Now an Innovative 4-H Program Is Changing That for Millions

The “American Dream” is built on the idea that with hard work, upward mobility and success are possible. In our ever evolving and technology dependent society, digital skills and broadband access are necessary tools for achievement.

However, more than 24 million people living in the U.S., including 19 million in rural communities, do not have access to broadband, also known as high speed internet. That leaves a large portion of today’s teens locked out when it comes to high speed internet. This essential service in today’s economy impacts everything from children’s education to their future economic mobility.

Recent research shows that overall, teens without broadband access feel less equipped online with it comes to connecting, creating and learning. The research also shows:

 Almost half of teens surveyed said they’ve struggled to complete homework due to slow internet connections
 Teens without broadband are less optimistic about their social mobility for higher education & careers
 43% of rural teens surveyed plan to leave their hometowns and 34% of those teens cite poor internet connectivity as the reason; which means these towns are losing talent and future innovation.

As leaders in positive youth development, National 4-H Council partnered with Microsoft on the 4-H Tech Changemakers program. The initiative is aimed at closing the connectivity gap in rural areas by empowering teens to bring technology and digital skills to their communities. The program works to position digital skills as a valuable life skill that’s necessary for improving non-urban communities’ path towards economic mobility.

The 4-H Tech Changemakers are working with broadband service providers throughout the U.S., along with community members and civic leaders to help teens gain the digital skills needed to benefit from technology and high-speed connectivity, which includes everything from online safety to computer basics and device training.

On Friday, April 24, join members of the 4-H Tech Changemakers to learn more about the programs being implemented, how they’re helping to bridge this technological gap and make sure that all community members across the country have the tools and skills they need to achieve the American dream.

#jennifer #sirangelo #4h #4-h #american #dream #elusive #teenagers #high #speed #internet #changing #millions #built #hard #work #mobility #success #possible #evolving #tech #technology #society #digital #skills #broadband #achievements #economic #communities #access #service #connecting #creating #learning #homework #connections #higher #education #careers #teens #future #innovation #youth #development #change #makers #empowering

The post Jennifer Sirangelo, ACHIEVING THE “AMERICAN DREAM” MAY SEEM ELUSIVE FOR TEENAGERS WHO DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO HIGH SPEED INTERNET? appeared first on Good News!.

Media Summit New York, March 4th – 5th, 2015
The International Conference on Media, Advertising, Television, Broadband, Social Media, Mobile, Cable, Satellite, Publishing, Magazines, News Media Motion Pictures, Radio and Marketing
Live Video Streaming – Click Here http://www.videodigitalhollywood.com/SessionListing.html
This Year’s Theme
“The State of the Media Industry: Innovation, Investment & Growth – A Forum of Intense Strategic Discussion and Executive Networking”
PDF of Summit Program – Click Here http://www.digitalhollywood.com/assets/summit2015_agenda.pdf
New Conference Location: Bohemian National Hall – The Czech Center & Consulate – 73rd Street (Btw. 2nd and 1st Ave.)
Food and Beverage – Served All day (4th Floor)
Grand Ballroom Hospitality Area
Special Event on Day Two
Thursday, March 5th, 2015
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Grand Ballroom (4th Floor)
Keynote Roundtable
The Media Industry Equation – Content, Advertising, Brands and the New Platforms
Mike Federle, COO, Forbes Media
David Freeman, Co-Head of Digital Packaging Group, Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
Guy Vidra, Chief Executive Officer, The New Republic
Mark Fortner, Managing Partner, Head of Innovation, Branded Content, MediaCom
Brian Tierney, former publisher, Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, CEO, Brian Communications
Diane Brady, (former) Senior Editor/Content Chief, Bloomberg Businessweek, Moderator
Speaker Bios and Session Information Click Here http://www.dhsessions.com/Thurs15SumKeynote.html
The Complete Agenda
Wednesday, March 4th, 2015
Registration – Click Here http://www.digitalhollywood.com/SummitReg.html
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM Grand Ballroom (4th Floor)
Breakfast and Welcome

