FarWest Entertainment has launched a global initiative Project Lotus, to find, train, groom five girls who will form a Pan-Asian girl band, to be called (tentatively) the Asian Spice Girls.
Five talented Asian women will be selected from China, Japan, Korea, Philippines and India. Music composer Shamir Tandon will be choosing the Indian singer.

When contacted, Tandon said, “The search is being organised by Elliot Kennedy, who, apart from being a Grammy winner, is a producer and has worked extensively with Spice Girls and many others like Celine Dion, Robbie Williams and Blue.”

Five girls will be shortlisted and sent to Honk Kong, from where one of the girls will be selected. The band will sing only in English and auditions will be held in Delhi, Pune, Bangalore and Mumbai.

Project Lotus culminates in the formation of 5 beautiful, intelligent and talented young Asian women from Japan, Korea, China, India and the Philippines.

The group will experience a development academy with some of the industry’s biggest names, record music, DVD’s and a TV special. A documentary in English will be filmed of this experience.

INDIA AUDITION INFORMATION
PROJECT LOTUS is the search for 5 girls to star in a new Asian girl band. PROJECT LOTUS will bring together five beautiful, intelligent and talented young Asian women from China/Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea and The Philippines.

PROJECT LOTUS is an opportunity for YOU to launch your SINGING CAREER and become an ambassador for INDIA.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
•Prepare a verse and chorus from a song of your choice.
•Dress to impress as you may only get one chance to shine in front of our judges.
•Bring your own light refreshments/snacks as it could be a long day.
TO QUALIFY FOR AN AUDITION:
•You must be 18 or over and under 25 years of age on September 1, 2010.
•You must be female.
•You must bring identification to prove your age (drivers licence / birth certificate / passport).
•You must be available within a month to attend a second audition if you are successful in the first round.
•You must not have a recording deal, a publishing contract, a management contract or any other agent representation agreement that you are unable to terminate without restrictions / obligations.
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT PRELIMINARY AUDITION: CONTACT:

Alchemist Group India CRITERIA: Female
Asian
18 to 25 years old
English speaking
Singer
Dancer
Musician (optional)
VISIT:

India Facebook Page
EMAIL:

audition.girlbandasia@alchemistindia.net
PHONE: +91 96193 69666

Jindal attended Baton Rouge Magnet High School, graduating in 1988. “He always had his eye on, first of all, where he wanted to go, and second, how he was going to get there,” said a former teacher. He competed in tennis tournaments, started a computer newsletter, a retail candy business, and a mail-order software company. He spent his free time working at the concession stands during LSU football games.[7] Jindal was one of 50 students nationwide admitted to the elite PLME program at Brown University, guaranteeing him a place in medical school. His interest was in public policy. Jindal also completed a second major in biology. He graduated in 1991 at the age of 20, with honors in both majors.[8][9]

Jindal was named a member of 1992 USA Today All-USA Academic Team. He was accepted by both Harvard Medical School and Yale Law School, but studied at New College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar. He received an M.Litt. degree in political science with an emphasis in health policy from the University of Oxford in 1994 for his thesis “A needs-based approach to health care”.[8] He turned down an offer to study for a D.Phil. in politics,[10][11] but instead joined the consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

All India news
.But its biggest attraction is the price: $35.

Kapil Sibal, India’s human resources development minister, today unveiled the prototype of an unnamed Linux-based computing tool for students to be introduced in higher educational institutions by 2011.

“The aim is to reach such devices to the students of colleges and universities, and to provide these institutions a host of choices of low-cost access devices around $35 or less in near future,” the human resources ministry said at the launch of the computer.

The latest gadget is a thrilling prospect for the future of global education, says Anand Nandkumar, a professor of business strategy in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business.

But it’s less symptomatic of India’s ambition to unleash cutting-edge innovation, he says, as much as its desire to tap into a new market. The touch screen device is the latest example of how technology and ultra-cheap innovations are bringing new options to India’s 1.2 billion people, whose per capita income is $1,030.

“It’s not like launching a rocket into space,” says Professor Nandkumar. “This kind of innovation is symbolic of the recognition of a vast, untapped market opportunity.”

According to a study last year by India’s Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry, by 2020 rural markets in India will grow to $500 to $600 billion from the current $487 million. Despite their minimal earnings, the nearly 742 million people across rural India are pushing retail demand faster than urban areas and accounting for more than 60 percent of the national demand, the study found.

And many new gadgets are catering to it.

In 2008, Tata launched the world’s cheapest car – the bubble-shaped Nano – priced at $2,500. Its low-cost engineering fulfilled the aspiration of millions of moped-riding Indians for whom a four-wheel drive was far out of reach. The same company last year launched the Swach water purifier – its two models priced at 749 rupees ($16) and 999 rupees ($21) – with the promise of providing clean drinking water to millions of India’s poor.

The price of the new computer is expected to fall to $10 in the coming years.

Warner Bros will lead the way promoting its intellectual properties on and in the official comic-con bag that will be received by attendee.

Warner Bros. Entertainment and Comic-Con Team Up On Official Bag for Comic-Con International: San Diego 2010

One of 11 Unique Collectibles Will Be Distributed to Each Comic-Con Attendee During Official Check-In, Featuring “The Big Bang Theory,” “Chuck,” “Fringe,” “Human Target,” “Nikita,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” “The Looney Tunes Show,”"Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated,” “Clash of the Titans”or “Brightest Day”
BURBANK, Calif. (July 2010) — For the past four years, Warner Bros. Entertainment’s limited-edition, signature oversize canvas tote bags have been a must-have at Comic-Con, with tens of thousands of fans flocking to the Warner Bros. booth on the convention floor to snag one, and Entertainment Weekly once dubbing them the Con’s “ubiquitous accessory.” This year, Warner Bros. Entertainment (WBE) and Comic-Con are teaming up to put one directly in the hands of every attendee, with the Studio signing on as sponsor of the Comic-Con International: San Diego 2010 Official Bag.

•For Comic-Con 2010, the Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Marketing (WWTVM) unit has created 11 unique designs for the bags, with one side featuring the official Comic-Con 2010 artwork designed by WWTVM and the other side representing titles from across a number of WBE divisions, including Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment
•More than 125,000 collectible bags (24″X29″) have been produced and will be distributed to attendees when they check in at Comic-Con throughout the five days of the convention, including Preview Night
WBE and Comic-Con are unveiling artwork for four of the WBE bags, as well as artwork for the official Comic-Con side of the bags:
◦Warner Bros. Animation series “The Looney Tunes Show,” coming soon to Cartoon Network
◦Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s “Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame,” inspired by Warner Bros. Animation’s hit animated series based upon characters from DC Comics. The Videogame is available on Wii and Nintendo DS September 7. New episodes of “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” air Fridays at 7:30 p.m. on Cartoon Network, and “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” Season 1, Part 1 is available on DVD August 17.
◦DC Comics’ best-selling “Brightest Day” comic book series
◦Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray™, DVD and digital download release of Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Clash of the Titans,” available July 27
•To download images of “The Looney Tunes Show,” “Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame,” “Brightest Day” and “Clash of the Titans” bag sides, as well as the official Comic-Con 2010 artwork side of the bags, please click here:
www.thewb.com/comiccon/officialbags2010
•To download images of the creative fashions that fans have put together utilizing the Warner Bros. bags in the past, please click here:
www.thewb.com/comiccon/bagswardrobe
•Other sponsored bags will feature the following titles:
◦Warner Bros. Television series “The Big Bang Theory,” “Chuck,” “Fringe,” “Human Target,” “Nikita” and “The Vampire Diaries”
◦Warner Bros. Animation series “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated”
•For additional information about Warner Bros. Television activities at Comic-Con, follow us on Twitter @TheWBdotcom and use hashtag #WBSDCC, log on to www.thewb.com/comiccon, and read news at www.thewb.com/blog.
Created annually since 2006 by the Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Marketing unit specifically for Comic-Con, the highly sought-after totes provide devoted fans with a handy carrying case for all the merchandise they take away from the Con and serve as mobile billboards for a selection of the Studio’s key Comic-Con titles.

Among the takeaways:

Mobile ad engagement metrics outpace desktop equivalent — JumpTap reported three times the engagement in rich-media ads served on smartphones compared to traditional banners, and twice the views of mobile ad trailers for movie studio clients versus that on PCs.

PointRoll had similar findings, with iPad ad interaction at 1.10% vs. mobile at 0.5%, and desktop at 0.26%. This may be due to better targeting capabilities, as carriers are willing to share geo-location of subs with marketers, but could also be a function of smaller screen sizes, where the ads are more prominent and likely to be seen. Another factor, of course, could simply be the “wow” factor of a new device/format.

Android gaining steam — As of May, the iPhone had 59% share of mobile Web traffic, while Android had a 20% share, according to Quantcast. “Many people we spoke with said they are now developing more apps and ads for the Android OS than previously,” stated the Citi report.

Beth Lubov Butrymowicz, Intel’s Global Media Manager, said she found lower ad bounce rates on the Android OS vs. the iPhone (i.e. users were more likely to engage with ads on the Android OS), so the company plans to do more marketing on the Android platform. “We’re a bit skeptical of the datapoint, but we find it interesting,” according to Mahaney.

