Annual Diversity Council Meeting (By Invitation Only)

A yearend review of PromaxBDA’s programs and strategic objectives for the next 12 months. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers.

Speaker:
Steve Kazanjian, President and CEO, PromaxBDA

Thrive 2016-17 Kickoff (By Invitation Only)

New Thrive cohort consisting of 16 individuals will be meeting for the first time.  The foundation for their year long immersive leadership experience will be set.

Speaker:
Esther Weinberg, Founder, MindLight Group

Presented by:

CATALYST: Creative Entrepreneurs

RSVP required - Open to agency principals only
1:30 p.m. check-in

Running a business is a journey. It requires leadership to develop from reacting, to anticipating, to influencing the future of their business. And often the creative entrepreneur is not equipped for this growth.

This engaging workshop is designed specifically for agency principals to address the unique challenges that agencies face in our industry. By asking the right questions and sharing insights, consultants Tim Thompson and Joel Pilger at RevThink will guide the conversation, interview carefully curated experts and help you discover a path to actualize the future of your business.

In addition to the kick-off workshop, CATALYST is a gathering space at PromaxBDA: The Conference, where agency leaders will continue the conversation, exchange ideas, and learn from fellow entrepreneurs facing the same pressures, challenges, and opportunities. Each day a "coffee hour" will capture the best insights of the Conference from the agency perspective.

CATALYST is a new program for agency leaders who are asking:

• Am I offering the right solutions to help my company grow?
• What best practices already exist, so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel?
• This industry has changed so much, how can I embrace the future?
• How can I avoid the failure of others?
• Will my company be worth anything when I’m ready to sell?

Speakers:
Steve Kazanjian, President and CEO, PromaxBDA
Tricia Melton, President, Melton Marketing
Joel Pilger, Consultant, RevThink
Gareb Shamus, Media Investor, Pivot Media
Tim Thompson, Chief Revolution Thinker, RevThink

In partnership with:

Executive Mentorship Program 2016-17 Kickoff (By Invitation Only)

1:30 p.m. check-in

Mentors and mentees will meet for the first time
First hour will be dedicated to only the mentors

Speakers:
Kareem Taylor, Business Growth Strategist, Substance Global
Esther Weinberg, Founder, MindLight Group

Presented by:

Client-Agency Speed Dating (By Invitation Only)

PromaxBDA’s signature Speed Dating event is a unique opportunity for agencies to meet with clients one-on-one in a series of rapid-fire, eight-minute pitches.

After the event, feedback is given via a rating system, expressing levels of interest in working with the agency—and PromaxBDA will connect any matches.

The Executive Member Party (By Invitation Only)

An iconic location. An unforgettable event. Celebrate 60 years of PromaxBDA high atop Rockefeller Center at the legendary Rainbow Room. Raise a glass to the start of The Conference at the venue that for decades has been synonymous with New York City glamor.

Dress code: Cocktail attire. Jackets required for men. 

Hosted by:

Registration Desk Open

Sponsored by:

Recharge Lounge Open

Charge your devices, check in with the office, and enjoy a quiet moment away from the conference sessions.

Sponsored by:

Bar 60

Relax, sip your coffee, and catch up with friends just steps from the conference floor.

Sponsored by:

State of Our Art Pavilion

This June, at PromaxBDA’s annual conference, we’re unveiling the first-ever ‘State of Our Art Pavilion,’ an immersive, hands-on look at the technologies that are driving today’s media innovation and tomorrow’s evolution.

Presented by:

TEN Exhibit Open

Curated by:

Leadership Institute 2016 (By Invitation Only)

10:30 a.m. check-in

Presented by:

The PromaxBDA Leadership Institute is an invitation-only annual workshop for media leaders and executives to tackle the big challenges and issues facing those at the top of our evolving industry.

Held each year on the opening day of PromaxBDA: The Conference, the Leadership Institute provides the inspiration, tools and strategies they seek to grow as leaders and help their organizations succeed.

Welcome Remarks:
Steve Kazanjian, President and CEO, PromaxBDA
Robert DeFrank, VP, Human Resources, A+E Networks

The Fail Fast Approach to Success

People who are joyous and successful spend less time planning and more time acting. They go out into the world and have fun exploring, creating and making mistakes, and in so doing benefit from unexpected experiences and opportunities. Drawing from scholarship in innovation, entrepreneurship and positive psychology, this presentation will show you how to follow your passion, act boldly with minimal preparation, and leverage your creativity and strengths for rapid change.

Speaker:
Ryan Babineaux, PhD, Co-author of "Fail Fast, Fail Often: How Losing Can Help You Win," HappenstanceCounseling.com

May-December (and January-July) Relationships: Finding Common Ground Through Intergenerational Dynamics

Generation gaps have always existed, both in the world at large and in the workplace specifically. It makes life interesting though, admittedly, also sometimes disastrous. So knowing how to effectively bridge those gaps can not only avoid trauma but lead to phenomenal productivity. In this session, we’ll address issues like ageism, preferred communications styles of different gens, how to foster a culture of common ground, why leadership should include age diversity for premium results in the company; bridging the divide between internal messaging and corporate use messaging; and much more. Suitable for all ages.

Speaker:
Jocelyn Greenky Herz, Office Culture and Politics Expert, CEO, Sider Road Media

Annual PromaxBDA Member Meeting

Officially the standing annual membership meeting for the association. Use this session as your opportunity to sit with the board co-chairs and the president and CEO as they field whatever questions you may have or topics you wish to discuss about the PromaxBDA association.

Speakers:
Scot Chastain, Chair, PromaxBDA
Steve Kazanjian, President and CEO, PromaxBDA

CATALYST: Creative Entrepreneurs - Coffee Break

CATALYST is a gathering space at PromaxBDA: The Conference, where agency leaders will continue the conversation, exchange ideas, and learn from fellow entrepreneurs facing the same pressures, challenges, and opportunities. Each day a "coffee hour" will capture the best insights of the Conference from the agency perspective.

