2009 Speakers:

Chris Adams, President & CEO, View2gether

Chris Adams, President and CEO of View2Gether, is an internationally recognized new media and entertainment industry pioneer with nearly twenty years of experience in creating partnerships, programming and relationships between, and to the benefit of, a wide range of global media and entertainment brands. Through View2Gether, Adams has successfully launched the premier social viewing platform that’s revolutionizing the way media and entertainment brands engage consumers and monetize video content online. Under Adams’ leadership, View2Gether has already built powerful momentum, having closed their seed round of funding in addition to forming partnerships with Sony, ABC Family and CBS Interactive .

Prior to View2Gether, Adams co-founded Participant Productions with Jeff Skoll, eBay’s first President. Participant’s first slate of movies – Syriana, North Country, Good Night and Good Luck and the documentary Murderball – were nominated for an unprecedented 11 Academy Awards. Additionally, Adams identified and helped develop former Vice President Al Gore’s Oscar-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth that, along with Gore’s work, participated in his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

As an influential thought leader and new media strategist, Adams was pivotal in creating and Producing “Facebook Diaries” for the social networking giant. “Facebook Diaries” represented the first-ever hybrid user-generated video/reality TV show distributed on Facebook.com, Ziddio.com, Comcast VOD and the IFC Channel. In addition to his work with Facebook, Adams has developed groundbreaking, multi-platform programs for HBO, Comcast Cable and Interactive and Glam.com, the #1 site for women in the world.

Adams brings with him a perspective shaped by years of experience as a nationally lauded filmmaker, marketer, writer and business/strategic development executive. Straight out of film school at the age of 25, Chris wrote, produced and raised money for the short film, The Middle Passage, which went onto win 9 Best Picture Awards at various film festivals around the country. As a writer, Chris has been published in The Washington Post, The Denver Post, Triathlete Magazine, SPORT Magazine and wrote on Columbia TriStar’s hour-drama The Net (distributed by USA Network). He leveraged this experience into a robust consulting career performing business development and marketing services for Amazon.com, Lycos.com, Pop.com and other online companies in the late 1990’s. He went on from there to help start wireless application development company, Xpherix that sold to Remoba in 2005.

Adams has served on the Board of Directors for The Young Storytellers Foundation, dedicated to developing literacy, self-expression and self-esteem through the art of storytelling. He has also participated as a Key Note speaker at such conferences as: X Media Labs (Wellington, NZ and Melbourne, AUS), Digital Hollywood, the Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) and the Screen Production and Development Conference (SPADA) in Auckland, NZ

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Chris graduated from the University of Denver with a double major in English literature and mass communications. He received his MA from USC’s School of Film and TV and his MFA/PhD from USC’s School of Professional Writing where he pursued his degrees concurrently. Chris lives in Los Angeles with his wife Sharon and their son, Cooper and is an avid surfer.

Azeem Ansar, Director of Business Development, Pinch Media

Azeem Ansar is Director of Business Development for Pinch Media, the leading provider of smartphone analytics. At Pinch, he oversees client relations, strategic partnerships/opportunities, as well as direct marketing efforts. Prior to his time here, Azeem was an investment banker at Houlihan Lokey in the Mergers & Acquisitions/Financial Advisory practice, where he covered engagments primarily in the technology, media and telecommunications sector. While at Houlihan Lokey, Azeem focused on a variety of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity and debt capital raises, and additional advisory assignments.

Azeem holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Gary Arlen, President, Arlen Communications

Gary Arlen is President of Arlen Communications. Inc., a Bethesda, Maryland, research and consulting firm known for its insights into the converging and sometimes conflicting worlds of media, telecommunications and interactive program content.

For nearly 20 years, Gary has accurately analyzed the emergence of new media, forecasting the evolution of customer-controlled video and data services. Gary has published future-looking periodicals and consults for clients seeking strategic and business guidance to enter these new His clients include media, financial, entertainment, telecommunications and marketing firms - plus several interesting technology start-ups.

In particular, Gary is known for his insights into the development of applications, especially interactive content for Internet, two-way TV and other emerging systems. Among his specialties is what he calls "inter-species" breeding to integrate different types of services on new hybrid platforms.

Gary's outlooks are published in industry journals, and his commentary is widely sought in the business and consumer press.

Ben Arnold, Senior Research Analyst, CEA

Ben Arnold is senior research analyst for the Consumer Electronics Association. A veteran analyst, he has worked as a senior analyst of marketing research at USA Today and as a media consultant for GCG Communications. He received a B.A. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia.

Jon Aust, Vice President, NavigationArts

Jon Aust is a veteran executive with over 24 years of experience leading technical teams. He specializes in the leadership of technology companies, with particular expertise in user experience design, e-commerce, systems integration, enterprise software, data networking, and telecommunications. Since joining NavigationArts, Jon has gained extensive experience creating transformative Web experiences for media companies - including portal sites for the cities of Charlotte and Richmond. NavigationArts, a full-service web consultancy, has a number of media clients including The Washington Post, The Charlotte Observer, The Sacramento Bee, Media General, NPR, PBS, and NAA.

Gene Barton, Principal, Fish & Richardson P.C.

Gene T. Barton, Jr. is a Principal in the Boston office of Fish & Richardson P.C. Mr. Barton's practice emphasizes financing and merger and acquisitions activity. He specializes in the representation of emerging companies and venture capital and other private equity funds. He also provides general corporate, business planning and financial advice to public and private companies.

Randy Bennett, SVP, Business Development, Newspaper Association of America

Randy Bennett is responsible for providing strategic direction and oversight for NAA’s efforts to help newspapers grow revenue, expand their audience and leverage emerging business opportunities across media platforms.

Prior to joining NAA in 1990, Mr. Bennett was director of online services for America Online, where he was responsible for developing information services and information provider relationships. He joined Quantum Computer Services (the original company name) in 1986 and helped grow membership fivefold in a four-year period.

From 1979-1986, he helped build Knight Ridder Inc.'s pioneering Viewtron service, the first graphics-based online service in the U.S. Viewtron offered a range of interactive services including news, chat, shopping, advertising, games and more. Mr. Bennett was responsible for content development in the areas of lifestyle, entertainment, computer information and health. He is a frequent speaker at industry events internationally.

Mr. Bennett is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University with a B.A. degree in journalism and politics and government. He served internships with The Advocate (Stamford, Conn.) and The Hartford (Conn.) Courant, both Tribune Company newspapers.

David Berkowitz, Director of Emerging Media & Client Strategy, 360i

David Berkowitz is Director of Emerging Media & Client Strategy for 360i, a leading independent digital marketing agency that has been named the “2007 Search Agency of the Year” by OMMA magazine, a “Marketing Machine” by Google, and “One of the Hottest Independent Digital Agencies Around” by Advertising Age. At 360i, David helps leading brands in media & entertainment, retail, and other verticals leverage marketing opportunities at the nexus of search engine marketing and social media. Additionally, every Tuesday, he pens the “Search Insider” column for MediaPost, with over 125 articles published to date.

Prior to 360i, David served as director of marketing for Viewpoint's rich media advertising group, Unicast, and at search engine marketing firm iCrossing. Previously, with research firm eMarketer, he interviewed 175 executives, authors, and analysts on the cutting edge of technology and business.

