Predicting Trends 2017: A Pre-CES, Pre-New Year's Look at What to Expect Next Year

The intersection of media, entertainment, marketing and technology has become the world’s most frenetic junction with more than $800 billion changing hands each year. All are vying for the most elusive commodity on the planet: people’s attention. Navigating this constantly morphing landscape requires agility and an ability to forecast what’s next.  

The Paley Center for Media has invited some of the leaders who govern the space to decipher the next 12 months of media, entertainment, marketing and technology, forecasting the most transformative advancements and disruptive trends.  Join us on Thursday, December 8 as MediaLink’s CEO Michael Kassan hosts an eye-opening panel to reveal the pivotal changes that will define 2017.

Arpita Chowdhuri
Vice President, HPE

Arpita Chowdhuri is Vice President at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) leading digital transformation for customer experience and marketing. Specifically, she leads global organizations across web marketing (www.hpe.com), social marketing, digital strategy, mobile, search, media and ad technology & platforms.
 
She  has over 20 years of experience in business transformation across B2B and B2C categories, including management of mid to large sized organizations across various discipline areas. Prior role at Hewlett Packard (pre-separation)  focused primarily on value creation by re-organizing various disciplines areas into centers of excellence, defining strategy, scaling best practices and leading company separation activities in marketing. Other recent experience includes leadership roles at Omnicom (for PepsiCo) and WPP (for SAP AG). Category experience across package goods, technology, retail and financial sectors.
Arpita currently sits on the Digital Advisory Board for Unilever.
 
She lives in New York with her daughter, and is an enthusiastic traveler for both leisure and business.

Michael Kassan
Chairman and CEO, MediaLink

Michael E. Kassan is an internationally recognized business strategist operating at the intersection of the media, advertising, entertainment and technology industries. He is the founder of MediaLink, a leading advisory and business development firm with principal offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. The team of 140+ provide critical counsel in the areas of strategic marketing and brand development, implementation roadmaps, technology solutions for media, media sales and revenue generation, business development, organizational planning and competitive analysis to many of the Fortune 100’s biggest global brands.

Previously, Kassan was the President/COO and Vice-Chairman of Initiative Media Worldwide, where he helped grow media billings from $1.5 billion to over $10 billion. Prior to Initiative, he was President and COO of International Video Entertainment (Artisan Entertainment). In 1997, he was named one of the top media executives in America by Advertising Age Magazine.

Kassan is often called upon as a speaker, moderator and commentator to share his insights on the media and advertising industries and the places in which tangible opportunities exist for marketers. He is a regular keynote speaker at the world’s major media conferences, including Consumer Electronics Show, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Mobile World Congress, Advertising Week, Media360, among others.

Kassan has served on the Board of the Hollywood Radio and Television Society, The Paley Center for Media, Ad Council, She Runs It (formerly AWNY), American Advertising Federation, National Board of The Whitney Museum of American Art, iDiverse, the Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy and the Cultural Affairs Commission – City of Los Angeles and has been Chairman of the State Senate Select Committee on the Entertainment Industry. In addition, he is a strong supporter of community and not-for-profit programs, and currently serves as Chair of the UJA-New York Marketing Communications Committee.

Jim Lanzone
Chief Digital Officer, CBS Corporation

Jim Lanzone is the Chief Digital Officer of CBS Corporation and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Interactive.

As Chief Digital Officer, Lanzone oversees all digital matters at CBS Corporation and ensures that the company has a unified and innovative digital media strategy across its many divisions. This includes the cultivation and growth of new and existing digital streaming services, helping to shape where and how CBS’s industry-leading content is consumed and distributed and exploring the potential of new platforms in the development of the next generation of premium content.

Lanzone is also the Chief Executive Officer of CBS Interactive.  Since joining CBS Interactive in 2011, Lanzone has continually led the division to record financial and audience growth while playing an integral role in CBS’s overall multi-platform digital strategy. Under Lanzone’s leadership, CBS Interactive’s audience has more than doubled, making it a perennial top 10 Internet property and the largest digital premium-content group in the world.  Lanzone has modernized content creation, distribution and monetization efforts across CBS Interactive’s 25 + brands that span popular categories like technology, entertainment, sports, news and gaming and consistently launched industry-leading products such as the CBS All Access subscription service and the 24/7 digital news network CBSN. CBS Interactive brands include CBS.com, CBSSports.com, CBSNews.com, CNET, GameSpot and TVGuide.com.

Lanzone joined CBS Interactive from Clicker Media Inc., where he was co-founder and Chief Executive Officer; which was acquired by CBS in 2011. Prior to Clicker, Lanzone was the CEO of Ask.com (formerly Ask Jeeves), a top 10 global web property and leading search engine acquired by IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI) in 2005. Lanzone holds a B.A. from UCLA and a J.D./M.B.A. from Emory University.

Colin Petrie-Norris
CEO, Xumo

As CEO of XUMO, a streaming television company, Colin believes that getting content to television needs to be democratized. Colin has successfully pioneered partnerships with the world’s largest television manufacturers to revolutionize the way consumers watch TV. With traditional cable TV viewership declining, he recognized the need to change things up. As a result, he spearheaded an initiative that combined broadcast (RF) channels with over-the-top (OTT) content creating a viewing experience that put content and the viewer first. An intelligent and intuitive platform that seamlessly integrates with smart TVs, smartphones and set top boxes, XUMO currently boasts over 70 free channels from today’s most popular digital networks and publishers. To learn more about XUMO and Colin’s plans for the company, visit www.xumo.com.

Henry Tajer
Global CEO, IPG Mediabrands

Henry is the Global Chief Executive Officer of IPG Mediabrands, a media network that manages $37 billion in global media on the behalf of its clients including Amazon, Coca-Cola, FCA Group and Johnson & Johnson. The network employs more than 8,500 diverse and dynamic marketing communications specialists worldwide and operates in more than 130 countries.
 
As CEO, he leads the group’s three global brand networks – UM, Initiative, and BPN – together with IPG Mediabrands specialty services across search, mobile, social, display, analytics and trading. His primary professional interests are the development of the people and skill sets within the IPG Mediabrands global businesses and leveraging those skills to create effective business solutions for clients that deliver real business returns.
 
Prior to this role, Henry served as both the Global Chief Operating Officer, IPG Mediabrands and Executive Chairman of the networks’ Australian operation.
 
Henry sits on a number of industry and external boards for organizations that focus on charity and youth engagement.  In 2016 Henry was named to AdWeek’s Power 100 List and was inducted into the Media Federation of Australia Hall of Fame.