Mixed results on mobile search advertising — Advertisers said search advertising on mobile works well for branded terms, but not for generic terms. Also, CPMs continue to be prohibitively high due to the current structure of two ads at the top, which result in aggressive bidding of keywords to get one’s ad in one of those two spots. However, the market is getting better, and Google offers the most sophisticated targeting techniques today, which should get even better over time, according to the advertisers Citi spoke with.

Feature and not-so-smart-smartphones are also important — JumpTap pointed out that 42% of its customers advertise on RIMM, followed by 24% on iPhone, 15% on Windows Mobile, and 13% on Android. Further, 55% of JumpTap’s mobile traffic comes from feature phones and light-smartphones. SMS is also a very important form of mobile advertising. Separately, Intel pointed to a very successful mobile ad campaign that ran in Indonesia focused on feature phones.

My story is about me and a girlhood friend who were separated, but miraculously reconnected 23 years later.

The magazine’s program is designed to give celebrity women a chance to direct subject matter about real women stories, and bring it to the masses.   They choose 3 stories a year.  Go to glamour.com for more details.

Cartoon Network Enterprises and licensee Jazwares will reveal the first action figure for animated TV series “Robot Chicken,” which will lead up to the launch of a toy line. The 5-inch figure will be available this week, as well as an Adult Swim swag bag and an exclusive 2010 Comic-Con T-shirt. “Robot Chicken” co-creators Seth Green and Matt Senreich will also be on hand to sign autographs.

Toynami, which recently became the master licensee for UNKL, will also have a presence on the show floor. At Comic-Con, they will debut three toy lines with characters that include Gastro-Normous (the introductory character in the Dad Gummit Blobs line, which will be exclusively for sale at the show), SearchR and Viking. In addition, Fifth Sun has also recently partnered with UNKL for an apparel line (tees and hoodies), which will premiere in February at MAGIC. Licensing Street represents UNKL.

USA Network also returns to promote its original series “Burn Notice,” “Psych” and “White Collar” with cast- and producer-led panels.

Archaia, a graphic novel publisher, will be showcasing various properties and Archaia will host over 40 writers and artists for autograph sessions and meet-and-greet opportunities at its booth at Comic-Con …
GrapevineStar Entertainment will be at Comic-Con highlighting its MeMe and My World, Tex DunRight, World’s Favorite Cowboy and London Manga properties. Comic-Con has become one of the centers for new content and intellectual properties for film and TV… says Jacob R. Miles III, CEO of GrapevineStar

Meanwhile at this past weekend’s London Comic-Con, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Comics featured an exhibition of cover art and an original prop display, including the Tumbler Batmobile from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. WBCP worked with London Film and Comic-Con to celebrate the 75th anniversary of DC Comics. The collaboration formed part of a yearlong slate of activities taking place around the world to mark the anniversary. The exhibition of DC Comics cover art from the golden age of comics through to the current day, featuring popular DC super heroes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Green Lantern, were exhibited in a dedicated DC gallery that will be branded with DC wall murals from new WBCP licensee Coolerwalls. The DC Comics exhibition featured original movie props from DC movies Batman (1989), Supergirl (1984) and Superman (1978). Visiting fans also had the opportunity to pose for pictures with life-size models of Batman and Superman, and there was an on-site shop selling a range of DC-branded products, including wall murals from Coolerwalls, posters from Pyramid and mugs and bags from Half Moon Bay. London Film and Comic-Con was held at Earls Court

Social Gaming

Social Gaming and Virtual Goods
US market size for virtual goods will reach $1.6 billion in 2010, with social gaming contributing $835 million of that total. The report, “Inside Virtual Goods: The Future of Social Gaming” is the latest in-depth study in the Inside Virtual Goods series, co-authored by Justin Smith and Charles Hudson.

“2009 was the year that casual games like Zynga’s popular FarmVille took over the major social platforms and changed the way millions of people socialized with friends online. Casual games introduced a rich, new way of interacting with friends on social networks, and saw the highest engagement numbers that the online entertainment industry has ever witnessed,” Justin Smith, founder of Inside Network’s InsideFacebook.com & InsideSocialGames.com, says. “With tens of millions of returning users, and millions of new visitors daily, it is no wonder that the social gaming industry saw significant M&A activity: an up-to-$400 million acquisition of Playfish by Electronic Arts, and hundreds of millions of dollars in additional venture investments. Social games are now impacting businesses across the media landscape,” adds Charles Hudson, VP of Business Development at Serious Business, and host of the annual Virtual Goods Summit.

The second research report in the Inside Virtual Goods series, “Inside Virtual Goods: The Future of Social Gaming 2010″ concludes that social games will alone make up half of all virtual goods revenue in the United States this year.

To get in and fully understand and get in the virtual goods and social gaming game, here are some must attend conferences and events to be held this year:

Virtual Goods Summit 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM (PST)
Wednesday, Oct. 13, 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM (PST)

The Virtual Goods Summit is focused on the emerging market opportunity for virtual goods and economies. Once restricted to the world of online gaming, virtual goods and currencies are beginning to influence the development of social networks, community sites, and many other new and exciting markets. The market for virtual goods continues to grow – join us for two days of engaging talks and panels designed to highlight important trends in this fast growing market. With estimates suggesting this market will grow from $1 billion in 2009 to $1.6 billion in 2010, this is a must-attend event for those in the games, social media, and entertainment markets.

Virtual goods beyond games
Designing free-to-play games for maximum engagement
The virtual goods market in Asia
The virtual goods market in Europe
Virtual goods and mobile applications
Free-to-play MMOs and virtual worlds
Monetization infrastructure for virtual goods
Best practices for engagement and player lifecycle management

Social Gaming Summit
11th November, 2010
The first London Social Gaming Summit is a one day event focused on the intersection of games and the social web. The event focuses on helping social games developers build, monetise, and grow their social games. We’re bringing together the leaders in free-to-play games, social networking, and payments infrastructure for a full day of panels and talks.

Virtual Goods Summit
12th November, 2010
The first London Virtual Goods Summit is a one day event focused on the emerging market opportunity for virtual goods and economies. Once restricted to the world of online gaming, virtual goods and currencies are beginning to influence the development of social networks, community sites, and many other new and exciting markets. The market for virtual goods continues to grow – join us for engaging talks and panels designed to highlight important trends in this fast growing market. With estimates suggesting this market will grow from $1 billion in 2009 to $1.6 billion in 2010, this is a must-attend event for those in the games, social media, and entertainment markets.

Beautiful Africa - A New Way to Look at Africa

“Spain and the Netherlands may be in the championship game, but the true world cup champion is the continent of Africa” says Jacob R. Miles, Co-Founder with Lap Ngo of Beautiful Africa, who’s copyrighted tag line is “A New Way to Look at Africa” reflects the brands positioning and view of how Africa is viewed worldwide. 

Africa is a frequent subject in the international news. However that news usually is focused on violence and poverty. This is not the total picture. There is more positive things happening in Africa then their are negative. Violence and Poverty, you would think that all of the 53 countries located in on the continent of Africa are defined by violence and poverty, nothing could be further from the truth. The South Africa World Cup 2010 is the counter to this false media driven perception.

The Africa World Cup is a positive force and confidence builder for the entire continent of Africa. Everyone knows that the problem with all major media outlets is that they focus on the negative and the sensational. The bottom line is…South Africa’s hosting of the World Cup uplifts Africa in its entirety’s spirit and touches the spirit of the world. Thank You FIFA for having the courage and confidence to host the 2010 WORLDS CUP in AFRICA…..WE SALUTE YOU!!                                        It is Important to Think! …What Do You Think?

In past years it was common for Allen & Co. to invite leaders and moguls from traditional media, Film, TV and Publishing. The trend is to now add online media, technology entrepreneurs and executives in addition to the traditional gathering of film, television and publishing chiefs.
This year’s attendee list includes Facebook Inc.’s Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, who is attending for the first time. Mark Pincus, chief executive of online gaming giant Zynga Game Network Inc., will be there, along with some lesser-known tech insiders, such as Gina Bianchini, former CEO of social-networking start-up Ning.

The newer arrivals will share the spotlight with the conference’s regular array of media moguls, which have been attending for years. They include Walt Disney Co. chief Bob Iger, Viacom Inc. CEO Phillippe Dauman, NBC-Universal’s, Jeff Zucker, News Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch, and Barry Diller, chief executive of IAC/InterActiveCorp and others.

A few hundred executives and family members attend a schedule of sessions, meals and drinks. This is not a sign that the media convergence of new media and traditional media has converged.
Traditional media guys are cynics. If new media platforms don’t make money, they don’t talk about it. The way for new media to get traditional media’s attention is to make money, lots of it.

Lets take a look at will new media and traditional media be talking about this year?

Look for the traditional media moguls to discuss what Comcast Corp. will or will not do with NBC Universal, it’s CEO Jeff Zucker is a regular attendee and will surely be positioning for his next opportunity within or without Comcast.
The fate of ABC will be a topic of conversation. Disney denied rumors that it has considered selling ABC, but rumors persist. Hulu will definetly be a topic of conversation as well as Apple TV. With several moguls putting their content behind paywalls, expect talk about the emergence and viabilty of subscription models for newspapers and TV shows and the iPad.

