LOS ANGELES, Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Entertainment World (DEW), a unique event focused on monetizing digital content across the entire media ecosystem, today announced that Founding Sponsors Elastic Path Software, 3Pillar Global, RSG Media, hybris, Venable and Watchwith will be hosting key sessions at the three-day conference featuring leading industry executives. It is set to take place February 18-20, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

IDG World Expo Chief Executive Officer Mary Dolaher, Co-Creator (with Ned Sherman, CEO of Digital Media Wire and Advisory Board Chair) of DEW, said, "This prestigious group of Founding Sponsors has assembled an impressive roster of leading digital executives with unparalleled insights into many of the pressing issues of the day, including those surrounding digital commerce, advertising/monetization and creation/infrastructure. They will be joined by leaders in social marketing and industry researchers to create a valuable networking and learning opportunity for DEW attendees."

Founding Sponsor sessions include:

Tuesday, February 18, 2014 

ELASTIC PATH SOFTWARE
Digital Commerce Summit: 
Surviving the Digital Revolution: Lessons from the Age of Context
11:15am - noon
Entertainment business models are evolving at a furious pace, and companies are constantly being challenged to deliver them in new and innovative ways. To survive in a digital world, every media business must transform itself quickly into a digital business. This means investing in the right technology, and tearing down walls between IT, sales, and marketing. In this panel, we will discuss how industry titans like Pearson, Virgin Media, Symantec, and Time Inc. are doing exactly that – and reinventing themselves as digital experience companies in the process. The panel will be moderated by Elastic Path VP of Marketing Matt Dion with participation of Elastic Path's CTO, Sal Visca, Shel Israel, Co-Author, Age of Context, Naked Conversations and Twitterville, and other special guests.

HYBRIS
Digital Commerce Summit: 
The Evolution of the Digital Commerce Value Chain
2:45pm - 3:30pm 
David Reitman, VP, Global Head Digital Commerce, hybris will lead a discussion with top panelists focused on how consumers are gaining more choice and innovative new ways to transact as the digital commerce value chain  evolves at a fast pace. The panel will examine digital commerce solutions for a range of business models including subscriptions, time-based access, metered usage, in-product/app purchases, as well as marketplaces for digital content, software, publishing, media and entertainment, cloud services, gaming and mobile apps. Topics include how to control ownership across the digital commerce value chain, eliminate margin erosion, support complex relationships and requirements, from cross-selling and bundling to subscription management to asset protection and manage the complexity of international commerce.

RSG MEDIA
Creation / Infrastructure: 
It's All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses a Right
5:00pm - 5:45pm
Digital offers an opportunity to generate new revenue streams, not just for the long tail but globally with fresh new content. As digital programmers expand their viewership, they run into the thicket of rights, rules and regulations. This all-star panel of experts will share their hard-won lessons of what to do, what not to do and how to maximize revenues across all the new platforms without running afoul of the law. Panelists include Thomas Siegman, EVP, Strategy, Innovation, & Client Relations, RSG Media, Grant Michaelson, Vice President, Business Affairs & New Media, ABC Entertainment and other special guests.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

VENABLE
Advertising / Monetization: 
The Role of Brands in Creating Effective, Impactful & Monetizable Digital Content
11:15am - noon
Moderator Po Yi, Partner, Venable LLP, explores how brands are increasingly moving beyond traditional sponsorship roles in their digital content partnerships with producers, talent and distributors. Experts in the field will discuss the role of brands, the dynamics and strategies for producing, distributing and monetizing effective branded entertainment, as well as how best to capitalize on consumers' viewing habits across multiple platforms and devices. Panelists include Steve Amato, President, Chief Content Officer & Co-Founder, Omelet Studio; Laura Caraccioli, President, Content Marketing, Electus; David Freeman, Co-Head, Brand Coverage Group, CAA; Walter Frye, Director of Entertainment Marketing & Sponsorships, American Express.