David frequently speaks at major industry events, including the Consumer Electronics Show, Digital Hollywood, The Wall Street Transcript's gaming conference, Frost & Sullivan's Internet Marketing Symposium and eComXpo. He has also served as a programming chair for MediaPost's Search Insider Summits and OMMA events.

His writing has appeared in Ad Age, DM News, MarketingProfs, iMedia Connection, and other publications. David has also blogged extensively, launching MarketersStudio.com, an Ad Age Power 150 media & marketing blog. He has contributed to MarketingVox, nowEurope, AdTechBlog, ReverseDirectMarketing.com and Rich Media Today.

He's been spotted and heard on the airwaves (CBS, NBC, CNBC, Canada's ROB TV, Bloomberg Radio, CNET Radio, Reuters TV) in print (CNN.com, Reuters, Associated Press, DM News, Ad Age, Adweek, BtoB), and online (MediaPost, iMedia, ClickZ) commenting on internet, advertising, media, and technology trends. He's also a contributing author to the book The Age of Conversation, and an Editorial Advisory Board Member for Napco's EM+C magazine.

David is a member of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, Interactive Advertising Bureau, 212: The Ad Club of NY, and other industry groups. He graduated from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

Kevin Bertram, CEO & Founder, Distributive Networks

Prior to founding Distributive Networks, Kevin served as CEO of a successful e-commerce company, as Director of New Media with the Information Technology Association of America, and as the Senior Editor and Publisher of a Gen-X webzine. In 2008, Kevin was elected to the Board of Directors for United for D.C., the charitable arm of D.C. United, and he is an active member of the Mobile Marketing Association and the elite MindShare program for D.C.-area CEOs. He is a regular speaker about mobile technology at events including CTIA Wireless, the New Media Congress, DC AdWeek, the National Sports Forum, Potomac Tech Wire's Mobile Outlook 2008, MobileMonday, MoMeMo, OffDeck USA, and the Maryland Institute for Technology and the Humanities. Kevin is the founder of the annual Wiffle By the Bay tournament, an avid board game collector, and a loyal University of Arizona Wildcat.

Neil Budde, President & Chief Product Officer, DailyMe

Neil Budde joined DailyMe.com, a start-up specializing in news discovery and personalization, in April 2008 after nearly 30 years of news experience – more than half of it online. He began working in online news at Dow Jones, where he ultimately was founding editor and publisher of The Wall Street Journal Online. Most recently, he was vice president and editor in chief at Yahoo! News, Finance and Sports for three years. His career began in print as an editor and/or reporter at The Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., and USA Today. Budde earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Western Kentucky University, where he is in the Hall of Distinguished Alumni, and an MBA from the University of Louisville. Budde has been on the board of directors of the Online News Association for four years and treasurer for two years. He also is on the board of the News Literacy Project, the California First Amendment Coalition and the Foundation for American Communications. He is an avid photographer, and you can find his photos on Flickr.

Aydin Caginalp, Partner, Entertainment & Media Group, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Mr. Caginalp’s practice concentrates on business transactions, including acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures, private equity and general corporate and commercial matters, with an emphasis on international matters, entertainment and new media. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

He has worked extensively in the media and e-commerce field in connection with the acquisition of technology companies, music, broadcast and production companies throughout the world. In connection with Internet activities, he has worked in the establishment of ISP services, search engine companies, e-commerce companies and various initiatives involving delivery of music and entertainment products through the Internet, as well as digital rights management.

Daniel Cohen, VP, Business Development, Dada Entertainment

Daniel Cohen oversees Dada Entertainment’s business development, including new content deals, strategic partnerships, on-deck products and international activity. Daniel joined Dada Entertainment shortly after its formation in October 2007. Prior to that, Daniel was Head of Musiwave Americas (having founded Musiwave's U.S. operations in 2006), having previously been Head of Musiwave UK as well as Musiwave's global content acquisition team. Daniel originally trained as a lawyer, and after a period in private practice, also worked in the Business Affairs departments of BMG Records, BMG Music Publishing and Warner/Chappell Publishing in the U.K.

Dada Entertainment, a joint venture between two of the worldwide leaders in the mobile and music industries, Dada USA, Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment, is the foremost innovator in digital and mobile entertainment services. Formed in October 2007, Dada Entertainment is launching the next generation of ubiquitous personalization and entertainment services. The only company offering both ringtones and DRM-free full-length MP3s for mobile and PC paid via the mobile phone, Dada Entertainment is a growing leader in the U.S. market.

Just one year old, Dada has rapidly created a unique and seamless Web 2.0 experience around its rich catalog of music and entertainment content, ranging from full-length audio and video to ringtones and games. Dada Entertainment manages several direct-to-consumer offerings, including a full portfolio of web-based services centered around the discovery and consumption of music, designed to encourage a sense of community and social networking.

Ted Cohen, Managing Partner, TAG Strategic

In an industry that’s been slow to embrace change, Cohen is the exception to the stereotypical music-exec rule. Of course, when you start a career on the road with the Sex Pistols and Van Halen, you're more primed for the unexpected.

In his previous role as SVP Digital Development & Distribution for EMI Music, Cohen led next-generation digital business development worldwide for this "big four" record company. During that time, EMI led the industry by embracing and exploiting new technologies and business models such as digital downloads and online music subscriptions, custom compilations, wireless services, high-definition audio and Internet radio.

Cohen also led two highly successful new media consulting operations, DMN Consulting and Consulting Adults, attracting clients such as Amazon.com, Universal Studios and DreamWorks Records. Cohen also held senior management positions at both Warner Bros. Records and Philips Media.

A 30-year industry veteran, Cohen served as Chairman of the Mobile Entertainment Forum idemNet. Cohen serves on the boards for NARAS, the Neil Bogart Memorial Fund and co-chairs the new media arm of the T.J. Martell Foundation.

Lin Dai, VP, Interactive Business Development, Alloy Media & Marketing

Lin Dai graduated with honors from the prestigious School of Industrial Management, now Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. His pioneering work on Intel's Planning and Logistics Intranet project eventually led to the launch of Unique Net Solutions, Inc. The company's revolutionary work was recognized when Lin Dai was awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year award by Carnegie Mellon University. He then took on a one-year tenure as the youngest adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University, teaching a set of credited courses on Web Publishing for its School of Business.

In 1999, Lin Dai founded Kiwibox.com, the first social networking destination and online magazine for teens. He grew the company organically to over 2 million members online worldwide, and was successfully acquired in 2007.

In 2003, Lin Dai launched K2 Entertainment, Inc., and established itself in the entertainment industry by managing and promoting major label recording artists from Bad Boy Records, Universal Records, Warner Music, etc., as well as providing casting and production services for major television networks such as MTV, ABC, NBC, and Fuse TV.

In 2008, Lin Dai joined Alloy Media + Marketing as VP of Interactive Business Development. He is responsible for the long-term distribution and growth of the Teen.com network, the #1 Teen Community online by comScore, as well as leading strategic initiatives to integrate, distribute, and extend Alloy’s Branded Entertainment properties such as Gossip Girl, Haute & Bothered, Private and more into all digital media and platforms.