Speakers:
Tim Thompson, Chief Revolution Thinker, RevThink
Will Travis, Executive Chairman, USA, Sid Lee

In partnership with:

Official Conference Welcome

Speakers:
Scot Chastain, Chair, PromaxBDA
Steve Kazanjian, President and CEO, PromaxBDA

Keynote: Uncontainable: MultillennialZ and the Rise of Gen Z

A 17 year old today defies much of what we’ve learned and put into practice around Millennials. We cannot mistake declining TV ratings for a lack of affinity for TV content. Gen Z has never had to appointment view, and that’s both a luxury for them and an opportunity for the media business. The generation to follow Millennials is equal parts content creator, consumer, and distributor. Unlike Millennials who were culturally diverse, Gen Z is culturally blended. And music is at the heart of how youth culture is blending. Gen Z, or as REVOLT calls them – MultillennialZ - will once again reinvent the media and marketing businesses as we know it. Join Emmy nominated and two-time Peabody Award winner Keith Clinkscales as he leads us on a connected musical journey featuring the hottest DJ’s in the game.

Speakers:
Keith Clinkscales, CEO, REVOLT TV
DJ Envy, DJ and host of Power 105's The Breakfast Club

NETWORKING BREAK

Keynote: Election 2016: The Greatest Show on Earth

The world has never seen an U.S. Presidential election like this one. From the debate stages to the campaign rallies, every day brings new headlines that keep us watching, clicking, sharing, and talking about the issues, the personalities, and the dramatic shift in campaign strategy in this election.The 2016 Presidential Race is writing the marketing playbook that we’ll be following for years to come. In this session, our powerhouse panel of media and politics veterans will deconstruct this incredible race and help us make sense of what’s really happening out on the trail.

Speakers:
James Carville, Political Consultant
Katie Couric, Yahoo! Global News Anchor
Hugh Hewitt, Author, Law Professor and Broadcast Journalist, “The Hugh Hewitt Show”
Rick Kaplan, Chairman, Kaplan Media Partners; Former president, CNN & MSNBC

Meet the Disruptors

First you ignored them, then you found them somewhat intriguing, and now you’ve really taken notice—whether in fear, appreciation or some mix of both. The disruptors that have slowly infiltrated the comfy space once held solely by traditional TV networks are here to stay. So, what does that mean to the creative-job landscape? Just who are your next clients and employers, now that content has a whole new “dating field” of digital players? We're putting faces to the names behind some of today’s biggest disruptors in this relevant, interactive session you won’t want to miss. Using a rapid-fire, interactive format, we’ll give our panel of new-media mavens the platform to introduce their capabilities, content and culture. We will give creative, clear examples of the types of positions and skill sets necessary to thrive in this brave new world, whether you remain a competitor or future team member of one of these new services.

Moderator:
Brian Stelter, Host, Reliable Sources & Senior Media Correspondent, CNN

Speakers:
T.J. Marchetti, CMO, AwesomenessTV
Guy Slattery, GM, Viceland
Jenny Wall, SVP, Head of Marketing, Hulu
Tara Walpert Levy, VP, Agency Sales, Google

A Conversation with John Miller: Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

John D. Miller is a master showman and true pioneer in entertainment and sports marketing. From “Must See TV” to countless successful Olympics campaigns, John’s decades-long career in broadcast television has defined best practices for our industry. Join us for an exclusive fireside chat with the CMO of NBC Olympics as he shares lessons learned, war stories, and what continues to inspire him to Create What’s Next.

Speaker:
John D. Miller, CMO, NBC Olympics; 2016 PromaxBDA Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

Opening Night Party

Conference attendees only - badge required for entry
Executive Members may bring one guest

Don’t miss our biggest bash of the past 60 years. It's the event the whole industry will be talking about. Connect with old friends and network with new colleagues at a party unlike anything you’ve ever seen before at The Conference.

Shuttle service to the party begins at 7:15 p.m. Please board buses on 54th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.

Hosted by:

Registration Desk Open

Sponsored by:

Recharge Lounge Open

Charge your devices, check in with the office, and enjoy a quiet moment away from the conference sessions.

Sponsored by:

Bar 60

Relax, sip your coffee, and catch up with friends just steps from the conference floor.

Sponsored by:

TEN Exhibit Open

Curated by:

State of Our Art Pavilion

This June, at PromaxBDA’s annual conference, we’re unveiling the first-ever ‘State of Our Art Pavilion,’ an immersive, hands-on look at the technologies that are driving today’s media innovation and tomorrow’s evolution.

Presented by:

PromaxBDA Family Feud Live!

This unique session/game show will pit the two traditional ‘sides’ of the creative process — the Clients (networks and content distributors) against the Agencies (creative, design and production companies) in a real “Family Feud” battle! There’ll be buzzers, scoreboards, prizes, and some heated discussion along the way about some of the biggest misconceptions, secrets, and pain points between Clients and Agencies. Our hand-picked panel of contestants are some of the industry's biggest players, and they’ll be trying to guess what YOU said in a Family Feud survey about the topics that everyone in our industry is talking about. Survey says: this is a can’t miss session!

Moderator:
Mark L. Walberg, Television Host, Mogoldie Productions, Inc.

Contestants:
Brian Eloe, Creative Director, 2C Creative
Tracy Grandstaff, SVP, Original Production, Creative Director, NBC Entertainment
Kasumi Mihori, Creative Director, Troika
Sean Owolo, Executive Producer, Big Machine
Kendrick Reid, SVP & Executive Creative Director, Brand Strategy, BET Networks
Niels Schuurmans, EVP, Viacom Velocity Creative Content Solutions, Viacom

Sponsored by:

Thrive 2015-16 Graduation (By Invitation Only)

2015-2016 Thrivers will come together one last time as a group before they present their sessions for the Leadership Track on Thursday.