Look for the new media moguls to discuss potential combinations and content-swapping deals, AOL Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc., as all three plot ways to compete with ever-expanding Google. The escalating competition between Google and Apple Inc. is another hot topic of conversation. Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs is not normally in attendance at this or any other events other then his own. However his not being there will have no effect over Apple’s growing influence on changes effecting new and traditional media.

One thing that could get both sides buzzing would be a deal between traditional media and new media, particularly an Internet and Broadcast focused one. But despite signs that deal-making is picking up again, several investment bankers interviewed for this article say they do not expect any large deals to come out of this years conference.

About Allen and Company
The Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference is an annual conference hosted and wholly independently funded by private investment firm Allen & Company. The conference has taken place in Sun Valley, Idaho for one week each July since 1983. The conference typically features business leaders, political figures, and major figures in the philanthropic and cultural spheres. Previous conference guests have included Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren and Susan Buffett, Tony Blair, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch, eBay CEO Meg Whitman, BET founder Robert Johnson, Former Time Warner Chairman Richard Parsons, NBA player LeBron James, Katharine Graham of The Washington Post, Diane Sawyer, InterActiveCorp Chairman Barry Diller, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams (blogger), Linkedin co-founder Reid Hoffman, and Washington Post CEO Donald E. Graham.
Allen & Company is a private investment firm formed in 1922, located in New York. Allen & Company has advised, helped found and/or invested in numerous companies including BET, InterActiveCorp, Oxygen Media, Discovery Communications, News Corporation, The Coca-Cola Corporation and Google.

If you thought that Lady Gaga’s large doe-eyes in her “Bad Romance” video looked just a little well, too doelike, that’s because they were. Her eyes were digitally altered to appear bigger.

FDA has not approved new contact lenses that give the appearance of wider eyes. But that hasn’t stopped the exaggerated, cartoonish look from catching on among the fashion-conscious, creating a demand for special circle contact lenses that are sold illegally in the U.S. — which doctors say could be dangerous for those who wear them.

Like any contact lens, prolonged wear can lead to infections that, although rare, can be serious, experts said. If the contacts don’t fit properly — too tight or too loose — they can scratch the cornea, which can cause vision problems.

“This is our first time exhibiting at the Anime Expo, and we think that our lineup of titles launching over the next six months is the perfect fit for the show’s attendees,” said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO at Natsume. “We have highly-anticipated new entries in the Harvest Moon and Rune Factory series with Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar and Rune Factory 3, the triumphant return of the Lufia series with Lufia: Return of the Sinistrals, and the fun and fright-filled rhythm game, Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove.”

Information on each title is listed below. For more information on Natsume or any of these titles, please visit www.natsume.com

Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar (DS)

The bazaar is now open! Zephyr Town’s bazaar was once the grandest in the world, drawing customers and peddlers from all four corners of the Earth. These days, though, the bazaar has more tumbleweeds than customers. Maybe you can turn its fortunes around! Raise animals, harvest crops, craft rare delicacies, and then sell your wares at your very own shop! Can you bring prosperity back to Zephyr Town?

Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals (DS)

The Sinistrals, four beings of legendary power, have returned to bring humanity to its knees. It’s up to the fiery monster hunter Maxim and his eclectic band of adventurers to put a stop to them once and for all. Their adventures will take them across an expansive world packed with dangerous enemies, powerful items, and diabolical puzzles!

Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (DS)

It’s an adventure that will transform you! The people of Sharance and their horned Univir neighbors are embroiled in a bitter conflict. An age-old hatred between humans and monsters divides them. You are an adventurer with an unusual secret: you’re half human and half monster. Are you the one who can unite the humans and the Univir? And will you be in time to stop the growing evil force that threatens to destroy them both?

Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove (DS)

Gabrielle’s having a bad day. She sneezed her soul right out of her body! She’ll have to travel to Monster Town, the home of all things that go bump in the night, to get help. Only by busting out the ghostliest dance moves and thrilling and chilling people will she be able to scare up the power she needs to get herself back into her body! It’s a spooktacular rhythm adventure!

For more information on any of these titles, please visit www.natsume.com. You can also follow all of the latest Natsume news at www.natsume.com/facebook and www.twitter.com/natsume_inc.

About Natsume

Natsume Inc. is a worldwide developer and publisher that specialize in unique and family-oriented interactive entertainment software for a variety of platforms. Most known for publishing Reel Fishing and Harvest Moon, Natsume is dedicated to producing quality video games. For more information about Natsume Inc., visit www.natsume.com

Grapevine Star Entertainment, (www.grapevinestar.com) based in the Dallas-Ft worth area has been working with intellectual property owners in South America, Korea, Japan and China to help them integrate and leverage intellectual properties and new media to generate licensing and merchandis revenue. Visit GrapevineStar at the Seoul Character & Licensing Fair 2010. Are you looking for a gateway into the Korean contents market?

The Seoul Character & Licensing Fair has become one of Asia’s largest licensing exhibitions. For the past 8 years, the licensing exhibition encompassing content business and industry has provided information about trends and issues to relevant industries. The exhibition deals with all kinds of items for licensing including characters, animations, comics, games, broadcasting and entertainment. It has made progress as Asia’s largest licensing trade fair with participation of over 190,000 and 170 companies at home and abroad every year.

Seoul Character & Licensing Fair 2010, the largest of its scale, will take place on July 21(Wed) ~ 25(Sun) at Hall A, B and C, Coex, Seoul. The fair is expected to be attended by many outstanding businesses and companies at home and abroad in dealing with characters and contents. Especially, various B2B programs such as showcases, business meetings and conferences are added to provide you with ideal business environment.

We wholeheartedly welcome exhibitors and buyers from all over the world. Our aim is to provide participants with international networking opportunities for direct communication, thereby contributing to your successful business. We will offer you a professional support from preparation to the end of the fair.

Michael Jackson Estate Secures Official Merchandiser
Bravado, a global music merchandiser, has been chosen as the official manufacturer and distributor of Michael Jackson-branded products worldwide. “Bravado is the perfect partner for the estate of Michael Jackson merchandise,” says John Branca and John McClain, co-special administrators for the estate of Michael Jackson, in a joint statement. “The reputation of Tom Bennett and his team for creating compelling merchandise and providing strong product support is stellar. We are delighted to be working with them.”
A collection of licensed product is already available at retailers such as Hot Topic, Target, Old Navy and JCPenney, as well as online at www.michaeljacksonmerch.com. The line of more than 200 items includes T-shirts, “Thriller”-inspired jackets, “Who’s bad?” onesies, sunglasses, handbags and novelty items.

“We are thrilled to expand our services to become the exclusive merchandiser for Michael Jackson-related products,” says Tom Bennett, chief executive officer of Bravado. “Creating this new line alongside Michael was a privilege of a lifetime; it truly celebrates Michael’s unmistakable style and irreplaceable talent, and helps commemorate and preserve the legacy that is Michael Jackson.” The deal expands upon another with AEG Live, which had Bravado as the exclusive merchandiser for Jackson’s London tour.

“Michael Jackson merchandise will follow the leads of Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Tupac expanding and growing for many years to come” says Jacob R. Miles III,  CEO of GrapevineStar Entertainment, a new media, licensing and products focused company.

Just about everyone who ever met Michael Jackson will be on television tomorrow, as the anniversary of his death brings a blizzard of reports on either how it happened or what it has meant.

Those who prefer to remember Jackson primarily for his music can turn on the radio, where several stations will go all-Michael.

Jackson died a year ago tomorrow, at age 50, on the eve of a comeback tour. Those who will talk about him include his mother, Katherine, in a paid interview for “Dateline NBC.”

His brothers Jermaine and Tito will talk with Don Lemon on CNN, while ABC’s “2-0/20″ will look at unanswered questions about his death.

The CBS “Early Show” will have artists like Marc Anthony and LL Cool J talk about Jackson, and TV Guide will show a new documentary, “Gone Too Soon.”

Here are some TV programs, all tomorrow unless noted:

ABC: “2-0/20″ special, “Michael Jackson: After Life,” 9-11 p.m.

CBS: 8 a.m. hour of “The Early Show” is devoted to Jackson.

CNN: “Michael Jackson: The Final Days,” 8 p.m., with Don Lemon, followed by a Larry King special tribute, 9 p.m.

E!: “True Hollywood Story” (repeat), 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.; “The Last Days of Michael Jackson,” 10 a.m., 3 and 8 p.m.; “Michael Jackson,” 11 a.m., 4 and 9 p.m.

Fuse: Starting today, in heavy rotation through Sunday: “A Tribute,” “The Inside Story,” “Remember His Time,” “Devotion.”

MTV: “Michael Jackson Top 10 Video Countdown,” 5-6:30 p.m.; “Michael Jackson’s Influence,” 6:30 p.m.

NBC: “Dateline,” 9 p.m., Katherine Jackson interview.

TV Guide: “Gone Too Soon,” 9-11 p.m.; “Michael Jackson’s Entourage: Where Are They Now,” and “Michael Jackson: His Family Dynasty,” 11 p.m.

VH1: “The Jacksons: An American Family,” noon-5 p.m.; “Famous Crime Scenes,” 11:30 p.m.

And on the radio:

WBLS (107.5 FM): Musical features all weekend and comments from celebrities and friends. Supporting the Rev. Al Sharpton’s tribute tomorrow afternoon at the Apollo.