Marc DeBevoise, SVP, Digital Media, Business Development & Strategy, Starz Digital Media

Marc DeBevoise is the lead operational and execution executive for Starz’ digital businesses, Starz Digital Media. These include: transactional and ad-supported video distribution (including EST, PPV, VOD and SVOD models) via Internet, cable and satellite platforms; ad-supported broadband channels including manga.com, abetoons.com and starzbunnies.com; and the development and distribution of short-form video and casual gaming products for online and wireless platforms.

DeBevoise and his team distribute and market all forms of content ranging from theatrical features to short-form animation from each of Starz’ various business units including: Overture Films (feature films), Anchor Bay Entertainment (home entertainment), Starz Entertainment (pay television), Manga Entertainment (Japanese Anime) and Starz Animation/Film Roman (animation).

DeBevoise oversees digital distribution, licensing, syndication, content and vendor partnerships with a wide array of traditional cable, satellite and Telco multichannel video affiliates. DeBevoise also works with a wide array of clients in new media categories including; video games, online portals, and other consumer electronics partners and video content aggregators/distributors for electronic sell through, subscription, PPV, and free/ad supported models.

In addition to DeBevoise’s digital media responsibilities, he is also responsible for the generation, evaluation and execution of business development, strategic investment and growth opportunities for all of Starz’ business units.

Prior to joining Starz, DeBevoise was the Director of Emerging Markets for NBC Universal Digital Media. In this role, DeBevoise was responsible for generating and executing new business development opportunities related to NBCU’s Internet/Broadband and Wireless businesses. DeBevoise joined NBCU as a member of the Business Development group where he lead various corporate-level projects and transactions including the evaluation/execution of acquisitions and investments in digital media, the analysis of various motion picture slate-financing structures for Universal Pictures, and the integration, strategic planning and restructuring of Universal Parks & Resorts.

Prior to joining NBCU, DeBevoise was an Associate in the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Investment Banking Group at JPMorgan in San Francisco and New York. In this role, DeBevoise executed and advised on equity, debt and M&A transactions in various sectors including Internet Media, Software, and Information & Business Services. DeBevoise has also worked in Corporate Financial Planning & Operations at Cablevision Systems Corporation and Motion Picture & Television Production Finance at Miramax.

DeBevoise currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Door, a non-profit organization providing a wide range of health, education, career development, legal, counseling and social services to at-risk youth. He is also a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

DeBevoise received his MBA with distinction in Entertainment, Media & Technology and Finance from NYU's Stern School of Business and his BA in Economics and Computer Science from Tufts University. DeBevoise and his wife, Trisha, live in New York City.

Robert Driscoll, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Rob Driscoll represents clients in the media, entertainment and marketing fields, including television networks and production companies, magazine and book publishers, theatrical producers and individual authors and artists. His practice includes substantial transactional work, emphasizing branded entertainment, digital media and technology matters, music licensing, television and theater financing and production, intellectual property licensing and merchandising, as well as pre-publication and pre-broadcast review of editorial materials. Rob also counsels a number of advertising agencies, advertisers, entertainment marketing agencies and promotion agencies on all aspects of advertising, marketing and promotions law.

Rob's clients include Alpha Media Group, Discovery Communications, Hill Holliday Connors Cosmopulos, Onecast Inc. and The Procter & Gamble Company.

Allen Duan, VP, Digital Distribution and Partner Relations, MTV Networks

Allen Duan is Vice President of Digital Distribution and Partner Relations for MTV Networks. In his role, Allen manages the team responsible for strategic planning and partner relations across wireless carriers, online portals, video aggregators, and emerging media players for MTV Networks’ diverse brands, including: CMT, COMEDY CENTRAL, Logo, MTV, Nickelodeon, The N, Spike and VH1, among others. Based in the company’s New York City headquarters, Duan reports to Alice Kim, Senior Vice President of Digital Distribution & Partner Relations for MTV Networks.

Prior to joining MTV Networks in 2008, Duan served as Senior Director of Corporate Development and M&A for Sony Corporation of America. In that role, he led cross-divisional executive strategy projects and managed M&A deals such as the $260M+ acquisition of Gracenote, Inc. – global leader in media metadata services. Moreover, Duan played an integral role developing strategy and business modeling for media entertainment and technology initiatives such as video content distribution to PlayStation Network service.

He began his career as a product manager at Microsoft and held a succession of business development and product planning roles across MSN, Financials Services and Mobile & Embedded Devices divisions.

Duan holds a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School, and a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and Economics from Harvard College.

Rick Edmonds, Business Analyst, Researcher & Writer, Poynter Institute

Rick Edmonds is a business analyst and does research and writing on journalism and business topics for the Poynter Institute, a non-profit school for working journalists in St. Petersburg, Florida. Mr Edmonds worked for the St. Petersburg Times organization (which Poynter owns) for 11 years in a variety of editor and publisher roles.

Scott Ferber, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer TidalTV

Ferber has spent his career utilizing mathematics and data analysis to build profitable businesses and products. His most notable success was founding Advertising.com in 1998, which was eventually sold to AOL in 2004 for nearly half a billion dollars. In his role as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ferber was responsible for the company’s stellar operating performance, strategic vision and continued development of its award-winning, proprietary optimization technology.

Prior to Advertising.com, Ferber held roles at Fortune 500 companies such as Procter & Gamble, where he developed computer systems and mathematical models to create business practices for plant production and raw material procurement, and Capital One Financial Corporation, where he leveraged statistical approaches to marketing and financial risk management to develop new businesses outside of the credit card industry.

Due to his outstanding accomplishments, Ferber has received numerous awards including Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2000, CEO of the Year by Blue Chip Venture Company, the American Business Award’s “Stevie” for Best Executive in 2005, the Outstanding Young Engineering Graduate Award 2006 from the University of Virginia, and was named an Influential Marylander by The Daily Record in 2009.

Ferber graduate summa cum laude with a B.S. degree from the University of Virginia, Dept of Systems Engineering in 1991, and a M.S. from the Stanford University, Dept of Engineering-Economic Systems in 1992.

Mark Fischer, Principal, Fish & Richardson P.C.

Mark A. Fischer is a Principal in the Boston office of Fish & Richardson P.C. His professional start in media was as a copy editor for the publisher Little, Brown while he was in high school. Today, he represents creative companies, universities, and people in the worlds of new media, technology, entertainment, publishing, and computers. His practice emphasizes the law and business of music, motion pictures, electronic commerce, and new media endeavors such as blogs and user generated content. He focuses on transactions, arbitration, and litigation, especially those that involve the Internet, mobile devices, DVDs, interactive entertainment, gaming, other ways of linking entertainment and information with technology, as well as patent licensing in the software, biotechnology, and medical fields. Mr. Fischer's experience includes drafting the first open source software agreement (the GNU Emacs License for the Free Software Foundation), overseeing major corporate transactions, managing large international trademark programs, international licensing, litigating the first moral rights lawsuit in Massachusetts, and successfully agenting musical groups to record labels. Over the years he has represented Oscar-winning documentary film makers, Grammy-winning record labels, best-selling authors, and other award-winning talent. He chairs the firm's Information Technology Steering Committee. Mr. Fischer is also Co-Chair of the firm's Copyright Section, Chair of its New Media & Entertainment Section, Co-Chair of the Interactive Entertainment Practice Section, and Chair of the Licensing Subgroup.