Join us for a ceremony celebrating their growth, experience, and bonds created during the past year.

Speaker:
Esther Weinberg, Founder, MindLight Group

Presented by:

Shift Happens

Digital video used to be the home for cats on skateboards and double rainbows but has evolved into building true media brands built by quality programming. Sound familiar? It’s what television has been doing for years but true media brands with consistent programming are emerging in the digital video world where the rules have changed. The “video diet” of today’s 13-24 year olds has now become an around-the-clock endeavor with the explosion of new platforms and proliferation of mobile devices – they are in full control, choosing what content they want to watch and where they want to view as they see fit. Across multiple video sources—digital, social terrestrial, paid, free, new and old— video is beyond just amusement or a way to pass time; it’s the medium that connects youth to friends and family and maximizes downtime. Hear more from DEFY’s latest ACUMEN Report: Youth Video Diet and learn how to capitalize on these rising platforms, identify opportunities for capturing new audiences and measure success across the spectrum of viewing habits.

Moderator:
Sahil Patel, Video Reporter, Digiday

Speakers:
Kevin King, Global Chair, Edelman Digital
Andy Tu, CMO, DEFY Media

Brands

6 Degrees of Connection

From bio-hacking to social memes, virtual reality, mobile design thinking and more, there are myriad ways brands can connect to consumers and fuel how consumers connect to one another.  In an era where disruption is king, and creativity is queen, how should we be thinking about the consumer’s decision making process?  Through a series of interconnected personal stories and professional anecdotes, award-winning innovator, Chris Denson showcases how creativity and technological innovations impact the every-day decisions we make in life and in business.  

Speaker:
Chris Denson, Director, Ignition Factory, OMD; Host of Innovation Crush

Driving Marketing Innovation

From TV to film to music to sports to art & design, Pepsi embraces, celebrates and drives pop culture. In this conversation between a top Pepsi marketer and one of the executives behind their headline-generating partnership with FOX's Empire, we'll learn about Pepsi's unique approach to marketing and brand-building, discover why they love to partner with entertainment brands (yours could be next!) and see why creating consumer experiences is a top priority for one of the world's most iconic brands and a leading marketing innovator.

Speakers:
Adam Harter, VP, Consumer Engagement, Pepsi-Cola North Americas Beverages
Steven Melnick, SVP, Marketing, 20th Century Fox Television

Size Matters: A Short-Form vs. Long-Form Smackdown!

From 10-second “brand shorts” to 3-minute show trailers, networks are branding with an eye on the clock. But which length works better, short or long? Today’s short attention spans make perfect targets for quick, clever branding. But online platforms can let viewers dig deep into trailers before digging a show. We’ll look at the best of both worlds, with some of the industry’s greatest blink-of-an-eye brand bites—plus deep immersions into exciting shows. Come expecting surprises and audience participation on the way to the final long/short smackdown!

Speakers:
John Jamilkowski, Senior Creative Director, Turner
Brett Karley, Director, 99 Tigers

NETWORKING BREAK

CATALYST: Creative Entrepreneurs – Coffee Break

CATALYST is a gathering space at PromaxBDA: The Conference, where agency leaders will continue the conversation, exchange ideas, and learn from fellow entrepreneurs facing the same pressures, challenges, and opportunities. Each day a "coffee hour" will capture the best insights of the Conference from the agency perspective.

Speaker:
Tim Thompson, Chief Revolution Thinker, RevThink

In partnership with:

The Best of Branded Content

In the age of ad blockers and DVR skip buttons, networks and advertisers are rushing to engage consumers through entertaining, shareable, branded content. But not all branded content is created equal. What works? Why does it work? And how can you and your team make your branded content work even better?

In this session, we’ll share multiple examples of the most effective, sharable branded content from the past year and examine the best practices that made them so successful. Then, we’ll dive deeper into two case studies of innovative, branded campaigns from The CW and The History Channel to explore how they were developed, why they connected with audiences, and how they used new digital, social and experiential approaches to extend that connection even further.   

Moderator:
Thor Raxlen, Founder and Chief Creator, LAIR

Speakers:  
Brian Briskman, President + Creative Director, B2+
Tom Kaniewski, Creative Director, A+E Networks History Channel
Barbra Robin, SVP Integrated Sales & Marketing, CW Network

Going Off Grid: TV Branding in a Future Without Channels

Networks today are balancing a wide range of objectives. For tune-in, they’re balancing driving the premier with driving continuity. For platforms, they’re balancing both linear and digital. With apps, they’re evolving from driving installs to driving usage. Facebook will share the stage with HBO discussing successfully marketing strategies to achieve these varied objectives.

Speakers:
Sabrina Caluori, SVP, Digital Media & Marketing, HBO
Gwen Throckmorton, Head of Industry, US Entertainment, Global Sales, Facebook

The New Technology of Storytelling

This session will focus on the people, the technology, and the tools that are changing the way that stories are told, and how we capture them. Drones, GoPros, iPhones and other high-quality, low-price pieces of gear are being used to document stories and even shoot feature films. This roundtable discussion will take us through this new era of storytelling with a look at the new technology and how it’s being harnessed for the future in cinemas, on TV screens, laptops and mobile devices. There is tremendous empowerment for content creators, and the opportunities for creation – now, if you have an idea, you can easily bring it to life on the screen. Our panel of storytellers will share their secrets from the field, and how they harness their gear to create content for a multi-platform universe faster, cheaper, and better than ever before.

Moderator:
Andy Baker, SVP, Global Creative Director, National Geographic Channels Worldwide

Speakers:
Mike Castellucci, Phoning it in Creator, WFAA-TV
Filipe DeAndrade, Filmmaker
Joey L., Photographer and Director, Freelancer

New Best Practices 2016

Our linear TV content and viewers continue to move to new platforms: SVOD, OTT, TVE, VOD, DVR. Some we control. Others we don’t. But our on-air marketing does a good job of getting viewers to sample them all. What happens when they get there? What is the viewer experience? And most importantly, what are we doing to retain and grow our viewership on the platforms we control? In his 2016 New Best Practices session, Lee Hunt does a deep dive into DVR, TVE, and VOD behavior, and its effect on linear TV brands.

