Presented by
PROGRAM:
Thursday, October 24, 2019
8:00 - 8:45 am Registration and Morning Coffee
8:45 - 9:15 am
Welcoming Remarks: What is the Confluence Summit?
The goal of the Confluence Summit is to bring together innovators and storytellers for a day of education, exchanging of new ideas and establishing connections for future collaboration.
SUMMIT CO-CHAIRS: Patrick Lee, Co-Founder, Rotten Tomatoes
Katherine Winston and Amy Baker, Co-Founders and Managing Partners, Winston Baker
9:15 - 9:45 am
The State of Play
Viral platforms like Twitch are acting as third places, immersing audiences in virtual worlds that replicate some of the rules of the real and invent new ones. While an experience centered around watching other people play might sound like a solitary pursuit, we find that online communities like Twitch are forging a new set of values, rooted in participation and experimentation. In this session, we’ll unpack the emotional benefits Twitch delivers on for its audience, and what Twitch signals for the future of play, community, interactivity and live.
FIRE SIDE CHAT: James Kuk, Global Head of Business Development, Twitch
Jon Penn, Chief Executive Officer, National Research Group (NRG)
9:45 - 10:15 am
Winning Strategies with Baron Davis
Entrepreneur, investor, and two-time NBA All-Star and record-holder, over a thirteen-year career, Baron Davis played for the Charlotte Hornets, the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the New York Knicks. During his keynote conversation, gain insight into his winning strategies off the court as an entrepreneur, investor -- and as a storyteller.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Baron Davis, Founder, Business Inside the Game (BIG)
MODERATOR: Stephanie Chuang, Founder, The Patient Story / Emmy-Nominated Journalist
10:15 - 10:45 am
Behind the Scenes of MasterClass
From directing with Ron Howard, to acting with Natalie Portman and making beats with Timbaland -- MasterClass offers online classes created for students of all skill levels with some of the best instructors in the world. Co-Founder and CEO David Rogier takes us behind the scenes of MasterClass to address program curation, instructor collaboration, the production process and the company’s next moves.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: David Rogier, CEO & Co-Founder, MasterClass
MODERATOR: Sheri Bryant, Vice President, Business Development and Marketing, Linden Lab
10:45 - 11:15 am Networking Break
11:15 - 11:45 am
Bearcat Content Collective: Investing in Creatives
The Bearcat Content Collective’s mission is to invest in creatives who are dedicated to innovation, sparking social change, and economic empowerment. DoorDash Co-Founder Stanley Tang and BlackRock’s Gloria Zhu join us in conversation to reveal their latest venture, what kinds of investments they’re making and how they’re vetting out projects.
KEYNOTE CONVERSATION: Stanley Tang, Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder, DoorDash
Gloria Zhu, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Bearcat Content
11:45 am - 12:45 pm
How Can Studios Act Like Startups?
The entertainment industry is going through its most dramatic period of change in decades, as Hollywood’s traditional studios launch new streaming services and make next gen moves in the age of disruptive technology. Hear from the executives who are leading new strategies and innovation within the studio system.
PANELISTS: Peter Akemann, President, Skydance Interactive
Matthew Marolda, President, Applied Analytics, WarnerMedia
Kevin Richardson, Producing Partner & Head of Scripted, TOKYOPOP Media
MODERATOR: Alissa Miller, Partner, Akin Gump
12:45 - 1:45 pm Networking Luncheon
1:45 - 2:30 pm
The Age of Collaboration: Creator and Celebrity Platforms
New platforms have emerged to help celebrities and creators find ways to raise cash, establish new revenue streams, build relationships and provide exclusive experiences to their fanbase, and empower communities to make change. Hear from the visionaries of these impactful platforms and what they’ve got in store next.
KEYNOTE CONVERSATION: Matt Pohlson, Co-Founder and CEO, Omaze
Sam Yam, Chief Technical Officer and Co-Founder, Patreon
MODERATOR: Courtney Chow, Investor, Battery Ventures
2:30 - 3:15 pm
Money Talks: Financing the Intersection of Entertainment and Technology
How do you plan for what’s next when the rules and boundaries seem to change daily? Companies such as Facebook, Apple, Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, and Google have shaken the entertainment industry to its core from how content is made, distributed and marketed to how it’s consumed, shared and its data analyzed. It’s also meant more interesting opportunities for investors. With technology impact in mind, what are the new key factors exciting investors to put money into “entertech” startups today?
PANELISTS: Carmen Carpenter, Managing Director, Evolution Media Capital
Tim Chang, Partner, Mayfield Fund
Caroline Jacobs, Manager, UTA Ventures
Elizabeth Yin, Co-Founder and General Partner, Hustle Fund
MODERATOR: Kevin Khanna, Co-Head of Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group, Fifth Third Bank
3:15 - 3:45 pm Networking Break
3:45 - 4:15 pm
The Balancing Act of Interactive Storytelling
What are VR interactive films all about? How do you navigate between audience participation and the narrative? How much of the audience role in the experience is passive vs. active? What kind of data can be gathered from this type of storytelling? Baobab Studios Co-Founder and CTO Larry Cutler shares insight on this new approach in immersive storytelling.
KEYNOTE CONVERSATION: Larry Cutler, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Baobab Studios
Chris Thomes, Vice President, Marketing Strategy, ABC Studios / Governor, Interactive Media, Television Academy
4:15 - 4:45 pm
Storytellers Evolved: From YouTube to Award-Winning Success
Hear from award-winning storytellers whose journey began as YouTube creators and won the hearts of millions around the world. The keynote conversation dives into the lives of Bernie Su, a three-time Primetime Emmy award-winner and creator of Artificial -- the first live audience-interactive science fiction series to debut on Twitch -- and Steven Lim, an Executive Producer at BuzzFeed Studios best known as the creator & host of the award-winning food show, Worth It.
KEYNOTE CONVERSATION: Steven Lim, Creator and Host, BuzzFeed Worth It
Bernie Su, Award-Winning Creator and Showrunner, Artificial
MODERATOR: Ken Coelho, Partner, Armanino
4:45 - 5:30 pm
Finding the Next Big Thing: From Game-Changing Ideas to Exit Strategies
This session will feature founders who have built 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.
PANELISTS: Kun Gao, Co-Founder, Crunchyroll
Kai Huang, Co-Founder, Guitar Hero
Alex Mehr, Ph.D., CEO & Co-Founder, MentorBox / Co-Founder, Zoosk
MODERATOR: Patrick Lee, Co-Founder, Rotten Tomatoes
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Networking Reception
8:00pm Summit Concludes
Agenda is subject to change.

Winston Baker produces conferences globally for the entertainment industry addressing strategies for finance, innovation and growth.
© 2017-2019 Winston Baker. All rights reserved.