Venable Partner Justin Pierce will also be moderating a panel as part of the Digital Copyright Summit on February 19 at 2:45pm to 3:30pm entitled Balancing Act: Embracing Innovation and IP Protection, which focuses on the tension between the needs for technological innovation and intellectual property (IP) protection and how these sometimes competing interests play out in the real world.  Pierce will be joined by other soon to be announced special guests.

WATCHWITH
Creation / Infrastructure: 
The Sync-to-Broadcast Landscape & Opportunities for TV Networks, Showrunners and Advertisers 
2:45pm – 3:30pm 
Watchwith CEO Zane Vella and the company's customers map out the sync-to-broadcast landscape and opportunities for TV networks, showrunners and advertisers. Identifying best practices and lessons, the group will shine a light on the trajectory of the second screen, connected devices and the social TV space based on their existing projects. Vella will be joined by Chip Canter, SVP, Digital Product & Business Development, NBCUniversal, Tony Goncalves, SVP Digital Entertainment Products Group, DIRECTV and other special guests.

3PILLAR
Creation / Infrastructure:
Surviving Continuous Disruption – The New Digital Normal
4:00pm – 4:45pm
Tony Orlando, EVP Sales & Marketing, 3Pillar Global, credits sustained innovation and continuous disruption as the only ways to prevent the commoditization death spiral, extend a brand, maximize the value of content and, ultimately, remain an industry leader. Reliance on dated technologies and development models leads to less than elegant customer experiences and an inability to conduct business ubiquitously. Simply sustaining dying business models opens the door for a business' competition to steal its most precious commodity – its audience. This session will explore the mindset, business models and culture required to succeed in the new digital normal. Panelists include Narisa Wild, VP Product & Operations, Scripps/CityEats.com, Mara Winokur, SVP, Digital, Starz Media and other special guests.

THE LIPPIN GROUP
Social / Marketing:
Digital Dollars: Is a Seismic Shift Occurring in the Allocation of Film Industry Marketing Media Buys?
4:00pm – 4:45pm
Moderator Dick Lippin, Chairman, CEO and Founder, The Lippin Group, will ask a panel of industry heavyweights about trends, what's working and what's not in the evolving social and digital marketing of movies. Hollywood movie distributors spend approximately $4 billion per year on paid advertising (30-second TV commercials, newspaper ads, etc.), with more than half going to broadcast and cable TV.  But the money spent on social and digital marketing is growing as marketers incorporate Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and other services into the mix. Panelists include Jeff Baker, EVP, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; Kjerstin Beatty, Vice President, Media, NBC Universal; and Mario Almeida, Head of Digital Marketing, Pantelion Films (Lionsgate/Televisa joint venture).

Additionally, research insights covering digital media, video/TV/film and music will be provided by Russ Crupnick, SVP, Industry Analysis, NPD Group; Eddie Hold, Vice President, Connected Intelligence, NPD Group; Stephen Baker, Vice President of Industry Analysis, NPD Group; Michael Cai, SVP, Digital, Interpret and Grant Johnson, CEO, Interpret. Michael Simon, President and CEO, HFA will provide a state of the music industry overview prior to the View from the Top session on February 19, and Georges Schmit, Consul General, Consulate General of Luxembourg will provide remarks on February 20.

DEW also announced the addition of Kevin Conroy, President, Digital & Enterprise Development, Univision Communications, Cecily Mak, Head of Corporate Operations, Flipboard, Inc. and David Reitman, VP, Global Head Digital Commerce, hybris to the Advisory Board.

DEW Founding Sponsors are an impressive group of cross-industry leaders including NBCUniversal, HFA, Rovi, 3Pillar Global, Elastic Path Software, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, Watchwith, RSG Media, Interpret, Rixty, Ensequence, hybris, BlueSnap, YUME, Rackspace, Crunch Digital, Venable, Luxembourg Trade and Investment Office and NPD Group.

The complete list of DEW speakers to date can be viewed here. The DEW agenda can be viewed here.

Digital Entertainment World is a joint venture of IDG World Expo  and Digital Media Wire.

SOURCE IDG World Expo