Additionally, Mr. Fischer has taught the Advanced Copyright course at Suffolk University Law School for many years. He has also been an Adjunct faculty member teaching the Entertainment Law and Intellectual Property courses at Berklee College of Music, Boston College Law School, Northeastern University School of Law, and New England School of Law.

Colin Gillis, Managing Director of Internet Equity Research, Brigantine Advisors

Colin has a decade of sell-side experience as an equity analyst predicting the performance of publicly listed companies. His current focus is on covering and discovering companies that are creating and shaping a new class of globalized media and transaction intelligence that deliver a step-function performance improvement over existing solutions. With the unprecedented quantity of data behaviors currently available – and increasingly captured – on the Internet, a new level of relevance for media consumption, advertising exposure, marketing messaging, and transaction-driven revenue streams is being created.

An electrical engineering graduate with honors from Brown University, and academically published on the topic of computer parallel processing, Colin has 9 years of experience coding and building technology platforms including the first fax-over-IP system. With work experience that includes private startups and public multinationals, Colin has a strong grasp of the details required for small companies to grow revenue and large companies to grow earnings.

After receiving his MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, Colin joined RBC Capital Market as part of the #1 ranked services research team covering emerging digital and traditional headcount driven business.

In 2004 Colin joined Adams Harkness as an analyst covering Business and Internet Technology Solutions and quickly was promoted to VP then Director. As a senior analyst Colin covered 20 companies creating and hosting the dedicated Internet conference “Holiday Clicks” focused on year-end trends.

Most recently Colin specialized in technology stocks as Director of Research at TheStreet.com.

Arun Gupta, Partner, Columbia Capital

Arun joined Columbia Capital in 2000 and focuses on Internet/media, wireless, and enterprise technology/services opportunities. Arun is on the Board of Directors or actively involved with Approva, Avail Media, Brickstream, Devas Multimedia, Envysion, Freewebs, Gizmoz, InnerWireless, Intelliworks, Millenial Media, and Netuitive. Arun was also involved with former Columbia portfolio companies Adjoined Consulting (acquired by Kanbay International, Inc.), Riptech (acquired by Symantec Corporation), and Softek Storage Holdings (acquired by IBM). Prior to joining Columbia Capital, Arun was at Carlyle Venture Partners focused on software and Internet investments. Earlier, Arun held positions in Arthur D. Little's telecom and technology consulting practice and shared responsibility for establishing ADL's operation in India. Arun received a B.S. degree with Distinction in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. degree in Engineering Economic Systems from Stanford University and received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Anurag Harsh, VP, National Strategic Solutions, CBS

Winner of the 2009 Outstanding Asian American in Business Award, Anurag Harsh is the Vice President and Director of National Strategic Solutions at CBS Corporation where he leads strategic media sales and business expansion efforts for the CBS Interactive Music Group, the largest digital music and streaming company in the world. In this capacity he is in charge of media strategy and sales for CBS Interactive’s 101 Music Websites, partnerships with AOL Radio & Yahoo Music, Last.FM, Play.IT, MP3.com, CBS’s 727 streaming music stations, CBS Music’s mobile initiatives, over 3000 live music events, and CBS’ tent pole initiatives such as the Super Bowl Half Time. Prior to CBS, Anurag was the Director of Business Development at CNN where he was responsible for driving strategic growth and revenue that led CNN to become the No. 1 news site of 2008. Prior to CNN, Anurag spent 12 years as a management consultant leading the media practices of Deloitte and Charles River where he advised media conglomerates on key management issues. He has authored the McGraw-Hill wireless media bestseller book titled “M-Commerce Security”. Anurag is also a trained vocalist with a Masters in Classical Music. He recently performed a sold out solo concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Anurag is the Chair of the Wharton Media Leaders Program of the Wharton Alumni Network of NY. He also runs the “Save Dal Lake” philanthropic movement that brings to light the environmental degradation of India’s Dal Lake, the largest natural lake in the world. In March 2009 he started “AmanMovement.ORG”, with the hope of eradicating “hazing” that plagues our higher educational institutions. Anurag holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School, and MS in Management from Wharton.

Jon Jackson, CEO, Mobile Posse

Jon Jackson is a visionary leader and proven strategist in the mobile solutions space with extensive experience in interactive advertising, corporate management, business development, product development and revenue generation.

Jon spent almost 8 years at AOL in the early days, as the company experienced hyper-growth and brought interactive advertising into existence. He was a member of the management team of the AOL Greenhouse, the first Internet incubator. The AOL Greenhouse launched, or assisted in the launch of: The Motley Fool, CBS SportsLine (formerly Real Fans), iVillage, Oh!/Oxygen Media (formerly Electra), and Travelocity (formerly Preview Travel). Later, Jon led AOL Mobile’s strategic product efforts. In addition to his work at AOL, Jon has provided strategic leadership and technical expertise to such companies as: HBO, Viacom, and PRIMEDIA. Previously, Jon was the CTO of Frederator, producers of the Emmy-nominated “The Fairly OddParents” and Nickelodeon’s “Chalkzone.”

As CEO of Mobile Posse, Jon brings over 15 years of operations, technical, and venture capital expertise to Mobile Posse. Jon provides an invaluable wealth of knowledge and direction to Mobile Posse’s corporate and product strategies.

Adam Kasper, SVP, US Director of Digital, Media Contacts / Havas Digital

As SVP, Director of Digital, Adam oversees Media Contacts’ US Digital product across all offices - managing the level of quality, promoting expansion, and facilitating the integration of Channel I within Total Communications Planning (TCP). Along with these tasks, Adam has taken charge of Media Contacts’ VIU (Video Integration Unit) initiative both in the US and globally. Under his guidance VIU has expanded their offering to include consultative planning and buying services to better address the shifting media landscape and continues to help clients better connect with their consumers.

Prior to being named SVP, Director of Digital, Adam was VP, Group Account Director, on Media Contacts’ businesses for Goodyear, Tyson Foods, Amtrak and Royal Caribbean, among others. He was responsible for setting the strategic vision and directing day-to-day operations for each of these accounts.

Adam joined Media Contacts in 2005 with more than ten years of experience within the Boston media community. He began his career at Houston, Effler, Herstek, Favat on the broadcast side of the business (local and national). He shifted into media planning in 1997, taking a position at Hill Holliday. There he worked on accounts such as John Hancock, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Spalding Golf. In 2000, Adam joined Allen & Gerritsen as VP, Media Director, leading the Media department and handling such accounts as State Street Corporation, Care Group, IKON Office Solutions, and Loon Mountain/Waterville Valley, among others.

A regular speaker at industry conferences, he is frequently quoted in national press and industry trades including NYT, Business Week, Media Week, Advertising Age, Television Week and Media Post. Adam also sits on the AAAA Digital Video Committee and the Valueclick Client Advisory Board.

