events / past

Farrel Allen

Creative Director, Black Spot

Farrel Allen recently joined Black Spot, a New York-based, full-service promo production resource. As creative director, Allen collaborates with an award-winning, all-star team on innovative promo campaigns for some of the biggest brands in television, including USA, Nickelodeon, TBS, Food Network and IFC.

Prior to joining Black Spot, Allen was director of on-air for Nickelodeon Preschool Brand Creative where he was a creative leader and supervised staff and vendors in the production of campaigns for “Dora the Explorer,” “Team Umizoomi,” “Bubble Guppies” and other premier preschool properties. Over the course of his three and a half year tenure, the team was honored with several industry awards, including a Daytime Emmy.

Allen’s promo career began at Sci-Fi Channel and USA Network where he promoted original/acquired movies, original series and a robust slate of marque sports programming. An eight-year run as a freelancer followed. During this time, Allen wrote, produced and edited numerous promo campaigns for top cable networks: he was a field producer/interviewer for ESPN’s yearlong 25th anniversary celebration “Season of the Fan” and he produced and edited segments for TV Land’s hit show “TV Land Confidential.”

Andy Baker

SVP/Group Creative Director, National Geographic Channels

As SVP/group creative director for the National Geographic Channels, Andy Baker is responsible for the creative for all on- and off-air tune-in and brand campaigns for the National Geographic Channel (NGC) and Nat Geo WILD. Baker supervises an in-house creative team that creates tune-in and brand promos, graphics packages, print ads, outdoor campaigns, digital marketing campaigns and public relations and ad sales materials. He also oversees external agency productions, and works to develop strategic positioning strategies for key marketing priorities, as well as the overall channels’ brand positioning and design. Baker joined NGC prior to its launch in 2000, and helped to make it one of the fastest-growing cable channels in history. In April 2010, he helped launch the new Nat Geo WILD channel in the United States.

Before joining NGC, Baker was a freelance editor and a producer at Georgetown Post in Washington, D.C., where he edited and produced commercials for political candidates and advertisements for a variety of local clients. From 1998 to 2000, he was a senior writer/producer at WTTG-TV (FOX) in Washington, D.C., where he oversaw the production of news spots and promotion. Baker has won numerous PromaxBDA Awards and CTAM Mark Awards, as well as a National Emmy in 2012. 

Jeff Blackman

VP, On Air - Preschool Brand Creative, Nickelodeon

As VP of Nickelodeon’s Preschool Brand Creative team, Jeff Blackman oversees promotional and branding creative for Nick’s preschool properties. From series launches on Nickelodeon to branding and image work on the 24-hour digital channel Nick Jr., Blackman’s team creates engaging and exciting promotional content directed at preschoolers and their parents.

Previously, Blackman spent 12 years on the brand creative team at Comedy Central, helping to launch and maintain such hits as “Chappelle’s Show,” “South Park” and “Reno 911!”

Matt Bunting

SVP Creative, The Sponsor Shop, Turner Entertainment Networks

Matt Bunting is SVP creative of The Sponsor Shop. In this role, Bunting supervises all custom sponsorship solutions for TNT and TBS.

Linda Button

Brand Personality Expert, Tooth+Nail

Linda Button is co-founder of Tooth+Nail, a boutique agency known for its unique approach to brand personality, inspiration and creativity. 

Button creates positions, taglines and campaigns for the biggest brands in entertainment. Her goal: to help clients, viewers and creative departments see themselves in a new light. 

A writer, speaker, and martial artist, Button says she always strives to kick butt.

Kathy Dailey

Strategic Creative Consultant & Executive Coach, Dailey & Company

Kathy Dailey is a strategic creative consultant and executive coach who works primarily with individuals and organizations in the entertainment marketing profession. She helps clients get “unstuck” from their personal and professional roadblocks, giving them the tools needed to recognize and build upon their potential for success. Dailey is a New Ventures West certified integral coach .

