOTES & FIRESIDE CHATS INCLUDE:

Ali Berman

Partner & Head of Digital Talent,
United Talent Agency

Brad Wilson

Executive Vice President, Growth and Revenue,
WarnerMedia

Michael Hale

Vice President of Media Systems Architecture,
Discovery

Will Page

Author,
Tarzan Economics

Visiting Fellow,
London School of Economics

Former Chief Economist,
Spotify & PRS for Music

2022 SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

Ali Berman

Partner & Head of Digital Talent,
United Talent Agency

Amy Wigler

VP of Multiplatform Content & Marketing,
PBS

Bart Spriester

Vice President & General Manager of Content & Streaming Providers Suite,
Comcast Technology Solutions

Brad Wilson

Executive Vice President, Growth and Revenue,
WarnerMedia

Brett Marks

Director, Business Development & Gaming/Immersive Media Lead,
Columbia Records

Brian Ring

Senior Director of Product Marketing for News,
Amagi

Cooper Jackson

Senior Vice President, Business Development and Affairs,
Electronic Arts (EA)

David Morin

Industry Relations,
Epic Games

Executive Director,
Academy Software Foundation

Dawn Chmielewski

U.S. Entertainment Business Correspondent,
Reuters

Author,
Binge Times

Doug Scott

Co-Founder & Chief Managing Director,
Subnation Media

Eric Bergner

Partner, Digital and Technology Transactions,
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Greg Riker

Head of Business Development, Americas,
Metrological

Holly Liu

Partner,
PKO Investments

Co-Founder,
Kabam

Howard Homonoff

Senior U.S. Media & Entertainment Industry Advisor,
Grant Thornton

Jen Kavanagh

Senior Vice President, Media & Marketing,
Philadelphia Eagles

Kevin Tran

Media Analyst,
Variety Intelligence Platform

Matt Sorg

Leading Tech and Product - Gaming,
Solana Labs

Michael Hale

Vice President of Media Systems Architecture,
Discovery

Ned Sherman

Partner,
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

Founder,
Digital Media Wire

Pat Shah

Head of Content Acquisition and Development,
Audible

Paul Sweeting

Co-Founder,
RightsTech Project

Founder & Principal,
Concurrent Media Strategies

Peter Letz

Agent, Digital Media & Gaming,
Creative Artists Agency

Tara DeVeaux

Chief Marketing Officer,
Wild Card Creative Group

Managing Director,
3AM & Insights@Wild Card

Tim Clark

Senior Vice President & Chief Digital Officer,
NASCAR

Todd Brabec, Esq.

Entertainment Law Attorney

Co-Author,
Music, Money and Success

Adjunct Professor,
USC

Will Page

Author,
Tarzan Economics

Visiting Fellow,
London School of Economics

Former Chief Economist,
Spotify & PRS for Music

2022 AGENDA:

  • February 7
  • February 8
  • February 9
  • February 10
  • FebruaRy 11

TELEVISION & STREAMING TRACK

Keynote Conversation with Whip Media, Pluto TV, and Discovery
🕐 10:00am - 10:45am PT
Keynote conversation with Carol Hanley, President of Whip Media, Will Gurman, VP of Global Content Partnerships at Pluto TV, and Michael Hale, Vice President of Media Systems Architecture at Discovery. Interviewed by Media Analyst from Variety, Kevin Tran.
The Future of Streaming: What’s Next?
🕐 11:00am - 11:45am PT
The past year saw a huge uptick in revenue and viewership for ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) platforms as well as the growth of free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST), while some predict that the subscription video on demand (SVOD) market should brace for a wave of customer cancellations in 2022 despite its continued growth. This panel of industry leaders will discuss the rapid growth and consumer adoption of AVOD and FAST streaming services as well as developments in the maturing SVOD market. How are consumer viewing habits evolving? How will different services distinguish themselves and attract loyal viewers or subscribers? Are AVOD services likely to get more “premium”? What are SVOD services doing to retain and grow subscribers? What innovations, business models and features will fuel growth in the marketplace?

Panelists Include:
Julian Franco, Senior Vice President, Product Management, HBO Max
Howard Homonoff, Senior U.S. Media & Entertainment Industry Advisor, Grant Thornton
Emily Powers, Head of BritBox North America, BritBox
Bart Spriester, Vice President & General Manager of Content & Streaming Providers Suite, Comcast Technology Solutions
Andrea Clarke-Hall, Head of Global Business Development, Tubi
Moderator: Dawn Chmielewski, U.S. Entertainment Business Correspondent, Reuters; Author, Binge Times
The Evolution of Viewing Habits & Today’s Video Mix: OTT + Cable + Linear
🕐 12:00pm - 12:45pm PT
Most U.S. TV consumers blend cable, linear, and OTT TV services into personal viewing bundles. To keep up with it all, they must switch between (v)MVPD, SVOD, FAST, AVOD, and TVOD apps. And they are probably juggling multiple viewing devices in the process. What does this say about the viewing habits of today’s consumers? Which services and devices do they turn to first? How are they finding things to watch? Are they pleased with the connected TV ad experience? Are they engaging with premium VOD?

