Tag: comedy

Music, TV, and Comedy: 10 Sessions to Attend For Entertainment Industry Professionals

Posted on by Kristopher Collado

Entertainment is one of the most impacted industries with the evolution of technology. What once required single-channeled marketing tactics, is now a next-gen content and production solar-system filled with new business models, innovations, and upgraded standards in our multi-platform world.

At SMW New York, we’ve curated 9 forward-thinking sessions that entertainment professionals should plan to attend. Join us as we learn from media greats such as Alex Blumberg (CEO, Gimlet Media), Evan Shapiro (EVP, Digital Enterprises, NBCUniversal), and Andrew Jarecki (Director of The Jinx, Founder of KnowMe).

Purchase your pass for SMW New York to be among the 2,000+ industry leaders who will come together to learn and connect throughout the week!

1. Podcast pioneer, Alex Blumberg, will discuss his journey of building an audio-first media company

Hosted by Crowdcentric • Tuesday 2/23 at 11:30AM • TimesCenter
Alex Blumberg is known for his work on This American Life and Planet Money, and recently launched Gimlet Media as a result of his latest podcast, StartUp. This year at SMW New York, Alex Blumberg will discuss Gimlet Media and his journey of building a media company with foundations in audio storytelling and journalism.

2. NBC’s strategic approach to Seeso, their new streaming comedy channel

Hosted by NBCUniversal • Tuesday 2/23 at 1:30PM • TimesCenter
The world is at an inflection point, similar to where broadcast TV was in 70s and 80s with a massive boom in content production and this time on various platforms. Join Evan Shapiro (EVP, Digital Enterprises, NBCUniversal) as he reveals their strategic approach to the current media landscape with Seeso, the new streaming comedy channel, with other key creators of the channel.

3. Virtual reality’s future in storytelling, gaming, and journalism

Hosted by The New York Times • Wednesday 2/23 at 9:30AM • TimesCenter
Learn how companies such as The New York Times, GE, and Google are investing time and resources in virtual reality to enhance storytelling, journalism, and the user experience. Meredith Kopit Levien (Chief Revenue Officer, The New York Times), Jake Silverstein (Editor, The New York Times), Katrina Craigwell (Director of Global Content and Programming, GE) and Aaron Luber (CardBoard Partnerships, Google).

4. Comedy Central’s CMO will break down the the social strategy of their top programming

Hosted by WOMMA • Wednesday 2/24 at 1:30PM • TimesCenter
Some may think Comedy Central’s ratings and conversations on social come easy due to their hilarious talent, but nothing is further from the truth. In this entertaining session, Comedy Central’s CMO, Walter Levitt, will attempt to organize and rationalize all of his team’s on-the-ground tactics into a fully thought–out strategy.

5. How micro-content and social media can lay the groundwork to launch a new TV show

Hosted by VaynerMedia • Wednesday 2/24 at 3:00PM • SVA Theatre
Social media offers more ways than ever to build awareness around TV programs, but did you know it can drive and impact the new markers of success in today’s ever-changing television industry? Join Kim Garcia (SVP, Entertainment, VaynerMedia) and Jason Loomis (Director, Paid Media, VaynerMedia) as they flesh out the social media strategy for their new reality series Chrisley Knows Best.

6. When, where, and how social media belongs in live events; in-person and online

Hosted by Momentum Worldwide and AEG • Wednesday 2/24 at 4:30PM • TimesCenter
According to a recent study, 70% of millennials feel that social media improves the live music experience. Attend this panel with executives from AEG, Momentum Worldwide, and StubHub directly focused on why music experiences are better with social, and when they don’t belong together.

7. How Grammy-nominated artist, Ryan Leslie, started a business just from thanking fans online

Hosted by Nue Agency • Thursday 2/25 at 1:30PM • TimesCenter
Ryan Leslie is a Grammy-nominated recording artist and multi-platinum music producer who turned his interest in personally thanking each fan into a million dollar seed funded technology called SuperPhone. Today he’s unlocked the true value in his 1.3 million follower footprint across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube by having a text-based dialogue with the 40,000 people who matter most. Joining Ryan will be Jesse Kirshbaum (CEO, Nue Agency).

8. 360° video content, and the next wave of videos in your News Feed

Hosted by BOLD Worlwide • Thursday 2/25 at 3:00 PM • SVA Theatre
If you’re a marketer or content creator looking to engage your audience in an immersive way, you need to understand 360° video. Brian Cristiano (CEO, BOLD Worldwide) will explain the value, excitement, and execution of 360° video, and shed some light on how you can utilize this technology for entertainment, engagement and sales.

9. How to best capture the moment when fans react online, with Andrew Jarecki of HBO’s The Jinx

Hosted by Social Media Week • Friday 2/26 at 1:30PM • TimesCenter
Andrew Jarecki (Director, HBO’s The Jinx) will discuss social media’s role in how fans experience the show before, during and after the now-infamous hot mic scene, as well as unveil never-before-seen footage from the show. Come to learn how the chorus of Tweets, blog posts, and Facebook updates played a role in that collective gasp.

10. Mixing digital moments with experiential events, from the RSVP invitation to post-event wrap-up

Hosted by Splash • Friday 2/26 at 3:00PM • SVA Theatre
Social media can make or break your event. Splash co-founder and Party Scientist, Ben Hindman, will teach you how to turn your next event into social media gold. He’ll cover everything from how to create “Instagrammable moments,” to designing an irresistible invitation.

