Mike Vorhaus | President, Magid Advisors, Frank N. Magid Associates
Mike founded the Magid Internet and New Media research and consultation practice in 1995, with AOL and Excite as his first two clients. Mike’s team has completed over 2,500 engagements with over 100 Internet clients. Mike began the Magid Gaming Practice in 2001 with EA and Sony Online as his first two clients. The Magid Game Practice now works with most of the major game publishers. Mike provides research and consulting services to a number of major traditional media companies in regard to their new media initiatives, as well as consulting a number of leading Internet and gaming companies. He has also provided advice to venture capital and private equity firms in regard to investments in the media space. Mike has been involved in strategic and tactical consulting, including the launch of new services and programming, as well as development and implementation of online and offline marketing programs. Mike has also been extensively involved in video and PC gaming strategies for a number of our companies, as well as the development of game concepts. Mike has consulted on a number of film projects such as You’ve Got Mail and The Matrix. He holds a B.S. in psychology and sociology from Wesleyan University and has worked as a fundraiser and transfer of technology officer at the California Institute of Technology and the University of California. Mike also worked for the U.S. House of Representatives, The U.S. Senate, and for two Administrations in the White House.
Frank Richards | Founder, SmartZip Analytics, NorthPoint Group and Protocall
Frank Richards is a seasoned direct marketing and technology professional, having spent over two decades founding and growing technology-enabled direct marketing companies. A serial entrepreneur, Frank is at the forefront of coupling Internet marketing strategies with traditional marketing and customer service initiatives. In 2008, Frank founded SmartZip Analytics, Inc., a venture-backed (Claremont Creek Ventures, Javelin Ventures and Intel Capital) company. SmartZip, Inc. empowers real estate brokers, investors and homebuyers and sellers with innovative Internet marketing tools and by applying proven stock and bond rating algorithms to a residential real estate context. Previously, in 2001 Frank founded NorthPoint, a leading investment and financial advisory firm. The NorthPoint Group provided thousands of clients with proprietary research, investment strategy, out-of-state property acquisition, property management, and long-term portfolio optimization. NorthPoint directed the investment of over $1 billion in residential real estate nationwide. Early in his career Frank founded Protocall, a technology-driven direct marketing services firm which he led through its acquisition by Intek in 1997 and IPO in 2000. Protocall supported numerous Fortune 100 companies ranging from Sony to American Express to Wells Fargo and pioneered numerous innovative strategies and technologies relevant to the interplay between Internet lead generation and call center protocol. Frank received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Davis and continued his post graduate education at The University of Essex, England.
Ralph Simon | CEO, The Mobilium Group, Chairman Emeritus & Founder, MEF – America
Ralph Simon is recognized as one of the founders of the modern mobile music and entertainment business in the USA and Europe. He is chairman emeritus and founder of the Mobile Entertainment Forum Americas, the principal global trade association and leading advocate for the Mobile Entertainment industry established to represent the commercial interests of content, application and service providers and telecom operators, and President & CEO of The Mobilium Group, the respected mobile strategic advisory firm that guides US and international media companies, networks and brands to grow revenues and market share from mobile content, mobile entertainment properties and technologies. His involvement in the global mobile entertainment and content business since its inception brings together a vast array of skills acquired from a distinguished career in the music, music publishing and the mobile technology industry. Ralph has proven expertise in strategic company development, content & copyright usage, mobile rights architecture, super-distribution, mobile platforms, copyright usage and mobile business development. In 1998, he co-founded and funded the USA & UK & Europe’s first ring tone company, Yourmobile/Moviso (now known as Infospace Mobile the US market leader in mobile aggregation). He currently advises prominent companies, entertainment properties and artists (including U2) in the USA and internationally on ways to maximize and develop their mobile businesses and revenues and create significant commercial opportunities on a global basis. On July 2, 2005, he organized and executive produced the mobile and mobile messaging layer for the Live 8 world concert event that established the validity of cross-platform mobile strategies as well as ultimately leading world leaders and G8 governments to commit $50billion to reduce global poverty. In December 2005 he was picked as one of the Top 50 mobile entertainment executives world-wide, in an authoritative poll conducted by the respected trade journal, Mobile Entertainment Magazine. Prior to starting the mobile entertainment revolution, he co-founded the Zomba Group and Jive Records which grew to become the world’s most successful independent record and music publishing company. In the mid-1990s, he was Executive Vice President of Capitol Records, Blue Note Records and created EMI’s New Media business. Ralph Simon is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in the UK and a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences in the USA. He maintains offices in Los Angeles, London and Berlin.
