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Deals and Dealmaking: Capitalizing on the Media Revolution
2015 Speakers
| Tim Armstrong | Donna Gigliotti | Rick Mandler | Rich Ross |
| Jim Bankoff | Irwin Gotlieb | Joe Marchese | Michael Roth |
| Lionel Barber | Cory Haik | Brent Montgomery | Tom Rothman |
| Peter Benedek | Steve Hasker | James Murdoch | Emmett Shear |
| Frank A. Bennack, Jr. | Jon Heller | Jennifer Nason | Steve Swartz |
| Andy Bird | Mike Hopkins | Joe Ripp | Marni Walden |
| Jonathan Bokor | Reza Izad | Andrew Robertson | John Waller |
| Bob Bowman | David Levy | Dan Rose | |
| Melissa Brenner | Mark Lieberman | Jane Rosenthal | |
| Claudio Chiaromonte | Simon Lowden | ||
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2015 Moderators
| Marc Brodherson | |||
| Frank Cooper III | |||
| Richard Greenfield | |||
| Chris Pantoya | |||
| Nancy Peretsman | |||
| Mark Robichaux | |||
| Stephanie Ruhle | |||
| Cristiana Falcone | |||
| Lawrence Shire | |||
| Hannah Storm | |||
| David Zaslav | |||
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Donna Gigliotti
President, Levantine Films
Donna Gigliotti is one of only eight women to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. She received the 1998 Oscar® for producing SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE. Among its thirteen nominations, seven Oscars® were awarded the film, including Best Actress (Gwyneth Paltrow), Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench) and Best Original Screenplay (Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman). Gigliotti also received the 1999 Golden Globe® for Best Picture/Comedy and the 2000 British Academy Award (BAFTA) on behalf of the film. In 2009, Gigliotti was nominated again for Best Picture for producing THE READER, directed by Stephen Daldry. The film was nominated for a total of five Academy Awards®, including Best Actress, which star, Kate Winslet, ultimately won. THE READER was also nominated for the 2008 Golden Globe® for Best Picture/Drama, the 2008 British Academy Award (BAFTA) for Best Picture and the 2009 European Film Award. Gigliotti’s third Best Picture/Academy Award nomination was granted in 2013 for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK directed by David O. Russell. The film received seven nominations and achieved a rare feat in Academy Award history. All four actors (Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, Jackie Weaver) were nominated in their lead or supporting categories; Jennifer Lawrence ultimately won the Best Actress Academy Award. The film was also nominated for five Independent Spirit Awards and won in four categories including Best Picture. Additionally, four Golden Globe nominations were awarded to SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. Gigliotti won the 2013 Best International Picture Award from the Australian Academy of Film.
Gigliotti currently serves as President of Levantine Films, a film production and financing company based in New York. Recent productions include Cary Fukunaga’s BEASTS OF NO NATION starring Idris Elba and Rob Burnett’s REVISED FUNDAMENTALS starring Paul Rudd. Formerly, Gigliotti served as President of Production at The Weinstein Company beginning in 2010 where, in addition to executive duties, she also produced I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT, starring Sarah Jessica Parker. She was instrumental in the productions of MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, starring Michelle Williams, OUR IDIOT BROTHER, starring Paul Rudd, W.E., starring Andrea Riseborough and the animated film, ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH.
Previously, Gigliotti served as President of Production at USA Films, a division of Barry Diller’s USA Entertainment Group. During her tenure, the company produced Steven Soderbergh’s TRAFFIC (winning Best Director, Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay Oscars in 2001), Robert Altman’s GOSFORD PARK (winning the Best Original Screenplay Oscar in 2002), Neil LaBute’s POSESSION starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joel and Ethan Coen’s THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE. Gigliotti was also responsible for the acquisition of Mira Nair’s MONSOON WEDDING and Wong Kar-wai’s IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE. Gigliotti was executive vice president at Miramax Films from 1993 to 1996, where she oversaw and executive produced several films including Doug McGrath’s EMMA, starring Gwyneth Paltrow; Michael Hoffman’s RESTORATION, starring Robert Downey Jr.; and Franco Zefferelli’s JANE EYRE, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg. Additional producing credits include LET ME IN, directed by Matt Reeves and starring Kodi Smitt-McPhee and Richard Jenkins, which was nominated for Best Film at the 2010 Gotham Awards; TWO LOVERS, directed by James Gray and starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joaquin Phoenix, which competed in the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and was named one of the Top 10 Independent Films of 2009 by the National Board of Review; SHANGHAI, directed by Mikael Halfstrom and starring John Cusack and Gong Li; THE GOOD NIGHT, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Penelope Cruz; and VANITY FAIR, directed by Mira Nair, starring Reese Witherspoon.
