Uniquely among conferences, TVOT features an agenda that is developed through ongoing dialog with the industry.
Please contact Tracy Swedlow, at tracyswedlow@gmail.com or 415-608-4766, to discuss your proposal or click on the button “Submit a Speaker.” Also, please note that ITVT is not a pay-for-play organization and that speakers do not have to pay any fee to participate in our TVOT events.
Our next event is March 27-28, 2024 in San Francisco. Registration https://tvotsf2024.rsvpify.com
Jon Swartz is a senior reporter for MarketWatch in San Francisco, covering many of the biggest players in tech, including Netflix, Facebook and Google. Jon has covered technology for more than 20 years, and previously worked for Barron’s and USA Today. Follow him on Twitter @jswartz.
Professor James Lance Taylor is from Glen Cove, Long Island. He is author of the book Black Nationalism in the United States: From Malcolm X to Barack Obama, which earned 2012 “Outstanding Academic Title” – Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries. (Ranked top 2 percent of 25,000 books submitted and top 8 percent of 7,300 actually accepted for review by the American Library Association). Rated “Best of the Best.” The hardback version sold out in the U.S. and the paperback version was published in 2014.
He is a former President of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists (NCOBPS), an important organization of African American, African, and Afro Caribbean political scientists in the United States, 2009-2011. Taylor also served as Chair of the Department of Politics at the University of San Francisco from 2012-2015, and Faculty Coordinator of the African American Studies Program for 2015-2017. He served as the Chair for the “Committee on the Status of Blacks” in Political Science for the American Political Science Association (APSA), 2016-2017.
Professor Taylor is currently writing and researching a book with the working title, Peoples Temple, Jim Jones, and California Black Politics. He expects the book to be completed with a 2018-2019 publication range. The book is a study of the Peoples Temple movement and African American political history in the state of California.
He co-edited and published in Something’s in the Air: Race and the Legalization of Marijuana, with Katherine Tate (UC Irvine) and Mark Sawyer (UCLA), focusing on controversies concerning race, social justice, and marijuana legalization in the state of California.
Prof. Taylor has published articles on subjects such as Father Divine’s International Peace Mission Movement, Dr. Betty Shabazz (wife of Malcolm X), Dr. Benjamin Chavis (then, Muhammad), Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Black Nationalism,” The post-9/11 relationship of Muslims in Northern California and the United States to Black Social and Political History, San Francisco Sun Reporter publisher Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett, and on the Peoples Temple Movement in Northern and Southern California.
These works have been published by Harvard University Press and Oxford University Press, Baylor University Press, the State University of New York University Press (SUNY), San Diego State University (Jonestown Institute), and The University Press of Mississippi, and leading independent academic publishers.
Prof. Taylor’s scholarship internationally was acknowledged through his Keynote invitation at the 2014 National Indigenous Studies Conference (AIATSIS) in Canberra, Australia, where he presented the lecture, “Taking Intercommunalism Seriously: Black Power, Indigeneity, and Peoples’ Struggles for Recognition and Anti-Racist Democracy.”
He has taught previously as a Visiting Associate Professor of political science at Saint Louis University in Madrid, Spain and political science and African American and African Diaspora Studies at University of California, Berkeley.
His most recent published article is “King the Sellout or Sellin’ Out King?”: Hip Hop’s Martin Luther King,” in Dream and Legacy: Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Post-Civil Rights era (2017).
Demand for Prof. Taylor’s political analysis, expertise, and opinion has been sought internationally by leading media organizations in Dublin, Ireland, Canberra, Australia, Toronto, Canada, and London, England. He serves as a political commentator on San Francisco, U.S national, California, and U.S. Black politics on behalf of the University of San Francisco’s Media Relations Office and appears regularly on San Francisco News TV with KRON 4, FOX KTVU local, and ABC 7. He is a frequent guest on NPR/KQED with Michael Krasny and other programs, and has appeared counting so far eight times at the California Commonwealth Club in San Francisco aside leading figures in law, media, and politics.
He is the guest political commentator for the Carl Nelson Show on WOL-AM 1450, Radio One, Washington, DC.
In 2015, Prof. Taylor addressed hundreds of California Law Enforcement Officers at the International Institute of Criminal Justice Leadership in San Francisco (USF) on the topic of “The Black Lives Matter Movement” and Law Enforcement and currently serves as a committee member for two Executive Level committees (Bias and Community Engagement) (SFPD Command Staff level) for the Mayor’s Office of San Francisco and the San Francisco Police Commission’s mandates to implement the Obama Department of Justice Findings and Recommendations on the operations of the San Francisco Police Department.