WCBS-FM (101.1): Listener-voted countdown of top 40 Michael songs, tomorrow at 9 a.m., plus Jackson songs all weekend in “Hall of Fame.”

WHTZ (100.3 FM): A Jackson song every hour tomorrow.

WKTU (103.5 FM): “MJ All Day,” 24 hours tomorrow, followed by Jackson music and specials all weekend.

WKXW (101.5 FM): Tribute with Joe Henry, tomorrow at 7 p.m., leading to a Jackson weekend.

WRKS (98.7 FM): Kicks off all-Jackson weekend tomorrow at 6 a.m. with the D.L. Hughley morning show. Also supporting “Throwback Comes to Harlem” concert at the Apollo, tomorrow night at 9, celebrating Jackson.

WXRK (92.3 FM): Jackson in a 5 p.m. minimix tomorrow.

Sirius/XM: Hourly Jackson songs tomorrow over “80s on 8,” “70s on 7″ and other channels.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2010-2014, global entertainment and media spending is expected to rise from $1.3 trillion to $1.7 trillion by 2014, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 5.0%. The US E&M market is expected to grow at 3.8% CAGR reaching $517 billion in 2014, from $428 billion in 2009. Fast changing consumer behavior is expected to be the catalyst of the entertainment and media industry change over the next five years,

Ken Sharkey, US leader, entertainment, media & communications practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers, notes that “… the digital pace of change has proven to be even quicker than anticipated with consumers embracing new media… and digital downloads at often-unexpected speeds… the continued fragmentation of the E&M sector will fuel greater experimentation by both established industry giants and niche players… ”

Digital services continue to be the primary growth engine, but traditional revenue streams are expected to remain significantly larger throughout the forecast period. The industry will need to embrace digital not as a competitor to traditional services, but as a complement. Digital spending in the US is expected to account for 26% of all E&M spending in 2014, up from 19% in 2009.

While there are signs of a rebound, advertising is unlikely to return to former levels. By 2014, the US advertising spend is expected to still be 9% below its level in 2007. Overall US advertising is expected to increase at a 2.6 % CAGR from $159 billion in 2009 to $180 billion in 2014. In the US, Internet advertising is expected to surpass newspaper advertising spend in 2010.

Advertising spending for Internet, television, radio, out-of-home, and video games are expected to be larger in 2014 than in 2009, while consumer magazines, newspapers, directories and trade magazines are expected to be smaller. These projections reflect the market fragmentation and consumer behavioral changes. The advertising industry is responding to consumers’ shifting attention and migrating towards total marketing or total brand communication. Brands are changing their focus from advertising on a medium, to marketing through, and with, content.

Consumer feedback and usage provides the only reliable guide to the commercial viability of products and services, and the global consumer base is being used as a test-bed for new offerings and consumption models. PwC has identified three themes that are expected to emerge from changing consumer behavior and the industry must anticipate and pre-empt the needs and wants of consumers.

Rising power of mobility and devices: Advances in technology are expected to see increasingly converged, multi-functional mobile devices come of age as a consumption platform by the end of 2011. By 2014, US mobile Internet access subscribers are projected to increase to 96.1 million, a 40% CAGR from 2009.
Growing dominance of Internet experience over all content consumption: Increasingly, the consumer has moved beyond thinking of the Internet as an end in itself, and expects all forms of media to embed the convenience, immediacy and interactivity of the Internet. People are already consuming magazines and newspapers on Internet-enabled tablets, and streaming personalized music services in preference to buying physical CDs.
Increasing engagement and readiness to pay for content-driven by improved consumption experiences and convenience: Consumers are more willing to pay for content when accompanied by convenience and flexibility in usage, personalization and a differentiated experience that cannot be created elsewhere. Local relevance is also expected to enhance the content providers’ ability to charge.
Digital migration and consumer behavior changes have put extreme pressure on existing business models. The proliferation of platforms and rising consumer expectations mean companies can no longer ‘be everything.’

“The industry must radically rethink its approach to monetizing content in capturing new revenue sources, from transactions or from participation with others operating in the evolving digital value chain… ” added Ken Sharkey.

Segment highlights In the US:

Internet access and Internet advertising is expected to continue to outperform the other E&M segments, with 8.8 % and 7.7% CAGR, respectively
Video games (6.4% CAGR)
TV subscriptions (6.5% CAGR)
TV advertising (5.3% CAGR)
Radio (4.6% CAGR),
Filmed entertainment (3.6% CAGR)
Out-of-home advertising (3.2% CAGR)
Consumer and educational book publishing (2.5% CAGR)
Business-to-business publishing (0.9% CAGR)
Recorded music (-2.4 CAGR)
Newspaper publishing (-2.8 CAGR)
Consumer magazine publishing (-0.5 CAGR)
Overall, US consumer/end-user spending is expected to grow by 3.7% CAGR

LIMA) today announced that The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the second installment of Summit Entertainment’s blockbuster film series based on the popular vampire romance novels, was named License of the Year at last night’s Opening Night Awards Ceremony at Licensing International Expo 2010 in Las Vegas. In addition, licensing programs supporting the Twilight property were honored in the entertainment and retail awards categories.

In all, LIMA presented 16 International Licensing Excellence Awards recognizing the best and most successful licensed properties and products in seven categories: Art, Character/Toy, Corporate, Film/Television/Celebrity/Entertainment, Sports and Sports-Themed Entertainment, Promotion and Retailer. Nominations were solicited from across the licensing industry and winners chosen by a vote of the LIMA membership.

“This year’s International Licensing Excellence Award winners include classic brands such as Barbie and Scrabble as well as new properties and products that are popular with a wide variety of audiences,” said Charles Riotto, President of LIMA. “The association congratulates all of our winners, who exemplify the creativity of our industry and the strength of licensing as a brand builder.”

All awards are based on calendar year 2009. The winners, by category, are:

ART
• Best Art Program: Paul Frank
• Best Art Licensee: LF USA’s Kids Headquarters Investments Division (for Paul Frank Apparel)

CHARACTER/TOY BRAND
• Best Character/Toy Brand Program: Barbie (Mattel, Inc.)
• Best Character/Toy Brand Licensee – Hard Goods: Digital Blue (for LEGO electronics)
• Best Character/Toy Brand Licensee – Soft Goods: Mighty Fine (for Peanuts T-shirts)

CORPORATE
• Best Corporate Brand Program: Food Network
• Best Corporate Brand Licensee – Hard Goods: Creative Designs International, a Division of JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (for Black & Decker Junior role-play products)
• Best Corporate Brand Licensee – Soft Goods: adidas Originals (for Vespa footwear and apparel)

FILM, TELEVISION, CELEBRITY OR ENTERTAINMENT
• Best Film, Television, Celebrity or Entertainment Program: The Twilight Saga: New Moon
• Best Film, Television, Celebrity or Entertainment Licensee – Hard Goods: Cardinal Industries, Inc. (for The Twilight Saga: New Moon The Movie Board Game)
• Best Film, Television, Celebrity or Entertainment Licensee – Soft Goods: National Entertainment Collectibles Association (for The Twilight Saga: New Moon apparel and accessories)

SPORTS AND SPORTS-THEMED ENTERTAINMENT
• Best Sports and Sports-Themed Entertainment Program: ESPN
• Best Sports and Sports-Themed Entertainment Licensee: Electronic Arts (for FIFA videogames)

PROMOTION
• Best Licensed Promotion: Scrabble at Subway (Hasbro, Inc.)

RETAILER
• Best Retailer: Nordstrom (for The Twilight Saga: New Moon)

OVERALL BEST LICENSED PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
• The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Summit Entertainment, LLC)

Hassenfelds Inducted into LIMA Licensing Industry Hall of Fame
Following the awards presentation the licensing industry honored the lifetime achievements of licensing industry pioneers Alan G. Hassenfeld and the late Stephen Hassenfeld of Hasbro, Inc. Among the first to recognize the impact toys and games could have in telling a story, the Hassenfelds built the company into a top toy licensing partner for many brands, and many of Hasbro’s own brands have become licensing juggernauts in their own right. Noted for their philanthropy, the Hassenfelds have been involved in hundreds of charitable and social causes through The Hasbro Children’s Foundation and other endeavors.

Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation Charity of Choice for 7th Consecutive Year
For the seventh consecutive year, LIMA selected the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation (CBTF) as its charity of choice. The Foundation works to improve the treatment, quality of life, and long-term outlook for children with brain and spinal cord tumors. All proceeds from sales of a special tribute book honoring the Hassenfelds and the Licensing Excellence Awards nominees were donated to the CBTF.

There’s no arguing that word of mouth (WOM) marketing impacts sales. And while a large number of people talk about content they found online, three-quarters of the time those conversations take place offline.

A recent study from Yahoo on WOM marketing demonstrates that the Internet has grown more influential when it comes to informing people through conversations about brands, even more so than TV in certain categories. The study also finds that the best vehicles for influencing WOM come from consumers who play in social networks. These “Conversation Catalysts” drive a disproportionately higher percentage of WOM activity.

While many marketers have little doubt that the Internet can influence WOM marketing nearly as much as TV, the huge gap in budgets for online versus television tells a different tale, says Radha Subramanyam, Yahoo vice president, who heads corporate and media research. “There’s a bit of an intellectual gap in how marketers spend their budget that doesn’t exactly tie to ROI,” she says.