Gigliotti began her career in the motion picture industry as an assistant to Martin Scorsese on RAGING BULL. Following her work on RAGING BULL, Gigliotti moved to United Artists, where she was the director of acquisitions for specialty division UA Classics. There, with partners Tom Bernard and Michael Barker, she acquired Jean-Jacques Beineix’s DIVA, François Truffaut’s THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR and Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s VERONIKA VOSS. Next, Gigliotti moved (with Bernard and Barker)to form Orion Classics for Arthur Krim, former chairman of United Artists and then chairman of Orion Pictures Corporation. Orion Classics proved to be the preeminent distributor of specialized films during the 1980s. Gigliotti was responsible for the acquisition of such films as Louis Malle’s AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS, Pedro Almodovar’s WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, Steven Frears’s MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE, Akira Kurosawa’s RAN, Claude Berri’s JEAN DE FLORETTE and Gabriel Axel’s Oscar-winning BABETTE’S FEAST. In 1985, Gigliotti became the youngest woman knighted to the rank of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, the European Film Academy and the Producer's Guild of America. Gigliotti is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College.
Irwin Gotlieb
Chairman, GroupM
In 2012, Irwin Gotlieb was named Chairman of GroupM. Irwin joined WPP in September 1999 as Chairman and CEO of Mindshare Worldwide and moved into his previous role as CEO of GroupM in April 2003. Prior to WPP he was President and CEO of MediaVest Worldwide, a company that he founded in December 1993. The founding of MediaVest represented the fulfillment of a 22 year journey with the company which started with his joining Benton & Bowles in 1977 as Associate Director of Broadcast Programming.
Irwin is a three time Adweek/Mediaweek All Star, including a President's Award in 1997. He is also a double Advertising Age Media Maven honoree and in February 2000 was named as the Media Player of the Year by Advertising Age - the only occasion that this award has been given. In October 2006, he became the first advertising / media agency executive to be inducted into the Broadcast & Cable Hall of Fame. In January 2010, he received the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award, and most recently has been named to the Inaugural Adweek’s Power List.
Cory Haik
Executive Director for Emerging News Products, The Washington Post
With a journalism career solely in digital, Cory has a passion for the creative development of cutting-edge storytelling. She has been at the Post for the last four years, leading innovative initiatives -- such as the new Kindle Fire app -- and pushing the envelope on mobile and places to grow new audiences.
Cory cut her teeth following the storms of the Gulf Coast at NOLA.com[nola.com], site of the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, where she was the Managing Editor. She shared in two Pulitzer Prizes with The Times-Picayune for the staff coverage of Hurricane Katrina, for breaking news and public service in 2006. She also shared in a staff Pulitzer in 2010 for the coverage of police officer shootings with the staff of The Seattle Times.
Cory holds a Masters of Arts in Communication Theory from the University of New Orleans and lives outside of Washington, DC with her husband and two children.
Steve Hasker
Global President, Nielsen
Steve Hasker is Global President of Nielsen. Appointed to this expanded role in 2014, he oversees Nielsen’s media business as well as our entire global product portfolio across the media and consumer sectors. Previously, he served as President, Global Products.
Steve joined Nielsen in 2009 from McKinsey & Company, where he was a partner in McKinsey’s Global Media, Entertainment and Information practice. In this role, Steve was responsible for serving clients on issues of strategy, growth and innovation in television, syndicated information, filmed entertainment, sports, and digital advertising. He joined McKinsey in 1998 and spent three years on the Partner Election Committee at the firm. Prior to McKinsey, Steve spent five years in several financial roles in the U.S., Russia, and Australia.
Steve lectures regularly at Columbia University and NYU. His research into the influence of social networks on consumer behavior in media has been published in the Harvard Business Review. His writings on digital business models and marketing have been featured in the McKinsey Quarterly. Steve is a board member of the International Radio and Television Society and the Center for Communications, and a member of the Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Steve holds an undergraduate economics degree from the University of Melbourne and has an MBA and a Master's in International Affairs, both with honors, from Columbia University.