Prof. Taylor also served as moderator for two public comment and town hall events on behalf of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, San Francisco Police Department and the San Francisco Police Commission on the policy consideration of implementing Conducted Energy Devices (CEDs), also known as tasers in 2017. He has also served as a policy consultant for the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
The San Francisco Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD) and California Historical Society, the Hayward Black Historical Society and many local community groups and organizations call on Taylor’s expertise in his fields. He has given public lectures at Northwestern University, The Ohio State University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley and DePauw University (Indiana).
Prof. Taylor is Vice President of the San Francisco Achievers Scholarship non-profit on behalf of African American males graduating from the San Francisco Unified School District.
His teaching and research scholarly interests are in religion and politics in the United States, race and ethnic politics, African American political history, social movements, political ideology, law and public policy, Black political leadership, and the U.S. Presidency. He lives with his family in Oakland, California.
Dave Morgan is the CEO and founder of Simulmedia, a New York-based company whose patented TV+® platform for cross-channel TV advertising guarantees marketers full audience reach, measurement and results across the dynamic linear and connected TV ecosystem in the U.S. The company also enables brands to connect with elusive younger audiences via PlayerWON™, the only in-game video advertising platform for free-to-play PC and console titles.
He previously founded and ran both TACODA, Inc., an online advertising company that pioneered behavioral online marketing and was acquired by AOL in 2007 for $275 million, and Real Media, Inc., one of the world’s first ad serving and online ad network companies and a predecessor to 24/7 Real Media (TFSM), which was later sold to WPP for $649 million. After the sale of TACODA, Dave served as Executive Vice President, Global Advertising Strategy, at AOL, a Time Warner Company (TWX).
A lawyer by training, Dave served as General Counsel and Director of New Media Ventures at the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association in the early 1990’s. Mr. Morgan is a Political Science graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and holds a J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law.
Mari Tangredi is the SVP, Global Partnerships at Cadent. Mari has 20+ years of experience focused on strategy, business development, new product development, and cross-border M&A, Mari has a rich background in applying strategic business principles to her work at the intersection of media and technology. She is experienced in managing successful technology businesses at every stage of the company life cycle, from founding, go-to-market to exiting. Mari joined Cadent in January 2020 through Cadent’s acquisition of identity and DSP platform 4INFO. Since then, she has been pivotal in shaping Cadent’s data strategy, managing partnerships across 50+ audience/targeting data partners, as well as several dozen more First Party and CleanRoom integrations, ID graph, measurement, and OTT/CTV supply vendors. This past year, Mari has been extremely influential in facilitating 34 new data and measurement partnerships, driving continuous growth for the platform side of Cadent’s business unit.
While carrying the “ethos” of a Marketing Technologist, Albert has always possessed a firm understanding of how technology has continued to transform the discipline of Marketing while disrupting today’s conventional consumer engagement models. Over that past 20+ years his communications experience ranges from African American, Hispanic, LGBT, Asian American, Arab American, Indian, Boomers, Millennials, Urban, GM to International.
His work involves Digital Marketing for Lexus, AMAZON, NYPD, Medline, State Fair, Spalding, HBO, MCD, LA Sparks, Game Show Network, Verizon Wireless, Unilever, Ford Division, Lincoln Mercury, Burger King, Colgate, HSBC, Time Warner Cable, Home Depot, AstraZeneca, US Marines, Pfizer, Novartis, Merck, and Hyatt Resorts.
He is currently the Managing Director, Digital Innovation at Walton Isaacson. Previously he served as the Director, Interactive Services for UniWorld Group and Director of New Media and Technology at Prime Access where he introduced the Digital capabilities for both multicultural agencies.
Albert has participated in numerous speaking engagements for Meltwater Social, MediaPost, Digiday, ThinkLA, AdAge, PUBMATIC, CYNOPSIS, Adweek, VAB and the ANA. This type of industry prowess resulted in him being named one of ADWEEK’s 2022 Media Allstars. Albert is also the host of The Transient Identiti podcast which chronicles the Voice of the Consumer.
Julian Zilberbrand is the Executive Vice President of Advanced Media & Data Solutions for Paramount. Zilberbrand oversees key areas within the Paramount Technology and Sales divisions including all addressable business partnerships, technologies, and measurement as well as audience onboarding and segmentation, and identity management. Zilberbrand is also responsible for InView, Paramount’s holistic investment, reporting, and insights platform that provides instant access and a clear picture of clients’ investment portfolio in one environment.
