agenda

In the emergent world of media, where traditional companies and established brands compete against new players and new models, much of the energy—and money—is coming from a new source for the media industry: Venture capital. Digital technology is converging with media to create companies like Google, Facebook and a fast-proliferating number of social networks. And technology is enabling media companies to engage in commerce, creating the opportunity for scale, which is a critical ingredient for VC firms. Among the brands to be discussed are Thrillist, Fab.com, Lucky and Cosmopolitan, who are among the pioneers of what Hearst’s David Carey recently called a “read-the-story-and-click-to-buy” model. Listen in as VentureBeat’s Matt Marshall describes how this new dynamic has created a hothouse environment with an ever-accellerating pace of innovation and what it means for you.Speaker:

• Matt Marshall, Founder and Editor-In-Chief, VentureBeat

As rapidly as the Internet has grown as a consumer medium, it has not kept pace as an advertising platform. The challenge for publishers is adopt and deploy emerging new premium formats, and at the same time identify a model to replace impressions and click-through rates to help define success. Hear how three leading digital execs are successfully driving change in advertising.Speakers:

• Laura Frerer, Publisher, Women’s Health
• Joe Purzycki, Vice President of Advertising, Vox Media
• Roy Schwartz, Chief Revenue Officer, Politico

The rapid proliferation of small screens and pocketable devices has put the age-old advertising model at risk. Interruptive experiences simply don’t work on phones. This means agencies, media companies and marketers must adapt. Listen in as Edelman’s Steve Rubel explains how the digital and mobile advertising landscape is about to be changed. He’ll describe the trends pointing to how native advertising will help marketers “blend in” with the user experience, and then he’ll lead a panel of content and agency executives who will point to real-world tactics and ideas on what’s working and what’s not.Speakers:

• Jonathan Perelman, Vice President of Agency Strategy and Brand Development, BuzzFeed
• Hayley Romer, Associate Publisher, The Atlantic
• Steve Rubel, Executive Vice President, Global Strategy and Insights, Edelman
• Adam Solomon, Vice President of Digital Products, Time Inc.

As digital media morphs, and the rules of marketing evolves, content marketing online—from Web sites to tablets and social networks—is rapidly transforming too. Learn the latest techniques and best practices from three of the most innovative practitioners.Speakers:

• Andrew Hanelly, Vice President Digital Experience, McMurry/TMG
• Meredith Levien, Chief Revenue Officer, Forbes Media
• Chris Schraft, President, Time Inc. Content Solutions

Many print-magazine Web sites grapple with hitting an audience plateau. What happens is growth peaks, with no obvious place to find new eyeballs. To expand, some have built out networks of like-minded sites, independent affiliates in tightly-defined verticals that share content and provide a broader audience for advertisers. Hear two companies describe how their brands set up a network, organized a workflow and produced new results.Speakers:

• Brandon Holley, Editor in Chief, Lucky
• David Kang, Chief Digital Officer, Wenner Media

Seth Demsey explores a shifting publisher paradigm as digital evolves into a more intelligent and automated arena. Digging into old vs. new concepts, this session will help publishers “get comfortable with being uncomfortable” through multiple illustrations of monetization, content creation and distribution.Speaker:

• Seth Demsey, Senior Vice President Global Advertising Products and Strategy, AOL Networks

The media industry is increasingly combining content with commerce. Read, decide, buy an advertiser’s product, all at the click of a button, all on your site. Why not? Find out how leading-edge sites are doing it, including the technology for handling transactions, the economics, and the potentially tricky relationship between content and commerce.Speakers:

• Eric Ashman, Strategic Advisor, Thrillist
• Beth Mayall-Traglia, Editor in Chief, Total Beauty Media Group

The mobile platform is still in flux, and problematic for many media companies. But one, Industry Dive, is moving full-speed ahead at building an ad-based business for the mobile platform. Hear how CEO Sean Griffey sees the media landscape evolving, how he’s raised capital for his startup company, why he’s selected the verticals he’s in and the mechanics of his curation-focused business.Speaker:

• Sean Griffey, CEO, Industry Dive

In some ways, content creation in the digital space is similar to journalism in print media. In most ways, the approach is dramatically different. Listen in as two veteran journalists describe why they created new digital businesses, and how interaction with the audience is different in critical ways that define the difference between success and failure.Speakers:

• Rafat Ali, Founder/CEO, Skift
• Evan Ratliff, CEO/Co-founder/Editor, The Atavist

With social and mobile traffic gaining greater shares of Web engagement, Mashable redesigned and relaunched its site in an effort to leverage those two platforms. Hear Mashable’s Darren Tome tell why the tech brand is featuring responsive design, an emphasis on native advertising and a content layout and flow that’s driven primarily by social activity.Speakers:

• Katrina Vanden Heuvel, Editor and Publisher, The Nation
• Darren Tome, Director of Product Management, Mashable

When it comes to the form and function of mobile apps, magazines are often stuck in the old way. They push out all of their content at once. They load all kinds of print-based elements into their apps. They create unpleasant, bloated versions of their print magazines. They need to change. Our speakers share their secrets on creating the app-content model of the future, a model for “subcompact” publishing.Speakers:

• JW Philip Ramsey, Technical Design Manager, Bloomberg BNA
• Jennifer L. Wong, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Operations, POPSUGAR Inc.

We’re still seeing companies struggling with how to effectively build and lead multiplatform teams—from the C-suite down (or the bottom up). In this closing all-star panel, listen in as three execs on the cutting edge tell how to form the right leadership and group structures.Speakers:

• Michael Idinopulos, GM and Chief Customer Officer, Socialtext
• Bob Melk, SVP,Group Publisher & CMO, IDG Enterprise
• Marty Moe, COO and Group Publisher, Vox Media

Since taking office in 2011, Governor Malloy has launched a series of initiatives targeted at supporting growth industries, including digital media. Early this year, for example, the Governor announced a new initiative called “Next Generation Connecticut.” Part of the plan calls for creating the first ever digital-media department at the UCONN Stamford campus. Governor Malloy has been the driving force in connecting entrepreneurs—including those in digital media—with venture capital. Listen in as Malloy discusses the establishment of an “Ideas Economy” designed for a new world of media.Speakers:

• Governor Dannel P. Malloy, Connecticut