Jon Heller
Co-CEO, FreeWheel
Jon Heller is the co-CEO of FreeWheel and brings nearly two decades of experience and leadership in the information technology industry to expand the company’s global operations.
Prior to co-founding FreeWheel in 2007, Jon was responsible for Yahoo!’s ad network businesses, designing the company’s core display advertising platform. Before joining Yahoo!, Jon served as COO and CFO of Visible World, a television ad serving technology company based in New York. Jon first entered the digital media world as an advertising product manager for DoubleClick in 1997 and grew to become the Chief Operating Officer and P&L manager for the DoubleClick Network. Jon successfully managed public company P&L responsibilities for $300 million in revenue and a 600-person media business operating in 26 countries.
Jon holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BSE from the Wharton School.
Mike Hopkins
CEO, Hulu
Mike Hopkins is Chief Executive Officer of Hulu. Mike is a media veteran who brings more than 20 years of video experience to Hulu and has an accomplished track record of both building innovative television products and negotiating landmark distribution agreements. While President of Distribution for Fox Networks, he oversaw Fox Networks broadcast distribution, and the strategy, sales and marketing for Fox's 45 linear and non-linear U.S. cable networks. His team also developed many of the television industry's leading authenticated and digital video products, including BTN2Go, FXNOW, FOX Sports Go, and FOX NOW. Hopkins served as a member of the Hulu board for over two years prior to being named CEO. He has also served on the boards of the National Geographic Channel and the Big Ten Network. Hopkins previously spent time at both The Weather Channel and Harte Hanks. Hopkins graduated with an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and a Bachelor's from California State University, Long Beach.
Reza Izad
Cofounder and CEO, Collective Digital Studio
Reza Izad is a co-founder and CEO of Collective Digital Studio (CDS), a multi-platform digital entertainment company which produces and distributes original entertainment programming. The CDS network includes 1,000 channels delivering more than 1.5 billion views per month. Previously leading The Collective’s Music Management, he transitioned to digital as the opportunity arose for talent and brands to engage directly with dynamic entertainers in reaching audiences with scale in today’s shifting landscape.
Prior to CDS, Reza was an agent at United Talent Agency, where he launched the firm’s music and branded entertainment divisions. He signed Eminem, and later worked with producer T-Bone Burnett on the multi-Platinum, triple-Grammy soundtrack to the Coen Brothers’ film O Brother, Where Art Thou? He then packaged and managed the Down From The Mountain Summer Tour, featuring artists from the movie. At UTA, he worked with clients Justin Timberlake and Prince on projects in film, television, merchandising, and home video. He also founded the agency’s New Ventures/Entertainment Marketing division, which helped create award-winning brand integration campaigns for Fortune 500 companies such as Ammirati Puris Lintas, Kenneth Cole, Bausch & Lomb, and Loews Theatres. He went on to co-found BOX Entertainment. He produced and packaged shows in Las Vegas, including Gloria Estefan — Live At Caesars Palace and Gordie Brown At The Venetian.
He began his career interning for Roger Corman while still at USC, where he studied History.
David Levy
President, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
David Levy is president of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), overseeing the company's leading portfolio of domestic entertainment, kids and young adult networks and businesses, including TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, truTV and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Additionally, he leads advertising sales strategy and operations, affiliate sales, programming acquisitions, marketing promotion, interactive television and technology business development for the domestic Turner businesses, as well as CNN and HLN's ad sales and affiliate sales and Turner Sports' programming acquisitions, production, marketing, league relations and sports ad sales. Mr. Levy is based in New York.
Mr. Levy assumed executive leadership of Turner's domestic portfolio in August 2013. During this time, the Turner networks have maintained top competitive rankings, including #1 spots in key metrics for TNT, TBS, Adult Swim and Cartoon Network, as well as a leading digital portfolio of brands including Bleacher Report, one of the Top 5 most popular and fastest-growing digital properties in the U.S.
On the sports front, Mr. Levy recently led Turner's efforts in expanding its media rights partnership with the NBA. The deal continues TNT's successful and popular Thursday night NBA franchise and cements the network's foundation for televising more NBA playoff games than any other network. The deal also provides TNT with an additional 12 showcase games, extends the network's exclusive coverage of the league's signature All-Star Weekend events and provides enhanced rights for Bleacher Report and activation opportunities.