10:45 AM – Noon
Session A: Grand Ballroom (4th Floor) – Live Webcast from This Room
Financing and Investing in the Future: Investment & Mergers – Leadership in Media, Entertainment & Technology: Broadband, Social Networks, Mobile and Games
Matt Freeman, Operating Partner, Bain Capital
Urs Cete, Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, L.P.
Scott Levine, Managing Director, Time Warner Investments
Tuna N. Amobi, Director, S&P Capital IQ, New York
Mark A. Boidman, Managing Director, PETER J SOLOMON COMPANY
Orlando Setola, Principal, Deloitte Transactions and Business Analytics LLP and Global Financial Advisory Services Leader, Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Deloitte LLP, Moderator
Speaker Bios and Session Information Click Here

Session B: Prague Room A, 3rd Floor – Live Webcast from This Room
Native & Contextual Strategies: From Youtube & Facebook Programming and OTT Delivery to Mobile
Julie Hansen, COO, Business Insider
Peter Naylor, SVP Advertising Sales, Hulu
Jessica Sibley, Vice President, Advertising Sales, Forbes Media
Jesse Redniss, Co-founder, BRaVe Ventures
Linda Ong, CEO, TruthCo
Frank J. Radice, Expert in Residence, Definition 6, Moderator
10:45 AM – Noon – Library, 3rd Floor
The Strategic Workshop: I – “The Internet-Hollywood-Network Connection – Ubiquitous Broadband – Ubiquitous Content”
Video Anytime Anywhere: Video Across Platforms – Television, Internet and Mobile – Understanding the Value Proposition
Jamie Elden, Chief Revenue Officer, Lin Digital
John Bishop, CTO of Media, Akamai
Don Wilcox, Vice President, PBS Digital
Paul DiGiacomo, Sr. Director, Video, Content, and Advertising Business Development, AT&T
Jim Flynn, President, Overlook.TV
Gregory Fischbach, Executive Chairman, Rabbit
Jonathan Hurd, Director, Altman Vilandrie & Company, Moderator
12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Session A: Grand Ballroom (4th Floor) – Live Webcast from This Room
The Power of YouTube: Unlocking the Power of Programming, Premium Content and Advertising
Drew Buckley, Chief Operating Officer, Electus
Stephanie Horbaczewski, CEO, Stylehaul
Rob Donnell, Founder and CEO, Brand Arc
Kathleen Grace, Chief Creative Officer, New Form Digital (Venture Formed byBrian Grazer, Ron Howard, Discovery & CAA)
Mark Allenbach, Vice President, Frank N. Magid Associates, Moderator
Session B: Prague Room A, 3rd Floor – Live Webcast from This Room
Hollywood and Media Challenge: Platforms and Convergence – Programming, Monetization and Commerce in a Cross Platform Universe
Jon Housman, CEO, Ora TV
Gil Goldschein, President, Bunim Murray Productions
Pete Spande, CRO, Business Insider
Gene Hoffman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Vindicia
Mara Winokur, Senior Vice President, Starz
Amit Ziv, Vice President, Business Operations, Development, and Strategy, EpixHD
Shawn Gold, Advisor, Wattpad.com, Moderator
12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
The Strategic Workshop: I – “The Internet-Hollywood-Network Connection – Ubiquitous Broadband – Ubiquitous Content” The Library, 3rd Floor
Multi-Screen: Strategies for ConnectedTV Technology and Content
Michael Goodman, Director, Digital Media Strategies
Chris Wagner, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder, NeuLion
Jens Loeffler, Principal Technical Evangelist for Video Solutions, Adobe
Steve Ehrlich, Business Development, Hewlett Packard
Rahul Mehrotra, Senior Product Strategist, Clearbridge Mobile
Mike Green, VP, Marketing and Business Development, Media, Brightcove
Rick Howe, Journalist, Consultant & TV Pioneer, The iTV Doctor, Moderator
The Strategic Workshop II – Financing Strategies – Cinema, 1st Floor
Valuing and Financing Media & Technology: From Corporate Strategic Investment and Mergers to VC & Equity