Mike Kelly, Senior Digital Media Investment Advisor, Veronis Suhler Stevenson

Michael Kelly is a Senior Advisor and member of the VSS Board of Advisors. Kelly currently serves as a digital media advisor and investor and is involved with several fast growing Internet companies. He is on the board of Eyeblaster, a global leader in digital advertising services and American Town Network, the local social media company, the executive board of the American Advertising Federation, and has served on the boards of the Professionals in Advertising Pac and The Ad Council. He is Senior Advisor to the board of Contextweb, the digital advertising Exchange, and an advisor to Clearmeadow Partners, a media advisory firm.

Kelly was most recently President of AOL Media Networks, a 1500 person $2 billion plus organization responsible for the strategy, advertising sales and marketing, distribution, and advertising product development for all AOL properties, as well as the Advertising.com network and affiliated Time Warner digital brands. While at AOL, Kelly executed over $1 Billion in acquisitions, including Advertising.com, Third Screen Media and Tacoda. From 2002-2004, he was President of global marketing at Time Warner, responsible for managing relationships with major customers and developing cross-platform programs across all Time Warner divisions.

Prior to that, Kelly was the founder and CEO of American Town Network (ATN), an interactive media company cited by Brandweek as the most comprehensive community information resource in the United States. Before establishing ATN, he spent 17 years at Time Inc. Kelly joined Fortune in as a sales representative and later became its New York Manager. In 1989 he joined the launch team of Entertainment Weekly and later became the magazine's Vice President and Publisher.

He began his career at the Chicago Tribune. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois.

David Leibowitz, Managing Partner, CH Potomac

David E. Leibowitz is Managing Partner of CH POTOMAC, a strategic services firm that works with companies developing enhanced, innovative ways for consumers to enjoy and experience content, and to assure that proper business models are in place to monetize these offerings. Among other activities, Mr. Leibowitz serves as Executive Vice President of Gotuit Media, as a principal in The A&R Channel – a Comcast cable music oriented VOD service, and as a senior advisor to Motorola, National Datacast, Musicane and Sir Groovy. In recent years, Mr. Leibowitz served as Chairman of Ezmo, an independent online social music subsidiary of FAST Search and Transfer (now part of Microsoft), as a co-founder and Chairman of VERANCE, the preeminent audio watermark technology provider employed, and as an advisor to BMI, Gibson Guitar, Haystack Media, Peppercoin and others in the content and technology industries.

Earlier in his career, Leibowitz served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), as a partner in the Washington, D.C., law firm Wiley & Rein, representing a number of Fortune 100 media and entertainment companies, television personalities, and a major league professional baseball team; and as Policy Planning Advisor to the U.S. Register of Copyrights.

Paul Levine, President, New Media, Current TV

Paul Levine is Current's President of New Media, leading the company's consumer engagement and monetization initiatives for online, mobile, and emerging delivery platforms.

Paul brings over a dozen years of consumer internet and online media experience to Current. Prior to joining Current, Paul led product, marketing, and customer operations for AdBrite, a leading online ad marketplace backed by Sequoia Capital. Previously, Paul was VP/GM of Local Services at Yahoo!, where he was responsible for the company’s Local, Yellow Pages, Maps, Real Estate, and Classifieds businesses. Under his leadership, Yahoo! Local grew to reach over 20 million US unique users and became widely recognized as the industry's leading local search and content destination. Earlier, Paul held a number of management positions during 5 years at E*TRADE, where he was responsible for driving record online account growth for the company.

Paul holds a BA from Amherst College and an MBA from Stanford University.

Jeff Litvack, GM, Mobile and Emerging Products, AP Global Product Development

Jeff Litvack is responsible for setting AP's Digital Strategy including identifying and assessing new and emerging market and product opportunities for AP news, photo, and video content worldwide, deal execution, and new product development. Jeff is responsible for launching AP’s Mobile News Network a new multimedia service aimed at wireless users who want access to local and national news from trusted news sources – wherever they are. Designed specifically for “smart phones,” AP’s mobile Web news application provides a rich media gateway to local newspaper content, supplemented by AP’s international, national and state news. Previously, Jeff served as the Executive Director at the Museum of Television & Radio, where he sourced, negotiated, and executed online video partnerships with leading-edge technology companies specializing in digitization, storage, retrieval, and rights management. Prior to MT&R, Jeff was with Yack, Inc., the "TV Guide to the Web" as the Head of Business Development and Strategic Planning and was responsible for expanding the company's core product to include new forms of online programming (e.g. webcasts, video-on demand, online radio, etc). Jeff is highly regarded for his visionary knowledge of and work in converging media platforms and channels and has spoken at numerous industry conferences, including Streaming Media West, Media Asset Management, and EMediatainment World. He is also the author of several published works in such publications as HFMA's Managing the Margins, Advanced Magazine and Healthcare Informatics. Jeff holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business where he graduated summa cum laude.

Trevor Madigan, Global Head of Sales, Operators, Nokia Music

Trevor Madigan currently serves as Global Head of Sales, Operators, for Nokia Music, based at Nokia’s headquarters in New York.

Trevor’s responsibilities include driving Nokia Music and Nokia’s ‘Comes with Music’ business via partnerships with operators across the Globe.

Trevor joined Nokia in 2004, and has held various leadership positions in sales and product development at Mitsubishi Telecom in Europe and luxury brand Mulberry in the Europe.

Prior to his current position, Trevor headed Nokia’s Entertainment & Communities go to market activities in the Americas and formerly led business development for Nokia Music in the US and the Multimedia Experiences unit, focused on North American operators.

Trevor is a graduate of the London School of Economics & Political Science, Business Studies program and undergraduate from University College Dublin.

Ross McNab, Director of Digital Advertising Solutions, Eyeblaster

Ross McNab, Director of Digital Advertising Solutions at Eyeblaster is an experienced and prolific contributor to the digital media landscape, delivering thought leadership across the globe by leading conversations with high-level business, marketing and agency executives worldwide.

With a background in mobile, online and marketing, McNab is instrumental in helping advertisers and agencies implement enhanced marketing strategies on a global level. Past speaking engagements include iMedia Summits, Ad Tech, Asia Business Forum and MSN Roadshow among others. Prior to joining Eyeblaster in 2005, McNab worked with Microsoft, PMB Media and Australia’s BlueSkyFrog and now resides in New York City.

Haroon Mokhtarzada, CEO & Founder, Webs.com

Mr. Haroon Mokhtarzada co-founded Webs.com, a site building and social networking site, in 2001 with his brothers as undergraduates at the University of Maryland. Mr. Mokhtarzada attended Harvard Law School, where he continued building Webs while earning his J.D. At 29, Mokhtarzada heads Webs as CEO. Under his guidance, Webs was crowned #113 on Deloitte and Touche's National Tech Fast 500 and #5 on Deloitte and Touche's Regional Fast 50. Mokhtarzada is also a 2009 semi-finalist for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award. According to Comscore's MediaMetrix, Webs has grown to receive over 30 million global unique visitors.

In addition to Webs, Mokhtarzada founded Pagii and the Social Gaming Network, both of which have spun off to become successful independent businesses. Mokhtarzada resides in Silver Spring, MD with his wife and two young children.

