8:00 – 8:45 am
Registration, Continental Breakfast and Networking

8:45 – 9:00 am
Welcome and Introduction: Content. Technology. Collaboration.
The goal of the Confluence Summit is to bring together award-winning content creators and pioneering technology developers with the next generation of innovators and storytellers for a day of education, exchanging of new ideas and establishing connections for future collaboration.

Summit Chairwomen: Katherine Winston and Amy Baker, Co-Founders, Winston Baker
Summit Co-Chair and Host: Richard Lui, News Anchor, MSNBC and NBC News

9:00 – 9:30 am
Then and Now: The Evolution of Storytelling through the Lens of Animation
Entertainment and technology, a tale as old as time. Be our guest as Don Hahn, executive producer of both the original and this year’s live action Beauty and the Beast brings to life traditional animation, using new technology to tell a classic tale. During this Keynote Presentation, follow Disney’s transformation in the digital era. Uncover the secrets behind making the magic and open your eyes to the incredible talent and technologies that changed the face of animation forever.

Keynote Presentation by: Don Hahn, Award-Winning Producer and Director

9:30 – 10:00 am
The Age of Artificial Intelligence: Content Analysis and Automation
The machines haven't taken over - or at least not yet. However, they are trickling their way into our lives, affecting how we live, work and play. From assessing the commercial success of a film to optimizing a company’s B2B marketing techniques, discover the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence from the Founders and CEO’s of emerging AI companies including Nadira Azermai of ScriptBook and Venkat Nagaswamy from MarianaIQ, who will be discussing their latest projects and giving us a sneak peek into what’s ahead in the ultimate battle between humans vs. machines.

A Conversation with: Nadira Azermai, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, ScriptBook
Venkat Nagaswamy, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, MarianaIQ
Moderated by: Richard Lui, News Anchor, MSNBC and NBC News

10:00 – 10:45 am
What’s Next for Television in the Changing Media Landscape
Creators of TV and feature programs have never been more opportune. During this session, hear from leading industry veteran Roy Salter, whose analysis and forecasts influence entertainment’s top executives. Review the latest trends in the current market and discover new opportunities for growth and consumer engagement.

Keynote Analysis by: Roy Salter, Senior Advisor, FTI Consulting

10:45 – 11:00 am
Networking Break

11:00 – 11:20
Architect of Change Award Presentation and Keynote Conversation
As the key technologist, Steve Chen was instrumental in building YouTube into the phenomenon that it is today. He developed the company’s massive data centers and helped build YouTube into a premier entertainment destination, and one of the most popular websites on the Internet around the world. He also helped lead YouTube through the Google acquisition and the rest is history. Steve has received several prestigious honors and acknowledgments from the technology, business and entertainment communities and we will honor him as an “Architect of Change” during the Confluence Summit.

Summit Honoree: Steve Chen, Co-Founder, YouTube
Moderated by: Richard Lui, News Anchor, MSNBC and NBC News

11:20 – 11:50 am
Behind the Scenes with Sam Raimi
New technology has made Spiderman-worthy leaps and bounds over the past few decades and allowed filmmakers to pull off the effects to make their stories look believable. As a result, superhero movies have become bigger and better than ever before thanks to advances in special effects, the seamless incorporation of computer graphic imagery, and live action characters. This trend, which began in 2002 with Sam Raimi’s Spider Man, has transformed our favorite comic book obsessions into an international phenomenon. During this keynote conversation, discover the secrets behind Raimi’s success as a longtime filmmaker and how he was able to define what we've come to know today as the superhero movie.

Keynote Conversation with: Sam Raimi, Director, Producer, Screenwriter and Actor
Moderated by: Chris Spicer, Partner, Entertainment and Media, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

11:50 – 12:30 pm
Video Advertising: Creative Optimization with Real Revenue Impact
The structure of video advertising has changed as the range of digital content continues to expand. Consumers are increasingly moving away from traditional media and relocating towards digital video for discovery, entertainment, and brand awareness. From brand storytelling and creative optimization to ad technology and customer service, what are the best ways to impact your consumers and drive sales? How is augmented and virtual reality affecting the market and what are the next steps for your brand?

Moderator: Alex Michael, Co-Head, LionTree Growth, LionTree Advisors
Panelists: Theodor Arhio, Global Director of Creative and Content, TBWA
Derek Scobie, Global Head of Content Solutions, Google/YouTube
Bettina Sherick, Founder, Hollywood in Pixels
Michael Shields, Senior Vice President, Sales Strategy and Business Development, FOX Networks Group

12:30 – 1:15 pm
Networking Luncheon

1:15 – 1:45 pm
Special Effects: Removing The Constraints Of Filmmaking
As an Academy Award-Winning Visual Effects Supervisor, John Knoll has overseen the visual effects for such notable films as Star Wars Prequels, Episodes I, II, and III, Avatar, Star Trek: First Contact, Rango, Mission: Impossible, Ghost Protocol, the Pirates of the Caribbean saga, as well as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which was based on a concept he created. During his presentation, Knoll will address ways in which visual effects have evolved since his early days at ILM, giving his insight on the latest technological developments in special effects and their implications for the future of entertainment.

