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THE FUTURE OF ONLINE MEDIA DISTRIBUTION EVENT IS NOW OVER.

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Screen Digest is pleased to announce an invite only, afternoon conference, covering the rapidly evolving online entertainment landscape. The lively afternoon event will comprise a keynote presentation followed by two panel sessions which will thrash-out the key issues surrounding multi-platform distribution of digital content.

Drinks and canapés (sponsored by Ioko) will be served after the event.


KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Erik Huggers is the Director of BBC Future Media & Technology and a member of the BBC's Executive Board.
He took up the role in August 2008, and is responsible for the BBC's output over the Internet, interactive TV and mobile services, helping audiences enjoy a seamless experience of BBC programmes, wherever they may be. He was previously Group Controller, BBC Future Media & Technology, having joined the Corporation in May 2007. Erik joined the BBC from Microsoft, where he worked across a wide variety of industry changing digital media initiatives. Prior to joining Microsoft, Erik worked with Endemol Entertainment as Director of Business Development for their interactive division.
He was born and educated in the Netherlands and is married with two children.

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CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
Ariff Sidi, Director of Product & Technology, Digital Media - ABC Digital Media - [View biography]
Evan Cohen, VP Strategy & Operations - Bebo - [View biography]
Jonathan Lewis, Head of Digital Media - Five - [View biography]
Anthony Lukom, Managing Director - MySpace - [View biography]
John Robson, VP & GM Digital Distribution EMEA - Paramount Pictures - [View biography]
Griff Parry, Director of On-Demand - BSkyB - [View biography]
Nainan Shah, VP, New Platform Planning & Development - Sony Computer Entertainment - [View biography]
Kirby Myers, Director of Strategy and Business Development, Tesco Plc - [View biography]
Nick Hopkins, Head of Advanced Technology - Virgin Media - [View biography]
Marc Gareton, EVP International, Digital Distribution - Warner Bros - [View biography]



TO REGISTER
There is no charge to attend this event which is by invitation only. For further information or to register please email fay.hamilton@screendigest.com or call on +44 (0)20 7424 2820.
You will not be allowed entry on the day unless you have pre-registered.


SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Ariff Sidi works for Disney-ABC Television as Director, Technology & Product Development in the Digital Media group where he has a broad range of leadership responsibilities in Product Development, Operations, and Engineering for ABC Digital Media's video platforms. This includes ABC.com's Emmy-award winning "Full Episode Player," a product for which Ariff designed both the original end-to-end, highly modular and scalable systems architecture and many of the business processes that underpin the platform. Product and advertising innovations in the Full Episode Player have garnered Ariff eight pending patents and Disney Inventor Awards.Prior to his current role at Disney-ABC, Ariff built his 13 years of Internet and software development experience in such places as Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Online, Qualcomm, and JPL/NASA. Ariff holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of California, San Diego and will shortly receive an M.B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management.

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Evan Cohen works to identify, assess and push forward commercial growth opportunities for Bebo and AOL People Networks as a whole, and devising how best to integrate the AOL People Networks properties.Prior to Bebo, Evan worked as a strategy consultant for MTM London, a boutique consultancy dedicated to developing new media strategies for television companies. Before moving to Europe, Evan was a Senior Vice President for Jupiter Research, an international research and consulting firm specializing in Internet business strategy and consumer media behavior.Evan holds an MBA from INSEAD and a BA from Harvard University.

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Jonathan Lewis Within the last 14 months responsible for setting up the Digital Media Department within Five. Responsible for establishing an 18 strong Digital Media team, encompassing Online, VOD (including closed platform deals) and Mobile. From inception charged with establishing Five's Online Vision / purpose which culminated in a 4 month long project to define the overall Digital Media Strategy. 3 clear goals in 2008 to implement the re-launch of Demand Five (Five's new VOD catch-up service), to re-launch Five.tv, and to establish a presence in the Mobile space.
Responsible for the business and resource planning which led RTL to agree to a multimillion pound investment into the Digital over the next 3 years. Responsible for all areas of the Digital Media from content creation, to engaging in brand partnerships to the delivery of commercial revenues. Leader of the Bertlesmann Synergy Committee for the last 2 years – managing a group of senior executives within the Bertlesmann UK group companies to come up with ways of leveraging the ownership of the companies to generate profit making ideas. Member of the RTL Online taskforce; charged with helping share ideas and strategies with Digital Directors in each of the key RTL group key territories including France, Germany and Netherlands.