Don Rainey, General Partner, Grotech Ventures

Don Rainey joined Grotech Ventures as a general partner in September 2007. With over $1B US under management, Grotech focuses on early stage information technology companies. Don currently serves on the boards of Grotech portfolio companies ARPU, Clarabridge, LivingSocial and Zenoss, as well as the Northern Virginia Chapter of the March of Dimes.

In Fall 2008, Don was appointed for a second term as an emerging technology consultant to the Chief Information Officer of the US Department of Defense through the DeVenCi Program. The DeVenCi Program consists of a handful of venture capitalists who research and nominate companies to solve the US Department of Defenses’s unmet technology needs.

Don is also an Organizing Board member of the prestigious MindShare forum. In this role, he helps CEOs from the Greater Washington Metropolitan region’s most promising start-ups build long-term sustainable companies. This invitation-only group provides its annual CEO class with an opportunity to meet peers, Organizing Board members and prominent speakers in an intimate setting to exchange ideas and discuss current issues facing start-up companies. To date, more than 400 CEOs have graduated from the program, including some of the area’s most notable entrepreneurs.

Don’s long history in the tech industry includes serving as president at Attitude Network, one of the first online entertainment networks, which was sold to TheGlobe.com in 1999. He also managed channel distribution and brand marketing in 50 countries for IBM’s $2 billion network hardware division and served as COO of DaVinci Systems where he spearheaded the company’s acquisition by ON Technology. Don designed and launched Novell’s much-emulated global Authorized Dealer Program in the late 80’s. He currently heads the Capital Formation Committee for the Northern Virginia Technology Council.

Don earned a B.B.A. from James Madison University and a M.S. in Bioscience Management from George Mason University. He serves on the Executive Advisory Council for the College of Business at James Madison University and he is an adjunct professor at American University where he teaches graduate courses entitled “New Venture Finance” and “Venture Capital and Private Equity”.

Don previously served on the Enterprise Investment Advisory Committee for the State of Maryland, and the Investment Advisory Board of the State of Virginia’s Growth Acceleration Program (GAP) as well as the board of the Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Foundation.

Daniel Ruben Odio-Paez, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, PointAbout.com

Daniel R. Odio is a co-founder of PointAbout, a company that is focused on unlocking innovation in the mobile space. PointAbout mobilizes brands, allowing companies to connect with users through the phone. You can learn more about PointAbout on the company blog.

Daniel is primarily focused on operations, sales and marketing and serves as PointAbout’s Chief Operating Officer.

Previously, Daniel was the founder of Cardéa Commercial Real Estate Advisors, a commercial real estate brokerage specializing in replacement property for investors, and DROdio Real Estate, Inc, a residential real estate brokerage. Both are based in Washington, DC with offices in Las Vegas, NV. Daniel is a registered securities representative (Series 22 & 63 licenses).

Daniel has been featured on CNN, CNBC, TLC, The Wall Street Journal and many other publications for his innovative use of technology in the real estate market.

Prior to real estate, Daniel was the VP, Sales of AcceleratedServers, a Beowulf supercomputing cluster company whose customers included the Department of Defense and the entertainment industry, including Paramount Pictures.

Daniel was a member of General Electric's Technical Leadership Program while at GE for several years, working in Latin America, including Brazil and Argentina. Daniel graduated from the University of Virginia with a BS in Commerce, speaks Spanish and Portuguese, and resides in Washington, DC.

Read Daniel's McIntire School of Commerce writeup.

Tim O’Shaughnessy, CEO and Co-founder, LivingSocial

Tim is the CEO of LivingSocial, the social discovery tool for reviewing, sharing and organizing favorite things. He's part of the original visionary team behind the product, which integrates users' interest profiles seamlessly with Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, hi5, and Orkut. Most recently, Tim led the consumer products team at Revolution Health where he integrated multi-million dollar acquisitions into the company, and previously, he managed product launches at AOL. When he's not working to make it easier for users to share and discover their own passions online, he's usually reading, traveling, or trying to take in a ball game. Tim graduated from Georgetown University with degrees in Marketing and Operations & Information Management.

Ali Partovi, CEO & Co-Founder, iLike

Prior to iLike, Ali established himself as an entrepreneur by co-founding LinkExchange, which was acquired by Microsoft for $265 million in 1998. Ali also co-founded "DrinkExchange," a monthly social event that spread from San Francisco to Washington, London, Tokyo, and Sydney. After leaving Microsoft, Ali co-wrote a feature film and started a band, both of which failed.

In 2002 Ali led the effort to save GarageBand.com from being shut down and has been with the company since. In 2006 Ali recruited his twin brother Hadi to help start iLike, and today they run iLike (which owns GarageBand) together. Ali is an avid music lover and wannabe guitarist.

Hooman Radfar, CEO & Co-founder, Clearspring

Hooman actively drives platform marketing and strategy initiatives at Clearspring. He was recently named one of Tech's Best Entrepreneurs in BusinessWeek and was nominated for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year. When he is not busy building a better web, you can find him writing his blog Widgify. Radfar graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in Economics and Computer Science. He holds an M.S. from Carnegie Mellon University where he researched Social Networking Theory.

Tim Repsher, Managing Dir., Mobile Business & Prod. Dev., Netinformer, A Media General Company

Tim Repsher has had marketing, product development, advertising and production management roles in converged media companies for 19 years. 7 of those years have been focused on utilizing wireless services to connect consumers and advertisers with traditional media companies. Tim is now the Managing Director of Media General's mobile development division. Media General has newspaper, broadcast and interactive properties in 13 states and he is expanding with mobile products to nationwide coverage.

Josh Resnik, VP, General Manager, Gannett Digital Media Network

Josh Resnik is Vice President and General Manager of the Gannett Digital Media Network. The Gannett Digital Media Network attracts more than 80 million monthly unique visitors and 1 billion monthly page views, and it includes USATODAY.com, Gannett’s local news sites, and niche media sites such as MomsLikeMe.com. Josh also serves on the Board of Directors of three companies in which Gannett has invested, including the Metromix local entertainment network and the Livestream (formerly Mogulus) live video streaming solution.

Prior to Gannett, Josh was Assistant General Counsel at AOL, where he managed the team responsible for strategic alliances and partnerships for AOL Media Networks, an AOL business unit generating more than $1.5 billion in annual revenue from online advertising, search, and e-commerce. In that role, Josh was instrumental in establishing and sustaining relationships with some of the leading companies on the web, including Google, eBay and Amazon. Prior to AOL, Josh was an attorney in private practice representing broadcast station groups, cable MSO’s and venture firms focused on the broadcast and cable industries.

Jason Seiken, SVP, Interactive, PBS

Mr. Seiken oversees PBS’ award-winning new media content and services, including pbs.org, pbskids.org, pbskidsgo.org, pbsparents.org, as well as emerging broadband and mobile delivery platforms. He is responsible for implementation of both short and long-range strategies for new and existing digital media platforms in collaboration with member stations and a wide range of outside producers and contributors. Prior to PBS, he was based in London, where he led content development for AOL’s businesses in the UK, France, and Germany as Vice President, Content and Programming for AOL Europe. In addition, Mr. Seiken was the founding Executive Editor of washingtonpost.com, responsible for leading the creation of one of the premier newspaper Web sites in the world.