Prior to forming Dailey & Company in 2007, Dailey began her career working in management positions at both KCBS-TV and KABC-TV in Los Angeles. She has served as VP of marketing and communications, VP of on-air promotion and VP/managing director for a number of advertising and media companies. In this capacity, Dailey worked closely on major media campaigns with executives from DDB Needham, Leo Burnett, DMB&B, 20th TV, Columbia TriStar, Warner Bros., Universal, CBS, Turner Network Television, King World, Lifetime and the Discovery Channel. Also, Dailey spearheaded an award-winning capital campaign for Caltech in Pasadena that surpassed its goal of raising $1.4 billion.

In addition, Dailey offers specialized media coaching to help clients develop and strengthen their leadership and communication skills. She has worked with executives, authors and on-camera talent for every type of unscripted media appearance. Clients as diverse as Kristen Wiig and Megan McCain have benefited from Dailey’s insight and counsel. Further, Dailey offers companies and individuals career counseling and outplacement opportunities and is currently consulting RelishMIX, a leading company in the field of digital and social media management.

Princell Hair

SVP, News and Talent, NBC Sports Group

Princell Hair was named SVP of news and talent for NBC Sports Group in March 2012. He oversees all talent recruitment, negotiation and development for the NBC Sports Group, including NBC Sports, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel and the 11 Comcast Regional Sports Networks, while also consulting with NBC Sports Digital. Hair also oversees the NBC Sports Group’s newsgathering operations and news strategy. He reports directly to Sam Flood, executive producer of NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network.

Previously, Hair served as the SVP of news operations for Comcast Sports Group, a role he held since June 2008. In that position, he oversaw news, studio programming and digital content for Comcast’s regional sports, news and entertainment networks.

Hair’s two decades of national and local programming experience also include senior news programming positions with Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS) and Viacom. Hair served as SVP of Turner Broadcasting’s Strategic Planning Group, SVP of program and talent development for CNN Worldwide, and EVP and GM of CNN/US, where he was responsible for the network’s day-to-day news operations, encompassing all aspects of programming and production, including oversight of CNN.com’s US-based operations. Prior to Turner, he was VP of news for the Viacom Television Stations Group, coordinating news coverage for 39 television stations across the US.

He served for five years on the board of directors of the Radio and Television News Directors Association/Foundation (RTNDA/F), and currently serves on the board of visitors at Florida A&M University. Hair’s been a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Black MBA Association and the National Association of Broadcasters.

Lee Hunt

Principal, Lee Hunt LLC

Lee Hunt is founder of Lee Hunt LLC, a New York-based consultancy focusing on brand strategy, on-air architecture/audience retention, competitive analysis and personnel training for television networks and media companies. 

Hunt is a strategist, trainer and curator of best practices. His success in launching and positioning channel brands, as well as his pioneering work in audience management, has set many of the standards for our industry. 

Hunt began his career on the client side in the 1980s, launching and branding Lifetime, VH1 and TNT. In the ‘90s he founded one of TV’s most successful creative services agencies, Lee Hunt Associates. In 1999, he sold LHA to the digital services company Razorfish. In 2001 Hunt launched the strategic consultancy, Lee Hunt LLC.

Hunt holds the distinction of working with more television brands around the world than any other strategist. Consequently, his annual round up of New Best Practices at PromaxBDA is considered the “must attend” session of the conference. Hunt is also the author of “Fundamentals of Television Advertising & Promotion” and “Break|Throughs,” the quarterly anthology of innovative advertising and promotion.

Roger Hyde

SVP, Creative Services & Brand Integrity, DIRECTV
PromaxBDA Secretary, Awards Committee Chair, Bylaws Chair

Roger Hyde began developing his skills as a film editor of non-fiction projects for the state-owned National Television Broadcaster. After transitioning as an advertising agency producer with Young & Rubicam, Hyde launched himself as a writer/director of television commercials throughout the European community, working in more than eight countries on local and multi-national brands. 

After immigrating to the United States in 1994 he continued to freelance as a director and editor of commercials with representation by production companies on three continents, while producing an award-winning, feature-length documentary: “Queen of the Whole Wide World,” which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival before being shown at more than 30 film festivals around the world.