Although only 7% of all brand-WOM conversations occur online, 38% of people have brand-WOM conversations both online or offline influenced by the Internet, which Yahoo estimates at 74 million people.

Among the media channels influencing WOM, the Internet has grown while others like television and print remain flat. The level of Internet references rose to 15% in January 2010, compared with nearly 12% during the same time in the year-ago period.

Despite the buzz around social media and its role in WOM, most conversations take place face to face. Media — both online and off — are influential in driving these conversations, but it’s important to note that 76% of WOM conversations take place in person.

Two-thirds of WOM is positive, and only 8% is negative, according to the study.

Certain categories such as financial and automotive appear to do better than health and health care and personal care and beauty. The study recognizes a 17% impact on finance from the Internet, compared with 8% for television. Yahoo believes that impact has a 1% bump to 18% on its network.

The study finds that Yahoo’s audience drives more WOM marketing for automotive and finance categories. While the Facebook and YouTube audiences both have a considerable reach, a much higher volume of auto and finance WOM occurred among the Yahoo audience since January.

Automotive in Yahoo’s network drove 54% of WOM marketing volume compared with 48% in Facebook; 46%, YouTube; 21%, MSN; 17%, AOL; and 15%, Hulu. Finance in Yahoo’s network drove 55% of WOM marketing volume, compared with 48% in Facebook; 40%, YouTube; 23%, MSN; 17%, AOL; and 14%, Hulu.

Conversation Catalysts have become the most valuable WOM segment, because they have a large social network, belong to clubs, organizations and social groups, and often give advice in five or more product categories. They are 20% more likely to mention the Internet in brand WOM conversations.

This trend is driven by millennials, Subramanyam says. “This generation is moving into the years of life where they think about purchases. These kids are now becoming adults,” she says. “This generation is the first that literally grew up with the Internet.”

As millennials become the new adults, marketers will see an interesting cultural shift, Subramanyam says.

Even so, there’s a missed opportunity in understanding that traditional Internet marketing has a bigger impact on word of mouth, says Brad Fay, chief operating officer at Keller Fay Group, and marketing consultant at McKinsey. “There’s a big opportunity to drive word of mouth using something as simple as a brand Web site,” he says. “The study found it’s the number one component to drive word of mouth through the Internet.”

About 15% of all conversations include something from people who found the information online, Fay says. People sit side-by-side with a mobile device in hand, talking about restaurants, clothing stores or services they read about online, he says.

The study concludes that Internet content can significantly impact WOM activity, especially on sites that serve this market segment known as Conversation Catalysts.

Yahoo partnered with Keller Fay to observe WOM activity from more than 18,500 survey respondents between August 2009 and January 2010. WOM conversations were tracked with the assistance of a 24-hour diary and follow-up contacts to answer standardized questions about brands and companies they talked about.

To mark the event, FIFA.com, the world’s official football website, and Google have collaborated on a range of online features to help supporters keep track of how each team is doing throughout the tournament. Whether you’re searching for FIFA World Cup news or want to voice your opinion on a player’s performance, we have a number of ways for fans to stay on top of the action:

Follow your team while browsing the Internet: stay up-to-date when you’re online with the FIFA.com Chrome extension. Get a live feed of FIFA World Cup results, news and match statistics and if you’re supporting a particular team, personalise the gadget for alerts of goals scored by your team as they happen
See the latest scores and schedules in search results: search for [world cup], [world cup spain], [world cup group g] and more, and you’ll see live scores, latest results and match schedules at the top of your search results. You’ll find quick links to game recaps, live updates, standings and team profiles on FIFA.com
Follow the tournament on your personalised home page: get all the latest information on FIFA World Cup teams, players and matches streamed to your very own home page with the iGoogle Gadget. If you want to know more about where all the action is happening, click on the ‘venues’ tab to take a closer look at the stadiums
Get a feel for what it’s like to be there: FIFA.com and South African Tourism have used Google Maps to add information about the host cities, stadiums and attractions, giving people easy access to these sights with Street View and 3D views : maps.google.com/exploresouthafrica

You can get access to all of these features from FIFA.com and Google by visiting google.com/worldcup

Matt Stone, Head of FIFA New Media, commented: “In a landmark initiative, the world’s greatest football site, FIFA.com, has teamed up with one of the world’s leading search engines, Google, to give the global community of football enthusiasts unprecedented ease of access to the news and information they crave. From live feeds to in-depth data on matches, teams and venues, FIFA.com and Google provide every Internet user with a privileged, personalised experience of the World Cup.”

New on FIFA.com for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
FIFA.com, available in six languages, is the official online destination for the FIFA World Cup. In 2010, for the first time, FIFA.com users will select the Man of the Match for each of the FIFA World Cup’s 64 games. To interact with FIFA.com and other fans, it is simply a matter of joining the free FIFA.com Club, to enjoy features such as the online Panini Sticker album.

Match data and statistics in unparalleled breadth and depth
FIFA.com will also provide FIFA World Cup match data and statistics in unrivalled breadth and depth, ranging from top-level information to key game statistics plus granular data such as blow-by-blow detail on passes, each player’s speed, and distance in the course of each match.

News, video, features, games and one-stop-shop
With a full range of news, video highlights, player profiles, historical data, behind-the-scenes access to the stars, games, polls, travel features and a one-stop shop for retail, event ticketing, accommodation and hospitality, FIFA.com offers football enthusiasts around the world the most comprehensive online service for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

About FIFA.com
FIFA.com, the world’s official football website, is the online heart of football.

Recognised as the world’s most authoritative football website, unrivalled for depth, insight and accuracy, FIFA.com reliably and impartially delivers the global football message across multiple digital platforms to an international community of millions of professionals and enthusiasts.

Constantly updated, FIFA.com (live since 1995) offers the latest news, video highlights, historical data, contact with the stars, behind-the-scenes access, and — through the free FIFA.com Club — a global meeting point for people who care about football.

In addition, FIFA.com supplies a one-stop shop for retail, event ticketing, accommodation and hospitality. Through serving the global football community it also delivers value to the six FIFA Partners (adidas, Coca-Cola, Emirates, Hyundai, Sony, Visa) and FIFA World Cup™ Sponsors (Budweiser, Castrol, Continental, McDonald’s, MTN, Mahindra Satyam, Seara, Yingli Solar).

FIFA.com is predicted to generate over 10 billion page views during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Lady Gaga is inspired by glam rock artists such as David Bowie and Queen, as well as pop musicians such as Madonna and Michael Jackson. She has also stated fashion is a source of inspiration for her songwriting and performances. Gaga was ranked the 73rd Artist of the 2000-10 decade by Billboard. As of May 2010, Gaga has sold over 15 million albums and over 40 million singles worldwide. In May 2010, Time magazine included Gaga in its annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.

Lady Gaga is proof that Hip Hop, R&B’s influence on Pop Culture is alive and well. The African-American segment of urban music continues to influence pop, rock, country and more.

She began her career with Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records. During her early time at Interscope, she worked as a songwriter for fellow label artists and captured the attention of Hip Hop, R&B artist, Akon, who recognized her vocal abilities, and got her signed to his own label, Kon Live Distribution.

Interscope seemed to be on a roll with its first few releases, the label was faced with criticism for manufacturing what was considered cookie-cutterhip-hop. That changed when, in 1992, Iovine financially assisted Suge Knight and Dr. Dre in the initiation of Death Row Records, and arranged for Interscope to distribute its records. The joint venture hit pay-dirt when Death Row and Interscope released The Chronic, the solo debut album from Dr. Dre. Released in December, the album became a seminal hit into the new year; eventually going triple platinum, and furthermore introduced the then up-and-coming Snoop Dogg—whose own debut album Doggystyle was released in late 1993 and became a monstrous success as well, selling over 800,000 in its first week of release.

Following the success of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, Death Row, Interscope became powerful labels in the industry, both collectively and respectively.

Before she was Lady Gaga, Germanotta had initially signed with Def Jam Recordings at the age of 19, after Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman and CEO L. A. Reid heard her singing down the hallway from his office.

Look for more Lady Gaga collaborations with Beyonce and other Hip Hop and R&B artists in the future as she continues to broaden her audience worldwide and continues to influence pop culture on a global scale.

Thirty-two teams will contest the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. FIFA.com wants to know which one of them you feel has the best supporters.

There are a number of factors to take into consideration. How loyal are they? How vocal are they in driving their side on? Do they really get into the spirit by dressing up?

So, it’s over to you: Which of the 32 teams at South Africa 2010 has the best supporters?

IAC will relaunch an online media company Thursday that connects Web and mobile publishers with local advertising organizations. The strategy renames Citysearch LLC as CityGrid Media, which becomes the umbrella for local advertising network CityGrid, as well as publishing sites Citysearch, Insider Pages and Urbanspoon.

CityGrid Media will continue to connect the 750,000 advertisers with the more than 100 million consumers who visit the sites through about 150 publishers. Jay Herratti will run the CityGrid Media group as chief executive officer. About a year ago, he brought in Kara Nortman as senior vice president for the publishing group.

As the local market “explodes” as Google, Microsoft and Bing move deeper into the space, Herratti will continue to build a network of sites and services to support local businesses. The people supporting the business have been in place for at least a year. Herratti laid out the strategy in 2008.