Previously, Julian was Executive Vice President of Advanced Media for ViacomCBS Vantage, where he was responsible for growing agency and advertiser revenue through the enablement of Viacom’s data-driven advanced TV advertising solutions. Zilberbrand also served as Executive Vice President of Audience Science at ViacomCBS, overseeing audience digital media executions, audience onboarding and segmentation, and advanced analytics.
Prior to joining ViacomCBS, Zilberbrand was Executive Vice President of Activation Standards, Insights and Technology at ZenithOptimedia. In this role, he managed the activations standards, digital operations, analytics, technology and strategic partnerships groups. Before joining Zenith, he was Senior Vice President, global digital director, strategic partnerships and technology solutions at Starcom Mediavest Group. Prior to joining the agency world in 2004, Zilberbrand held product specialist and client service roles at Eyeblaster and developed the company’s Eyeblaster University training program. Earlier in his career, he worked at DoubleClick as a project manager and technical analyst.
In addition to his work responsibilities, he has held advisor roles for the IAB, 4A’s and the iMedia conferences. Zilberbrand is known as a vocal and respected leader in the industry covering a wide array of topics from advanced TV solutions to viewability with the 3MS Blue Ribbon committee and general media trends. From 2013-2014, Zilberbrand chaired the Digital Committee for the Media Ratings Council and was recognized by the organization for his leadership and service. He has received several industry recognitions over the years including the AdMonster Digital Media Leadership Award, the Data, Analytics and Operations Innovator of the year award at the Marketers Choice Awards as well as recognition in AdAge’s 40 under 40 list.
Julian is a frequent speaker at industry conferences including Beet.TV, Mediaweek, NYC TV Week, IAB events and more. When not driving the media landscape forward, Julian can be found routing for The Mets and NY Giants. He resides in New Jersey with his wife and son.
Pete Doe is Chief Research Officer at Nielsen. He has decades of experience in market research, audience measurement, big data and statistical modeling techniques. In his current role he leads Nielsen’s Data Science Organization, overseeing the development of audience measurement methodologies across video, digital and audio globally. This is his second stint at Nielsen: between 2004-2015 he was a primary architect of Nielsen’s data integration products and contributed to patented innovations in Set Top Box measurement, Digital and Outdoor Advertising Research. Between 2015-2022, Pete was Chief Research Officer at clypd, an advanced TV platform start-up acquired by Xandr in 2019, which in turn was acquired by Microsoft in 2022. Before moving to the United States, Pete was a board director at RSMB TV Research in the UK, where he worked primarily on the BARB TV audience measurement currency as well as data fusion projects. He started his career at NOP Market Research in London. Pete is a graduate of King’s College, London University.
Debi Pomerantz
Former SVP of Global Research and Consumer Insights at Warner Bros.
https://maverixinsights.com
As a 30-plus year market research and audience measurement veteran, Josh brings his expertise in audience measurement to the role with a focus on cross-screen measurability and its role in advertising’s ever-evolving landscape. Josh serves as Past President of the Market Research Council and was the recipient of the esteemed Erwin Ephron Award in 2020.
Prior to joining VideoAmp, Josh held significant tenures at companies like ComScore, Arbitron, Simmons Market Research Bureau and more, including his own media research consultancy, Warp Speed Marketing.
Josh is an NYU and Pace University alum and member of various industry councils and organizations.
When not focusing on advertising, Josh is a gold and platinum record holder with his liner notes for the Allman Brothers Band’s 2004 DVD, “Live From the Beacon Theater,” earning him the honor with the Recording Industry Association of America.
Tracy Swedlow is the CEO, publisher, and editor-in-chief of InteractiveTV Today (ITVT), which she founded in 1998, and is also the executive producer and director of the TV of Tomorrow Show (TVOT) conferences.
Her writing has appeared in many leading newspapers and trade publications, including the New York Times, the San Francisco Examiner, PC World, Multimedia World and VR World. Topics she has covered in the past include virtual reality, email communities, privacy and technology, online gravesite memorials, and, of course, interactive television.
Prior to founding ITVT, she was chief evangelist at eGroups.com (now Yahoo! Groups); new media editor at PC World; a producer and director for Telemorphix, a pioneering interactive TV company, and a video producer at Steve Michelson Productions in San Francisco.
