LA “Cloud Gathering” Showcases Diverse Executives in Digital Media & Entertainment
More than 100 industry professionals were on hand as Digital Diversity Network (DDN) hosted its inaugural Los Angeles “Cloud Gathering” Conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 4. The one-day symposium, themed, Leveraging the Digital Evolution, was presented in partnership with the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and featured a speaker line-up of nearly 30 diverse industry thought leaders from leading consumer, entertainment, media and mobile brands.
During the conference opening, Annenberg School Dean Ernest J. Wilson, III, Ph.D., illustrated the “scissor effect” as media “consumption” by people of color trends upward while media “production” by people of color trends downward. His vision for the Annenberg School is closely aligned with DDN’s vision to help ensure that the hi-tech producer/earner economy more closely mirrors that of the consumer/user economy.
In a multi-media presentation, luncheon keynoter, Malik Ducard demonstrated how two turntables and a microphone fueled his passion for technology as a young child growing up in The Bronx and, ultimately, led him on the path to becoming content partnerships director for YouTube.
During a Tech Talk moderated by Jonathan Taplin, director, USC Annenberg Innovation Lab, Albert Cheng shared how his engineering background provided a solid foundation in problem-solving skills that are essential to his current role as EVP & chief product officer, Digital Media, Disney ABC Television Group. And, in a Tech Talk moderated by Ernest J. Wilson, III, Dorinda Marticorena talked about her background in brand management and how she utilizes those skills in her role today as SVP, Worldwide Marketing & New Technology, Warner Home Video & Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.
Panel topics included: Game Changers: The Entertainment & Media Evolution; Always On: Brand & Content Marketing; Pushing the Boundaries: Video Games & Hollywood; and The Digital Video Platform: Promises & Pitfalls. Speaker photos and agenda may be found on the Conference Agenda section of this site.
In a word, “exceptional” summed up attendee feedback on the conference content and the opportunities for networking and business exchange among other professionals and entrepreneurs.