“The local industry is growing at about 15% annually,” he says. “I want to beat that. And if things go well, I expect that to happen.”

Today, CityGrid Media has made incremental changes, but if Herratti plans to reach his goal it will take “growth in multiples, and I’m not there yet, because I’m just starting,” he says.

CityGrid Media went public with the plan in January. This is version 1.0, he says. The next step is to focus on improving the company’s core ad engine and data because better pricing and geotargeting keep partners happy.

The Dallas County Lepidopterists’ Society’s next meeting is Saturday, June 5, 2010 at 10 AM.  The location this month is Norbuck Park, near White Rock Lake in northeast Dallas.   Bring your nets, binoculars, and sunscreen and have fun!  For more information on the Dallas County Lepidopterists, e-mail Dale Clark at daleclark@dallasbutterflies.com, or visit their web site at http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/.

The greatest Culture Content Trade Market in Asia!!

About Asia Content Entertainment (ACE) Fair

ACE Fair is the global event for buying, selling, financing, licensing and distributing cultural Contents across all platforms. It provides one of the largest Cultural contents trade markets in Asia by offering excellent opportunities to showcase cultural contents to Asia’s key decision makers.

Do not miss out on the opportunity to network with leading attendees from all over the world at ACE Fair.

Exhibit at ACE Fair?

ACE Fair is your opportunity to increase brand awareness, enter new markets and realize the revenue potential of your property. In just four days, meet with people from exhibitors and buyers from areas of Broadcast * Audiovisual * Game * Character * Animation * Edutainment Contents and Licensing in the world and make deals to put your best ideas on shelves across the globe.

Overview of ACE Fair 2010
Title : ACE Fair 2010 (Asia Content & Entertainment Industry Fair 2010)

Duration : September 9(Thu) ~ 12(Sun), 2010
Venue : Kimdaejung Convention Center, Gwangju, Republic of Korea

Organizer : Gwangju Metropolitan City

Management : Kimdaejung Convention Center (KDJCC)

Gwangju Information & Culture Industry Promotion Agency (GITCT)

Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA)

Honam Cable Television and Telecommunications Association(HCTA)

Gwangju Design Center (GDC)

Sponsors : Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea (MCST)

Korea Culture and Contents Agency (KOCCA)

Korea Cable Television Association (KCTA)

Korea Communications Commission (KCC)

Korea Radio Promotion Agency (KORPA)

Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA)

Korea Association of Game Industry (KAOGI)

Media Sponsors : Guide to the Licensing World, I Love Character, Character goods,

Rakhshan Movies Network

Exhibits : Broadcast • Audiovisual • Game • Character • Animation •

Edutainment Content • Licensing

* Special Exhibition : 3D Technology and Display Exhibition

Conferences : 3D World Conference (Organized by GITCT)

Asia Culture Forum (Organized by MCST)

Exchange Forum of International Cultural Industry Cities (Organized by MCST)

Studies of Strategies for New Market Place Expansion (Organized by SMBA)

Lectures by Cultural Industry Experts (Organized by GITCT)

Global Game Industry Development Forum (Organized by KAOGI)

Licensing Expo : Business Matching for Cultural Content Buyers and Sellers

Events : Gwangju e-Sport Festival (Organized by GITCT)

Gwangju Cultural Content Showcase (Organized by GITCT)

The 3rd National Youth Broadcasting Content Producing Contest (Organized by KDJCC)

The 4th International Character Design Competition (Organized by GDC)

2010 ACE Content Award (Organized by KDJCC), and Exhibitors’ Various Events

Result of ACE Fair 2009

Early bird discount

The exhibitor registration closes on July31. If determined to participate, exhibitors are advised to register early. The 20% early bird discount ends on May 31. Registration is simple. Just access to the official ACE Fair website (www.acefair.or.kr) and register! Don’t miss the precious opportunity to make your presence at Asia’s most significant contents trade market.

Booth information

Category
Size
Fee
Note
Special Early Bird rate

Space Only
3m×3m(9㎡)
US$ 1,500/

Booth
Space Only
US$ 1,200/

Booth

Shell Scheme
US$ 2,000/

Booth
Space and basic installing tools
US$ 1,600/

Booth

*Shell scheme Booth, Security Service and Directory Publication (Korean& English) Charge included.

*Minimum Participation Unit: 1 Booth (3m×3m,9㎡)

*Early Bird Fee: 20% discount of the application fee by May 31, 2010.

If you want to know more about ACE Fair 2010, please visit our website, www.acefair.or.kr, e-mail me at ace_en@acefair.or.kr or call to +82-62-611-2247 with feeling free.

Sincerely,
Holly Kim
International Sales Team of ACE Fair

What is and always has been unique about Louis Vuitton is a very special blend of tradition and innovation, craftsmanship and creativity, history and modernity. It was in 1837 that Louis Vuitton arrived in Paris and apprenticed himself to Monsieur Maréchal, a reputed layetier-emballeur, the term used in those days for packers of travellers’ trunks. He inaugurated his own Maison in 1854, one that became, over time, a luxury house renowned for its savoir faire and its expertise in the making of special orders.

Today, the Asnières workshop in France designs and makes some 450 special orders a year, complying with the most exceptional requests. The company’s original vocation as a layetier-emballeur is thus respected, for Louis Vuitton has always created cases to carry its clients’ most treasured belongings.

It is with that in mind that FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter decided to place a special order for a case for the most coveted trophy in the world: the FIFA World Cup Trophy. “The FIFA World Cup Trophy is our most precious asset. It’s the most coveted trophy, not only in the world of football but beyond. It succeeds in uniting fans all around the world in a healthy competition for the final prize. A trophy as precious as the FIFA World Cup Trophy deserves a travel case of the same elegance and prestige. From now on, the trophy will not only travel in safety, but it will also travel in style.”

Today, Louis Vuitton is honoured to be able to bring its savoir faire to the most exceptional sporting competition of our time by accompanying the legendary trophy on its future travels around the world.

Antoine Arnault, Head of Communications for Louis Vuitton, commented: “We are very proud to have been chosen by FIFA to dedicate our know-how to creating the case for the most beautiful trophy: the FIFA World Cup Trophy. From the legendary bed-trunk developed by Georges and Louis Vuitton in 1868 for the explorers, to the case for the oldest sporting trophy – the America’s Cup – and the special order for the iPod case from a well-known designer, the Maison has always combined clever and elegant ways to satisfy the very specific needs of its clients, allowing them to express their uniqueness or achieve their dream.”

Call to artists!
10th Annual Art Connection Members Exhibition at The Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd, Irving, TX 75062. 972-252-7558.
Deadline for Entry: June 30 and July 1, 2010
Open to students and adults who are members of Art Connection.

Not a member? Join Today!
Join Art Connection at www.irvingartscenter.com and showcase your work in the Members Exhibition
July 10 to August 1, 2010. 

Cash prizes totaling $1,650 will be awarded to artists in three categories: Youth/Student, Non-Professional and Professional and an overall Best of Show. The reception is Sunday, July 11 from 2-4 PM. 

Top industry experts—Michael Donnelly, group director, worldwide interactive marketing at The Coca-Cola Company; Carole Walker, vice president, integrated marketing communications group at Mars Incorporated; and Cheryl Guerin, senior vice president, group head, U.S. marketing and global digital marketing, MasterCard—will help point you in the right direction at the 2010 ANA Digital & Social Media Conference presented by Meredith in New York City. For the first time, the ANA is offering a live-streaming option for those who are unable to travel to the conference.

Details:
Date: July 15, 2010
Location: Grand Hyatt New York: 109 East 42 Street at Grand Central Terminal, New York, NY 10017
Member rate: $495* for a single registration or $495 for the live-streaming option.
Nonmember rate: $595* for a single registration or $595 for the live-streaming option.
Agenda/Registration: click here or email registration@ana.net.

For questions, please call 212.697.5950 or email registration@ana.net

*In addition, the cost of registration includes a pre-conference bonus session on social media on July 14 from 2 to 5 p.m. hosted by Reed Smith LLP, 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY.

Although I can’t say that I am a mayor yet at any local Chicago establishments, visiting my favorite merchants has never been more rewarding. That is — since location-based social networks like Foursquare, Gowalla and SimpleGeo have popped up allowing me to check in, provide reviews and be rewarded with badges and discounts.
As mobile phone and social network adoption continues, these applications have a substantial opportunity to capture more users and advertisers with a solid strategy and monetize their products. Like other local search platforms, content is king for these companies. In order to be successful, it is imperative networks like Foursquare and Twitter, who also gives users the ability to turn on/off latitude and longitude, start with accurate local business listings for consumers whenever, wherever.

Accurate listings information is crucial

Checking in and notifying “friends” where you are on social sites isn’t very interesting if you are sitting at home watching television, however, if you are trying a new restaurant in the neighborhood, local, user-generated content becomes more compelling. Friends and followers want to know how is the food, ambiance, should I try it out?

In order for location-based applications to succeed with monetization, they should make correct local business listings a #1 priority, ensuring that duplicate listings do not exist and that information is up-to-date and correct. Otherwise, these applications will lose appeal.

A critical issue for all location-based networks is verification of the venue information as a way to prevent duplicate and/or wrong listings information. Read through the posts on getsatisfaction.com for merging and deleting listings and tips for fixing spelling or other errors on Foursquare and you will see the problems cropping up related to local listings venue information.