Seth Friedman | Business Partner, Will.i.am, and Artist Manager
As an artist manager, Seth Friedman has helped guide and grow the music careers of acts in the hip-hop, rock, and pop arenas. His awareness and understanding of emerging trends combined with his marketing and business savvy have established him as a proven and talented advisor. Mr. Friedman is currently business partner of Will.i.am and artist manager. Previously, he was an artist manager at Red Light Management (Dave Matthews Band, Alicia Keys, etc.). In 1999, Mr. Friedman joined DAS Communications, Ltd., a full service management company located in New York established in 1976. Clients of DAS Communications have included Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Bone Thugs N’ Harmony, Nas, Jimmy Iovine, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Keith Thomas, The Fugees, Joan Osborne, Spacehog, The Jungle Brothers, Willa Ford, 98′ and The Black Eyed Peas, to name a few. DAS Communications clients have sold upwards of 200 million records worldwide to date. In 2001, Seth and his artists successfully partnered with cYclops productions and its clients on an assortment of different projects for brands like LEVI’S, MTV, Motorola, Dr. Pepper, Coors, Miller Lite and The Shield.
J. Jeffrey Hagan | Cross-border Finance and Consulting Professional
Jeffrey Hagan is an accomplished, internationally-focused finance professional and consultant. Currently residing in Shanghai, China, Mr. Hagan is a San Francisco Bay Area native with deep ties to Northern California’s prominent technology, alternative energy, real estate and venture capital communities. His current professional activities include assisting and advising select entities in matters related to Asia-US cross-border investment, finance and M&A, leveraging strong relationships amongst the leading regional companies, PE firms and venture investors. Over the course of a nearly 25-year career, Jeff’s experience has included serving as a Managing Director with Canaccord Genuity (2008-2012), which he joined in San Francisco to manage that firm’s West Coast TMT and CleanTech investment banking practices, and with which he later relocated to China to assume responsibility for all TMT, Cleantech and Consumer investment banking practices in Asia. Mr. Hagan has additionally held senior investment banking positions at Oppenheimer & Co. (Managing Director; head of West Coast TMT, 2005-2008) and UBS (Executive Director; Global Head of Communications technology, 1995-2002). In addition to his senior investment banking experience, Jeff spent several years with Innovation Investments and The Metcalf Group (2002-2005) where his efforts were largely focused on principal investment in and development of renewable energy projects in the United States. Jeff also spent time in Asia earlier in his career, working for Sumitomo Bank Capital Markets out of Hong Kong, where he also studied Mandarin Chinese, and prior to that was with Trammell Crow Ventures in the US. Mr. Hagan holds a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Psychology from Stanford University, as well as a Master of Business Administration (Finance) degree from The Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania).
