Arts, Entertainment and Media Conference: SPEAKER BIOS

SPEAKER BIOS

Panel 1, 10-11:15am

New Models for Adoption of New Media: Acquisitions, Partnerships and their Prospects

Jeff Anders, Co-Founder & CEO, The Mark News
Jeff has nearly a decade of experience innovating in companies and international organizations. He worked for five years at Mercer Oliver Wyman as a strategy consultant to executives of Fortune 500 companies. Later, as an independent consultant, Jeff was retained by Hewlett Packard in India to help launch a team of local PhDs to perform marketing analytics for Western clients. Subsequently, he worked with a software provider in Beijing to raise capital and plan its international expansion. Jeff completed a Bachelor of Commerce at McGill, a MBA at MIT, and a Masters in Public Administration at Harvard.

Jason Dojc, Senior Account Manager - Digital, Edelman
Jason created his first web site when the Internet’s alleged ‘inventor’, Al Gore, was Vice President. He’s been living a digital life ever since. Now that digital media has gone social, he has a social life too. Friends are on Facebook; colleagues on LinkedIn. News comes from RSS feeds and Twitter and the important stories get socially bookmarked on Delicious. When he makes sense of the information overload, he blogs about it, tweets about it, educates his agency colleagues at Edelman Digital and applies it to client marketing campaigns.

Roma Ebrahim, Director of Marketing & Partnerships, Interactive Ontario
Roma began her career in media in 2000 with a stint at Carat Media services in Mumbai, India. In the years following, she has worked as a journalist with Mid Day Multimedia (Pune, India), and led branding and marketing projects for the Pune Mid Day print edition. Later, she worked with Schulich’s CS department on online/ web strategy, and is currently director of marketing and partnerships at Interactive Ontario, the trade association for new media companies. At IO, Roma works for the companies in Ontario’s interactive digital media and games sectors to promote their visibility and help drive business to the province.

Brian Porter, Asst. Vice President, New Media, Royal Ontario Museum
Brian is Asst. VP, New Media, at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada. He is responsible for delivering the Museum’s great stories and research through the synergies of several departments including digital video/audio through the Media Production unit, web and social media development through the Web Production unit and photography and rights and licensing through the Ivey Imaging Centre. He is also responsible for Publications and the ROM’s Digital Gallery where the virtual world meets the real.

Panel 2, 11:30-12:45pm

Development and Programming: How Strategic Partnerships can help to achieve D&P goals

Derrick Chua, Entertainment Lawyer, Independent Theatre Producer
Derrick Chua is an entertainment lawyer and an award-winning theatre producer whose most recent production was the Studio 180 / Mirvish Productions remount presentation of David Hare’s Stuff Happens (Royal Alexandra Theatre), originally produced at the Berkeley Street Theatre. He is also an entertainment lawyer who received his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Ontario in 1992, was Called to the Bar in Ontario in 1994 and Called to the Bar in New York in 1995.  He has operated his own practice since 1996, specializing in the areas of Corporate / Commercial and Entertainment Law.

Kevin Frank, Artistic Director, Second City Training Centre
Kevin has been a professional actor for 25 years. During this time, he has performed in over 60 television commercials and has had countless appearances in popular series television. He has been a guest on shows like Street Legal, Due South, the Red Green Show, Twice in a lifetime and Traders. Kevin hosted the popular children’s game show Kidstreet for five years (350 episodes) and co-starred with Walter Matthau and Carol Burnett in the Marriage Fool. He enjoyed success as the host of Life Networks’ Pet Project, which received 4 Gemini nominations, including Best Host in a Lifestyle & Information Program. Recently, Kevin guest starred on the hit show on the Comedy Network, The Endless Grind, Newsroom 2, and the Royal Canadian Air Farce and Train 48. He is now Artistic Director of the Second City Training Centre and teaches improv to today’s new hopefuls. He also delivers corporate workshops to Fortune 500 companies throughout North America.

Hugh Neilson, Managing Director, Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People
Hugh Neilson took on the role of Managing Director at Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People with more than 20 years’ all-round experience in the arts as a manager, administrator, director, producer, trainer, writer and performer. From 1985 to 1993 Hugh was the chief instructor and General Manager of the Canadian Improv Games (CIG). From 1993 to 2000 Hugh wrote on fifteen animated series for children. From 2001 to 2007 he was the Deputy Director of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT). As General Manager at Theatre Passe Muraille he oversaw the company through a difficult time and was instrumental in eliminating its accumulated deficit and leading it into two years of surpluses. He is active in the community and volunteers his time consulting with emerging artists and companies.