Robert C. Raciti, Managing Director, EFA Partners LLC
René Bourdages, CEO, Elevado Media, Inc.
Allison Goldberg, Vice President & Managing Director, Time Warner Investments
Olivier Manuel, Managing Director, Innovate Accelerate
Jonathan Marino, Senior Finance Writer, Business Insider, Moderator
2:15 PM – 3:30 PM
Session A: Grand Ballroom (4th Floor) – Live Webcast from This Room
Leveraging Content and Celebrity For Cross-Platform Success: Brands and Star Power Collaborate
Paul Kelly, Vice President, Music Brand Sales, Viacom Music and Logo Group
Nick Mehra, Head of Global Media + Entertainment Partnerships, Spotify
Harvey Schwartz, SVP of Talent, WhoSay
Melissa Palazzo-Hart, President, Ant Farm (Campaigns for American Hustle, Wolf of Wall Street, Call of Duty, Iron Man, Transformers)
Abby West, Managing Editor, Essence.com
Lisa Birnbach, Award-Winning Journalist and Bestselling Author
Steven Masur, Partner, Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard LLP, Moderator
Session B: Prague Room A, 3rd Floor – Live Webcast from This Room
PEOPLE – The Legendary Brand Transforms into a Cross – Platform Content & Advertising Power
Will Lee, Digital Editorial Director, PEOPLE.COM and EW.COM
Suejin Yang, VP/General Manager, Digital Entertainment, PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly
Anne Toal, Associate Publisher, PEOPLE Digital
Michael Sebastian, Media Reporter, Advertising Age, Moderator
2:15 PM – 3:30 PM
The Strategic Workshop: I – “The Internet-Hollywood-Network Connection – Ubiquitous Broadband – Ubiquitous Content” – The Library, 3rd Floor
Hybrid TV – Delivering the Ultimate TV Experience: Broadcast, Cable, Premium & OTT Content
Mark Vena, Worldwide Vice President Marketing, Sling Media
Doug Craig, VP, Programming, Roku
Jim Turner, SVP Market Development + Sales, Net2TV
Peter Gerrard, Director of Audience Development and Content, Vimeo
Martin Focazio, Managing Director, Strategic Services, EPAM
David Leibowitz, Managing Partner, CH Potomac, Moderator
The Strategic Workshop II – Financing Strategies – Cinema, 1st Floor
New York – The Silicon Alley Investment, Growth & Media Accelerator – Strategies in Investment, Finance and Partnerships
Sun Jen Yung, Managing Director, Headwaters MB
Jay MacDonald, CEO and Co-Founder, Digital Capital Advisors
Art Chang, Founder and CEO, Tipping Point Partners
Brad Hargreaves, co-founder, General Assembly and Venture Partner, Maveron
Caroline Ghosn, Co-founder and CEO, Levo
Adam J. Plotkin, Partner, ff Venture Capital
Peg Jackson, Managing Director, Mooreland Partners, Moderator
3:50 PM – 5:00 PM
Session A: Grand Ballroom (4th Floor) – Live Webcast from This Room
The Future of Enhanced Advertising: Addressing Brands, Message, Technology, Media and Entertainment
Rachel Baumgarten, Senior Vice President of Integrated Marketing, Music Group, Viacom Velocity
Mike Wiese, Director of Branded Entertainment, JWT
Matt Doherty, Associate Director, Global Digital Creative Development, Ogilvy & Mather
Josh Richman, CMO, DailyMail.com
Greg Rivera, Senior Director, Advertiser Solutions, Microsoft
Sami Viitamäki, Executive Director of Digital, Havas Worldwide NY
Tom Flanagan, (former) EVP, Entertainment, Leo Burnett, Moderator
Session B: Prague Room A, 3rd Floor – Live Webcast from This Room
Cable, TV and Broadband – New Content – New Networks – Streams, Platforms, Devices
Emil Rensing, Chief Digital Officer, EPIX
Ben Grad, Content Strategy & Acquisition – FiOS TV, Verizon Communications
Bill Martens, Vice President and General Manager, News, CBS Interactive
Hilary Perchard, Vice President – Business Development, BSkyB (Sky)
Scott Barton, Senior Vice President of Branded Digital Content and Products, Starz
Shahid Khan, Chairman and Chief Strategist, MediaMorph, Inc., Moderator

