Variety Entertainment Summit at CES

9:00 AM - 9:40 AM PT

Visionaries of Breakthrough Programming

Rahul Purini - President, Crunchyroll
Barry Jossen - President & Head, A+E Studios
Angela Russo-Otstot - Chief Creative Officer, AGBO
Fernando Szew - President & Head, FOX Entertainment Studios
Beatrice Springborn - President, UCP and Universal International Studios
Todd Spangler (Moderator) - Business Editor, Variety

An exploration into how content chiefs are evolving to win over audiences and creative talent during a time where the industry emerges from strike slow-downs and recent industry consolidation.

9:40 AM - 10:05 AM PT

Headliner Conversation with Ravi Ahuja

Ravi Ahuja - Incoming President & CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Cynthia Littleton (Moderator) - Co-Editor-in-Chief, Variety

Ahuja, currently President and COO, Sony Pictures Entertainment, will rise to CEO starting Jan. 2. He will join Cynthia Littleton, Variety’s Co-Editor in Chief, on stage to speak to Sony Pictures’ unique position in the industry landscape.

10:05 AM - 10:45 AM PT

Fans, Creators and Marketers — Unite!

Tim Clark - Chief Brand Officer, NASCAR
Gigi Guerra - VP Marketing, Target
Tulani André - Head of Social Media, NatGeo
Dustin Sandoval - VP, Global Digital Marketing, Walt Disney Studios & Head of Social & Digital, Lucasfilm
Maya Dukes - Managing Director Global Brand Strategy, Creative & Social Media, Delta Air Lines
Dennis Ortiz (Moderator) - Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP

A look at the powerful union that fans, digital creators and marketing leaders can forge to successfully promote projects to audiences. Marketers, creators and their partners converge to talk about leveraging fandom to create breakthrough campaigns.

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM PT

How Webcomics Are Fueling The Global Entertainment Market

David J. Lee - Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, WEBTOON Entertainment
Cynthia Littleton (Moderator) - Co-Editor-in-Chief, Variety

Webcomics, or digital comics, have exploded in popularity in recent years, moving from convention floor fandom to mainstream success and global streaming hits. Streaming adaptations from WEBTOON Entertainment, including Sweet Home on Netflix, Vigilante on Disney+, Tower of God on Crunchyroll, and many others have shown that webcomics are an important source of content for Hollywood and global streamers. This conversation will explore the business of webcomics - what are they and the market opportunity for studios, investors, and advertisers - and how this content format is transforming the global entertainment market.

11:15 AM - 11:55 AM PT

Succeeding With AI and Entertainment

Melody Hildebrandt - CTO, Fox
Sara DeWitt - SVP & GM, PBS Kids
Silvia Candiani - VP Telecommunications, Media & Entertainment, Gaming, Microsoft
Hugh Burgin - EY Americas AI and Data Analytics Leader
Khartoon Weiss - Global Head of Agency & Accounts, TikTok
André Kudelski - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kudelski Group
Jay Tucker (Moderator) - Exectutive Director, Center for Media, Entertainment and Sports, UCLA Anderson School of Management

As the entertainment industry understands AI is here to stay – how are today’s leaders assessing how to best navigate and succeed with this technology? A look at how the creative industry is balancing growth with a responsible approach to AI.

11:55 AM - 12:45 PM PT

Lunch Break

12:45 PM - 1:20 PM PT

Breakthrough Tech Trends — What Will Stick?

Paige Fitzgerald - COO, Patreon
Rebecca Glashow - CEO, BBC Media
Jennifer Koester - President & COO, Sphere
Jen Wong - COO, Reddit
Shahrzad Rafati - Founder and CEO, RHEI
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland - SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator
Andrew Wallenstein (Moderator) - President and Chief Media Analyst, Variety Intelligence Platform

Media and entertainment leaders weigh in on what they are excited about now. What new technologies are poised to make waves in 2025? What hot trends could ultimately fade? How are leaders anticipating where to invest new resources to expand their businesses?

1:20 PM - 1:45 PM PT

Headliner Conversation with will.i.am, Founder & CEO, FYI

will.i.am - Founder & CEO, FYI
Carolyn Giardina (Moderator) - Senior Entertainment Technology and Crafts Editor, Variety

An exploration into will.i.am's fluid careers as an artist and tech innovator. Find out about his latest initiatives in AI, creative technologies, and entertainment.