Also under his guidance, Turner has become an industry leader in creating affiliate value by leveraging the company's portfolio of networks. Mr. Levy and Turner Network Sales, the company's affiliate sales division, continue to drive the company's industry leading efforts for TV Everywhere (TVE), now available in more than 80 million households. In addition, Turner Broadcasting recently purchased a majority stake in streaming video pioneer iStreamPlanet, a move that will expand Turner's capabilities to offer live events and cultivate future business opportunities on digital platforms.
Prior to being named to his current position, Mr. Levy served as president of sales, distribution and sports for TBS, Inc. Under his leadership, the Turner ad sales division has consistently been recognized as the leading television and digital sales organization. Clients continually acknowledge the division for its creativity in developing innovative and integrated sponsorship ideas across Turner's vast portfolio of television, digital and mobile platforms that further drive value and exposure for advertising partners.
Since assuming executive leadership for Turner Sports in 2003, Mr. Levy has been instrumental in deepening and expanding Turner's media rights and defining the division by its association with premium sports content, brands and events, including the NBA, the NCAA for the Division I Men's Basketball Championship, Major League Baseball and the PGA.
Through his career he has negotiated a number of wide-ranging agreements, each representing a significant change that extended well beyond traditional television rights. Under his direction in 2012, Turner Broadcasting reached a new, long-term, multimedia rights agreement with Major League Baseball, the most expansive in the company's history with the league. He also led Turner's efforts in the acquisition of Bleacher Report, a leading online multi-sport destination. In 2010, Mr. Levy was instrumental in orchestrating a landmark deal, partnering with CBS for the television, Internet, wireless, marketing and corporate sponsorship rights to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship through 2024. In 2014, TBS exclusively televised the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four, marking the first time in the event's history the National Semifinal games were televised by a cable network.
Mr. Levy, who has received numerous awards for his professional achievements during his career at Turner, was elected to the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2012.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; kids and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
Mark Lieberman
President and CEO, Viamedia
Mark Lieberman joined Viamedia, the country’s largest independent TV advertising management solutions company, as president and chief executive officer in January 2014 after an extensive career in the media and technology industry. During his tenure he has expanded Viamedia’s sales and business intelligence measurement tools, and has overseen the growth of Viamedia’s programmatic-television subsidiary, which runs campaigns for numerous advertisers delivering billions of impressions and has added several major cable-networks and cable/telco providers as clients. Mark is among the most experienced executives with a deep history in ad technology and advertising. His insights into the trends of the video ad business have led to frequent appearances on business television shows and regular invitations to speak at trade shows, conferences and industry events. He lives in Westchester County, NY and Montauk, New York with his wife and children, where he still finds time to play competitive street basketball.
Simon Lowden
President, Global Snacks Group and Global Insights, PepsiCo
Simon Lowden has a built a global reputation for leading transformative brands and innovation, fostering best-in-class marketing capabilities and shepherding collaborative functional teams, culled from more than two decades of experience across multiple businesses and roles in multinational companies such as PepsiCo and Unilever. Now, as President, PepsiCo Global Snacks Group and Global Insights, Lowden, is applying his vision and talent to drive growth across the global snacks category which includes three of PepsiCo’s billion dollar brands – Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos - as well leading global insights as it transforms PepsiCo’s enterprise global marketing and commercial strategies using demand-driven foresights and predictive analytics to inform the company’s approach.
Before joining the Global Snacks Group, Lowden was Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo North America Beverages, where for the past four years, he has overseen the transformation of PepsiCo’s North American beverage portfolio through a renewed consumer marketing effort and a step change in product innovation.
Prior to this role, Lowden had been Chief Marketing Officer of Pepsi International for five years, where he was responsible for the development of PepsiCo’s Food and Beverage portfolio across more than 100 developing and developed markets around the world. Previously he was VP of Marketing, CSDs for PepsiCo International, responsible for developing and executing the beverage marketing programs around the world.
Lowden joined PepsiCo from Unilever in 1996 as the Marketing Director in the United Kingdom before moving into a pan European assignment. He began his career at Unilever where he honed his trade on brands such as Lynx and Axe. Lowden holds a BSC in Geography and Geomorphology from Kings College, London. A huge sports enthusiast, Lowden was an avid rugby player and now spends his time competing in triathlons, including the internationally renowned Ironman.
Lowden is a board member of both the Pepsi Lipton Partnership and North American Coffee Partnership joint ventures with Unilever and Starbucks respectively. Lowden and his wife Rebecca live in Darien, Connecticut with their two children, Ben (studying at University of Michigan) and Caitlin (studying at University of Miami).