Lesley Callaghan | Director, Callaghan Marketing
Lesley Callaghan is a marketing and commercial executive with a proven track record and 20 years’ experience in the Football (Soccer) Industry. As company director at Sunderland AFC for 19 years from 1992 to 2011, she had direct responsibility for all aspects of Marketing, PR and Commercial Operations at Sunderland AFC, which currently plays in the Premier League. With a recognized expertise in marketing, she was responsible for all aspects of brand and product marketing and development, campaign conception, creation and execution, public relations as well as digital media and publishing. From a commercial perspective, she was responsible for the recruitment and management of Sponsorship and Affinity Partners including the Club’s Technical Partners. The commercial role also encompassed the development, management and sales of corporate hospitality, advertising and events including concerts. In addition, she had responsibility for the club’s retail operations and ticketing, which saw the Club consistently ranked in the Top 6 for attendances in English Football, whilst a member and outside the Premier League. As a member of a small executive board, she was also involved in the planning and strategic development of the club, examples of which included the move from Roker Park to the Stadium of Light, flotation on, and subsequent delisting from, the London Stock Exchange as well as working through two separate changes of ownership. Always active in the wider business community, she led the club’s successful bid for 2018 World Cup Host City Status by bringing together and coordinating a team drawn from the private, public and academic sectors throughout the North East. As Chair of the City of Sunderland Marketing Board, she chaired a management board which planned and implemented marketing campaigns and activities for the wider City of Sunderland. She was a member of the Development Board for the SAFC Foundation.
Robert Tercek | President, General Creativity
Robert Tercek is one of the world’s most prolific creators of interactive content. He has created breakthrough entertainment experiences on every digital platform, including satellite television, game consoles, broadband Internet, interactive television and mobile networks. His expertise spans television, telecommunications and software. In 2009, he was named one of the “25 Executives to Watch” by Digital Media Wire. Variety has named him one of the “Digital Dozen” most influential players in new media. The Industry Standard dubbed him a “TV Anarchist”. His 22-year career is marked by achievements which include several milestones: the first multichannel television service in Asia (STAR TV in 1991); the first multiplayer Java games on the Web (Sony, 1997); the first interactive game shows on US Television (Sony, 1999); the world’s first streaming video service on mobile phones (PacketVideo and NTT DoCoMo’s V-Live, 2001); the largest audience for live interactive video events on the web (Oprah Winfrey’s 2009 web casts); the most popular free book download in history (Suze Orman on Oprah.com, 2009). Tercek has served in executive leadership roles at major media companies, most recently as President of Digital Media at OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, and previously as Senior Vice President of Digital Media at Sony Pictures Entertainment and earlier as Creative Director at MTV: Music Television. He also co-founded five startup ventures, including 7th Level, Inc which went public in 1993. Mr Tercek has provided strategic insight and advice to many companies seeking to enter the networked entertainment market, including: Nokia, Motorola, AMD, MSN, Sony Computer Entertainment, Taito, Bandai Networks, Siegel and Gale, CMP Media Group, VNU Media Group, and The Anthony Robbins Companies. He has served as an advisor to several successful startups, including BrightCove, Sulake Labs/Habbo Hotel, M.Metrics (acquired by Comscore), MediaCode/Muse.net (acquired by Yahoo) and NevenVision (acquired by Google). He has supervised new media strategy and the creation of online programs for many of the world’s leading motivational speakers and authors, including Anthony Robbins, Oprah Winfrey, Suze Orman, Dr Mehmet Oz, Elizabeth Lesser, Jean Chatsky, David Bach, Marcus Buckingham, Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford, and Martha Beck. His entertainment credits include some of the most successful interactive titles on digital platforms, including Oprah Winfrey’s Live Your Best Life live web casts, Jeopardy Online and Wheel of Fortune Online, the bestselling Monty Python CD ROM series, and award-winning mobile content based on media brands from CBS Sports, World Poker Tour, Marvel Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, Hasbro, Activision and many more. He has been a featured speaker at NAB, CES, GDC, MIPTV, MILIA, E3 Expo, Sundance Film Festival, South By Southwest, X Media Lab, 5D New Television, Tokyo Game Fair, the Austin Game Conference, 3GSM, KidScreen Summit, MIT’s Future of Entertainment summit, CTIA, The Future of Television Summit, The Mobile Games Seminar, The New York Games and Mobile Conference, and many private corporate events. He serves as an adjunct professor and lecturer at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television. He is a voting member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and contributed to the founding of the Interactive Media Peer Group at ATAS. He has lived and worked throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Ted Cohen | Managing Partner, TAG Strategic