3:50 PM – 5:00 PM
Strategic Workshop: I – The Internet-Hollywood-Network Connection – The Library, 3rd Floor
Video Everywhere – Technologies & Platforms – Enabling the Next Generation of Over-the-Top TV
Miguel Santos, General Manager, Myx TV
Robin Wilson, VP Business Development, NAGRA
James Brickmeier, Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing, Concurrent
Mark Donnigan, Strategic Accounts Development, Beamr
Xavier Kochhar, President and CEO, Video Genome Project
Gerald Belson, Vice Chairman, U.S. Media & Entertainment Leader and Global Consulting Leader, Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Deloitte LLP, Moderator
Speaker Bios and Session Information Click Here

The Strategic Workshop II – Financing Strategies – Cinema, 1st Floor
Art of the Deal: Strategies and Hands-on Tools from Master Negotiators
Beth Roberts, Executive Vice President, Business Operations, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment
Garrett Bess, President, President, Two River Pictures
Sachin Dosani, Managing Director and co-founder, About Corporate Finance (ACF)
Gary Delfiner, Chief Executive Officer, Digital Sylvia LLC, Creator of WATCHFREEFLIX
Julie Jarrett, Owner/Executive Producer, Jarrett Creative, Moderator
Speaker Bios and Session Information Click Here
End-of-Day 5 PM Reception – Open to All Attendees
Wednesday, March 4th, 2015
Sponsored by Janrain
http://www.digitalhollywood.com/images/janrainwhite.png
Evening Dinner Event
Wednesday, March 4th, 2015
6:15 PM – 8:30 PM – Roundtable & Dinner – by invitation
The Future of Advertising and Branding Across Platforms
Hosted by Cablevision Media
Ben Tatta, President, Media Sales. Cablevision Systems Corporation
Nelson Freitas, Chief Strategy Officer, Wunderman New York
Tom Goodwin, SVP Strategy and Innovation, Havas Media, N.A
Shannon O’Neill, President, Travel Channel
Scott Schiller, EVP, Digital Advertising Sales, NBCUniversal
Kevin Conroy, Chief Strategy & Data Officer and President, Enterprise Development, Univision Communications Inc.
Shahid Khan, Chairman and Chief Strategist, MediaMorph, Inc., Moderator
Thursday, March 5th, 2015
Special Event:
Open to all Summit Attendees – Grand Ballroom (4th Floor)
7:30 AM – 9:00 AM – Breakfast Event
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services Media, Entertainment, and Cable Industry Breakfast Briefing
Michael Altberg, Senior Director, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, Corporate Ratings
Jawad Hussain, Associate Director, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, Corporate Ratings
Andy Liu, Director, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services
Corporate Ratings
Minesh Patel, Director,, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services
Corporate Ratings
Naveen Sarma, Senior Director, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, Corporate Ratings
Jeanne Shoesmith, Director, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services
Corporate Ratings
Chris Valentine, Associate Director. Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, Corporate Ratings