Hyde joined DIRECTV in 2001 and helped transform the fledgling creative services division into a full-service, in-house agency, production company and post-production facility, to help grow the various revenue-driving areas for all 19+ million subscribers of the nation’s premier satellite provider in addition to developing and executing a competitive brand strategy. 

While pursuing his current-customer responsibilities, in 2009 Hyde opened an in-house print creative group for DIRECTV in New York, to produce advertising for acquisitions and direct marketing to drive new subscribers to the platform. He also helms the corporation’s brand integrity group.

His cumulative body of work has garnered more than 200 local and international awards, and has been showcased in festivals throughout the globe. 

An active member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Hyde is on a number of primetime judging panels for the annual Emmy Awards.

Janet Kestin

Co-Founder, Swim

Janet Kestin was co-chief creative officer, with Nancy Vonk, of Ogilvy Toronto from 1998 to 2011. With Vonk, she has won Cannes Lions, One Show Pencils, Clios and many other awards. The duo served as creative directors for Dove “Evolution,” which won two Grand Prix at Cannes, and “Diamond Shreddies,” which won a Grand Clio.

They founded Swim, a creative leadership lab, in October 2011. They have empowered groups from lawyers to architects with insights and tools to take their careers to the next level using unconventional practices.

Kestin and Vonk have judged many of the world’s top advertising awards shows including Cannes, the Clios, One Show, D&AD and the Effies. They were included in Creativity’s Top 50 creative people of 2008 and were advertising Women of the Year at both the WIN Awards in LA and the AWNY Awards in NY in 2007. In 2011 they were inducted into the “Marketing Hall of Legends” and won the Speiss Award for their contribution to Canada’s advertising industry.

They have a widely read advice column, “Ask Jancy,” on ad site, IHAVEANIDEA. They penned a critically acclaimed Adweek book, “Pick Me,” in 2005. It has become a staple in advertising schools from Texas to Turkey. HarperCollins commissioned them to write a career guide for women, due on shelves in 2013.

Kestin and Vonk are mentors and frequent lecturers at schools including world-renowned VCU Brandcenter.

Heidi Morton

Director of Marketing, CBS Television Distribution

Heidi Morton is director of marketing at CBS Television Distribution, where she oversees all marketing efforts for CBS’ off-network and classic television shows, including strategic branding, on-air and radio promos, merchandise, and print. She oversees a wide range of products, such as the CSI franchise, “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “I Love Lucy,” “Brady Bunch” and “Happy Days.” Morton has successfully launched network shows into their syndication run, including “Criminal Minds,” which launched as the No. 1 syndicated drama in 2010.

Graeme Newell

President, 602 Communications

Graeme Newell is a customer loyalty researcher who shows TV companies how to get viewers watching longer and more often. He turns casual viewers into passionate groupies who watch lots of TV. Newell is a world-renowned speaker, consultant and thought leader on emotional marketing. Newell’s company, 602 Communications, has consulted all the major broadcast groups, and global media companies such CNN, Sony, Time-Warner, News Corp, and Disney.

Drawing from a library of 50,000 of the world’s most powerful TV promos and commercials, Newell’s presentations are packed full of the very best advertising in the world. He reveals the hidden strategies that build strong customer loyalty and increase repeat viewing.

Newell spent most of his career as a manager in LA, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Columbus, OH. After years as a both a frontline producer and manager, he started 602 Communications in 1997. 

Jason Scherbert

Founder, Ignition Post

Jason Scherbert is the head honcho and leading creative force behind the seven-time award-winning post production company, Ignition Post. Scherbert’s kick-ass editing style and jaw-dropping graphics ideas come from his passion for his work and years of honing in his craft. 

Scherbert’s career in LA started as a visual effects artist, and quickly progressed to producing and directing local commercials and independent movie trailers. He jumped into the promo world in 2004 when he began working for Disney, where he loved being able to incorporate all of his acquired skills helping him become a preditor. In 2007 he joined forces with some of his most trusted and talented friends, artists, editors and mixers, and Ignition Post was born. Currently, Scherbert leads with the role of executive producer most of the week, but still finds time to jump in the hot seat and give the WaCom tablet a spin when he can. 