1:45 PM - 2:15 PM PT

A Day in the Life: Powering Personalized Digital Media Experiences Across Every Digital Touchpoint

Tim Sims - Chief Commercial Officer, The Trade Desk
Lee Brown - VP, Global Head of Advertising Business & Platform, Spotify
Anjali Sud - CEO, Tubi
Andrew Wallenstein (Moderator) - President and Chief Media Analyst, Variety Intelligence Platform

In an always-on world of media where it often seems like there are no off-buttons, consumers seamlessly transition from the drive-home podcast to the living room binge. The opportunity to deliver personalized ad messages at each touchpoint is a game changer in today’s media landscape. Join The Trade Desk, Spotify and Tubi as they walk you through a “day in the life,” demonstrating how new technologies are driving the personalized ad experience across channels. This session will explore how data-driven advertising can ensure an effective omnichannel media mix.

2:15 PM - 2:50 PM PT

Building a Storyverse Through Innovation

Nadine Zylstra - Global Head of Programming, Pinterest
John Jelley - SVP, Product & User Experience, Peacock & Global Streaming, NBCUniversal Media
Carly Zipp - Global Director of Brand Marketing, Amazon Ads
Shachar Scott - VP, Reality Labs Marketing, Meta
Baron Davis - Two-Time NBA All-Star, Entrepreneur & Serial Investor
Michael Waghalter - SVP and Head of Business Development, LAIKA
Todd Spangler (Moderator) - Business Editor, Variety

Storytellers have an eye to multiple platforms as they build their creative narratives, understanding it’s important to build fans across multiple touch-points. How are companies looking at opportunities across film, TV, video games, music, podcasting more to tell their stories.

2:50 PM - 3:05 PM PT

Shoppable Storytelling: Connecting Creators, Content & Commerce, featuring Walmart & TalkShoplive

Bryan Moore - CEO and Co-Founder, TalkShopLive
Justin Breton - Head of Brand Marketing Innovation, Walmart
Todd Spangler (Moderator) - Business Editor, Variety

2025 is predicted to be the year of livestream shopping and shoppable video in the US. TalkShopLive and Walmart are proven leaders driving adoption in the space with the success of Walmart Live, together scaling how creators, brands and retailers work together to connect content and commerce. This conversation highlights the impact of using data to determine live, long-form and short-form content distributed across retail, media, and creator social platforms to drive conversions and deliver full funnel results.

3:05 PM - 3:45 PM PT

Business of Media

Alison Levin - President Advertising, NBCUniversal
Donna Speciale - President Advertising & Marketing, TelevisaUnivision
Amy Reinhard - President of Advertising, Netflix
Jon Diament - Executive Vice President of Ad Sales, Warner Bros. Discovery
Samira Panah Bakhtiar - GM, Global Media & Entertainment, Games, and Sports, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Mike O’Donnell - Chief Revenue and Strategic Growth Officer, VIZIO
Cynthia Littleton (Moderator) - Co-Editor-in-Chief, Variety

Entertainment companies are pressed to grow revenues in a competitive global landscape. What are strategies and innovations to maximize monetization across platforms?

3:45 PM - 4:05 PM PT

The Power of IP & Innovation with NBCUniversal

Mark Marshall - Chairman Global Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal
Maria Taylor (Moderator) - Host, Football Tonight in America and Big Ten College Countdown

Hear NBCUniversal's vision for blending powerful IP with innovative capabilities ahead of NBC's 100th Anniversary. What are the opportunities for brands to integrate across the network’s expansive slate of content? How has the company's recent sports rights changed the game for marketers? Find out all this and more as NBCUniversal's latest capabilities unlock new potential to engage audiences and brands.

4:05 PM - 4:30 PM PT

Headliner with Evan Spiegel, Co-Founder and CEO, Snap Inc.

Evan Spiegel - Co-Founder and CEO, Snap Inc.
Andrew Wallenstein (Moderator) - President and Chief Media Analyst, Variety Intelligence Platform

4:30 PM - 4:45 PM PT

Conversation with OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair and Creator/Entrepreneur Leah McSweeney

Keily Blair - CEO, OnlyFans
Leah McSweeney - Entrepreneur, Fashion Designer, OnlyFans creator, TV personality and Mental Health Advocate
Todd Spangler (Moderator) - Business Editor, Variety

Sponsorship Opportunities	Speaking Opportunities
Michelle Fine-Smith	Susanne Ault
michelle.fine-smith@variety.com	susanne.ault@variety.com

The Future of Content

Agenda