Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

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

VCs, Private Equity and Corporate Investments: The Funding and Accelerating the Content and Technology Marketplace

Graham Brown, Partner, Lerer Hippeau

Gregory Bedrosian, Managing Partner & CEO, Drake Star Partners

Schuyler M. Moore, Partner, Greenberg Glusker

Paul Hanson, founder and Chief Executive Officer, Covert Media

Vinay Singh, Partner, Archer Gray (producers of indie movies - 20th Century Women, Mr. Holmes etc.

Mike Vorhaus, President, Magid Advisors, Moderator

Schuyler M. Moore is a partner in the corporate entertainment department of Greenberg Glusker, practicing entertainment, corporate, and tax law. Mr. Moore holds his undergraduate degree from UCLA (Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude) and his law degree also from UCLA (first in class).  Moore has been practicing in the entertainment industry since 1981, and he represents a broad spectrum of clients throughout the entertainment industry, including producers, sales agents, foreign distributors, and financiers.  He has handled some of the largest financing transactions in Hollywood, including Reliance’s investment in DreamWorks, the Ratpac-Dune slate financing for Warner Brothers, the Hemisphere slate financing for Sony and Paramount, and the

Hunan Group slate financing for Lions Gate.  He is the author of several books, including The Biz: The Basic Business, legal, and Financial Aspects of the Film Industry, a popular book in its 4th edition, Taxation of the Entertainment Industry, the leading treatise on that topic, and What They Don’t Teach You in Law School.  He was an adjunct professor at both the UCLA Law School and the UCLA Anderson School of Management, teaching Entertainment Law and Finance for many years, and he is a frequent speaker and writer on a wide variety of entertainment subjects. Mr. Moore has been named (a) one of the top 100 entertainment lawyers by the Hollywood Reporter, (b) one of the top 25 entertainment lawyers by Variety, (c) one of the top 100 lawyers in California by the Daily Journal and (d) one of top 3 "Most Influential Lawyers" in media by the National Law Journal.

Gregory Bedrosian is Managing Partner & CEO of Drake Star Partners. Gregory is an award-winning, seasoned investment banker and private equity investor whose experience spans both domestic and cross-border M&A and private equity transactions across the US, Europe and emerging markets.  Amongst his numerous honors, Gregory received the 2016 M&A Advisor Leadership Award and is an M&A Advisor Hall of Fame inductee. Prior to Drake Star Partners, Gregory was a co-founder of Renaissance Capital, a leading investment bank focused on the emerging markets of Russia, Eastern Europe and Africa and co-founder and General Partner of The Sputnik Funds, a $1 billion private equity investment firm. Gregory began his career in the merchant banking department of Credit Suisse First Boston in London and the leveraged buyout group of Salomon Brothers (now part of Citigroup) in New York. Gregory is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations and he is a regular speaker and panelist at leading industry and academic forums. He has served on numerous corporate and non-profit boards across the US and Europe. He is currently an Advisor at the Harvard Innovation Lab (i-Lab) and sits on the Business Advisory Council of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. He also chairs the Investment Committee of a $100 million New York-based foundation and sits on the Board of a $100 million emerging markets investment fund. He previously served on the Harvard Business School Alumni Board of Directors (Emeritus). Gregory holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

PAUL HANSON (Producer) is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Covert Media, an independent feature production, financing, and distribution company. He serves as producer on all of the company’s titles including the star-studded Ophelia which premiered worldwide at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, the newly announced The Secret starring Katie Holmes based on the best-selling book by Rhonda Byrne, Netflix’s Naked starring Marlon Wayans and Regina Hall, YA thriller Need, Resurface which is being produced alongside Broken Road Productions, and the political thriller Forty-Six.  Prior to joining Covert Media, Paul was Chief Operating Officer of Annapurna Pictures, where he managed all of the business activities of the company. Projects released during Paul’s tenure included American Hustle, Joy, Foxcatcher, Sausage Party and Spike Jonze’s Her. Before joining Annapurna Paul was Chief Operating Officer of QED International where he oversaw all aspects of the company’s business, including film financing, production, and distribution activities. Paul managed the company’s slate of notable projects including District 9,Fading Gigolo, and Oliver Stone’s W. Before venturing to Los Angeles, Paul was an investment banker at Broadview International, specializing in software and digital media mergers and acquisitions. Paul received a degree in Civil Engineering and Operations Research from Princeton University, and was inducted into the Sigma Xi honor society for excellence in scientific research.

Graham Brown, Partner, Lerer Hippeau: Graham Brown is a Partner at Lerer Hippeau, the most active seed and early-stage venture capital fund in New York City. Prior to joining Lerer Hippeau in 2015, he worked at SoftBank Capital, where he focused on early-stage investments in mobile and web companies, with a particular interest in marketplaces. He previously worked as an associate at Polaris Partners and helped lead digital strategy at preventive health company Life Line Screening. Graham studied philosophy at Colby College and later earned his MBA from Columbia Business School.

Vinay Singh is a Partner at Archer Gray, LLC, a media production, financing and venture investment company. Vinay leads all investment activity, working across the production and venture businesses, sourcing investment and financing opportunities and managing the company’s portfolio and financial strategy.  Prior to joining Archer Gray, Vinay headed the consulting division of Cinetic Media. While there, he managed an international portfolio of clients ranging from tech companies to film financiers, and was actively involved in project financing and sales.  Before Cinetic, Vinay was an executive at This is that Corporation, where he was responsible for financial analysis, company operations and packaging projects on the company’s slate, which included The American, Adventureland, and The Savages.  Vinay started his career at McKinsey & Company, in New York and Australia, where he served numerous organizations, from multi-national corporations to local non-profits, on issues ranging from growth strategies to Lean Operations.  Vinay also co-founded the independent production company Small Coup Films, and has produced narrative and documentary films that have premiered at Sundance, SXSW and Tribeca. Vinay graduated with a BS in Economics and Systems Engineering from The University Of Pennsylvania.

Mike Vorhaus, President, Magid Advisors: Founded the Magid Internet and New Media research and consultation practice in 1995, with AOL and Excite as his first two clients. Mike’s team has completed over 2,500 engagements with over 100 Internet clients. Mike began the Magid Gaming Practice in 2001 with EA and Sony Online as his first two clients. The Magid Game Practice now works with most of the major game publishers. Mike provides research and consulting services to a number of major traditional media companies in regard to their new media initiatives, as well as consulting a number of leading Internet and gaming companies. He has also provided advice to venture capital and private equity firms in regard to investments in the media space. 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 our companies, as well as the development of game concepts. Mike has 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.