Ignition Post designs spots for a variety of clients including Disney XD, Disney Channel, Marvel, ESPN, ABC, A.Smith, GNet, Lexus, Nissan, Honda and PromaxBDA. 

Niels Schuurmans

EVP, Brand Marketing & Creative, Spike TV
Membership Committee Co-Chair

Niels Schuurmans is the driving creative force behind the development of the Spike brand, and has overseen its evolution from an unknown entity seven years ago to the recognized premier entertainment destination it is for men today. Schuurmans helped launch the channel in 2003 with a unique and distinctive campaign to super-serve an audience that was lacking a true television home of their own – men.

As EVP, brand marketing and creative for Spike TV, Schuurmans oversees the consumer marketing operations, in addition to managing all creative aspects relating to the visual presentation of the network. He utilizes his incredible passion for the brand as well his foresight to position Spike as a must-have to consumers on Main Street and advertisers on Madison Avenue. Schuurmans spearheaded the network’s effort to clarify the brand for both advertisers and consumers. His “Get More Action” campaign created a tangible calling card for sales and furthered the bond the network had developed with the audience as a place to be unapologetically male. Schuurmans’ focus on audience retention helped in the development of the innovative “Men of Action” pod-busting promotional spots that integrated sponsors into creative vignettes.

As the network’s focus to build meaningful franchises intensified, Schuurmans provided a platform for the channel to speak directly to its target audience. With focused campaigns using traditional and non-traditional marketing strategies such as Facebook and Twitter, Schuurmans has helped elevate properties such as “The Ultimate Fighter,” “TNA iMPACT,” “1000 Ways To Die” and “The Deadliest Warrior” by talking directly to hard-to-reach young men in places in which they consume media. By utilizing innovative social media tactics in all consumer plans, Schuurmans looks to build the fan base around each Spike property. The goal is to activate social influencers and have them take an active part in driving the creative aspect of each campaign. The results are evident with record ratings for “The Ultimate Fighter” and a burgeoning franchise in “The Deadliest Warrior,” which includes the launch of a successful video game.

Schuurmans has been part of the MTV Networks family since 1990, most recently as SVP, creative director, at Spike TV, where his team managed all of the network’s on-air and off-air look and sound, as well as its print media creative.

Prior to his arrival at Spike in 2003, Schuurmans was SVP of on-air creative at Nickelodeon, where he oversaw the creative teams that developed and created Nickelodeon’s on-air brand identity, Nickelodeon’s LIVE and Daypart Packaging, tune-in promotion and on-air theatrical movie marketing as well as a variety of special events and program specific on-air creative.
Previously, Schuurmans also served as the head of on-air creative at The Cartoon Network from 1993 to 1994, where he worked to set up the creative department and helped develop the Cartoon Network brand.

Throughout his career, Schuurmans has received numerous awards for outstanding marketing and creative, including being named to Electronic Media’s Top Ten Marketers in the Entertainment Industry.

Steve Spector

Partner, ML Search

Steve Spector is a partner at ML Search and runs the firm’s Los Angeles office. He conducts senior level searches in virtually every area of media and entertainment, specializing in marketing, creative and content-centric roles. Spector has been instrumental in building management teams for operating units of a diverse array of companies. Spector's clients include Fortune 500 companies as well as owner-run marketing and creative agencies.

J.A.S. Sustrich

VP, Creative, Lifetime Networks

J.A.S. Sustrich got his start at CNN working on various news magazine shows before leaving the news world for entertainment program production with TNT. Within the Turner entertainment group he segued into promo and marketing as the networks rebranded. Sustrich is currently the VP of creative for the Lifetime Networks.

Joe Tamanini

President, Studio City

Joe Tamanini joined the Emmy Award-winning Studio City in the fall of 2003 and achieved meteoric success. After starting with the company as a production intern, Tamanini quickly rose through the ranks serving as producer/editor, head of creative development, creative director and VP.  Tamanini is now president of Studio City.

