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Paley Center Announces Line-Up for September 20 Start-Up Showcase

Branch, COMPASS, Skift, Virurl, Vixely to present at season-opening Next Big Thing event

NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Paley Center for Media will present the first event of its Next Big Thing series for the 2012-13 season on Thursday, September 20, with demos and presentations from five digital-media startups. Sponsored by AdKeeper, Inc., Loeb & Loeb, McCann, and Mediabrands, the Next Big Thing introduces emerging entrepreneurs to the Paley Center's community of industry leaders.

The following companies are scheduled to present on September 20:

Branch – "A new way to talk to each other" (counts Evan Williams , Biz Stone, and Jonah Peretti as advisors, and has backing from OBVIOUS, BETAWORKS, and LERER VENTURES, among others)

COMPASS – A mobile lively location-based playlist of our experiences on this planet. People will make their digital content relevant for real life through COMPASS.

Skift – "Travel IQ" (aka, Rafat Ali 's new project)

Virurl – "VIRURL enables advertisers to drive engagement by compensating influencers and publishers to share videos, articles, music, and other media with their audience."

Vixely – "Vixely is a new women's media brand providing a voice for the digital generation."

The event begins at 6:30, with a cocktail reception; presentations begin at 7:00. AdKeeper Founder & CEO Scott Kurnit will moderate the conversation between the presenters and the audience.

Admission is free for members of the Paley Center's Media Council and Generator communities, and open to registered ticketholders. Buy tickets here or register by e-mail at mediacouncil@paleycenter.org.

The event will also be live-streamed via FORA.tv at www.paleycenter.org/nbt. Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PaleyNext.

A mix of elevator pitches and high-level conversation, Next Big Thing gatherings feature short presentations by new entrepreneurs outlining their businesses and strategies for success followed by intimate discussion with a select audience drawn from the Paley Center's Media Council, Generator, and other leaders and innovators in the new media, technology, and venture capitalist communities.

The Next Big Thing advisory board is chaired by Scott Kurnit and includes Wendy Clark , SVP, Integrated Marketing and Communications Capabilities, Coca-Cola; Betty Cohen , Founder & President, Betty Cohen Media Consulting; Kay Koplovitz , Paley Center board member and founder and CEO, Koplovitz & Co.; Alan Patricof , founder and managing director, Greycroft LLC; Clay Shirky, author and associate professor, NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program; Yossi Vardi , chairman, International Technologies; and Fred Wilson , managing partner, Flatiron Partners and Union Square Ventures.