Tuesday, October 16, 2018

3:45 PM - 5:00 PM

Track I: Haas Conference Center, Room 172 & 173, Live Webcast

Internet TV: The Disruption - OTT: Phones - Tablets - PC - TV

David B. Williams, SVP & GM, Channels, pocket.watch

Shane Keats, Director of Industry Marketing, Media and Entertainment, Akamai

Maia McCann, Editor-in-Chief and VP of Content, RockYou Media

Darren Cross, COO, Unreel Entertainment

Zak Shaikh, Senior Consultant, Magid

Hunter Sappington, Research Analyst, Parks Associates

Mark Kapczynski, President, Storymill, Moderator

Shane Keats is Akamai’s Director of Industry Marketing for Media and Entertainment. He focuses on how OTT is transforming the media landscape. He speaks and writes frequently about this upheaval. Prior to Akamai, he ran product and corporate marketing for DataXu, a programmatic advertising company that was named a leader in Forrester’s most recent WAVE report. Keats has also held senior sales and marketing positions at SiteAdvisor, a consumer security company that was acquired by McAfee, and Oddcast, a New York City-based company that built user generated media tools for companies such as Disney, MTV and Universal Music Group. Before working in software, Keats spent seven years as a television news producer for NBC Nightly News

with Tom Brokaw, and CNN Moneyline with Lou Dobbs. Keats has an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a BA from Rutgers University.

Maia McCann is the Editor-in-Chief & VP of Content at RockYou Media, spearheading the creative vision for editorial and video across RockYou Media properties. Previously, McCann served as LittleThings' Editor-in-Chief and EVP of Programming, where she led the 60-person creative and social teams from inception in 2014 through 2018. She was awarded the honor of Rising Star by Folio's “Top Women in Media” in 2017 for leading LittleThings' editorial, branded, and video production strategy. Prior to joining LittleThings, McCann worked for Distractify and as a New Media Artist sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts.

Zak Shaikh, Senior Consultant, Magid: Zak is a Senior Consultant at Magid. He has worked with networks and studios for over a decade translating content and audience analysis into tangible insights for producers and creative teams to take action on. This can range from programming strategy and pilot/series testing through to channel branding and content monetization pathways. He is part of the Emotional DNA team, helping to establish it as the leading content and research tool in the marketplace. He has experience working with both domestic and international clients. Zak is also an established screenwriter, having written for American TV and sold pilots to Warner Bros. and Fox. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America and BAFTA.

Hunter Sappington, Research Analyst, Parks Associates: Hunter Sappington currently studies trends and innovation in connected consumer electronics including devices such as game consoles, smart TVs, virtual and augmented reality headsets, drones, and robotics as well as a variety of smart home devices. Hunter earned his BA in New Media Journalism with a focus in advertising from Baylor University in Waco, TX.

David B. Williams, SVP & GM, Channels, pocket.watch: As GM/SVP of Channels, David is charged with winning fans and growing pocket.watch franchises on short-form platforms. With twenty-five years at the frontiers of digital media, he comes to the role lavishly prepared. As part of Maker Studios’ senior leadership, David led the esteemed talent team and engineered marquee content initiatives. Prior highlights include serving as Chief Content and Technology Strategist for Endemol Beyond USA, co-founding venture-backed Take180 with Chris, leading digital teams at Disney, and developing a patented technology that powered fan-driven initiatives for franchises such as Star Trek and Toy Story and earned the honor of Interactive Emmy Award finalist for The L Word. An early digital entrepreneur, in 1996 David founded a digital-first entertainment studio where he went on to develop the world’s first major animated web series and licensed it to Showtime Networks.

Darren Cross, COO, Unreel Entertainmet: Darren Cross is currently COO of Unreel Entertainment, a leading platform for networks and publishers launching OTT streaming services, where he oversees all day-to-day business and finance activities. Prior to Unreel, Darren was vice president of corporate strategy and business development at Maker Studios. Focusing on developing strategic partnerships for Maker, creating and developing new lines of business, and incremental distribution opportunities. Darren remained an executive with Disney throughout the completion of its acquisition of Maker and subsequent earnout. Before joining Maker, Darren oversaw corporate strategy and business development for Blip Networks. Focused on fundraising, strategic partnerships, Blip’s original productions, and the company’s technology assets and various distribution platforms. Prior to Blip, Darren was the head of business development for Fandango, the nation’s leading moviegoer destination and was instrumental in extending the brand to new platforms, most notably leading strategy and execution of Fandango’s mobile and connected device efforts. Prior to Fandango, Darren was vice president of content acquisition and business development at ClickStar, a joint venture between Intel and Morgan Freeman’s Revelations Entertainment created to deliver first-run theatrical and home entertainment product to consumers via the open Internet. Darren is a member of the State Bar of California with a JD from the University of California Hastings and an MBA from UCLA's Anderson School of Management.

Mark Kapczynski has a successful track record as a serial entrepreneur, chief executive, and cross-industry expert.  He serves as an Executive Director of the UCLA Venture Capital Fund, helping to foster innovation connected to the university.  Programs include early stage investing, mentoring, and access to Intellectual Property from university patents. Mr. Kapczynski advises startup businesses as part of the LA Chamber of Commerce’s Bixel Exchange.  In this role, Mr. Kapczynski assists technology startups in Southern California to design their businesses, build out their teams and raise capital to fuel their growth. He also serves as a Venture Partner for Arrowroot Capital in Santa Monica, CA. At Arrowroot, Mr. Kapczynski focuses on investments in the SaaS market in need of growth capital to further develop their businesses.  The areas that Mr. Kapczynski addresses are Big Data & Analytics, Financial Services, and Consumer Internet. Mr. Kapczynski last served as VP of Corporate Development and Strategy for Experian's consumer businesses which include leading consumer brands: Experian, FreeCreditReport.com, and ProtectMyID. Through executing on over 8 M&A transactions, Mr. Kapczynski helped to facilitate Experian’s under-lying growth and profitability. Mr. Kapczynski graduated from UCLA film school and continues to be active in multiple industry associations that span media, mobile telecom, technology, and consumer internet.  He has 12 patents to his name and an additional 40 patents pending.