During his tenure he has spearheaded the creative pitches and creative direction that has secured Studio City such accounts as NBC’s 2012 Summer Olympic Campaign, NBC’s 2010 Winter Olympic Campaign, “Live! With Kelly,” “Criminal Minds,” “Burn Notice,” “The King of Queens,” “White Collar,” “Anderson,” “Ellen,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “American Chopper,” “Star Trek,” “South Park” and more.  His creative strategy as well as his ability to guide the creative process has been instrumental in the success of Studio City.

Part entrepreneur, part visionary, he takes large, out-of-the box creative ideas and helps refine the messaging to the client’s needs, all the while creating award winning campaigns and spots. Tamanini’s ability to create compelling marketing strategies, brand messaging, and visual style while keeping clients comfortable with creative decision-making has played an intricate role in his quick rise to president. 

During his career he has won multiple PromaxBDA North America Gold and World Gold Awards and has been a two-time PromaxBDA Rocket Award finalist. 

Marice Tobias

Director, Tobias Entertainment Group

From Los Angeles to London, Singapore to Sydney, Johannesburg to the UK, the EU, New York, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver and points in between, Marice Tobias, AKA “The Voice Whisperer,”consults and coaches both talent and creative teams on enhancing performance, directing and producing.

Tobias brings her background in theater, film and commercial direction, as well as being a creative head in advertising and producing promos and all forms of production including conferences and forums. Working with top-tier talent, she demonstrates how both sides of the glass and camera can achieve higher levels of accomplishment in performing, directing and producing, and in record time.

Nancy Vonk

Co-Founder, Swim

Nancy Vonk was co-chief creative officer, with Janet Kestin, of Ogilvy Toronto from 1998 to 2011. With Kestin, she has won Cannes Lions, One Show Pencils, Clios and many other awards. The duo served as creative directors for Dove “Evolution,” which won two Grand Prix at Cannes, and “Diamond Shreddies,” which won a Grand Clio.

They founded Swim, a creative leadership lab, in October 2011. They have empowered groups from lawyers to architects with insights and tools to take their careers to the next level using unconventional practices.

Vonk and Kestin have judged many of the world’s top advertising awards shows including Cannes, the Clios, One Show, D&AD and the Effies. In 2008, Vonk was the first female chair in the history of the Art Director’s Club of New York.

Vonk and Kestin were included in Creativity’s Top 50 creative people of 2008. They were advertising Women of the Year at both the WIN Awards in LA and the AWNY Awards in NY in 2007. In 2011 they were inducted into the “Marketing Hall of Legends” and won the Speiss Award for their contribution to Canada’s advertising industry.

They have a widely read advice column, “Ask Jancy,” on ad site, IHAVEANIDEA. They penned a critically acclaimed Adweek book, “Pick Me,” in 2005. It has become a staple in advertising schools from Texas to Turkey. HarperCollins commissioned them to write a career guide for women, due on shelves in 2013.

Vonk and Kestin are mentors and frequent lecturers at schools including world-renowned VCU Brandcenter. Vonk has been on the board of the One Club since ’09.

Stewart Winter

Co-Founder/Composer, VideoHelper, Inc.

Stewart Winter has always loved all things attention-getting. This led to careers as a professional stand-up comedian, a copywriter for NY ad agency Lowe & Partners, an associate producer for ABC News On-Air Promos and briefly as a sound designer for “Sesame Street.”

He co-founded the VideoHelper Production Music Library with fellow composer Joseph Saba in 1995. Together they constructed a library that was specifically for promos and short-form productions. With the tagline “production music for people who hate production music,” the music was designed to go against the accepted norm of library cuts as "background music" and reflected the needs of promo producers: rhythmic, emotionally unambiguous, multiple changes in intensity, attention-getting, easily editable and the unenviable ability to annoy the crap out of all who are subjected to it.

More than 15 years later, Saba's and Winter's writing credits include more than five currently running network television themes and promos for almost every network and channel that produces promos. VideoHelper's resume includes 90 major motion picture trailers and easily more than 150,000 major network promos airing worldwide (including more than 16 PromaxBDA Award-winning spots over the last two years.)