Panelists Include:
Jeff Clanagan, CEO, Laugh at Loud
Natalie Gabathuler-Scully, SVP, Revenue & Distribution Operations, Vevo
Greg Riker, Head of Business Development, Americas, Metrological
Amy Wigler, VP of Multiplatform Content & Marketing, PBS
Brian Ring, Senior Director of Product Marketing, News, Amagi 
Moderator: Colin Dixon, Chief Analyst & Founder, nScreenMedia
The Rise of the Metaverse: What Does it Mean for the Television Business?
🕐 1:00pm - 1:45pm PT
All the rage these days seems to be about the Metaverse with the major tech companies laying out their plans to create immersive environments that offer a persistent world for work, socializing, and play with much of the focus on experiences that are dependent on mobile AR or VR headsets. While it won’t happen overnight, billions of dollars are being directed at new technologies, protocols, companies and innovations focused on a future to be experienced through AR/VR/XR. What does this focus on the Metaverse mean for the television business? What are the opportunities for broadcasters, streamers, smart TV manufacturers, advertisers and content creators? Does the rise of the Metaverse necessitate the fall of the TV screen? How does the television business capitalize on the Metaverse?

Panelists Include:
Ted Schilowitz, Futurist, ViacomCBS
Jon Radoff, CEO, Beamable
Maureen Fan, CEO & Co-Founder, Baobab Studios 
Jamil Moledina, CEO, Hexagram
Sarah Malkin, Head of Metaverse Media Programming, Meta
Moderator: Christina Heller, CEO, Metastage
Fireside Chat with WarnerMedia
🕐 2:00pm - 2:45pm PT
Join a Fireside Chat with Brad Wilson, Executive Vice President of Growth and Revenue at WarnerMedia, interviewed by Natalie Jarvey, Entertainment Business Correspondent at Insider.

BRANDS & ADVERTISING TRACK

Keynote Conversation with United Talent Agency
🕐 10:00am - 10:45am PT
Keynote conversation with United Talent Agency featuring Ali Berman, Partner & Head of Digital Talent and Oren Rosenbaum, Partner & Head of Audio. The keynote will be moderated by Joe Kessler, Global Head of UTA IQ at United Talent Agency.
Youth Marketing and the Entertainment Marketing Mix
🕐 11:00am - 11:45am PT
This panel of executives and experts in entertainment marketing will discuss the evolving mix of strategies, campaigns and platforms involved in marketing large scale entertainment events including releases of TV shows, movies and games, location based experiences and other productions and shows targeted at Gen Z and Millennials. What platforms are being used? What strategies and campaigns are being deployed, and how are they working? How important is data? How are the strategies evolving?

Panelists Include:
Jennifer Kavanagh, SVP, Marketing & Media, Philadelphia Eagles
David Berkowitz, SVP, Corporate Marketing & Communications, Mediaocean
Tara DeVeaux, Chief Marketing Officer, Wild Card Creative Group, Managing Director; 3AM & Insights@Wild Card
Shannon Pruitt, Global Chief Content Officer, Stagwell Media Network
Mickey Meyer, President, Group Nine Studios
Moderator: Paul Kontonis, CMO, Revry 
Influencer Marketing and the Creator Economy: What’s Next?
🕐 12:00pm - 12:45pm PT
The influencer market for branded and platform deals is projected to grow to a whopping $28 billion by 2026. A major driver of this growth is coming from platforms like TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snap and Twitch. This panel of brand and advertising executives, digital creators and influencers, platform executives and agency representatives will discuss the strategies and campaigns taking shape on different platforms. What are the most effective strategies today for working with influencers and what are the metrics that determine success? How are creators and influencers adapting their content and strategies as the market matures and more content is vying for audiences in the “Attention Economy”?