A regular presenter at ITV industry conferences and panels, and a frequent guest on television and radio shows, she actively communicates her understanding of the history of interactive TV; its current trends, technologies, content innovations and applications; the complexities of executive leadership and industrial dynamics; and where she thinks the medium and the ITV industry will and must go in the future to audiences around the world. She has served as the founding chairperson and judge of the “Television” and the “Broadband” categories respectively for The Webby Awards since its inception and regularly produce editorial events and awards programs benefiting the ITV industry (e.g. The annual TV of Tomorrow Show).
Other experiences include voiceovers on many feature films while at Sound One in New York City (e.g. “Hannah and Her Sisters” and “9 1/2 Weeks”); participation in the Director/Playwright Workshop at Playwright’s Horizons in New York City with founder, Bob Moss; participation on various experimental technology multimedia theater showcases directed by the visionary George Coates in San Francisco; conceiving, producing, directing the first 3 fashion shows (as interactive theater) on the Black Rock Desert in the early years of the Burning Man project, and directing an episode of the Twlight Zone called “The Obsolete Man” at the Dark Room in San Francisco. In August 2005, she created and directed a politically-charged multimedia “blogtheater” (my word) piece that focused on post-election America called “Fuck That!: The Political Science Show.” In her non-spare time, she produces and edits the occasional book such as “Desert to Dream” (a photography book) and “Train of Thought” (a children’s book), trains as a traditional boxer, and paints http://tracyswedlow.work. She also recently published her first collection of poems in “No Visiting ‘Till My Show Is Over” published on Amazon. She is also a mother to a wonderful little girl named Hannah and wife to Richard Washbourne, the co-owner and co-producer of ITVT/TVOT.
Her education includes a Ph.D fellowship in directing at the University of California, Berkeley; a Masters degree in Dramatic Criticism from Northwestern University; a certificate in French and French Literature from the Université de Cannes; a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater History from Tulane University; studies in Drama at the Royal Holloway College at the University of London; as well as a high school degree from Culver Military Academy in Indiana.
Originally from Columbus, Ohio, she witnessed the birth of QUBE, the first commercially deployed interactive television platform, and CompuServe, the first commercial online service. She is also the proud creator of an artcar.
In her current role, Helen Katz leads the global research unit within Publicis Media’s data sciences practice. She is a trusted industry expert on research, with a particular focus on data quality and reliable measurement. Her interest in innovation inspired her to play an instrumental role in developing best practices in the measurement of addressable TV and advanced video campaigns in the U.S. A 19-year Publicis Groupe veteran, Katz has served in various strategic research capacities for Publicis Media, Starcom, Zenith and GM Planworks – the holding company’s former division devoted to the General Motors business. In 2009, she was integral to the Publicis Groupe team that launched The Pool – a unique research consortium that aimed to identify the next new ad formats across various channels such as online video, mobile/tablets and more. Prior to joining Publicis Groupe, she was Vice President, Media Research Manager at DDB Needham. She began her career as an advertising professor at Michigan State University, and is currently an adjunct professor at DePaul University. She has published numerous articles in industry and academic journals, as well as three textbooks on advertising and media, the most recent of which is The Media Handbook (7th edition, 2019). She is the ex-officio Chair of the Executive Committee of the Media Rating Council, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Advertising Research Foundation. Katz is also the recipient of the Advertising Research Foundation’s “Great Minds” award for research innovation, Jay Chiat’s Strategic Excellence Silver Award for innovation, and Stars of Attribution leadership award. Katz has a master’s degree in advertising and a Ph.D. in communications from the University of Illinois, and was an undergraduate English major at the University of London.
Howard Shimmel is a television research and insights veteran with over 30 years of change-making thought leadership under his belt. As the President of Janus Strategy & Insights, he is transforming how companies around the world strategize and position their television marketing offerings, from linear methods to addressable and connected TV. Howard also serves as a Board Member and Head of Strategy for datafuelX, an advanced analytics firm focused on developing best in class decision science models to fuel the next generation of media capabilities, specifically focused on forecasting and optimization.
From attribution to advertising, data to ROI, Howard is carving the path to address the changing trends in the audience landscape, as well as shape emerging platforms and industry innovations. He leverages this knowledge to lead organizations through strategy, planning, buying, measurement, and stewardship.
Beyond his role at Janus, Howard is co-founder of datafuelX, an advanced analytics firm focused on developing best in class decision science models to fuel the next generation of media capabilities.