Speaker:
Lee Hunt, Principal, Lee Hunt LLC

Brand/Rebrand Highlights

Freeform

Surely you’ve heard that ABC Family, one of the highest-rated networks among millennial viewers, has rebranded as Freeform. We’ve invited Freeform’s head of Marketing, Creative & Branding to share with you their approach to getting inside the life stage that exists between high school, college and the decade that follows; and how Freeform has channeled that mindset into their new brand. What does it mean to be in this life stage? How does this optimistic focus on looking ahead and embracing life’s adventures contrast with the more brash, combative millennial brands out there? How do you harness fandom and engagement in a non-linear world.

Speaker:
Nigel Cox-Hagan, SVP, Marketing, Creative & Branding, Freeform

GSN - The 20 Year-Old Start Up

When Game Show Network launched two decades ago it, was where old episodes of game shows went to find an extended life. Original content in cable TV was rare, and brands were often greater than the sum of their programs. But as cable evolved, GSN unfortunately did not, so eventually, it was time for a big change. In June of 2015, GSN underwent a company-wide brand rethink. The directive: Create contemporary original programming to reach younger viewers, and continue to service the core audience with shiny-floor game shows like “Idiotest" and “Winsanity" but also broaden the definition of game shows to include competitive reality with “Skin Wars” and “Hellevator.” GSN re-imagined its personality with bold, engaging visuals and a new brand voice that is colorful and contemporary. It expanded its reach into the digital and social space and increased the production value of its on-air promos. The result: 2015 was GSN’s highest rated year ever, and its median age in primetime is down to 59. The answer is, “What is a 20 year old start-up?” Come to this one loaded with your questions.

Speakers:
Gary Adler, VP Design, GSN
Bob Pederson, SVP / Creative Director, GSN

Channel 4 - More Than Just A Logo

Channel 4's public service remit focuses on innovation, diversity and taking creative risks. DBLG used this philosophy to create an identity where the brand language becomes much more than just a logo. ‘We didn’t want to tell people what channel they were watching, we wanted to tell people why they were watching it. We went back to the start, to the original Lambie Nairn 3D logo from 1982 and broke it apart, breathing new life in a much loved, innovative brand’ The resulting new identity for Channel 4 is one which is distinctive yet flexible, working across all the channel's offerings and standing out within today's multi-platform landscape.

Speaker:
Grant Gilbert, Founder/Creative Director, DBLG

MIDDAY BREAK

Supplier of the Future with Ben Silverman

Ben Silverman, the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning show creator and media executive, is the Chairman and Co-CEO of Propagate Content, uniting producers, creators, and advertisers to create all forms of content for distribution across a variety of platforms around the world. Pioneering content at the forefront of the entertainment industry, Silverman has created and executive produced major network, cable, and digital platform hits, including Golden Globe and Peabody award-winning shows The Office, Ugly Betty, Biggest Loser, and The Tudors, as well as recent hits like Jane The Virgin at The CW, Marco Polo and Flaked with Will Arnett and Mitch Hurwitz for Netflix, NBC’s transformative TV commerce show Fashion Star and Running Wild with Bear Grylls on NBC, Separation Anxiety for TNT/TBS, and Fameless for TruTV. Silverman has produced feature films including Mansome and Hands of Stone, the upcoming biopic of Roberto Duran starring Robert De Niro, Usher and Edgar Ramirez which premiered at Cannes Film Festival this May. Hear from Silverman as he discusses reinvention, choosing partners as a supplier of the future.

Speaker:  
Ben Silverman, Chairman and Co-CEO, Propagate Content

Comedy: The New Media Language

There’s an undeniable and universal connective tissue between comedy and promotion. Comedy seeps into every piece of the media landscape – when the world feared who would replace Walter Cronkite as the most trusted man in America, Jon Stewart and Jon Oliver rose to the task. As millennials’ and plurals’ influence continues to grow, comedy has become the language of the internet, the universal translator where a brand can be most blunt, disarm and reach consumers. But, in today’s chaotic world, how can brands cut through the noise and achieve this? Today, Vox Media’s Greg Gordon, Above Average’s Jen Danielson, Single Palm Tree Productions’ Trina DasGupta and Electus Digital’s Shane Rahmani will discuss how to use humor to build audiences and change consumer behavior, moderated by Seeso’s Patricia Hadden.

Moderator:
Patricia Hadden, SVP, Digital Enterprises, NBCUniversal

Speakers:
Jen Danielson, President, Above Average
Trina DasGupta, Single Palm Tree Productions
Greg T. Gordon, Head of Production, Vox Media
Shane Rahmani, EVP & General Manager, Electus Digital

Rise of the OTT Upstarts: Lessons from Leaders in Niche Over-the-Top Video Services

Moderator:
Jonathon Barbato, Chief Revenue Officer, Xposure Media

Speakers:
Gem Benedict, VP, Digital Sales & Business Development, Cinedigm
Jon Cody, Founder & CEO, TV4Entertainment
Detavio Samuels, President, Interactive One and One Solution/OneX

Best 360 Campaigns of the Year

Top marketing, creative and agency executives discuss the tips, tricks and best practices for producing integrated key art, spots, activations and social media that work together to create breakthrough campaigns in a cluttered marketplace. You’ll see some of the best 360 campaigns of the year and get exclusive insight into how they were conceived, produced and executed across all platforms.

