Wednesday, May 23rd, 2018

10:45 AM – 11:45 AM

Track I: Ahmanson Hall, Live Webcast from this Room

Branded & Influencer Entertainment Marketing - Across Platforms - Leveraging Image, Content and Celebrity

Matt Lawler, Director of Digital Media for the Global Partnerships, AEG

Jennifer Palais, CEO and Founder, Palais Consulting

Melissa Anderson, President and co-founder, Public Good, The AI for Good Platform

Cameron Partridge, Head of Digital Partnerships, Branded Entertainment Network (BEN), a Bill Gates Company

Paul Spriggs, President of Americas, System1 Agency

Moderator, Andrew Solmssen, Managing Director, POSSIBLE, Los Angeles

Matt Lawler is the director of digital media for the Global Partnerships division of AEG, the largest sports and entertainment group in the world. Acting as an internal agency for AEG, Global Partnerships oversees worldwide sponsorship sales and activation for over 135 world-class platforms across five continents and numerous other assets, including venues, sports franchises, events, tours, festivals and digital content among other AEG holdings. In 2017, AEG Global Partnerships managed $2 billion in contractually obligated income across its global assets and was responsible for generating $525 million in annual revenue. Within AEG Global Partnerships, the company’s most profitable

division, Lawler is responsible for the execution of strategic digital media initiatives, including the development and management of digital and social marketing campaigns, engaged communities and engaging partner and fan-generated content. As part of these efforts, Lawler concentrates on monetizing digital capabilities and integrating them into the larger Global Partnerships business strategy. He also works alongside the strategy and analytics teams to ensure that sales and activation teams across AEG Facilities, Presents, and Sports are using the company’s digital facets to drive and enhance value for all partners. Prior to joining AEG Global Partnerships, Lawler served as vice president and group director of social for media agency Canvas Worldwide. While there, he was responsible for developing connected technology solutions for clients across a range of industries, including retail, entertainment, non-profit, and automotive. Lawler also managed a social media-spend budget of $35 million and spearheaded business development efforts that lead to a 20 percent increase in the agency’s annual media-spend budget. Previously, Lawler served as social media account director at Initiative, a global communications agency, where he led a team in the execution of social media strategy across clients’ paid, owned and earned media channels. Lawler worked with clients such as Kia and Hyundai, and oversaw social production elements for major international events, including MTV’s Video Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Vidcon, Super Bowl, NBA Finals and more. Throughout his career, Lawler has been a part of teams that were recognized for their creative achievements. While at Initiative, he was a critical part of the implementation and distribution strategy for the Kia Nirobot, the first chat bot developed for an automotive brand in the U.S. The service went on to win a Shorty Award with Gold distinction in 2017.He also was an instrumental part of the Initiative team that developed Kia’s “Best Day of Your Life” Tumblr post, which was recognized by AdWeek as one of the top 25 sponsored brand posts on Tumblr in 2015. Lawler attended the University of Pennsylvania where he was a member of the Penn Quakers basketball team and achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, political science, and economics. He also holds an MBA from the University of Southern California. Lawler currently lives in Pasadena with his wife and daughter.

Jennifer Palais, CEO and Founder, Palais Consulting: Jennifer Palais started her eponymous hybrid consultancy this year in order to offer brands a one stop shop for branding, strategy, creative, production and media. Her company is currently launching onetoughbitch, an empowerment brand for women survivors of crisis and she is an advisor for the startup Canvas Art App. Previously she has worked on global and national brands such as Apple, Intel, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, The GRAMMYS and The Recording Academy working on large scale transmedia experiences and music partnerships. Most notably, she was the creative and strategic force behind the social content for the Intel-powered Lady Gaga David Bowie Tribute at the 2016 GRAMMYs, the biggest global social media day of the year, winning brand share of voice, 5 Cannes Lions and 6 Clios. She also worked at Media Arts Lab, Agency of Record for Apple, on the 30 Years of Mac celebration website and film experience that launched in 2014 winning two One Show awards, earned over 4000 organic mentions per hour for 7 days and 3500 different articles in the media.

Melissa Anderson, President and co-founder Public Good: Melissa is the  President and Co-founder of Public Good Software. the platform for civic action which connects people to actions they can take to create change in the moment that they are inspired. Under Melissa’s leadership, Public Good has become the nation's leader in making news actionable. Past accolades include being named as a Civic Leader by the Air Force Chief of Staff and a “Wonder Woman of Chicago” by IdeaForge. She is an experienced, dynamic speaker as seen at the Online News Association Conference, The White House MSOY annual awards, The Pentagon Channel, and The Working Mother 100 Best Companies Annual Conference and Gala. Melissa is also a mentor for TechStars in Chicago and serves as the President of the Auxiliary Board at the Chicago Children's Museum.

Paul Spriggs is President, Americas of System1 Agency, a creative advertising agency rooted in behavioural science that helps brands translate emotion into guaranteed, profitable growth. Paul has a track record in collaborating with passionate people at the intersection of creativity & business. He previously served as COO of London based agency, 18 Feet & Rising Advertising, and before that, he served as the Asia-Pacific Regional Director at JWT, where he led a team across Asia, Australia & South Africa.

Cameron Partridge serves as the Head of Global Partnerships at Branded Entertainment Network (BEN) where he oversees the development of new brand and influencer relationships. With nearly ten years of digital media and marketing experience, Cameron has helped companies strategically grow, engage, and maintain their audiences across a variety of platforms, including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and CRM databases. He has worked with multiple global brands such as Ubisoft, Live.me, Dyson, Visit Las Vegas, Cost Plus, GM and Dolby.

Andrew Solmssen, Managing Director, POSSIBLE, LOS ANGELES:  As Managing Director for POSSIBLE (WPP), Andrew runs the Los Angeles office and serves as part of the executive management team that directs1500 staff across 26 offices in 14 countries. Prior to POSSIBLE, Andrew co-founded Schematic where his clients included Target, Comcast, ABC, Viacom, and Microsoft. He grew the company from 3 people to one of the world's top digital agencies and its sale to WPP in 2007. Before Schematic, he served as Executive Producer at KPE (a division of Grey Advertising) in New York and Los Angeles. At KPE, Andrew spearheaded major initiatives for Variety, Turner, Nielsen, and AOL. Andrew has been a leader in digital since the mid-1990's. His work has received a 3 Gold Cannes Lions, 3 Emmys, OMMA, BDA, W3, Ad:Tech, and many other awards, and he is a regular columnist in trade publications. Recent speaking engagements include International CES, Ad:Tech, Digital Hollywood, OMMA, and NATPE. He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.