Howard also serves as an advisor and investor in many emerging new age research companies, including Hyphametrics, Adelaide, WeAre8, and Humantel.
Prior to starting this company, Howard was Chief Research Officer Turner, where he oversaw all multi-screen entertainment, news, kids and sports research, as well as corporate analysis and insight-led efforts.
Shimmel played a critical role in driving the company’s efforts around the consumer journey and insights to better capture measurement for both Turner and its partners. In 2016, in partnership with Turner Ad Sales’ Turner Ignite team, Shimmel oversaw the launch of Turner Ad Lab, an initiative whose goal was to make recommendations about linear and digital video ad experience in light of the changing TV landscape.
Prior to be promoted to his role in 2014, Shimmel was senior vice president of ad sales and sports research for Turner, where he oversaw television and digital research analysis and strategy support for the company’s news, entertainment, animation, young adults & kids and sports advertising sales units. He joined Turner from Nielsen Media & Advertising Analytics where he served as executive vice president responsible for building out an advanced analytic business focused on issues like cross-platform analytics, advanced media targeting, promotion effectiveness and ROI measurement, for media companies, agencies and advertisers. Shimmel’s industry-rich experience includes other leadership roles at The Nielsen Company, America Online, WBIS and MTV Networks. He also served as president of Symmetric Resources, Inc. Over the span of his career, Shimmel has developed research expertise related to technology adoption, methodology and advertising’s impact on sales.
Rick leads BIA/Kelsey’s strategy consulting practice and serves as an advisor to an affiliated investment banking group BIA Capital Strategies. Rick works with media, adtech and martech companies to see and evaluate opportunities and strategies in the market to achieve corporate goals. He helps client with strategic planning, developing partnership strategies, product planning, and achieving revenue growth and diversification. He helps marketers including brands and agencies with effective planning and use of digital media platforms. He also works on investment banking projects assisting buy-side and sell-side clients.
Rick Howe is a cable and television veteran, elected as a Cable Pioneer in 2011. He leads the ITVT/TVOT “Televisionation: Friday Fireside” video series as The iTV Doctor, and provides consulting services to distributors, content providers and app developers in the enhanced television space.
Anne Schelle is a highly accomplished business leader and innovator with over two decades of experience in the wireless and media industries. As the Managing Director of Pearl TV, she heads a business alliance of eight of the largest broadcast TV companies in the United States, focused on exploring forward-looking opportunities in local TV content distribution, advanced advertising, and digital platforms for the broadcast industry. Anne’s efforts have resulted in Pearl TV companies deploying NEXTGEN TV services, estimated to reach over 75% of U.S. households this year. Anne is an expert in advising established companies and startups, having founded, and served on the management team of several companies, including the nation’s first commercial digital cellular network and a competitive local exchange carrier. She also served as a senior advisor to the NAB and the Executive Director of the Open Mobile Video Coalition, leading outreach efforts by broadcasters to introduce Mobile TV services.
Anne’s vast experience has earned her numerous advisory and board positions. She currently serves as the board chair of the ATSC 3.0 Security Alliance and on the Advanced Systems Committee, a board member of WYPR and the Wise Giving
Alliance, and on the advisory boards of Humber College’s B2C Lab and Ateme. She has also served as Vice Chairman of the Mobile Marketing Association’s North American Board and founding chair of its video committee, as well as a founding member of the advisory board of the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering for Professionals.
Rob leads USIM’s strategic insights, optimization, and reporting activities, helping agency and client teams achieve their brand goals. He has created a new architecture of strategic decision-making, underpinned by data, and using agency assets in programmatic and addressable advertising combined with third-party custom data and media analytics.
To enhance these insights, Rob has designed new AI-based optimization tools to lead location/trading zone investment strategies via traditional, programmatic, addressable, and automated buying channels. In addition, he has developed a customized but fully flexible client-reporting platform that enables immediate cross-channel analytics and optimization.
Rob joined USIM following his role as Global Lead, Branded Apps at Publicis Media, where he developed proprietary insights and optimization tools across multiple business units. An industry thought leader, he has presented at SXSW and ARF on topics related to consumer experience and owned/paid media.
Rob has more than 20 years of experience in marketing analytics, audience sciences, media strategy, media buying, and research. He has created unique, data-driven insights, tools, and strategies for clients such as Verizon, 20th Century FOX, FX Networks, Disney, Toyota (Scion), Nestle, JP Morgan Chase, Hewlett-Packard, FOX, General Mills, and Sonic Drive-In.