Speakers:
Steph Sebbag, President & Chief Creative Officer, bpg
Alexandra Shapiro, EVP Marketing & Digital, USA Network
Kim Rosenblum, EVP, Marketing & Creative, Nickelodeon/Nick@Nite/TV Land

Preparing for the Identity Revolution: How New Perspectives on Race, Gender, and Sexuality Are Shaping Content

What do Beyonce’s “Formation" and Target’s move away from gender-based signage have in common? They are both indicative of our current cultural climate and its fascination with identity. As questions of race, gender and sexuality increasingly dominate the cultural conversation, perceptions and expectations are shifting. Learn how this new understanding of identity affects both brand and content.

Moderator:
Emily Morris, Director of Cultural Insights, TruthCo.

Speakers:
Lori Hall, SVP, Marketing & Creative Services, TV One
Dan Mannix, President & CEO, LeadDog Marketing Group
Guy Slattery, GM, Viceland

The Art of Failure

One of the core philosophies of the technology industry is “failing fast and often.” This enables companies to learn quickly from both their successes and failures, in turn resulting in quicker iterations and releases. How can we get past the idea of having only one perfect piece of creative? With new technologies and less expensive tools, being iterative and experimental isn’t the financial or resource burden it once was. Testing and data does not take away from the creative process, it can improve, enhance and innovate. Learn from the “failures” of these individuals to see how, as creatives, we have the opportunity to test and iterate on our own work.

Moderator:
Linda Ong, CEO & Founder, TruthCo.

Speakers:
Ryan Babineaux, PhD, Co-author of "Fail Fast, Fail Often: How Losing Can Help You Win," HappenstanceCounseling.com
Jen Louis, Head of Entertainment, Creative Shop NA, Facebook
Will Travis, Executive Chairman, USA, Sid Lee

NETWORKING BREAK

Sponsored by:

CATALYST: Creative Entrepreneurs – Coffee Break

CATALYST is a gathering space at PromaxBDA: The Conference, where agency leaders will continue the conversation, exchange ideas, and learn from fellow entrepreneurs facing the same pressures, challenges, and opportunities. Each day a "coffee hour" will capture the best insights of the Conference from the agency perspective.

Speaker:
Joel Pilger, Consultant, RevThink

In partnership with:

PromaxBDA Hot Spots Showcase 2016

Don’t miss the annual survey of spots that have the promo world buzzing. Strap in for an eye-popping, gobsmacking showcase of the year’s best marketing and promotional work from the television industry. If your stuff’s here, you’ll be proud. If not, maybe a little envious. (Next year, dammit! Next year…) Either way, we promise you’ll be entertained and inspired.

Speakers:
Dan Bragg, Marketing, Brand and Creative Consultant, Bragg Inc.
Mark Valentine, Creative Director & Co-Owner, ANATOMY

Curated by:

Unfriended & Unfollowed: Making Social That Doesn't Suck

Many networks primarily utilize social platforms as devices that drive eyeballs back to the linear channel. But smart networks harness the creative power of social platforms to go way beyond tune-in, bolstering their brands in the process. This session explores the relationship between networks and their social media accounts, examining how voice, audience engagement and storytelling present exciting opportunities beyond the box.

Moderator:
Bo Bishop, Director of Content & Strategy, Loyalkaspar

Speakers:
CJ Bargamian, VP, Digital Marketing, Starz Entertainment
Anika Chin, Social Marketing Strategist/Manager, CNN
Jodi Lennon, Editorial Director, Brand Creative, Comedy Central
Puja Vohra, EVP, Marketing and Digital, truTV

Harnessing the Power of Virtual Reality

The two hottest buzzwords in media right now are Virtual Reality, and major companies like Google, Facebook, Samsung, HTC, Sony, and Apple are all making big plays in the technology. But what’s it really all about? This session will set the stage with a look at where we are right now, an exploration of how the tech is being used or could be used for TV networks, and an overview of basic how-to principles, from planning and production through post and delivery.

Moderator:
Jason Farkas, Executive Producer, CNNMoney and Reliable Sources, CNN

Speakers:
Mark Demarest, CEO, Intermersive, Inc.
Jennifer Holland, Google Classroom and Expeditions Program Manager, Google

OPEN DOORS Happy Hour

Hosted by:

Student Creative Portfolio Review (By Invitation Only)

Session description coming soon.

HR Roundtable (By Invitation Only)

Session description coming soon.

Registration Desk Open

Sponsored by:

Recharge Lounge Open

Charge your devices, check in with the office, and enjoy a quiet moment away from the conference sessions.

Sponsored by:

Bar 60

Relax, sip your coffee, and catch up with friends just steps from the conference floor.

Sponsored by:

TEN Exhibit Open

Curated by:

State of Our Art Pavilion

This June, at PromaxBDA’s annual conference, we’re unveiling the first-ever ‘State of Our Art Pavilion,’ an immersive, hands-on look at the technologies that are driving today’s media innovation and tomorrow’s evolution.

Presented by:

Beyond The Spot: Turning Campaigns Into Content

This session will discuss and examine the intricacies and opportunities of leveraging and marketing a personal brand that is a powerhouse franchise.  The Property Brothers have become an iconic multi-platform lifestyle brand, and this panel will give provide insights into both balancing and capitalizing on the brand dualities of the network brand HGTV and the Property Brothers brand.

Moderator:
Heather Jagels, VP, Creative Services, HGTV and DIY Network

Speakers:  
Neil Berkeley, Principal, brkly
Santos B. Lopez, Executive Producer, Creative Content, Brother VS Brother Campaign, HGTV, DIY Network & GAC
Drew & Jonathan Scott , HGTV's 'Property Brothers' & Authors of "Dream Home: The Property Brothers' Ultimate Guide to Finding & Fixing Your Perfect House", HGTV

Reimagining Relevancy: How To Create and Distribute Content at the Speed of Today

Brands are capitalizing on the current vogue for live and on-demand content by taking new approaches to traditional advertising. Bespoke product placements and branded content activations offer a unique value proposition to brand marketers, but producing these formats with shrinking budgets and little time is no easy feat. The multitude of ever-changing formats at our disposal adds to the challenges for media owners and networks. On the other side of the equation: As the demand for these creative activations increases, how can media owners best meet advertiser needs and capitalize on their own expertise in traditional mediums to provide resources to advertisers? As live programming at scale, real-time cultural phenomenons and the notion of dynamic ad insertion continue to garner interest, this conversation will address these issues and more. Join MediaLink’s Howard Homonoff (also a Forbes.com columnist) alongside Christina Norman, CEO, Water Cooler; Colleen DeCourcy, Global Creative Director, W+K and a Fortune 50 brand marketer to discuss how to most effectively engage audiences in today's viewing environment.