Keynote, 1:15-2pm

Dave Hopkinson, Senior Vice President Business Partnerships, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment

David presides over the largest and most diverse sports business portfolio in Canada, and one of the largest in North America. His portfolio includes leadership of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment’s Corporate Sponsorships, Broadcast Sales and Executive Suites.

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is the premiere sports entertainment company in Canada, and a global leader in sports entertainment. MLSE’s assets include the NHL Maple Leafs, the NBA Toronto Raptors, the AHL Marlies and Toronto F.C. of Major League Soccer. MLSE’s facilities include the Air Canada Centre, Ricoh Coliseum, and BMO Field. MLSE also owns and operates three 24-hour sports TV stations, Leafs TV, Raptors NBA TV and GolTV. In addition, David’s Broadcast Sales team sells all NBA television properties in Canada, airing on broadcasters CBC, The Score and TSN.

David brings 16 years of sports sales, marketing and leadership experience to MLSE, having begun his career with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts in 1993.

David Hopkinson has been with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment since 1994; starting with the expansion NBA Toronto Raptors. He was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2009.

Dave, his wife Lawrie and their daughters Claire and Miranda live in the Beach in Toronto.

Panel 3, 2-3:15pm

Changing Revenue Models and Business Relationships:What does the Future hold for Marketing and Advertising in Media

Heidi McCulloch, VP Strategic Planner, MacLaren McCann
As head of MacLaren McCann’s Strategic Planning discipline, Heidi is engaged across the integrated agency to leverage strategic thinking, inspire creative ideas and support the insightful development of all communications across all mediums. Heidi’s background is diverse, having started as a client-side marketer in the hospitality sector, working independently in consumer research as well as taking on an entrepreneurial venture owning an independent boutique hotel.  The bulk of her 16 years’ work experience however has been concentrated in advertising with agencies such as TBWA/Chiat/Day and Zig.  Heidi studied Psychology at the University of Western Ontario and is still trying to find time to complete her Masters of Psychology with Yorkville University in New Brunswick.

Vijay Setlur, Tourism, Sport & Leisure Marketing Professor
Vijay Setlur is a course instructor, reporter, consultant and aspiring business leader with a passion for soccer, particularly Canada’s men’s national team. Currently, Vijay teaches tourism, sport and leisure marketing in the BBA program at Schulich School of Business, York University.  Previously, he taught sport marketing and event management at York University’s School of Kinesiology and Health Science.  When not teaching, he reports on international soccer as a freelance journalist covering CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football), Canada’s national teams and Toronto FC for CONCACAF.com, MLSnet.com, CBCSports.ca, CBC Radio, and The Fan 590.  Since 2006, Vijay has participated in over 50 radio and television interviews providing analysis on various teams, matches and international events.  As well, Vijay has experience in the business of soccer having managed media operations at the Toronto venue of FIFA Under-20 World Cup Canada 2007. The proud Toronto native and resident has a MBA (2009) from Schulich School of Business with a focus on marketing, international business and strategic management.  Vijay also has certificates in Public Relations from Ryerson University and Event Management from The George Washington University.

Grant Robertson, Business and Media Editor, Globe & Mail
Grant Robertson really wanted to be a sports reporter, but ended up as a business reporter. He has written for The Globe and Mail and the Report on Business Magazine for the past five years and has covered everything from airlines to the oil patch. Prior to that, he was a Parliament Hill reporter in Ottawa. He once lent the prime minister a pen, and it was never returned. He has twice been cited for the Michener Award, the Governor General’s award for public service journalism, and for the past four years has focused on the upheaval in the print and broadcast sectors. Covering the media industry is the most difficult and most enjoyable job he’s ever had.

MBA MEC UPDATE! Register Jan 28th

Registration for MEC 2010 will be live on January 28th, 2010.

www.mbamec.com

And reminder our Arts & Media Conference is Saturday March 13th at the Schulich School of Business - mark your diaries!