9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Grand Ballroom (4th Floor)
Keynote Roundtable:
The Media Industry Equation – Content, Advertising, Brands and the New Platforms
Mike Federle, COO, Forbes Media
David Freeman, Co-Head of Digital Packaging Group, Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
Guy Vidra, Chief Executive Officer, The New Republic
Mark Fortner, Managing Partner, Head of Innovation, Branded Content, MediaCom
Brian Tierney, former publisher, Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, CEO, Brian Communications
Diane Brady, (former) Senior Editor/Content Chief, Bloomberg Businessweek, Moderator
10:45 AM – Noon
Session A: Grand Ballroom (4th Floor) – Live Webcast from This Room
Media Strategies – The Multi-Platform Brand – Video/TV, Magazines. News & Music – The Merger of Traditional Media and New Media
Julian March, SVP of Editorial and Innovation, NBCNews.com
Nancy Lane, Executive Producer, CBSNews.com
Gabe Kleinman, Head of Product Marketing, Medium
Kari Kim, Vice President, Development, HLN
Steve Sobel, Global Director of Media Solutions, Salesforce
Terry S. Bienstock, CEO, Mobilactive Media, LLC., Moderator
Session B: Prague Room A (Third Floor) – Live Webcast from This Room
Original Internet TV – The Cross Platform Explosion
David Shadrack Smith, Founder/Director, Part2 Pictures (Exec. Producer, This is Life with Lisa Ling (CNN), Oprah Winfrey presents “Belief,”)
Wes Williams, Director, Product Management, Scripps Networks Interactive
Mitch Askenas, SVP of Commercial, Americas, Piksel
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy, Author, Investor, Broadcaster
Len Fertig, CEO, Motive Television Plc.
Sun Jen Yung, Managing Director, Headwaters MB, Moderator
10:45 AM – Noon: The Library, 3rd Floor
The Strategic Workshop – Media & Advertising in Transition
Social Advertising & Platform Integration – Driving Brand Awareness and Boosting Campaign ROI
Paul Langtry, Senior Manager for Advertising Solutions, Adobe
Natalie Novak, Agent, Digital Media Department, United Talent Agency
Dan Aversano, SVP, Client and Consumer Insights group, Turner Broadcasting’s Ad Sales
Reid Genauer, CMO, Magisto
Sean O’Neal, President, Adaptly
Shivone Guadalupe, Account Manager, Beeby Clark+Meyler
Tania Yuki, Founder and CEO, Shareablee, Moderator
12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Session A: Grand Ballroom (4th Floor) – Live Webcast
The Internet – Media – Hollywood Connection – Ubiquitous Broadband – Ubiquitous Content
Maria Hale, Vice President Television, Head of Content Distribution and Pay TV, Corus Entertainment
Charo Henríquez, Executive Digital Editor, People in Español
Sam Notowitz, Executive Director Marketing & Distribution, Feeln, a Hallmark Company
Phillip Morelock, SVP / Chief Product Officer, Digital Media, Playboy Enterprises
Sean Bunner, VP, New Business Development, HSN
Tom Bannister, Founder, SXM
Tim Hanlon, Founder and CEO, The Vertere Group, LLC, Moderator
Session B: Prague Room A, 3rd Floor – Live Webcast
Merging Content with New Technologies: Content Reinvention with the Next Generation of Tablets and Mobile Devices
Scott Brown, SVP Technology & Strategic Relations, Engineering & Technology, The Nielsen Company
Jennifer A. Perry, Vice President of Worldwide Publishing, Sesame Workshop
Varoon Raghavan, AVP, Growth Ventures Group, Tata Communications
Bernie Davis, Director of Partner Relations, SmartNews
Scott Kinzie, VP of Marketing, issuu
Ted Cohen, Managing Partner, TAG Strategic llc, Moderator
12:30 PM – 1:45 PM: The Library, 3rd Floor
The Strategic Workshop – Media & Advertising in Transition
Location-Based Monetization: Beacons: The Next Big thing in Marketing
Bant Breen, CEO, Qnary
Arjun Reddy, VP of Business Development, Touchtunes
Rick Erwin, President, Experian Marketing Services
Lior Ganel, COO, Bluvision
Brian Lee, Senior Manager, Corporate Development, Gannett
Mark J. Kapczynski, Chief Operating Officer, Kontrol Media, Moderator
2:15 PM – 3:30 PM
Session A: Grand Ballroom (4th Floor) – Live Webcast
Branded Media Marketing – Across Platforms – TV, Film, Broadband, Mobile, Virtual Economies, Music and Games – Reinventing the Commerce & Media Model
Alex Arata, President, Mofilm North America
James Heckman, CEO, Scout Media
Andy Marks, President, Marks Entertainment + Media (former Managing Director of MATTER, Inc.)
Alexandra Lutz, VP Strategy, Huge
Scott Grimes, CEO and Co-Founder, Woven
Scott Singer, Managing Director, DDG
Jennifer Betka, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Wikia, Moderator
Speaker Bios and Session Information Click Here

