[ibimage==29374==Medium==none==self==ibimage_align-right]
Digital Entertainment World will be connecting the world’s greatest digital minds for its three-day debut in Los Angeles this February. The event, which will be focusing on everything from content creation to monetization, settled on an LA launch because the city is a natural hub for both entertainment and tech, DEW chair Ned Sherman said.
“LA is the global center for entertainment, with content creation at the core,” Sherman said. “In recent years, we have seen the dynamic growth of a digital startup community from Hollywood to Silicon Beach and beyond. With technology, investment, education and content as the base, we believe that LA is well positioned to become a significant leader in the next phase of growth in the digital ecosystem, which will be powered by companies connecting content, commerce and technology.”
All the news lately (like Katie Couric’s move to become digital anchor for Yahoo! News or Newsle’s recent funding to continue giving users “social news”) is signaling that now is the time to talk about digital content. West Hollywood-based Digital Media Wire, the media company that organized DEW, has “been watching the market for digital content mature over the years and the phenomenal opportunities being created - and saw this as the right time to launch a first-class event for this dynamic and growing market,” Sherman, who is also Digital Media Wire’s CEO, said.
A main highlight of the content-focused three days promises to be “The State of the Digital Union” session, Sherman said, when “industry heavyweights” like Claudia Cahill of The Content Collective, Ross Levinsohn of Guggenheim Digital Media, Jim Lanzone of CBS Interactive and Michele DiLorenzo of Xbox Entertainment Studios will gather to “tackle the big question of what kind of tech/content partnerships, innovations and companies are going to fuel the next phase of growth in the digital economy.”
Among a slew of tech panels, a startup competition will be giving 12 startups, that all contribute to the monetization of digital content, the chance to give 10-minute pitches in front of VCs from Comcast Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Amplify, StartupEngine and New World Ventures to name a few. The prizes have yet to be announced, but will probably include cash investment and VC networking opportunities, Sherman said: “no doubt this will be a competitive event.” (If your startup wants to get in on the action, submit an online application by January 10.)
Besides giving a few startups a leg up, DEW’s main purpose is to bring about 300 speakers together for over a hundred panels so that attendees from the startup, media and entertainment worlds can hash out the future of a $2.2 trillion entertainment and media market, Sherman said: “With DEW, we have created platform for digital entrepreneurs to meet with the leading brands in media and entertainment to explore business opportunities at the intersection of content and technology.”
