Monday, April 27th, 2015

1:00 PM - 2:15 PM

Track III: Poolside Tent II

Viral and Social Media Experiences in Entertainment, Media and Advertising: Creativity & Monetization Challenges

Lia Navarro, Sales Director, Entertainment Strategy, reddit, Inc.

JR Griffin – Vice President of Digital Brand Partnerships, FremantleMedia North America

Adam Wilensky, Executive Director, Mobile, Fox Digital Entertainment

Bladimiar Norman, SVP of Marketing, Skydance Productions

Kirstin Benson, Editorial Director, WhoSay

John Montgomery, CEO and Chief Creative Officer, Threshold Interactive

Alan Wolk, Senior Analyst, tdg the diffusion group, Moderator

 advertising agency with major clients from all over Latin America, including Universal Latino, CNN en Español, Gol TV, Universal Brazil, MGM Latin America, FSC and Fox Life, giving her a global business prospective and a passion for the power of digital and social media.

JR Griffin, Vice President of Digital Brand Partnerships, FremantleMedia North America; JR oversees FMNA’s relationship with companies like Google and Facebook for shows such as American Idol.  For the first time in TV history during the past season of American Idol, Google’s online voting platform allowed fans to cast votes for their favorite contestants directly from Google Search .  The partnership with Facebook that JR spearheaded offered an unprecedented, real-time view of voting trends during the live performance shows, with Facebook-branded graphics detailing ongoing voting information.  JR’s team was recognized for their work on American Idol with a nomination for an Interactive Media Juried Award for the Social TV Experience category during last year’s 66th Emmy Awards.  JR and his team have also been instrumental in maintaining America’s Got Talent’s (AGT) position as the #1 summer TV series, as well as its position as a top-rated social TV show.  The show finished out its ninth season at the end of the summer and captured the accolade of consistently being ranked in the weekly top ten overall in the Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings.  AGT’s YouTube channel went through a complete facelift this last year by incorporating new editing styles, end cards featuring AGT judges and host Nick Cannon, and themed playlists.  This resulted in AGT reaching a milestone one million subscribers mid-way through the season, for which JR’s team received a coveted YouTube Gold Play Button award.

Kristin Benson is the West Coast Editorial Director at WhoSay. Having worked as a digital content creator as well as in front of the camera, Kirstin brings with her a unique perspective on the entertainment, celebrity, and tech worlds. Prior to joining WhoSay, Kirstin served as the Director of Entertainment and Engagement at ConnecTV. No stranger to start-ups, she was an instrumental member in launching Bonnie Fuller’s latest venture -- HollywoodLife.com -- at Penske Media Corporation. In addition to contributing to Parade Magazine and E! Online, Kirstin has produced the Primetime Emmys’ Backstage Live! show for the past two years.  A graduate of USC with majors in Communication and Theater, Kirstin also holds a Masters in Communication Management in the Entertainment Industry from USC Annenberg. Her hobbies include mixology, tap dancing and binge-watching TV.

Alan Wolk, Senior Analyst, tdg the diffusion group:  Recently appointed Senior Analyst for The Diffusion Group, Alan Wolk has become one of the industry's most influential thought leaders and futurists. He was recognized last year by Wired as one of the Top 20 Thinkers In Social TV and Second Screen. His blog, The Toad Stool, is widely read and has become a forum for discussion around the changes coming from Hollywood, Silicon Valley, Redmond, London, New York and beyond.  Wolk has written and spoken extensively about these upcoming changes and provides his insights on an exclusive basis for clients around the world via Toad Stool Consultants, where he provides bespoke advisory services for clients in the media and entertainment industries. He also serves as Chairman of the 2nd Screen Society.  Wolk was also the founder and guiding force behind the Hive Awards for the Unsung Heroes of the Internet, a new award show that debuted at SXSW Interactive in March 2010.   A frequent contributor to Digiday, Beet.TV, VideoNuze and other industry news sites, Wolk has been interviewed and quoted by everyone from NPR to The Guardian to CBC National News and recently appeared on a segment of public television's Brian Lehrer Show about the future of TV.  Prior to “seeing the light,” Wolk was a highly successful advertising creative director who spent years at ‘90s hot shop Anderson & Lembke and went on to start up Atmosphere, BBDO’s digital agency, with stints at Ogilvy and JWT along the way. A New York City native and Stuyvesant High School graduate, Wolk currently lives in New Jersey, where he doubles as a Little League and basketball coach.