Keynote Presentation by: John Knoll, Chief Creative Officer and Senior Visual Effects Supervisor,
Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic

1:45 – 2:15 pm
The Democratization of Content: The New Face of Storytelling
Emerging stars are benefiting from open and instant access to a critical mass of users via online and mobile distribution platforms, as well as the latest filmmaking gadgets and ad technologies. Hear from the new faces of storytelling coming out of YouTube and Instagram, find out how they’re using their passion to monetize on content, building their audience base, and staying connected with their fans.

Moderator: Natalie Jarvey, Digital Media Writer, The Hollywood Reporter
Panelists: Beau Bryant, General Manager, Fullscreen
Jean Elie, Actor, Producer and Director
Zach King, Filmmaker & Online Creator
Alexis G. Zall, Actress and Writer

2:15 – 2:45 pm
Diversifying the Future of the Studio Business
Join Paramount’s Ted Schilowitz on the future of innovation into the next generation of visual storytelling, including AR/VR and beyond. Bridge the gap between narrative and interactivity within the context of new realities and gain insight into what’s ahead for the world of immersive technology. And discover how studios such as Paramount Pictures are able to keep up with the latest audience demands in this every-changing industry.

Keynote Demonstration by: Ted Schilowitz, Futurist in Residence, Paramount Pictures

2:45 – 3:15 pm
Niche is the New Mainstream: The Rising Majority of Multicultural Content
Both on-screen and behind-the-scenes, companies have begun making multi-cultural content the new norm. Content developers are advancing critically and commercially-compelling storytelling that reflects diverse viewpoints and experiences of all creators and audiences. During this session, discover how companies and creatives are establishing authentic, inclusive programming while remolding culture.

A Conversation with: Archit Bhargava, Global Marketing Lead of Pokémon GO, Niantic
Mo Fong, Director of CS Education, Google
Alandha Scott, Head of YouTube Originals Product Marketing
Moderated by: Bing Chen, Founder, Bingdom Studios and Vice Chairman, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE)

3:15 – 3:30 pm
Networking Break

3:30 – 4:15 pm
Inside the Playbook: What’s Next for Gaming, eSports, Immersive Content and Beyond?
There is no doubt that the gaming industry has seen its fair share of the technological evolution. From dedicated gaming machines to multimedia entertainment devices, engineers have developed new ways to incorporate the body as more than just an anchor to the physical world. The emergence of several new innovations has introduced new ways to really make players feel like their part of the game, but what are the limitations of this new immersive world and where are the untapped opportunities for storytellers?

Moderator: Natalie Jarvey, Digital Media Writer, The Hollywood Reporter
Panelists: Jean-Julien Baronnet, Producer and Chief Executive Officer, Marla Studios
Christian Cantamessa, Chief Executive Officer, Sleep Deprivation Lab
Holly Liu, Co-Founder, Kabam
Daniel Murray, President, Skybound Interactive

4:15 – 4:40 pm
Life of a Serial Entrepreneur: From Game-Changing Ideas to Exit Strategies
This session will feature founders who are building great businesses at the intersection of entertainment and technology. Our panel of successful entrepreneurs will share their secrets, tricks, and tips on everything you need to know from initiating bold ideas and developing new business strategies to deciding when and how to pursue exit strategies. 

A Fireside Chat with: Patrick Lee, Co-Founder, Rotten Tomatoes
Mike Macadaan, Chief Executive Officer, Ground Control
Amitt Mahajan, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Presence Capital
Moderated by: Richard Lui, News Anchor, MSNBC and NBC News

4:40 – 5:00 pm
Behind the Scenes with Tosca Musk
Gain insight on what led Tosca Musk, an award-winning producer of over 20 feature films, television movies and web content, to create Passionflix, a new streaming service that produces and distributes empowering, fun and passionate movies for women of all ages.

Keynote Conversation with: Tosca Musk, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Passionflix
Moderated by: Richard Lui, News Anchor, MSNBC and NBC News

5:00 – 5:30 pm
New Media Opportunities: Finding the Next Big Thing
During this panel discussion, hear from top Venture Capitalists forecast the latest cutting-edge investment opportunities, answer these questions and more:

• What’s next for content distribution beyond Netflix and Amazon?
• Cyber security: Who’s protecting content?
• Where is the next generation of talent and IP creators coming from?
• The podcasting phenomenon: where are the opportunities for investment?
• Monetization: with the emergence of all these new business models – how are startups making money?

Moderator: Kevin Khanna, Co-Head, Technology, Media & Telecom Group, Fifth Third Bank
Panelists: David Lee, Chief Corporate Development Officer, 451 Media
Vinay Singh, Partner, Archer Gray
Michael Yang, Managing Director, Comcast Ventures

6:00 – 8:00
Tech Fashion Show and Charity Gala
Join us as we showcase the latest tech fashion over drinks, h'ordeuvres and great company! Register for SOCIAL ACCESS in order to attend and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to AnnieCannons: Transforming survivors of human trafficking into software professionals to sustain a lifetime free of exploitation. For more information, visit https://www.anniecannons.com/.

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AGENDA AND SPEAKING FACULTY ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.