Moderator:
Howard Homonoff, SVP, MediaLink

Speakers:
Christina Norman, CEO, Media Storm
Lou Paskalis, SVP, Enterprise Media Executive, Bank of America
Tom Punch, Global Executive Creative Director, VICE Media

Lessons from the Corner Office

Presented by:

Client vs. Vendor: Whose Grass is Really Greener?

When you’ve been both in-house and out-of-house, you have valuable perspective to offer. There are ups and downs on each side, and we’ll explore the client and the vendor experience through an in-depth discussion with a panel of professionals who have lived both.

Speakers:
Alicia Biggs, Creative Director, Wee Beastie Box Office
Jessica Gleason, VP, Production: On-Air Promotion and Branded Entertainment, SundanceTV
Alex Moulton, Creative Director, Live Nation TV, VICE Media
Louis J. Venezia, Owner / Chief Creative Officer, Pilot
Kelly Wollschlager, VP/Creative Director, Creative Services, Participant Media/PIVOT

The Boomer’s Guide to Staying in the Game

As PromaxBDA hits its 60th Anniversary, many of our members are approaching that same milestone. As part of a relatively young industry, our Baby Boomer members are faced with the challenges of practicing their craft in an industry that demands we stay current. This panel will feature a group of distinguished creative and marketing professionals of the baby boomer generation sharing their secrets for staying forever young while leveraging the wisdom that comes with age.

Moderator:
Seth Berkowitz, President, Broadcast and Digital, Workshop Creative

Speakers:
Richard Gottehrer, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, The Orchard
Marla Provencio, EVP, Marketing, and CMO, ABC Entertainment Group
Frank J. Radice, Expert in Residence, Definition 6

Brand & UX: Challenges and Opportunities

Creating branded experiences in an increasingly fragmented digital environment is both challenge and opportunity. Often an afterthought on cross-platform media projects, branding should be one of the most important elements, providing the connective tissue that completes the service journey and connects the dots. We’ll explore the elements of branding within the digital world of networks, studios and content. Topics of discussion include how to develop a brand vocabulary that is native to entertainment; how to use UX motion and audio to create consistency on all devices; and how a sophisticated digital application of the brand will create new business opportunities beyond marketing in advertising and audience engagement.

Speakers:
Fabian Birgfeld, CEO, W12 Studios
Jeremy Lasky, Owner/Co Founder, Perception
Dewey Reid, VP Executive Creative Director, CNN Digital
Ben Whitla, Creative Director, Great Big Story

Beyond Measure with Margaret Heffernan

The former CEO of five businesses, Margaret Heffernan explores all-too-human thought patterns such as conflict avoidance and selective blindness that lead organizations and managers astray. Why businesses and the people who run them often ignore the obvious — with consequences as dire as the global financial crisis and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

Speaker:
Margaret Heffernan, Consultant, Margaret Heffernan

Presented by:

NETWORKING BREAK

CATALYST: Creative Entrepreneurs – Coffee Break

CATALYST is a gathering space at PromaxBDA: The Conference, where agency leaders will continue the conversation, exchange ideas, and learn from fellow entrepreneurs facing the same pressures, challenges, and opportunities. Each day a "coffee hour" will capture the best insights of the Conference from the agency perspective.

Speakers:
Andy Baker, SVP, Global Creative Director, National Geographic Channels Worldwide
Joel Pilger, Consultant, RevThink

In partnership with:

State of Design

At our cores, we’re all storytellers. And the craft of design provides an array of tools to use to tell our tales. Each year, we pull together some of the world’s most compelling and innovative short films, game cinematics, music videos, advertising, infographics, branded content and broadcast design produced in the last 12 months. By examining where we are in design today, it gives us a glimpse into where we’re headed in the future. And that’s a story not to be missed.

Speaker:
Stephen Price, Editor / Creative Director, Stash Media, Inc.

Fans Rule: Harnessing Passion to Drive Success

The Power of Fandom: What Makes A Super Fan?

It’s good to have people who like your brand, but it’s even better to have fans of it. Those are the devoted, even rabid hyper-“likers” who not only support and buy your brand but who can become legions of micro marketers effectively working on your behalf. In this session, we’ll take a deep dive into the fandom phenomenon. What does it really mean to be a fan of something, and why should we care? How do you convert consumers who “just like” something into fans? What are the building blocks of fandom? How can a brand define and identify fans and help build an enduring relationship? How will both source content (IP) and marketing content change as fans take an even bigger role as co-creators? How can we completely re-think what open architecture means in our relationship with fans as we develop content of all kinds? What rights do fans have to create content around entertainment properties and what should we know about it? How can we think further about ways that fans can be a partner and resource rather than just people we want to sell things to?

Speakers:
Susan Kresnicka, Cultural Anthropologist, Troika
Flourish Klink, Partner, Research & Insights, Chaotic Good Studios

We Believe! - How the 2015 Women's World Cup Shattered TV Records and Made History

In July 2015, the U.S. Women’s Soccer team won the FIFA World Cup, seemingly coming out of nowhere to become a generation-defining pop culture moment. But with no major brands on board and a marketing budget akin to a mid-level cable network launch, how did “girls soccer” explode onto the zeitgeist and out-rate game seven of the World Series, the Final Four, the Masters and Steph Curry vs. LeBron James in the NBA finals? Learn the tactics and strategy behind the marketing campaign that placed the rocket on the launch pad, lit the fuse and rode the trajectory to deliver the most watched soccer event in U.S. history.