Ned Sherman, CEO & Publisher, Digital Media Wire

Ned Sherman is CEO and Publisher of Digital Media Wire, Inc., where he works at the center of the rapidly growing digital media industry. Under his leadership, Digital Media Wire has grown from a small newsletter publisher into a well-respected B-to-B brand that owns and produces five annual conferences - Digital Music Forum, Games & Mobile Forum, Digital Media Conference, Future of Television Forum, Digital Commerce Summit and The Billboard Digital Entertainment Conference & Awards (now DEMXPO) - and provides daily news, information and community to 30,000+ executives and professionals at entertainment, media and technology companies throughout the world.

As digital media community-builder, Ned has established partnerships with the leading B-to-B media companies and educational institutions, including VNU Business Media, Billboard Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Reed Business Information, Multichannel News, Business 2.0, Business Week, CableFax/CableWorld, VIBE/SPIN, MidemNet, NYU’s Stern School of Business, USC’s Center for Telecom Management and UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, and hundreds of the leading digital media companies, including Microsoft, Real Networks, Sony Corporation of America, AOL Time Warner, Napster, Yahoo! and many more.

Ned’s background is in law. Before joining Digital Media Wire, Ned spent 7+ years as a corporate and entertainment attorney practicing at several of the leading law firms in the world with an international client base across industries including technology, Internet, media and entertainment.

As a founding member of the iLaw Group in the Entertainment Department at Loeb & Loeb LLP in Century City, he handled complex licensing transactions and financings for media and entertainment clients including Universal Studios and MGM and launched dozens of Internet and new media start-ups. He has counseled company founders from initiation of a business plan to seed, angel, venture capital and later-stage private financings and managed all legal aspects of Internet clients from corporate organization, stockholder relationships, board compositions and dynamics, stock option plans, capital raising and security regulatory matters, Internet law issues, trademark, copyright, content and technology licensing, advertising and privacy issues.

He sits on the Board of Directors of Wild Way, a non-profit dedicated to cultivating environmental awareness and developing educational programs for inner-city and “at risk” kids and has traveled extensively from Europe to Asia to South America to Northern Africa. Ned is married and lives with his wife and son in Hollywood Hills, California.

Paul Sherman, Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Tech Wire Publications

Paul Sherman is the editor and publisher of Potomac Tech Wire, which he co-founded in 1999. He also serves as the president of Tech Wire Media, which consists of five regional technology publications: Potomac Tech Wire, New England Tech Wire, Southeast Tech Wire, Tri-State Tech Wire and Bay Area Tech Wire. He has moderated over 40 seminars on various technology topics, ranging from venture capital to mobile technology to government technology procurement. He is the co-chair of the annual Digital Media Conference held each summer in Washington, D.C.

Prior to founding Tech Wire, he worked for three years as the news assistant at The New York Times bureau in Mexico City, and wrote for the Economist Intelligence Unit, Latin Finance and Time magazine for two years. Paul received an M.B.A. from The Wharton School in 1999 and a B.A. in political science from Brown University in 1992.

Gregg Smith, CEO, Acuity Mobile

Gregg Smith provides the executive vision for Acuity Mobile. He has significant experience managing both public and private organizations, leading complex mergers and acquisitions, growing rapidly profitable businesses, and accelerating the health and growth of organizations.

As President of Aether System's (NASDAQ: AETH) multi-national Enterprise Division, Gregg led the successful divesture to Telecommunications Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: TSYS) which industry analyst "Frost and Sullivan" voted the Most Strategic Acquisition of 2004. Gregg led both the post divestiture integration activities and managed the resulting division.

As President and corporate officer of Aether's Enterprise Division, Gregg managed business strategy and development, sales, software development and operations. He was a driving force behind corporate strategy, with an emphasis on revenue growth and new market penetration and was instrumental in Aether mergers, investments and acquisitions plus in constructing Aether's business units, including transportation, government, m-commerce, education and enterprise. He also secured multi-million dollar contracts with Sun Microsystems, Sharp Electronics and EDS and managed relationships with hardware manufacturers, systems integrators, wireless carriers, and independent software vendors.

Prior to Aether, Gregg was President and COO of Karch International, Inc., a software company, responsible for sales, marketing, software and web development, finance, investor relations and strategic planning. During his tenure, he directed a successful and profitable restructuring effort and sale of the company. Gregg also served as Vice President for Nurad Technologies, Inc., a wireless hardware manufacturer and products. He assisted the company in reaching profitability and negotiating sale to a public $2 billion British entity.

Gregg sits on the board of advisors of a number of private companies and is a frequent industry speaker. Gregg is a member of the MMA Global Marketing, Mobile Banking and Proximity Committees.

Marcus Startzel, Senior Vice President, Sales, Millennial Media

Marcus is responsible for advertising sales for Millennial Media. A 10-year veteran of management and interactive media sales, he leads the sales organization and is focused on helping advertisers and agencies utilize mobile to achieve their broader business goals. Prior to joining Millennial Media, Marcus held leadership positions with Digital Sports and Advertising.com / Platform A. As VP, Sales at Advertising.com, Marcus inspired his team to lead the company to great success in the digital media space by developing creative and winning selling strategies. Marcus is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served as a Nuclear Submarine Officer.

Sal Tirabassi, Partner, M/C Venture Partners

Salvatore Tirabassi is a Partner at M/C Venture Partners, focusing on digital media and communications investements. Sal joined M/C Venture Partners in 2007 after over seven years at Dolphin Equity Partners. At M/C, Sal has led investments in Airband, where he is a member of the board of directors, and Seven Networks, where he is an observer on the board of directors. In addition, he sits on the board of CSDVRS, and is an observer on the board of SpeechCycle. At Dolphin, he led investments in and served on the board of eight portfolio companies: Airband, Epic Cycle, Gomez, MaxPreps (acquired by CBS in 2007), SilverCarrot, The Guild, Vercuity and VitalStream (acquired by Internap in 2006). Prior to Dolphin, Sal worked in product development and marketing at Diamond Lane Communications (acquired by Nokia in 1998). Prior to Diamond Lane Communications, he was an early employee and spent four years at FutureBrand, a strategic marketing consulting firm (acquired by Interpublic Group in 1997).

Sal received an MBA in 1999 from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was named a Palmer Scholar. He also received an MSE in Telecommunications and Networking Engineering in 1998 from the University of Pennsylvania. Sal received an AB cum laude in 1993 from Harvard University, where he studied philosophy and foreign languages.

Mike Vorhaus, President, Magid Advisors

Mike Vorhaus is the managing director who founded the Magid Internet and New Media research and consultation practice in 1995, beginning with projects for AOL and Excite. Mike has participated in hundreds of studies for our clients and personally consults a number of leading Internet and gaming companies. Mike has been involved in strategic and tactical consulting, including the launch of new services and programming, as well as development and implementation of online and offline marketing programs. Mike has also been extensively involved in video and PC gaming strategies for a number of major gaming companies, as well as the development of game concepts. Mike has also consulted on a number of film projects such as You've Got Mail and The Matrix. He holds a B.S. in psychology and sociology from Wesleyan University and has worked as a fundraiser and transfer of technology officer at the California Institute of Technology and the University of California. Mike also worked for the U.S. House of Representatives, The U.S. Senate, and for two administrations in the White House.