Monetization ability

So far, local businesses are showing interest in location-based sites because it adds another layer of social interaction with frequent and prospective customers. This engagement will present many monetization opportunities if these sites can get control of the local user demographic info provided via check-ins. To handle this, many speculate that location-based sites will soon offer a dashboard with sentiment analysis where businesses can identify what consumers are saying on sites regarding their products/services ultimately giving more opportunity to create targeted campaigns. This information can be very powerful as ads can be tailored to specific audiences and sent through email, SMS and/or display ads — very similar to Facebook’s ad targeting. Here is a chance to really get to know the likes/dislikes of consumers at a granular level.

For example, if a location-based site knows I am in Chicago, specifically near the Magnificent Mile, and knows my latitude and longitude it will make a huge difference in recognizing whether I am outside of FAO Schwartz getting ready to shop for toys or approaching Tiffany & Co. to buy jewelry for my wife. If I am about to enter Tiffany & Co., this would be a great opportunity for Cartier to serve up an ad or another high-end store. Location-based networks give advertisers an incredible level of granularity and opportunity to really hone in on potential buyers.

Great opportunity for local and national businesses

Beyond targeting capabilities, location-based services provide local and national businesses many SEO benefits. Google and Bing maps are showcasing Foursquare venues when people search locally. Also, for national advertisers, targeting potential at the hyper-local level is now a reality. There might be a day where a company like Nissan for example will not need a mass advertising campaign because they can target online ads to local shoppers with families, environment-focused consumers or those interested in luxury cars.

As with all local searchable content, business listing identity management is key for advertisers. Businesses need to take control of the data that is out there on various search platforms and the user-generated content that is available through social sites and applications. We anticipate many partnerships will take place in this space to merge already popular platforms (Facebook, Twitter) with those that are successfully deploying the local-social gaming experience (Foursquare, Gowalla). In the end, what will really tie everything together is access to accurate and verified local search business listings.

©2010 MediaPost Communications. All rights reserved.
1140 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10001
tel. 212-204-2000, fax 212-204-2038, feedback@mediapost.com

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* References to products and services in trendcentral do not imply our endorsement, but rather are intended to provide objective insights into emerging trends and examples of those trends. trendcentral is published by The Intelligence Group, a trend research and consumer insights company focusing on youth culture. For more information on our services, or to subscribe to our syndicated Cassandra Report studies, please contact Noelle Weaver at 212-277-5244 or via email at nweaver@intelg.com.

Get ready for the first generation to cash in on the “longevity dividend.” Life expectancy in the United States has increased by 30 years over the past century, to age 78 — an advance greater than the progress of the previous 50 centuries.
Boomers, at a median age of 55 this year, are in the position to enjoy this burst in longevity. Some will live long enough to enjoy 40 more trips around the sun. The question for Boomers is, what will they do with those years? The question for society is, how will we respond to the extraordinary challenges that accompany this new longevity?

These questions and more are answered by longevity experts in the new book Longevity Rules: How to Age Well Into the Future. Eskaton, a non-profit aging services provider, convened 34 experts, including medical doctors, scientists, economists, engineers, demographers, philosophers and marketers, who provide diverse and often controversial perspectives on how to ensure that the extension of our life expectancy becomes more rewarding than burdensome for individuals and society. And, yes, we contributed — to both the introductory section and an essay.

While the book points out the problems of aging, it focuses more on the promise of aging. (Quick aside: “aging” seems like an odd word to use to talk about older people. Show me someone at any age who isn’t “aging” and I’ll guarantee you they are dead.)

What we’re talking about here isn’t a trend, it is a demographic fact.

The U.S. Census Bureau projects with considerable confidence that the number of Americans over the age of 65 will increase over the next 20 years from 40 million in 2010 to more than 70 million in 2020. We have had older people before, but we have never had this many older people, ever, in the history of mankind.

What do we know today about those future older people? They are Boomers, for one. And given that, we can safely say, based on consistent and overwhelming responses to consumer surveys, that Boomers would rather age in place, at home, than in an institutional setting.

We also can safely say, based on hard economic numbers, that most Boomers have not saved enough to finance a secure and comfortable retirement. The Center for Retirement Planning at Boston College says that more than half of all Boomers are at risk of failing to replace their pre-retirement income. Include the risk of needing long-term care, and the number is three out of five.

Logic tells us that there is a considerable gap between Boomer aspirations for the third and fourth quarters of their lives and what they as individuals, supplemented by the federally financed social safety net, can afford. The numbers point to a future of lessened material expectations for Boomers.

Our analyses of monthly consumer surveys by BIGresearch suggest that Boomers are turning their backs on consumerism. They are rediscovering the traditional values of thrift and frugality, which they see as consistent with emerging “green” values of conservation and recycling.

We see two options ahead for Boomers. One is for Boomers to transform everything about aging in our society. The other is to transform themselves and their own expectations about growing older. The first is externally focused and the second is internal.

As to which option Boomers will choose, well, the numbers don’t exist. In fact, even if we polled all 76 million Boomers, we would likely get 76 million different responses. In the end, we will have to wait to find out.

For music, people, celeberties and issues of interest for baby boomers can be found at www.boomerslife.org

According to Ecorazzi, the wide release of the blockbuster film will be an opportunity to educate the public about climate change and environmentalism. Cameron’s films are often known for conservation messages. Most of them feature corrupt, nature-destroying industrial societies and Avatar is no different. In the film, the main character Jake Sully states that Earth is a “dying world” where humans have destroyed all “the green.”
And even though Cameron says that he is “not trying to sell DVDs on the back of the hardship of [the] planet” as much as he is hoping that the DVD release will continue a conversation around film, and around the needs and issues of the environment, it seems Fox will try to get as much green as they can out of the DVD and Blu-Ray releases of Avatar. The Earth Day release of the film will be in 2-D and will not have any special features such as deleted scenes, trailers and behind-the-scenes footage.

The studio plans another home video release in November of an “Ultimate Edition,” which includes extra features, and a third version, in 3-D, will likely come out next year.

And now let’s take a look at what Disney is doing for Earth Day…..In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, today Disney Store introduced a new line of eco-friendly products. New fashionable “Save Planet Earth” totes are available now at Disney Store locations nationwide and on DisneyStore.com, and a portion of the proceeds from its sales will benefit The Nature Conservancy’s “Adopt a Coral Reef” program. For each tote sold Disney Store will contribute $1 through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to help save our oceans by protecting vital coral reefs.

Disney Store’s exclusive “Save Planet Earth” eco-friendly product assortment with the lovable three-eyed green alien from Disney-Pixar Toy Story will be available through Earth Day and includes a variety of products to celebrate, promote and make money on Earth Day.
Please advise your thoughts and comments.

(New York, NY) April 7, 2010 – Key executives from Disney, LF USA, Hasbro, Mattel and Toys“R”Us will give their perspective on “The Future of Entertainment Licensing” in a keynote panel that will kick off the Licensing International Expo 2010, June 8 -10 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The panel will be held 9 – 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 8 and is free for all show attendees.

The discussion, moderated by Marty Brochstein, LIMA’s Senior Vice President of Industry Relations and Information, will cover current challenges and examine how ongoing changes in the entertainment and retail marketplaces will affect the licensing industry going forward. The panelists will also share their thoughts on what licensees and licensors need to do to adapt in today’s fast-paced business environment.

The following executives will take part in “The Future of Entertainment Licensing” keynote panel:

Rick Darling, President, LF USA – Darling also serves as executive director of Hong Kong-based Li & Fung Limited, the world’s leading consumer goods supply-chain management company. He is credited with establishing Li & Fung’s merchandising, marketing and supply chain management services in the U.S. as well as its Supply Chain Management (SCM) program. Prior to Li & Fung, Darling founded Millwork Trading Company, which was in joint venture with Li & Fung for 16 years until Li & Fung acquired it in 1998. Today, Darling drives Li & Fung’s rapidly expanding on-shore model, LF USA, which has become increasingly involved in the licensing business through its ownership of such companies as Kids Headquarters and Briefly Stated. LF USA’s strong design, merchandising and marketing front end combine with Li & Fung’s global sourcing platform to provide proprietary brands, licensed product and private label to major retailers in the U.S. Darling also serves on the board of Fashion Delivers and is Vice Chairman of the American Apparel & Footwear Association.

Karen Dodge, Senior VP, Chief Merchandising Officer, Toys“R”Us, Inc. – Dodge oversees all aspects of merchandising U.S. operations, including all Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us stores and the legendary FAO Schwarz flagship store in New York City, and leads a team of merchants in identifying worldwide product trends and innovations to maintain and strengthen the company’s position as the toy and baby products authority. She is also instrumental in building manufacturer relationships to ensure the best in-stock positions on hot products and negotiate first-to-market opportunities. A distinguished retail veteran, Dodge came to Toys“R”Us in 2007 from Marshall Fields, where she held several senior VP-level merchandising positions over a 30-year period. She is credited with spearheading the initiative to establish Marshall Fields as a fashion destination.