Integrating his widespread digital authority in music, mobile, IPTV and product & service development, Ted Cohen is the Managing Partner of TAG Strategic. In an industry that’s been slow to embrace change, Cohen is the exception to the stereotypical music-exec rule. Of course, when you start a career on the road with Alice Cooper and Van Halen, you’re more primed for the unexpected. Known throughout the technology and music industries as being “part ambassador and part evangelist,” Cohen was instrumental in crafting the licensing agreements upon which the Rhapsody subscription service and the iTunes Music Store were built. In his previous role as Senior Vice President of Digital Development & Distribution for EMI Music (home of artists including Coldplay and the Rolling Stones), Cohen led next-generation digital business development worldwide for this “big four” record company, which includes labels such as Capitol, Virgin, Angel/Blue Note, Parlophone and Chrysalis. During that time, EMI led the industry by embracing and exploiting new technologies and business models such as digital downloads and online music subscriptions, custom compilations, wireless services, high-definition audio and Internet radio. In addition to seeking out, evaluating and executing business opportunities for the company on a global basis, Cohen served as both a strategist and key decision-maker for EMI’s global new media and anti-piracy efforts. He worked to establish company-wide digital policies, which have provided EMI’s artists and labels a substantial advantage in the digital music arena. Prior to his role at EMI, Cohen served as Executive Vice President of Digital Music Network Inc., where he co-founded and served as Chairman of the groundbreaking Webnoize conferences. Cohen also led two highly successful new media consulting operations, DMN Consulting and Consulting Adults, attracting clients such as Amazon.com, Microsoft, Universal Studios, DreamWorks Records, Liquid Audio, Wherehouse Records/Checkout.com and various other entertainment, technology and new media organizations. Cohen also held senior management positions at both Warner Bros. Records and Philips Media. A 30-year industry veteran, Cohen was recently elected Chairman of the Mobile Entertainment Forum Americas board, and currently chairs MidemNet, an international music/technology conference convened in Cannes each year. Cohen also serves on the NARAS (Grammy) Los Angeles chapter Board of Governors as well as the national Trustee Board, the Board of Directors for the Neil Bogart Memorial Fund, co-chairs the new media arm of the T.J. Martell Foundation, and lends his time and talents to music & technology education efforts such as the Grammy In The Schools Program.
Stephen Bradley | Managing Partner, Farmingville Capital
Mr. Bradley has been involved in disruptive, game-changing media ventures since 1982 when he helped develop and commercialize the first interactive video technology developed at the MIT Media Lab. Mr. Bradley currently serves as Managing Director of Farmingville Capital, and founding CEO of AuthorBee, a disruptive social publishing venture built around a highly innovative platform for collaborative story-writing. Most recently, he served as President Entertainment with the NPD Group, a global leader in media research and analysis, where he was responsible for business strategy, operations and a marquis client list that included all major record labels, movie studios and video game publishers. Prior to NPD, Mr. Bradley spent several years in venture capital where he led early investments in, and served on the boards of directors of, several successful industry-disrupting ventures including Pandora (Internet radio), Skillsoft (online education), Ontos (object-oriented programming), Knowledgesoft (online skills management), Biometric Solutions (biometrics) and XY Enterprise (content management). Earlier in his career, Mr. Bradley served with Gartner, a global leader in information technology research, helping the company to achieve growth from $45 million to $850+ million in revenues and a $3.5 billion market cap during his 12-year tenure. Mr. Bradley served the company as officer & EVP Marketing, and earlier held several research leadership positions in the areas of applications development technology. During his tenure, Mr. Bradley also led 3 technology-based training acquisitions to form and become founding president of Gartner Learning, the IT industry’s first B2B web-based education company. Mr. Bradley has an A.B. from Dartmouth College (Computer Science), is a member of the Grammy Recording Academy and the General Assembly incubator in Manhattan, and currently speaks at media industry conferences on the topic of “collaborative storytelling.”