Speakers:
Bill Battin, SVP, FOX Sports Marketing
Barbara Blangiardi, SVP, Strategies & Creative Partnerships, FOX Sports Marketing

THRIVE: The New Leadership Playbook

Presented by:

A series of sessions produced and presented by the PromaxBDA Thrive Class of 2015-16

Promote Yourself To Promote Yourself: How to Unlearn Everything You Learned in Kindergarten

Why is it that so many marketing and promotion experts find it challenging to promote themselves? How can we get out of the day-to-day weeds to make ourselves visible, elevate our work, garner recognition for ourselves and teams, and build relationships to develop an authentic personal brand? In this session, we’ll share insights from our six-month journey of talking one-on-one with industry executives, entrepreneurs, academics and rising stars about their pathways to success. Learn how to step out onto a bigger stage and exercise senior management behavior by owning your voice, polishing your executive presence and building your brand within your company and industry. Spoiler alert: You might have to unlearn some of the things you learned in kindergarten.

Speakers:
Brian Hoffman, VP, Creative Strategy, Nicktoons, TeenNick, Nick Sports and The Splat
Cristine Shropshire, Creative Director, Brand Image and Editorial, Food Network/Cooking Channel
Amanda Wong, Director, Integrated Partnerships, truTV

Darwin was Wrong: Survival of the Fittest is Bulls***

We've been hearing it for years: change is constant, and constantly speeding up. Our industry is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. And, you don't know what you don't know. Well, great. What do we do about it? Come to this session to learn how to deal.

Speakers:
Candice House, Art Director, Creative Group / Cartoon Network
Tim Reilly, Creative Director, Brand Creative, Turner Classic Movies
Kati Weller, Director, TBS & TNT On-Air Promotions - The Sponsor Shop, Turner

THRIVE: The New Leadership Playbook

Presented by:

Listen, Learn, Adapt: How Social Media Can Help Transform Creative

How do we listen to our social media audience? How do we adapt creative to speak to the fans talking online? How do you strengthen and maintain our brands through this ever changing medium? This session will answer these questions by exploring new ways of connecting to our audience.

Speakers:
Josh Borock, Creative Director, Comedy Central
Keith Grant, Creative Director, ABC
Karen Griffenhagen, Senior Creative Director, On Air Promotions, Lifetime
Josh Pelzek, Design Director, BET Networks

How to Kick Ass without Being One: Managing Up, Down, & All Around

Creativity and innovation is a team sport that cannot be won by working in silos. The greatest ideas come from collaboration across teams and departments. In today’s organizations, multidisciplinary groups intersect both internally as well as with outside agencies. Managing relationships within your team is only one part of the equation. However, managing relationships with other teams is the key to turning good into great. From senior management to entry level, every relationship you forge is critical to being successful. How does one move their ideas through the system? How do you maximize the chances of your team succeeding? How do you strengthen and maintain relationships? How do you turn good into great? This session will answer these questions by exploring new ways of working together to improve productivity, morale, creativity and innovation. Attendees will walk away with tangible tools and techniques to apply in their real-world situations.

Speakers:
Jennifer Drury, VP, Creative Strategy & Editorial, Nickelodeon
Keith Grant, Creative Director, ABC
Zareh Mirbegian, Executive Director, Creative Services, Warner Bros.
Brandon Stern, VP, Creative Director, truTV

Keynote: John Landgraf & Denis Leary

Don’t miss this provocative discussion with two of the most outspoken Hollywood insiders on the state of television today.

Speakers:
John Landgraf, CEO, FX Networks and FX Productions
Denis Leary, Creator/Executive Producer/Star of "Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll"

Creative Activation and Audience Engagement

Something for Nothing: The Year’s Best Spots That Didn’t Break the Bank

Great ideas don’t have to be expensive to produce. But sometimes we don’t have a choice. Sometimes we’re given two minutes and two dollars to come up with something great. What do you do? How do you stand out among the competition, some of which have lots more time and money? In this session, we’ll examine some of the buzziest, funniest, smartest and wildest spots of the year that were not only highly effective but that were also produced with very limited budgets.

Speaker:
Jessica Gleason, VP, Production: On-Air Promotion and Branded Entertainment, SundanceTV

Unlocking New Audiences By Taking Your Pro-Social Strategies to the Next Level

In an increasingly cluttered and competitive marketplace, entertainment properties and brands need to find new ways to generate consumer enthusiasm and loyalty, acquire new and diversified viewers, and increase revenues. With a new class of socially-conscious viewers arising, creating impact and awareness through social good alliances is becoming a strong point of differentiation in the marketplace. Consumers are increasingly directing their interest, time and dollars to brands that do good - and influencers, celebrities and media entities are key to sparking authentic conversations that activate audiences around the causes they care about. Doing the right thing is not only good for reputation, it’s critical for business success. The relationships between entertainment entities and causes generate mutually-beneficial opportunities to drive social change while raising awareness, championing important social issues, and increasing the bottom line for entertainment brands, their partners and their nonprofit alliances. In a unique panel moderated by cause marketing veteran Philips McCarty, we’ll discuss how participants can utilize cause engagement and activation to take their entertainment strategy and programming to a new level. Panel participants from entertainment and nonprofit brands, along with top media influencers, will weigh in on the social issues and marketing challenges facing Hollywood, and how to leverage pro-social programming and cause initiatives to flourish in the space. Our panelists and moderator will draw from real-life case studies gleaned over years of experience in the entertainment and cause space. Good Scout will draw on its experience working with YouTube’s only multichannel network dedicated to social good, Good Amplified, as well as NBCUniversal, Warner Brothers “We Can Be Heroes” campaign, Sony, HBO, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, UNICEF, Feeding America, International Rescue Committee, the Katherine McPhee Foundation, the John Wayne Cancer Foundation and more. Good Scout will also speak to the successful celebrity and entertainment strategies it has crafted and executed for nonprofit leaders Make-A-Wish Foundation and American Heart Association.

