Cannes Lions 2016 has come to a close, and the dust has settled on our industry’s biggest and arguably most productive (really) global marketing event. Over the course of eight days, more than 15,000 people gathered from 100 countries. I came home energized by creative peers and feeling more connected to the pulse of where our industry is headed. Throughout the course of the week, core themes emerge that will shape the year ahead and beyond. Hottest Buzzword: Content. Hollywood officially met Madison Avenue at Cannes, with the launch of the first-ever Lions Entertainment, a separate track …

DEFY Media plans to announce that it will take scripted live content to YouTube Space LA, starting with the hit video show SMOSH, staring Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company's 5 Gum brand will sponsor the programming.

Olapic, a content marketing platform, announced the release of a customer-generated video ad solution today. The platform uses automation and machine learning to collect relevant user content, which marketers can then curate for social media campaigns.

After a four-year stint, Vimeo CEO Kerry Trainor is stepping down. Joey Levin, head of Vimeo parent company IAC, will serve as interim CEO.

Peter Csathy, the Los Angeles online media executive, is stepping away from the digital consulting and legal firm Manatt Digital Media where he is CEO, to start his own advisory and investment company named Creatv.

Online video content is poised to explode over the next five years. Current projections from Cisco estimate that by 2019, 90% of all Internet traffic will be video. By 2020, 60% of all video will be digital. This growth is hardly surprising given evolving consumer consumption preferences—according to comScore, last year mobile skyrocketed past desktop to reach the point of most used digital platform. This presents a potential boon for online publishers and content creators. However, all too often an online video strategy starts and ends with YouTube—especially for small and midsize players in the space. And …