Session B: Prague Room A, 3rd Floor – Live Webcast
Programming the New ‘OVN’s’ (Online Video Networks: the Next Generation of Niche Video Content
Brian Bedol, founder & CEO, Bedrocket
Oren Katzeff, Head of Programming, Tastemade
J.R. McCabe, SVP, Video, Time Inc.
Stephanie Horbaczewski, CEO, Stylehaul
Matt Farber, Digital Media Executive/Entrepreneur, Moderator
2:15 PM – 3:30 PM: The Library, 3rd Floor
The Strategic Workshop – Media & Advertising in Transition
Cross Platform Content: Branding, Programming and Packaging Producing Quality Content
Lisa Filipelli, VP of Talent, Big Frame
Alyssa Vitrano, VP-Content Strategy, Federated Media
Evan Fleischer, Executive Vice President of Brand Partnerships and Business Development, Believe Entertainment Group
Moksha Fitzgibbons, CRO, Complex Media
Alan Ives, Vice President Sales And Business Development, North America, wywy
Chris Allegro, V.P. Business Development, Zazoom Media Group
Gina Garrubbo, CEO, Garrubbo & Company, Moderator
3:45 PM – 5:00 PM
Session A: Grand Ballroom (4th Floor) – Live Webcast
Broadcasting without Borders: Players in the New Guard of Broadcasting, Branding and Content Networks
Heidi E. Lehmann, Founder – SWSIMedia, “QueenBee” on OraTV
Janet Brown, CEO, FilmBuff
Malcolm CasSelle, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Digital Media, SeaChange
Jeffrey Thompson, Vice President, Head of Market Development, Parrot Analytics
Greg Diefenbach, Co-founder, XiveTV
Nathan Coyle, VP of Business Development, Refinery29
Natan Edelsburg, SVP, Sawhorse Media, Moderator
Session B: Prague Room A, 3rd Floor – Live Webcast
Viral Experiences & Social Media in Entertainment, Media and Advertising: Creativity & Monetization Challenges
Mitchell Reichgut, CEO, Jun Group
Lisa Hickey, CEO, Good Men Media
Izzy DeBellis, Group Chief Creative & Strategy Officer from Naked Communications
Susanne Bentley, VP, Strategy & Brand Partnerships, The Story Lab
Anslem Samuel Rocque, General Manager, MadameNoire
Elizabeth Kiehner, Senior Design Manager/Chief of Staff, IBMiX, Moderating
New Tracks at Digital Hollywood Spring
At the Ritz in Marina del Rey, April 27-30:
Virtual Reality – The Evening Summit – Click Here
Sports NEXT at Digital Hollywood: TV – Analytics, Games – Wearables – Fitness
The Health Summit – Media & Technology that Save Lives
MusicNEXT – IdeaFest – Los Angeles
Media Summit Sponsorship – Click Here
To see Last Year’s Agenda – Click Here
To see Last Year’s Attendee List –
Bohemian National Hall
The Czech Center & Consulate
73rd Street (Btw. 2nd and 1st Ave.)

The post Media Summit New York, March 4th – 5th, 2015. appeared first on Good News!.

Media Summit New York, March 4th – 5th, 2015

The International Conference on Media, Advertising, Television, Broadband, Social Media, Mobile, Cable, Satellite, Publishing, Magazines, News Media Motion Pictures, Radio and Marketing
This Year’s Theme
“The State of the Media Industry: Innovation, Investment & Growth – A Forum of Intense Strategic Discussion and Executive Networking”
Strategic Focus and Vision at Media Summit New York:
I. Native & Contextual Strategies: Developing Qualitative Advertising as Content and Commerce
II. Financial Strategies: Investing in Media, Technology and the Innovation Economy
III. The Internet-Hollywood-Network Connection – Ubiquitous Broadband – Ubiquitous Content
IV. The YouTube & Multichannel Network Phenomenon
PDF of Summit Program – Click Here
New Conference Location: Bohemian National Hall – The Czech Center & Consulate – 73rd Street (Btw. 2nd and 1st Ave.)
Go to: http://www.digitalhollywood.com/MediaSummit2015.html

The post Media Summit New York, March 4th – 5th, 2015 appeared first on Good News!.