John Frascotti, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Hasbro, Inc. – Frascotti is responsible for leading Hasbro’s global marketing and merchandising efforts and growing its deep portfolio of brands, including Transformers, Nerf, Monopoly, Littlest Pet Shop and hundreds of other brands. Before joining Hasbro in 2008, he was Senior Vice President of the Sport Division at Reebok International Ltd. where he managed the company’s largest global business segment. Frascotti began his career at Reebok in 1989 as an attorney and switched over to the product and marketing side of business in 1990. Between 1999 and 2002 he served as President and COO of Myteam.com, a direct marketing company, before returning to Reebok in 2002. Frascotti held several senior executive positions during his tenure at Reebok, including Senior Vice President of the Fitness Division, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Licensing, and Vice President of Global Sports and Entertainment Marketing.

Neil Friedman, President, Mattel Brands – A toy industry icon who helped popularize the pairing of technology and toys more than a decade ago under the Fisher-Price brand, Friedman oversees Mattel Brands, which includes Barbie, Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price, as well as toys licensed by Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 and Cars, the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Thomas & Friends, Dora the Explorer and many other popular kids’ properties. Under his leadership, Fisher-Price introduced Tickle Me Elmo, one of the most successful launches in toy industry history. Friedman joined Mattel in 1997, following its merger with Tyco Toys and had previously served as President of MCA/Universal Merchandising. He is a former Chairman of LIMA’s board of directors and was inducted into the Licensing Industry Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2004, Friedman was inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame by the Toy Industry Association (TIA).

Andy Mooney, Chairman, Disney Consumer Products – Mooney oversees worldwide day-to-day operations of the business unit, which extends the Disney brand into a broad range of merchandise categories, including toys, apparel, home décor, interactive games, food and beverages, electronics, and books and magazines. He and his team have been credited with encouraging product innovation and bolstering the Disney brand by developing strong relationships with many of the world’s largest and most trusted retailers. Mooney was named Chairman in 2003 after having served as President since 1999. Before Disney, he spent 20 years with Nike, ultimately becoming Chief Marketing Officer.

To register for “The Future of Entertainment Licensing” keynote panel, go to www.licensingexpo.com and click on the University tab at the top of the page or call (888) 644-2022.

In addition to the keynote session, LIMA has organized more than 30 seminars for Licensing International Expo 2010. The complete lineup is available at licensingexpo.com.

Tiger Woods Returns to Golf at Augusta

Tiger Woods representatives have announced that Tiger Woods would play in the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. There is no question that Tiger Woods is a Licensing, Golf trendsetter, what balls he hits, what club he swings, what clothing he wears and of course what spokesperson he hires, all these things are setting trends. Marketers and Licensing professionals are watching every move of this golfing legend. Millions of dollars hang in the balance. If Tiger wins….Game Over! Companies will begin moving back into the Tiger marketing camp. Companies targeting men will be the first to re-embrace Tiger. Then has he re-structures his image, playing golf, more photo ops with the wife and kids, he will lay a road map for future celebrities who fall and are willing to do the work to rebuild their image.

Men will embrace and defend Tiger. We all know that Tiger was clearly not ready to be married. We trust and support that he understands and supports, behavior that he, his wife, his mother and his children can be proud of. God Bless and Good Will to Tiger Woods in his return to professional competition. “Tiger Woods Returns to the Masters”

The Dallas Cowboys are at the forefront of branding and marketing on a global basis. Jerry Jones is a trendsetter in the NFL today. The world is his stage as he envisioned and built one of the sports wonders of the world…Cowboy Stadium. The world originally thought he was building a football stadium for America’s beloved Dallas Cowboys. The fact is Jerry was building something more, something bigger than the Dallas Cowboys, locals affectionately call it Jerry’s World, we call it “A Global Play and Events Center” unlike anything in America and the world. Where else would this occur and have the bigness, significance and be the cultural or pop culture icon then from the great state of Texas’s Dallas, Texas.
There are certain names that Dallas Cowboy fans are accustomed to seeing hanging on their hometown stadium walls (what a hometown stadium). Ring of of Honors superstars, Bob Lilly, Emmitt Smith, Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Troy Aiken among many others are there. There are also names there that might come as a surprise to the average Dallas Cowboy or National Footbal League fan. Trenton Doyle Hancock, Teresita Fernandez, Olafur Eliasson are all super star contemporary artists. They all share wall space at the $1.15 billion dollar Cowboy Stadium.
Jerry Jones and his wife Gene Jones launched an unprecedented globally focused art program for a globally focused trend forward, stadium. Their efforts integrated the normally diverse worlds of arenas and fine art.
The program commissioned superstar artists to create monumental site specific installations that will provoke and intrigue art and pop culture fans to stop, admire, ponder and study….Annette Lawrences’s stretched cable sculpture or for a concert goer to marvel at the rows and rows of Mel Bochner’s painted text exclamations. Jerry had the vision of bringing together a top notch council of Howard Rachofsky, Gayle Stoffel, the Museum of Modern Arts chief curator Michael Auping and the Dallas Museum of Art’s curator of contemporary art, Charlie Wylie, they evaluated and recommended artists and their works. Mary Zlot of the San Francisco art advisory firm Mary Zlot & Associates also provided support in facilitating the program. This collaboration has so far resulted in 19 works of art. Each work has an underlying theme of relating to the high energy of sporting matches and performances. Some incorporate recognizable symbols of the Dallas Cowboys (of course we all knew that Jerry would not miss this opportunity…nor should he!) such as their iconic star. Jerry and Gene are connecting new audiences to the world of fine art and artist….Thanks Gene and Jerry. The art program at Cowboy Stadium brings together a next generation view of NFL and large event stadiums in regard to pop culture and opens the dialogue between sports and arts for years to come. Mark Cuban you got next!

South By Southwest in Austin, Tx (SXSW.com)

South by Southwest (SXSW.com) is leading in the trend in discussing convergence, social media, interactive media, an incubator of cutting-edge technologies. The SXSW Interactive Festival brings together the world’s most creative web developers, designers, bloggers, wireless innovators, content producers, programmers, and social media experts. Five days of captivating keynote presentations and provocative panel sessions provide hands-on training as well as big-picture analysis of the future.

The ScreenBurn at SXSW Game Design Competition celebrates cutting-edge game design while the SXSW Interactive Web Awards salutes the past year’s most compelling social media websites.

GSEConnect.com Salutes South by Southwest for it’s leadership in next generation media conference sessions and events. SXSW is true to the tradition of doing it BIG in Texas.

Announcement: Confirmed Future15 Programming

Photo of 2009 SXSW Interactive panel room courtesy of Mary Sledd / www.marysledd.com.

We are very excited about the addition of Future15 sessions to the programming mix for the SXSW Interactive 2010. These 15-minute presentations will give attendees bite-sized information on a variety of relevant technology issues. What issues, you ask? Read below for a preliminary list of confirmed Future15 sessions for this March. More Future15 information to follow soon!

Convergence

Convergence: Already Here, and Gosh It’s a Mess! (Gabriel White, Punchcut)

Convergence 2010: Ten Cool Things That Could Happen This Year (Dan Shust, Resource Interactive)

Convergence 2015 – A Look Ahead (David Berkowitz, 360i)

From Hulu To Yahoo Widgets: Will the Internet Transform The TV? (Richard Bullwinke, Rovi Corporation)

Imminent Fusion of Intelligent Mobile Devices & Entertainment Content (Rebecca Allen, Nokia Research Center)

Transmedia Storytelling – Creating Stories That Work Over All Platforms (James Milward, thesecretlocation.com)

Government and Technology

Blamestorm: Who Is Holding Us Back? (Brian Reich, little e media)

How Nerds Can Foster Democracy in Local Government (Will Hampton, City of Round Rock)

I Can See Russia From My iPhone (Kyle McLellan, Institute for Politics, Democracy, and the Internet)

Microformats and Government (Silona Bonewald, League of Technical Voters)

Should the Government Tweet? (Bev Godwin, USA.gov)

Yes, Mr. Lessig, We Can Change Politics (Julie Barko Germany, Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet)

Social Business

Customer Service Goes Social (Melanie Baker, PostRank)

Workplace Collaboration Goes Social (Nilofer Merchant, Rubicon)

Marketing Goes Social (David Meerman Scott, davidmeermanscott.com)

Media Relations Goes Social (Captain Nathan Broshear, US Air Force)

Hiring and Recruitment Goes Social (Jeff Berger, KODA)

Video Blogging and Web Video

Becoming a Real-Time Video Blogger in 2010 (Wayne Sutton, Twine Interactive)

How To Measure Digital Video Effectiveness (Matt Cutler, Visible Measures)

Hyperlocal Focus: Growing a Vibrant Community Media Ecosystem (Bill Simmon, VCAM)

Not Just the Host: A Web Video Diva Dishes (Amanda Congdon, Oxmour Entertainment Inc / Sometimesdaily LLC)

Web Video: Can We Now Say Something Sucks? (Liz Shannon Miller, NewTeeVee)

Video Search Optimization Strategies to Grow Your Business (Bill Leake, Apogee Search)

Wireless Innovation

iPhone Application Development: Myths and Facts (P.J. Tanzillo, Bearded Pony, LLC)

Mobile — the Great Channel Equalizer (David Gill, The Nielsen Company)

The Real Mobile Scoop — Agency, Manufacturer, and Carrier (David Hewitt, Sapient)

The Rise of Mobile Platforms (Daniel Appelquist, Vodafone)