We hope to see you in New York for Social Media Week! Join over 1,000 leaders who register each year, and in 2016, #SMWNYC features two official venues: The TimesCenter (FWD Stage) and SVA Theatre (EDU Stage). Attend the 100+ events with 300+ speakers for an incredible week you won’t want to miss. Get your pass here!

Jonah Ray (Actor, Musician, Comedian, and Podcaster) Will Speak at SMW New York

Posted on by Tyler Becker

The world is at an inflection point, similar to where broadcast TV was in the 70s and 80s with a massive boom in content production. Today, though, it’s on various digital platforms, and when reality is dark, comedy flourishes.

We’re thrilled to welcome an incredibly talented and funny group of individuals to SMW New York, where we’ll hear their perspectives on comedy, technology and social media’s impact on entertainment.

One of the speakers participating in this session is Jonah Ray, co-host of The Nerdist Podcast and co-host of Comedy Central’s The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail. Just a few months ago, Jonah Ray was announced to be the new host of the revival of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

On Tuesday, February 23 at 1:30PM at The TimesCenter (FWD Stage), Jonah will join Dan Harmon (Community, Rick and Morty, and HarmonQuest), Kulap Vilaysack (Creator of Seeso’s Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ and co-host of Who Charted?) and Evan Shapiro (EVP of Digital Enterprises, NBCUniversal) to discuss on comedy, technology, the current media landscape, and Seeso, the new steaming comedy channel from NBCUniversal

Click here to register for SMW New York, which takes place February 22-26. We’re bringing together thousands of industry leaders across marketing, media and technology.

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Comedy Central CMO, Walter Levitt to Keynote #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tyler Becker

With a roster including Broad City, Inside Amy Schumer, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Drunk History, and other cultural and comedic powerhouses, you might think the marketing team at Comedy Central can sit back, relax, and spend their days with their feet up on their desks, sipping margaritas all day. But that couldn’t be further from the truth, since they all have standing desks.

But, once in a while they do take a break and focus on creating buzz-worthy campaigns for their brand and franchises. At SMW New York, Comedy Central’s CMO, Walter Levitt, will deliver an entertaining and informational keynote to organize and rationalize all of Comedy Central’s social media and on-the-ground tactics into a fully thought–out strategy.

Click here to get your pass and attend Walter’s session, presented in partnership with WOMMA. “Funny & Buzzy – How Comedy Central Gets Fans Talking” will take place on Wednesday, February 23rd at 1:30pm ET on the FWD Stage at The TimesCenter.

About Walter Levitt

Walter Levitt is CMO for Comedy Central and is based in the company’s New York City office. Since joining Comedy Central in 2011, Levitt has led numerous successful new initiatives including a strategic repositioning of the brand, the introduction of many multiplatform hits including “Key & Peele” and “Inside Amy Schumer,” and the launch of the Comedy Central App.

He also oversaw the marketing of Comedy’s Central’s highest-rated specials of all time, “The Roast of Charlie Sheen” and “The Roast of Justin Bieber.” To learn more about Walter, click here for his full bio.

Want to attend SMW New York this February 22-26, and join thousands of industry leaders across marketing, media and technology?

Register Your Campus or Insider Pass Today

Dan Harmon of “Community” Will Join NBCUniversal’s Evan Shapiro at #SMWNYC to Discuss Comedy and The Cultural Zeitgeist

Posted on by Tyler Becker

The world is at an inflection point, similar to broadcast television’s boom in the 70s and 80s. Today, this boom is evident in content production across various platforms. How is this booming genre affecting the cultural zeitgeist? Does comedy flourish when reality is dark?

Join NBCUniversal’s EVP of Digital Enterprises, Evan Shapiro, as he reveals the strategic approach to the current media landscape with Seeso, NBCUniversal’s new steaming comedy channel. Joining him on stage will be Dan Harmon, Creator and Executive Producer of “Community”, “Rick and Morty” and “HarmonQuest.”

On Tuesday, February 23 at 1:30pm, the digital and entertainment duo will present their keynote, “Comedy: A Love Story with Evan Shapiro and Dan Harmon” at SMW New York.

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Evan Shapiro

“Evan Shapiro is EVP, Digital Enterprises at NBCUniversal. He works on the strategic development of digital opportunities to reach emerging audiences, including alternative platforms and direct to consumer distribution models.

Shapiro joined NBCUniversal in 2014, and previously was President of Participant Media’s Pivot, which launched in 2013, and grew to reach 44+ million subscribers under Shapiro’s lead. Prior to Pivot, Shapiro served as President of IFC TV and Sundance Channel, where he steered both networks to new business and programming models that garnered each network their first Primetime Emmy nominations, as well as a Golden Globe Award win for Sundance Channel.

He has also executive produced numerous acclaimed original documentaries and series, including This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Brick City, HitRecord On TV, and the hit series Portlandia.” (via Variety)

About Dan Harmon

“Dan Harmon is best known for creating and producing NBC comedy series Community, co-creating Adult Swim’s animated television series Rick and Morty, and co-founding the alternative television network/website Channel 101. He also hosts a weekly eponymous podcast, Harmontown.

In July 2009, Harmon was nominated in two Emmy categories for his part in writing the Oscar telecast: Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special and Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics, the latter of which he was awarded for “Hugh Jackman Opening Number” at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards.” (via Wikipedia)

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from these speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass. You can also save 20% until January 14th!

Image Credit: The LA Times