Panelists Include:
Ricky Ray Butler, CEO, BEN Group
Jamie Gutfreund, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Whalar
Paco Suro, GM Global Partner Payments, Tipalti
Moderator: Jim Louderback, GM & SVP, VidCon
The Power of the Metaverse: How Brands are Embracing Marketing's New Frontier
🕐 1:00pm - 1:45pm PT
While there are challenges in launching campaigns in new environments, brand marketers understand the power of the Metaverse to connect with eyeballs and interactive opportunities. Major brands are building their own virtual worlds, minting non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to be bought and sold on blockchain technology, advertising in games and virtual worlds and experimenting with AR and VR experiences. This panel of experts in brand marketing and the Metaverse will discuss the opportunities and challenges as brand marketers embrace the power of the Metaverse.

Panelists Include:
Tony Parisi, Head of AR/VR Ads and eCommerce, Unity
Raffaella Camera, Head of Brands & Advertisers Solutions, Epic Games Unreal Engine
Tim Clark, Senior Vice President & Chief Digital Officer, NASCAR
Ryan Mullins, Founder & CEO, Aglet
Natalia Vasilyeva, VP of Marketing, Anzu
Moderator: Doug Scott, Co-Founder, Subnation

GAMES & ESPORTS TRACK

Keynote Conversation - Investing in the Games Ecosystem
🕐 10:00am - 10:45am PT
Griffin Gaming Parters’ Managing Director Peter Levin discusses investing in the games ecosystem with Manatt Partner Ned Sherman, founding partner of GOAL Ventures and Manatt Venture Fund investment committee member.
The Rise of Blockchain Games
🕐 11:00am - 11:45am PT
Blockchain games that include elements that use cryptocurrency or non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which players can buy, sell, or trade with other players, are taking the industry by storm. This panel of experts will discuss both the current state of blockchain games on the market and the new wave of projects in the works that are promising to engage new users and take the category to new heights.

Panelists Include:
John Linden, CEO, Mythical Games
Anya Shapina, Head of Performance, The Sandbox
Matt Sorg, Leading Tech and Product - Gaming, Solana Labs
Holly Liu, Partner, PKO Investments; Co-Founder, Kabam
Moderator: Chris Akhavan, Chief Business Officer, Forte
Esports + Games Dealmakers
🕐 12:00pm - 12:45pm PT
This panel of executives and dealmakers will discuss the range of deals being done in the burgeoning esports and games business today as esports and gaming culture and lifestyle content continues to dominate the cultural zeitgeist. From talent deals to licensing to content development, this panel of experts will explore key developments and related issues driving the industry today. How are endorsement deals that allow a company/brand to use a player’s name, image, and likeness in connection with advertising being structured? What are some of the key issues around licensing game play and game content? What kind of deals are being done around content development for digital video, streaming, television and movies? This panel of experts will unravel these issues and more.
 
Panelists Include:
Greg Selkoe, CEO & Co-Founder, XSET
Peter Letz,  Agent, Digital Media & Gaming, Creative Artists Agency
Nicole Cleary, VP of Client Partnerships, G4
Cooper Jackson, Senior Vice President, Business Development and Affairs, Electronic Arts (EA)
Moderator: Ned Sherman, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
The Rise of User-Generated Content in Games
🕐 1:00pm - 1:45pm PT
This panel of experts will discuss the rapid growth of user-generated content (UGC) in games, which is expanding game experiences, increasing player engagement and retention, and functioning as a form of cost-effective marketing. From game creation platforms like Roblox to game mods to YouTube and Twitch streamers, UGC and creator content is a driving force in the games business today. What are the key developments in the industry impacting this trend? What tools and innovations are driving growth? How is the “Creator Economy” playing out in the games business of the future?

Panelists Include:
Shahar Sorek, CMO, Overwolf
Andy Swanson, Head of Developer Relations, mod.io
Anat Shperling, Co-Founder & CEO, Toya
David Fink, Partner, Venable
Moderator: Mike Vorhaus, CEO, Vorhaus Advisors

RIGHTSTECH TRACK

Keynote Conversation - Music, Streaming, and Tarzan Economics
🕐 10:00am - 10:45am PT
Join us for a Keynote Conversation with Will Page, Author of Tarzan Economics, Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics and Former Chief Economist of Spotify and PRS for Music. Will Page will be interviewed by Todd Brabec, Entertainment Law Attorney, Co-Author of "Music, Money and Success" and Adjunct Professor at USC.
No Laughing Matter: Comedy, Spoken Word Audio, Rights and Royalties
🕐 11:00am - 11:45am PT
Spoken word audio, including comedy recordings, podcasts, poetry readings and speeches, accounts for more than one-quarter of all listening on streaming platforms and radio. But is it all being properly licensed and paid for? What rights apply to spoken word recordings and compositions? How should royalty rates be set, who should get paid, and how should the money be collected and paid out? With real money potentially at stake, the industry needs real answers to those questions. This panel will explore these questions and more.