Speakers:
Joel Goldman, Managing Director, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation
Toby Graff, SVP, Corporate Social Responsibility, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment
René Jones, Executive Director, UTA Foundation
Philips McCarty, CEO, Good Scout Group

MIDDAY BREAK

Keynote: Old Media in the Digital Age

What happens when the smartest people in the room decide something is inevitable and yet it doesn’t come to pass? What happens when omens have been misunderstood, tea leaves misread and “gurus” miss their marks? With myths and perceptions of traditional and digital media running rampant, “view ability” has become the new catch phrase. Join author and columnist, Michael Wolff in a unique conversation about the adaptability of the TV business and the search for brand value.

Moderator:
Eduardo Ruiz, President & General Manager, A+E Networks Latin America

Speaker:
Michael Wolff, Journalist, Entrepreneur and Bestselling Author on the convergence of media, technology and business

The Art of Title Design

Title designers capture the essence of a program and set the tone for what is to come. Co-sponsored by The Television Academy, Emmy winners Ellen Kahn and Lynda Kahn lead a conversation with a panel of creative directors behind some of the most notable program titles as they discuss the their creative process.

Moderators:
Ellen Kahn, Co-Founding Partner, Executive Creative Director TWINART, Inc.
Lynda Kahn, Executive Creative Director, TWINART, Inc.

Speakers:
Teddy Blanks, Co-Founder, CHIPS
Cecilia DeJesus, Designer, Picturemill
William Lebeda, Creative Director / Head, Picturemill
Mike Perry, Owner, Mike Perry Studio
Alan C. Williams, Director, Imaginary Forces

Keynote: TV That Talks Back with Twitch Founder & CEO Emmett Shear

Viewers love their long-form video, from movies to TV shows. But imagine if that experience could be enhanced by being fundamentally interactive and social. Well, it exists, and it’s called the internet. This isn’t just watching and chatting with other people in the room, it’s integrating the interaction in a fundamental way into the content itself. The future of TV is the TV that talks back to you.

Speaker:
Emmett Shear, Founder & CEO, Twitch

Beyond "Creative" : Strategy, Vision & Leadership presented by: WICT NY and PromaxBDA

Ever wonder how the other half lives? Or, at least works? Hear from a panel of executives who lead the creative and marketing of today's most exciting entertainment brands. Learn how their careers developed, what crossroads they faced along the way and how they continue to expand the definition of “creative” to reach new heights.

Moderator:
Stacie Gray, Chief Creative Officer, iN Demand

Speakers:
Jenny Alonzo, CEO, Konation Media
Vicky Free, EVP & CMO, BET Networks | A Viacom Company
Susanne McAvoy, EVP, Marketing, Creative & Communications, Crown Media
Kim Rosenblum, EVP, Marketing & Creative, Nickelodeon/Nick@Nite/TV Land

Presented by:

All Ears

The Voiceover Director's Lab

Communication is fashion driven. Listen to work done not that long ago and hear how dated it already sounds. Back by popular demand, this SRO session is packed with up-to-the minute tools and techniques requested by writers, producers and other members of the creative team. From specs to casting to directing, top tier talent will demonstrate the latest spin on performance to help you distinguish your network, shows and images with fresh, unique and persona-driven deliveries the social media universe now demands.

Speaker:
Marice Tobias, Director, Tobias Entertainment

Collaborative Audio: Let Your Mixer Loose

You've hired audio experts, but have you truly invited them into your creative process? Sound design/mix is often the last stop in post-production. But why not empower audio engineers to help craft the spot, rather than to simply "sweeten" the finished product? Explore how bringing a talented audio-engineer into the process earlier can streamline the approval process and deliver a stellar product that simply can't be achieved when audio comes "post." In the world of collaborative audio, you use your mixer as a launching pad, rather than a band-aid. We'll take a look back at how sound has evolved in the promo world, and mine from audio history to unleash new methods that can propel your team's creativity into the next century.

Speaker:
Jared Horowitz, Sound designer – Owner, Eggmen

NETWORKING BREAK

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Guitar Giveaway

Our friends at Stephen Arnold Music are doing a "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Guitar Giveaway." This year it's a Paul McCartney reissue Hofner Violin Beatle Bass! The drawing will happen at the beginning of the networking break at the Stephen Arnold Music Beatles guitar display. You must be present to win!

Sponsored by:

CATALYST: Creative Entrepreneurs – Coffee Break

CATALYST is a gathering space at PromaxBDA: The Conference, where agency leaders will continue the conversation, exchange ideas, and learn from fellow entrepreneurs facing the same pressures, challenges, and opportunities. Each day a "coffee hour" will capture the best insights of the Conference from the agency perspective.

Speakers:
Tim Thompson, Chief Revolution Thinker, RevThink
Michael Waldron, SVP, Creative Director Art + Design, Nickelodeon/TV Land

In partnership with:

State of Our Art 2016

With all of the massive changes at play within our industry, this is the perfect year to re-invent the format and present a new, reinvigorated State of Our Art. This presentation, while still entertaining, does more than just look at other industries for inspiration. We believe the new State of The Art has the power to celebrate innovation in marketing, promotion and design; remind everyone that what we do and how we innovate matters; and excite the audience about the possibilities for our careers, our industry and the future of media.

Speakers:
Maurice Marable, Executive Creative Director/Filmmaker, Brim+Brew
Kendrick Reid, SVP & Executive Creative Director, Brand Strategy, BET Networks

Sponsored by:

Pre-Awards Cocktail Reception

Raise a glass before the big show!

Presented by:

Bidding Closes - TEN Exhibit and Silent Auction

Curated by:

Doors Open for the PromaxBDA Awards 2016 Ceremony

Conference attendees only - badge required for entry

Presented by: