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!

Laura Jones - CMO, Instacart
Tim Clark - Chief Brand Officer, NASCAR
Gigi Guerra - Head of Influencer Marketing, Target
Darren Abbott - Chief Brand Officer, Hallmark
Tulani André - Head of Social Media, NatGeo
Dustin Sandoval - VP, Global Digital Marketing, Walt Disney Studios & Head of Social & Digital, Lucasfilm
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
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 - GM, PBS Kids
Silvia Candiani - VP Telecommunications, Media & Entertainment, Gaming, Microsoft
Adrienne Lahens - Global Head of Content Strategy & Operations, TikTok Creator Marketing Solutions
Hugh Burgin - EY Americas AI and Data Analytics Leader
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
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
Cynthia Littleton (Moderator) - Co-Editor-in-Chief, 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.

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
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.

3:05 PM - 3:45 PM PT

Business of Media

Alison Levin - President Advertising, NBCUniversal
Bruce Campbell - Chief Strategy & Revenue Officer, Warner Bros. Discovery
Donna Speciale - President Advertising & Marketing, TelevisaUnivision
Amy Reinhard - President of Advertising, Netflix
Cynthia Littleton (Moderator) - Co-Editor-in-Chief, Variety
Samira Panah Bakhtiar - GM, Global Media & Entertainment, Games, and Sports, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

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

Close-Up on NBC Chairman Mark Marshall with NBC Sports’ Maria Taylor

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

4:05 PM - 4:20 PM PT

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

Keily Blair - CEO, OnlyFans
Leah McSweeney - Creator/Entrepreneur

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

The Future of Content

Agenda