Panelists Include:
Jordan Bromley, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
Jim King, CEO, Spoken Giants
Alexia Bedat, Associate, Klaris
Jeff Price, Founder & CEO, Word Collections
Moderator: Paul Sweeting, CEO, Concurrent Media; Editor & Co-Chair, RightsTech
Licensing the Metaverse
🕐 12:00pm - 12:45pm PT
The Metaverse is the next audience frontier for music recordings, live performances, movies and other types of media. How can record labels, publishers, studios and artists take maximum advantage of the new licensing and monetization opportunities it offers? How will real-world rights apply in virtual spaces? How will they be enforced? What clearances do virtual performances require, and how should royalties be calculated? This panel will explore the next new paradigm.

Panelists Include:
Josh Neuman, President, MELON
David Morin, Industry Relations at Epic Games; Executive Director at Academy Software Foundation
Ty Roberts, Co-Founder, CEO and CTO, FanTracks
Nanea Reeves, CEO & Co-Founder, TRIPP
Moderator: Eric Bergner, Partner, Digital and Technology Transactions, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Back to Front: New Trends in Rights-Based Finance
🕐 1:00pm - 1:45pm PT
From crypto to private equity to investment banking, new money is flooding into the music, movie and other creative industries. How can musicians, filmmakers and other creators channel that flood into financing their latest projects at the front end without giving up the backend by selling off their rights?

Panelists Include:
Olivier Chastan, Founder & CEO, Iconoclast 
Stephen Duval, Co-Founder & CEO, Empowerment IP Capital
Peter Sinclair, CEO, beatBread
Moderator: Vickie Nauman, Founder & CEO, CrossBorderWorks

MUSIC & PODCASTS TRACK

Fireside Chat with Vevo
🕐 10:00am - 10:45am PT
Fireside Chat with JP Evangelista the SVP of Content, Marketing & Programming at Vevo. Moderated by David Bloom, Senior Contributor of Tubefilter.
Music Live Streaming + the Future of Concerts
🕐 11:00am - 11:45am PT
The past two years has seen live streaming evolve from being an afterthought to being a key component of any artist’s live performance strategy. What served as a lifeline to artists with in person events cancelled during COVID is attracting artists and labels, big and small, to connect with fans and drive new revenue opportunities. This panel will discuss the important role of music live streaming, hybrid in person and virtual concerts, launch parties and events, and the Metaverse, and the business models that are driving the future of the concert business.

Panelists Include:
Michelle Munson, CEO & Co-Founder, Eluvio
Jackie Stone, CMO, LiveOne
Jesse Kirshbaum, Chief Marketing Officer, DREAMSTAGE
Sang Cho, Co-Founder, KAI Media
Moderator: Tatiana Cirisano, Music Industry Analyst & Consultant, MIDiA Research
The Continued Growth of Podcasting: What’s Next?
🕐 12:00pm - 12:45pm PT
Podcasts are continuing to see a surge in popularity with one report suggesting that the global podcasting market is estimated to reach $94 Billion by 2028 (Research and Markets). Fueling this growth are the increasing popularity of audio-on-demand platforms, the minimal entry barriers for creators and easy accessibility for listeners. This panel of experts will discuss the trends and innovations that are fueling growth in the industry. How are brands, advertisers, and talent cashing in? Who are the winners and the losers?

Panelists Include:
UnJu Paik, Head of Business Affairs and General Counsel, Wondery
Pat Shah, Head of Content Acquisition & Development, Audible
Colin Thomson, CEO & Founder, Kast Media
Steve Raizes, SVP of Podcasts, ViacomCBS
Moderator: Madeline Berg, Media Editor, Insider
Music & The Metaverse: The Massive Opportunity for Artists and Labels
🕐 1:00pm - 1:45pm PT
The secret is out! The music industry has discovered the power of the Metaverse where albums can be launched in virtual worlds, and concert-style events bring together millions of people to discover new music and artists, shop virtual merch, and socialize with major stars as they perform or even dance together with fans. This panel of top games and music executives will discuss how the Metaverse is changing the world of music and the trends we have yet to see as it continues to grow in mindshare and engagement time.

Panelists Include:
Adam Arrigo, CEO and Co-Founder, Wave
Jon Vlassopulos, VP, Global Head of Music, Roblox
Brett Marks, Director, Business Development & Gaming/Immersive Media Lead, Columbia Records
Christina Calio, Co-Founder, Popins
Moderator: Susan Brazer, CEO & Founder, LionShare Media
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