Kara Walsh, CEO, Metromix.com (a Tribune/Gannett JV)

Kara Walsh is Chief Executive Officer of Metromix LLC, a national network of local entertainment websites formed through a joint venture between Tribune Interactive and Gannett Company. Walsh leads a nationwide team of editorial, marketing, web development and sales professionals with a mission of providing an authentic, credible and up-to-the-minute entertainment resource for millions of socially active adults in the nation’s top markets.

Since 2006, Walsh had served as General Manager of Metromix where she helped lead Metromix’s continued innovation and national expansion plans. Prior to joining Tribune Interactive and Metromix, Walsh was Vice President of Online at Village Voice Media. There she served as general manager of villagevoice.com and led strategy and business planning for Village Voice Media’s network of 17 alternative news and entertainment websites.

Entertainment listings play a central role in the success of the products that Walsh has worked with over the last ten years. Before joining Village Voice Media, Walsh served as director of new business marketing at TV Guide and also as head of customer loyalty marketing at British Sky Broadcasting. Walsh also served on the brand management team of The Coca-Cola Company and has extensive strategy and consulting experience.

Walsh earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in Mathematical Sciences from Clemson University. She resides in Chicago, where Metromix LLC is based.

Janet Yang, Principal, Novak Biddle Venture Partners

Janet Yang joined Novak Biddle Venture Partners in 2006. Trained in electrical engineering from Stanford University, Janet started her investment career on Wall Street as a sell-side equity research analyst for Merrill Lynch and later Salomon Smith Barney, where she was a top-ranked analyst in her sector according to fund managers’ surveys, and helped raise over $800 million for various corporations.

Janet is on the board of CivicUS, and serves as a Board Observer for portfolio companies: Avail Media, eMinor, Freewebs, Starfish Retention Solutions, and Ztar Mobile.

Prior to Novak Biddle, Janet worked closely with William H. Draper, III in San Francisco-based venture capital firm, Draper Richards, focusing on early-stage technology investments in the United States and India.

Janet brings substantial international experience, as well as operating experience, to Novak Biddle. She has over 10 years of work experience in Asia, in particular, the Greater China region. While in Asia, Janet held various senior executive positions at PCCW, the largest telecommunications company in Hong Kong, reporting to Chairman and CEO Richard Li. Her experience included being the CFO of an IT outsourcing company in partnership with China Telecom and PCCW.

Janet is multi-lingual, fluent in Chinese and had studied Japanese and French. She has lived and worked in New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing.

Peter Yared, CEO, iWidgets

Peter is the Founder & CEO at iWidgets, and has 15 years of experience creating solutions that allow companies to more cost effectively leverage new technology opportunities.

Featured as a guest author in publications such as Ad Week and BusinessWeek and in his own blog, Peter Yareds Musings, Peter is known as a sometimes-controversial straight shooter with a deep understanding of technology and innate sense of where markets are going. He started iWidgets to fill a gaping need in the media market by creating a cost effective way for brands and video publishers to reach people where they are spending time online on social networks. Display ads are no longer effective, microsites are expensive and under trafficked and brands are hungry for new ways to build awareness and interact with people online. Its a widget2.0 world. The iWidgets technology allows them to use native applications to drive viral engagement with their friends on sites such as Facebook, MySpace and hi5.

Prior to founding iWidgets in 2007, Peter was most recently the Founder and CEO at ActiveGrid, a commercial open source company delivering the LAMP stack to the enterprise. Previously, he was CTO of Sun Microsystems' Liberty Network Identity initiative. Peter was also CTO of Sun Microsystems' Application Server Division. Before its acquisition by Sun, Peter served as CTO of NetDynamics, which pioneered the then-leading J2EE application server. Earlier, he was Founder and CEO of JRad Technologies, an enterprise Java company acquired by NetDynamics. Peter holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Maryland.

Bev Yehuda, VP, MultiVu (a PRNewswire company)

Beverley Yehuda has more than twelve years in Broadcast PR with expertise in strategizing with clients on how to leverage the greatest ROI for video and audio content via traditional and nontraditional distribution channels. Beverley is currently the Vice President of Products for MultiVu, and is involved in developing products and tools to increase distribution for client content in addition to providing counsel on story development and distribution channels.
Former Director of Strategy, News Broadcast Network, Director of Media Relations with TVN Communications, Sales Consultant for a software development company, Account Executive for Princeton Communications – Recruitment consultants.

Kuk Yi, Managing Director, Best Buy Capital

Kuk is the founding Managing Director of Best Buy Capital, the investment team for Best Buy, the leading global consumer technology retailer. Best Buy Capital is responsible for managing all minority investments for Best Buy, serving as a new avenue of growth and opportunity for the enterprise by providing a market-based approach to create a portfolio of options that are consistent with the vision of Best Buy.

Kuk is responsible for all activities of Best Buy Capital including deal-sourcing, due diligence, negotiations, structuring, approval of investments, and portfolio management. In addition, he plays a role in staying engaged with Best Buy’s enterprise, understanding business strategies, objectives and organization context to make better investment decisions for Best Buy Capital while maintaining strong personal and professional relationships across the enterprise, to actively leverage internal networks and resources to optimize investments.

Prior to starting Best Buy Capital, Kuk was a founding member of the corporate development team at Best Buy, most recently serving as a Senior Director of the group. He was formerly a senior investment manager at Samsung based in Seoul, Korea, as well as a Senior Associate at ABN AMRO Capital.

Geno Yoham, Executive Director, AOL Music

Geno Yoham has over 15 years of experience in leading product, creative and development teams to create web and client based entertainment products and services. In his current role, he serves as General Manager of Winamp for AOL, plotting the strategy and the next generation of the world's #2 media player. Winamp has over 80 million users worldwide and a very active development community that supports and creates new ways to customize and use the Winamp client every day. Prior to Winamp, Geno co-founded AOL Tickets and Uncut Video for AOL after spending 10 years working in the ticketing industry. Geno started his career as a starving music producer and designer before the Internet changed his career path forever (or at least for the ongoing present).

Gabe Zichermann, CEO & Co-Founder, rmbrME

Gabe Zichermann developed the concept for rmbrME after realizing that tracking and connecting with new contacts had become unmanageable. Rather than starting a 12-step program for social hunters, Gabe helped develop rmbrME – the first mobile solution for exchanging social contact and lead information that works with any device. Gabe is a ten-year games industry veteran, having previously worked for CMP Media as the director of marketing for the Game Developers Conference, Gamasutra and Game Developer magazine, as well as helping to launch and guide Trymedia Systems from start to sale as the first successful online game DRM and distribution company. Additionally, Zichermann has held posts at Cisco Systems, Nortel and Checkpoint Software. Now residing in New York City, Gabe frequently muses about the opportunities to use game design in broader applications on his blog, www.funwareblog.com and is the co-author of the upcoming book, WebPlay (Manning, 2009).