Andy Marks, Managing Director, MATTER, Inc., the entertainment and sports marketing division of Edelman, the world’s largest independent PR firm. He joined Edelman when it acquired MATTER, a leading branded entertainment and content development consultancy Andy co-founded to develop marketing and media partnerships between leading brands, and entertainment companies and content creators. With MATTER operating within the Edelman fold, Andy has drawn upon his expertise to create entertainment marketing and content opportunities for Edelman’s industry-spanning client roster, and has built the division into a full service entertainment and sports marketing practice operating worldwide. He provides ongoing strategic business and entertainment counsel for clients including Brita, Amtrak, Hidden Valley Ranch, Pepsi, Dove, Johnson & Johnson, and the Empire State Building; and has advised clients including Butterball, Nissan, Knitting Factory Entertainment, History Channel, and BET, among others. He has worked with non-profit organizations such as the McCormick Foundation, the American Heart Association, Step-Up Women’s Network, Music Empowers Foundation, and The Creative Coalition on developing mutually beneficial corporate and entertainment partnerships. Andy has placed a number of clients in TV partnerships with programs including The Biggest Loser, Top Chef, Cake Boss, and Project Runway, and partnered brand clients with celebrities including Natalie Portman, Wynonna Judd, Tim Burton, Joe Pantoliano, Ricki Lake, Emme, Marisa Tomei, and Bob Harper. He has developed original branded content programs for clients Anvil Organics, AstraZeneca, Hidden Valley Ranch, and ArmorAll, among others, and launched Edelman Studios, a virtual studio pairing content creators with brands looking for new ways to reach consumers; clients Burger King, Butterball, Expedia and Philadelphia Cream Cheese sourced hundreds of concepts from a community of nearly 1,000 emerging and established storytellers. Before MATTER, Andy served as executive vice president of brand partnerships at Hypnotic, a multi-media production company backed by Universal Studios, where he specialized in bridging the Madison and Vine divide. While there, Andy launched several pioneering branded entertainment initiatives including Reebok’s Terry Tate, Office Linebacker, recently voted one of the top ten best Super Bowl ad campaigns of the last decade; the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival, as well as programs for Ford, Coca Cola, and Nintendo. Prior to Hypnotic, Andy was director of Advertising and Sponsorship Sales at the Hollywood Stock Exchange (HSX), a simulated online stock market where consumers can buy and sell fictional “shares” in movies and stars. He spent five years as a producer and professional actor with roles in TV, feature films and theatre. He began his career at the Chubb Group in property and casualty insurance underwriting and risk management. He holds a B.A. in geology and environmental studies from Colgate University and resides in New York City with wife Nanette and their two children.

Rob Donnell, Founder and President of Brand Arc: An award-winning veteran of the advertisingindustry, Rob Donnell is Founder and President of Brand Arc, a Los Angeles-based firm responsible for developing groundbreaking product integrations for major brands such as Toyota and Lexus across TV, film, video games, mobile and digital platforms. Brand Arc is a three-time winner of Madison & Vine’s “Five Best Integrations of the Year,” a 10-time winner of iTVX’s “Featured Placement of the Week” a highlight of the ANA’s “Best Practices in Branded Entertainment.” Most recently, the agency has been honored with a 2012 One Show Entertainment Gold Pencil in the Television Scripted Series category for its Toyota Prius integration on the HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Donnell’s deals for longtime client Toyota include three consecutive seasons of highly visible integration into ABC’s Emmy-winning comedy, “Modern Family,” nine consecutive seasons in Bravo’s hit competition show, “Top Chef,” and recent car giveaways to recession-wracked guests on the syndicated talk show “Ellen.” Donnell and his team created the first-ever co-promotion between a pharmaceutical marketer, Roche, and a feature film, Warner Bros.’ blockbuster “Happy Feet.” In other firsts, he helped integrate the Toyota Yaris into five separate sketches on Fox’s late-night comedy, “Mad TV,” created the first brand-financed “mobisodes” with Sprint for the action thriller, “Prison Break,” and initiated the first-ever brand-sponsored DVD prequel for Fox’s hit drama, “24.” Though Donnell launched Brand Arc in 2005 primarily to service Toyota, he has also worked with an impressive list of clients including Lexus, AT&T, Roche and GSW. Other Brand Arc services include strategic brand development, creative development, media planning, co-promotion and event marketing.

