OTT.X, the trade association for streamers, on May 4 will hold its second annual OTT.X Leadership Development Foundation Summit.
The keynote speaker for the one-day virtual event is David Bishop, a home entertainment industry veteran who served as president for two major-studio home entertainment divisions, first MGM Home Video and then Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, and is now a professional leadership coach and consultant.
Also on the agenda are panel discussions with industry leaders, executives and HR professionals about mentorship, career advancement, diversity and inclusion.
The OTT.X Leadership Development Foundation was formed by OTT.X to develop leaders in business and technical roles, especially focusing on diversity and inclusion.
“Through the LDF, leaders share their experience, knowledge and professional networks to support and inspire those growing into leadership roles,” said Eric Hanson, OTT.X EVP.
Kristen Bedno, VP of distribution and marketing at Vision Films and LDF Summit chair, said the foundation’s overall mission “is to grow and nurture the future leaders of our OTT industry, with a specific emphasis on providing women and underrepresented minorities tools to help them earn their seat at the decision-making table.”
Admission to the May 4 OTT.X Leadership Development Foundation Summit is free. Register here.
OTT.X on July 28 announced plans to host its first-ever Career and Leadership Development Summit on Aug. 12, using an online format similar to its popular “OTT.X Online Live” sessions.
The summit will feature three components, including a conference session with career and leadership development presentations delivered by successful executives; a series of informal discussion sessions between industry executives and conference attendees; and a “happy-hour” networking session.
Steve Nickerson
Featured speakers include industry veterans Steve Nickerson, formerly of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Toshiba Corp.; Jason Peterson, chairman of the GoDigital Media Group; and Michele Edelman, head of growth with Premiere Video.
Other speakers include Teresa Philips, CEO of Spherex; Narendra Reddy, EVP and GM of The Africa Channel; and Paulette Pantoja, CEO of Blu; Jill Allen, SVP of digital distribution for Sony Pictures; Beth Anderson, AVP of digital strategy and business development for BBC Studios; Allison Martin, senior manager of content planning for BBC Studios; Kristen Bedno, director of domestic distribution and marketing for Vision Films; Lise Romanoff, managing director and CEO of worldwide distribution for Vision Films; and Lonni Silverman, director of client services, for Sony Pictures.
“The goal of the summit is to help prepare an inclusive population of professionals interested in advancing in business and technical roles in the entertainment industry and to provide opportunities to develop their leadership skills, contacts and confidence,” said Mark Fisher, OTT.X president and CEO. “Supporting the growth and professional development of future leaders and the diversity of those holding leadership positions is vital to our industry’s continued success. Our first Leadership Development Summit will provide a platform for leaders to share valuable insights and for a diverse community of professionals of all levels to connect and learn from each other.”
Fisher also will speak, as will Eric Hanson, OTT.X’s VP of industry leadership.
To create an inclusive and diverse community of participants, women and minorities are especially encouraged to register and attend, Fisher said. The morning conference portion of the event is free for all OTT industry professionals. Afternoon discussion and networking sessions are free to any employee of an OTT.X member organization.
The conference is being hosted by OTT.X’s Leadership Development Foundation (LDF), an organization dedicated to the vision of a diverse and inclusive business and technical workforce in the OTT video entertainment industry, supported by a broad range of career and leadership development opportunities. The LDF is overseen by a steering committee with representatives from content providers, channels, retailers and service providers in the OTT video industry.
For more information and to register visit the OTT.X website.
The Entertainment Merchants Association has added seven new members: Bitmax, iNDEMAND, Movies Anywhere, Rev, Rightsline, TV Time and Vision Films.
Bitmax is a digital media management company that supports leading content owners and digital distributors, helping them monetize content – from TVOD/EST to SVOD to AVOD.
iNDEMAND distributes premium VOD and PPV entertainment to more than 200 North American TV operators, with a total reach of more than 60 million homes. Jointly owned by Comcast, Charter Communications and Cox, iNDEMAND’s content portfolio features every major Hollywood film studio, top boxing providers and sports leagues.
Movies Anywhere is a digital movie collection service, bringing together purchased movies from retailers such as iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play, Microsoft Movies & TV, FandangoNOW and Xfinity. It is backed by content from Disney, Universal, Warner and Sony.
Rev is a provider of on-demand transcription, closed-captioning, and translation solutions.
Rightsline is a multi-tenant, software-as-a-service rights and contract management platform, offering real-time avails, pipeline management, contract visibility and inventory management.
TV Time is a TV tracking platform, on which nearly a million people worldwide daily keep track of the shows they’re watching, discover what to watch next and engage in a global community of more than 12 million registered TV fans. TV Time offers business solutions through TVLytics, providing data and insights to media companies, talent agencies, advertisers and the content ecosystem.
Vision Films is a worldwide distribution company with a library of more than 800 independent feature films, TV movies, documentaries and music specials.
