With the proliferation of content that can be displayed on an increasing number of devices, anytime and anywhere, consumers have more options than ever. But with the consumer as king, the media industry is under siege, and is struggling to replace traditional business models with new revenue sources. Some companies, like Google and Apple, have found business models that work well in the new digital age, but the overall industry is fragmented and success has been elusive. Most media companies have focused on Internet advertising as the answer, often with disappointing results. How will media companies respond to challenges such as digital content standards, device interoperability, piracy and many others that could prohibit sustainable business models and growth?   When it comes to business models, what is the holy grail for media companies in the digital age? This panel of studio and media experts from the film, music and Internet industries will give us their insights into this critical issue. 

 Speakers: 

• Alex Barkaloff, Executive Producer, Digital Media - LIONSGATE
• Chris Barrett, COO - Strike.TV
• Brian J. Pass, Partner - Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
• Brad Spahr, Executive Director, Digital Distribution - Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc.
• Adam Taylor, President - APM Music, a joint venture of EMI Music Publishing and Universal Music Group

Moderator:

• Ned Sherman, CEO, Publisher & Executive Editor - Digital Media Wire

Speaker Bios:

Alex Barkaloff, Executive Producer, Digital Media - LIONSGATE

Alex Barkaloff, Executive Producer, Digital Media, Lionsgate As Executive Producer for Digital Media at Lionsgate, Alex Barkaloff is responsible for developing high-impact mobile entertainment, applications, games and communities from the company's 12,000 film library and hit TV shows as Weeds, Mad Men, Crash and Fear Itself.  Additionally, he oversees original digital productions, especially those that can be cross-developed for filmed entertainment and TV.

Prior to Lionsgate, Alex created media-based mobile applications for musical artists, graphic novels and dramatic, horror and comedy projects with such companies as UCP Morgen/qPass, Nellymoser, and mobile operators including T-Mobile, Telefonica, Belgacom, Era Poland and handset makers including Nokia.  An entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Alex founded GlobalNet Ventures in San Francisco in 1998 and ArtistOne, an online digital music distributor.  His enterprise experience ranges from Oracle to PSION (UK) to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/NASA.

Chris Barrett, COO - Strike.TV

Christopher Barrett is Chief Operating Officer of STRIKE.TV, as well as CEO and President of Metropolitan Talent Agency and MTA-Interactive. Strike.TV is an Internet-based Television Network developed by screenwriters during the Writers’ strike and marks the first time in Hollywood history where most professional writers, directors and actors can afford to fund their own productions and keep total creative freedom. With over 100 web-series and over 600 episodes, STRIKE.TV offers more produced Hollywood web-series than any other Network or online destination.  Mr. Barrett has also consulted for PermissionTV, Datagenics and others. He has been involved with numerous companies in the web video space. Among STRIKE.TV’s partners are YouTube, MySpace, Joost, Hulu, Tivo. Windows Media, KoldCast, and Cinsay.  

Brian J. Pass, Partner - Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
Entertainment, Media and Technology and Intellectual Property Practice Groups

Brian Pass advises clients in all aspects of technology and media transactions, including the licensing, development and distribution of computer software and hardware; internet and new media licensing, development and marketing; online advertising; video gaming; IT and business process outsourcing; intellectual property and trade secret protection; broadband communications; interactive television and e-commerce. Brian also advises companies on internet privacy and other regulatory issues affecting the Internet and e-commerce. Brian has a J.D. from University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, 1991, and a B.A., College of Social Studies, Wesleyan University, 1986.

Brad Spahr, Executive Director, Digital Distribution - Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc.

Brad Spahr is the Executive Director of Digital Distribution for Sony Pictures Entertainment. In that role he focuses on content licensing and strategic development for multi-platform video distribution in the U.S. market. Prior to that role, Brad ran sales and operations for Sony Pictures’ mobile video, gaming and personalization businesses, taking Sony from the 17th ranked to the 5th ranked mobile game publisher in the U.S. in less than 18 months.  Brad also launched an array of full length movie service offerings with Sprint PCS, ATT, FloTV, Best Buy and LG. Prior to that, Brad was instrumental in building Sony Pictures’ mobile Direct-to-Consumer business and launching the casual gaming portal SonyPicturesGames.com.  Brad is a graduate of Southern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in Radio and Television with a core focus on Interactive Multimedia Technology, and a minor in marketing. Brad is also on the Board of the Technology Council.

Ned Sherman, CEO, Publisher & Executive Editor - Digital Media Wire

Ned Sherman is CEO, Publisher and Executive Editor of Digital Media Wire, a leading online media company that provides daily news, information and community to tens of thousands of executives and professionals at entertainment, media and technology companies throughout the world and owns and produces nine annual conferences.  The advertising, sponsorship, client, partner and subscriber relationships that Ned has brokered make Digital Media Wire one of the best known media and entertainment industry brands to emerge in the digital age.  Ned also writes a weekly column Digital Media Week in Review and has published two books, Millennials & The Digital Entertainment Age: A Sourcebook for Consumer Marketers and The Digital Entertainment & Media Directory. Ned works at the center of the rapidly growing digital media industry, where he brokers relationships and keeps a tab on the most important developments shaping the industry. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Publisher Ned Sherman is more than the average pundit: He is an attorney and has an inside grasp of what is happening.” Ned graduated from Brown University.

Adam Taylor, President - APM Music, a joint venture of EMI Music Publishing and Universal Music Group

Adam Taylor is the President of APM Music, the largest production music library in the world, a joint-venture of EMI Music Publishing and Universal Music Group. APM’s client list boasts an impressive array of names, from major broadcast television networks and video game publishers to the NFL, and the company offers over 200,000 titles for licensing in addition to custom scoring services. Prior to his service at APM, Adam served in executive positions with Caswell-Massey, Goldman/Taylor Entertainment and Taylor/Fox Enterprises. Adam has pursued creative digital distribution models for audio content, and is always looking for new outlets for APM’s music.