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Anthony Lukom is Managing Director for the UK at MySpace, the world's premier social network with over 118 million users worldwide. In only four years, MySpace has become the largest and most dynamic social platform for connecting with friends, discovering popular culture and making a positive impact on the world. In this role, Anthony is responsible for spearheading the growth of the UK business for MySpace. He oversee the development of MySpace's UK partnerships such as the exclusive deal with Five News. The announcement marks the first agreement to share content between a national news channel and a social networking site in the UK. Anthony also implements the strategic direction for the UK business. Anthony joined MySpace from AOL Europe where he held the positions of Director, Strategic Alliances Group and Head of Search Commercial Strategy. In this role Anthony was responsible for product operations, partner management and product ownership. Earlier on in his career, Anthony worked as lawyer having received a Bachelor of Civil Law from Keble College, Oxford University.

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John Robson, is Vice President and General Manager, Digital Distribution EMEA. John is responsible for establishing Paramount's Digital Distribution interests including Download-to-Own, Video-on-Demand, Subscription and Free Video-on-Demand, across Europe, Middle East and Africa. Previously, John held both positions as Commercial Director and Marketing Director of Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment UK. Prior to this, John held various roles at leading British supermarket chain; J Sainsbury's, including being responsible for their national television advertisement and in-store marketing strategy. John holds a Bachelor's degree from Manchester Metropolitan University and currently resides in Cambridgeshire, UK with his family.

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Griff Parry leads Sky's OnDemand operations which encompass TV, PC and mobile. Reporting into Sky's Commercial Group, Griff has responsibilities for services such as Sky Player and the wider development of Sky's on-demand proposition. He also leads the team working on Go!View, the joint venture with Sony Europe which offers on demand content to Sony PSP owners.
Griff joined BSkyB in 1998. Before taking up his current role in April 2006 he held a senior role in Sky's business development team, focussing on the company's activities on new distribution platforms. He previous worked in Sky's strategic planning team and in its Sky Networks and Sky Productions content divisions. Before joining BSkyB in 1998, he spent three years as a business analyst and consultant with the international management consultancy, Arthur D Little.

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Nainan Shah is Vice President of New Product Planning and Development at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. His team is responsible for new business development activity expanding the scope of the PlayStation business in Europe and for planning the introduction of new console products and new system software. Recent activity has included the Go!Explore GPS navigation product for PSP, the Go!Messenger collaboration with BT, the award winning PlayTV for PS3, the collaboration with Vidzone for advertising-funded music video services to PS3, the joint venture with BSkyB and the collaboration with Canal Play for video services to PSP. He has previously been involved in industry activity as Vice Chairman of ELSPA and was a founding trustee of the Entertainment Software Charity. Prior to his current role he was involved in setting up distribution and anti-piracy activity in the emerging markets of Eastern Europe, Russia and the Middle East and Business Affairs activity with game developers and publishers. Nainan has been with SCEE for 14 years, prior to which he was a solicitor in private practice specializing in music, digital media and IP. He lives in London and is married to Uma with two children Aroon and Juno.

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Kirby Myers is a retail veteran having spent the last 15 years leading some of the greatest technology resellers in the US, Canada & here in the UK. As Executive Vice-President of Insight Direct, Kirby built Insight's thriving international business into Canada, Germany and here in the UK, in Sheffield where Insight currently occupies the number 2 position in the SME marketplace. Kirby then took over as President of Micro Warehouse Inc. a consumer focused catalogue, web and phone based technology reseller which had operation in 8 countries and through their Mac Warehouse division, was the world's largest non-direct reseller of Apple products prior to Apple's own entry into retail. Kirby then moved on to Best Buy where he established Best Buy For Business Direct, the SME focused division of the world's largest consumer electronics retailer. For the past two years, Kirby has been Tesco's Director of Strategy and Business Development for the Electrical's & Entertainment departments and heads Tesco's new digital entertainment store.

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Nick Hopkins has been head of advanced technologies at Virgin Media since 2006 and is involved in pioneering technology initiatives across the group, most recently working on converged next generation TV. Nick joined Virgin Media from Virgin Mobile where he looked after technical strategy as part of the corporate strategy function. Nick helped launch Virgin Mobile France and also helped launch Virgin Mobile in the UK. Prior to Virgin Mobile, Nick held a number of challenging positions within consulting organisations such as KPMG and CSC in a variety of countries. Even further back in the mists of time, Nick worked with IBM and Xerox. The impact of the convergence of the customer with technology has been a constant throughout Nick's career. As have corporate golf days.

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Marc Gareton joined Warner Bros. in 1995 in France as Marketing Manager where he implemented some key "industry firsts", Marc was then in charge of coordinating the launch of DVD in Europe out of the Paris office before being promoted to Managing Director of WHV Australia in 1998. Moved to Los Angeles in 2002 to become SVP Latin America for WHV, a region that became Latin America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand soon after. In 2005, Marc was asked to lead the company's Global Business Transformation, redefining the strategy and turning the division into a process based organisation. Promoted to Warner Bros. Digital Distribution as Senior Vice President International in February 2007, Marc became Executive VP a year later. In this current post, London-based, Marc oversees digital strategy, partnerships in digital services and emerging business activity.

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