Peter Bray is currently Director of Digital at Saatchi & Saatchi NY. The largest agency within the global network is home to a diverse portfolio of global and US brands, including: Tide, Pampers, Cheerios, Head & Shoulders, Iams, Yoplait, Miller Lite as well as Chase Sapphire, Lenovo, Folgers, Capri Sun, Theraflu and Triaminic. Peter finds himself fortunate to have built a 17 year global career around the business of digital, ensuring it fits within not just integrated communications offerings, but is also used to transform business and unleash growth opportunities. In addition to agency life, he has also been a Director of CHOICE (the Australian Consumers’ Association) and was the National President of Australia’s peak digital industry body AIMIA (the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association). Currently, he is also an Executive Academy Member of the IADAS. In 2001, Peter founded the multi award winning agency Clear Blue Day, with offices in NYC, Melbourne and Sydney. Clear Blue Day was founded around expert digital strategy and branding, with clients including Subaru, Macquarie Bank and Diageo. In 2007 this was sold to ASX listed entity Q Limited. In mid 2009, he joined The Brand Shop initially as Director of Digital to ensure that the agency created a digital strategy offering. A little over 4 months later, Peter was given the additional role of leading the agency with a talented ECD to a successful 2010, reporting directly to the CEO of the WPP owned STW Group (ASX: STW), a group that owns over 70 different agencies including JWT and Ogilvy, and soon after had a role at STW Group “central” working across all agencies.

Harry Kargman is the Founder and CEO of Kargo, the leading mobilepublisher platform. Founded in 2003, Kargo delivers advertising and integrated rich media across its proprietary platform of major media mobile websites, apps and tablet experiences. Kargo has been recognized with numerous awards including a Mobi and an OMMA for its advertising campaigns as well as a Red Herring Top 100 winner in 2013, an AlwaysOn OnMobile Top 100 winner in 2013 and an AlwaysOn OnMedia Top 100 in 2013. Harry has been featured on Bloomberg TV, 20/20, The Today Show, the New York Times, and NPR and in business publications around the world. He has been a keynote speaker or panelist at CES, Mobile Marketing Association, Digital Hollywood, Mobile Media Summit and the AlwaysOn Conferences. CTIA, GSM, the CDMA World Congress, COMDEX, Columbia University and other events. Previous in his career, Harry worked at Intel in Corporate Business Development, Intel’s venture arm, and at the Boston Consulting Group. He also held positions at Intertainer, a broadband content provider and Zefer, an Internet strategic consulting firm, as one of its first employees. Harry lives in New York City and holds seven patents on wireless technology. He graduated with honors from Harvard College.

Frank Kavilanz is General Manager of Partnerships and Revenue for Bedrocket to develop and scale best practices across all Bedrocket video platforms. Prior to joining Bedrocket, Frank was Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at NowThisNews, a Bedrocket partner company. While at NowThis News, the digital news network for the mobile and social generation, he managed all growth and revenue efforts. Previously, Frank worked for the NBC Universal News Group where he served as Vice President of Strategy and Partnership for NBC News overseeing business development for NBCNews.com, Today.com and MSNBC.com. Earlier in his career, Frank worked at Disney ABC Television Group as Head of Business Development for ABC News Digital where he led initiatives for ABCNews.com, GoodMorningAmerica.com and GMA on Yahoo!.

Neil McGinness, CEO, Weekly World News: Led by Neil McGinness, Weekly World News, has inspired hit feature films, television shows, and musicals. Rooted in the creative success of over thirty years of supermarket tabloid publishing, the company recently joined forces with Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks Television to develop new entertainment properties. Bat Boy first debuted as a Weekly World News cover story on June 23, 1992, and the original front-page photo of Bat Boy was the second bestselling issue in the tabloid’s history; it has since evolved into a pop-culture icon. Bat Boy currently stars in his very own musical, Bat Boy: The Musical, which in 2010 will be performed over 200 times in over 20 different states and countries. The original off-Broadway production of the musical won wide acclaim and awards, including both the Lucille Lortel Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award.

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