• by Kelly Samardak , June 18, 2008

I'll admit it; I'm kind of a whiner. Sometimes I'll even stomp my foot. I semi-whined when I arrived at OMMA Publish because I only saw fat-free muffins, and no starchy, carby bagels. What the... Health food at a day long conference?! I mean, sure, we all complain about how work travel and work events expand the ole mid-deck, but we don't want someone to help us. Well, I ate my words come lunchtime because those sandwiches were deeeelicious. And nutritious. Who knew?

What's this OMMA thing and furthermore, what's OMMA Publish, you ask? I'll tell you. See, here at MediaPost, we don't just inundate you with a plethora of prolific pontificators (some say newsletters and blogs), but we also put on some damn fine shows, if I do say so myself. Many of those shows come under the moniker OMMA (Online Media, Marketing and Advertising), also the name of one of our slippery, sassy, and personality-filled mags. OMMA Publish just so happens to be a day long conference spackled with eager online publishers, buyers, sellers, and ad network types trying to figure out where they all fit in with this fragmentation monster (or fluffy huggable friend).

Steve Smith, respected Mobile Insider and tall guy, presided over the day which featured a bountiful buffet of breakfast and lunch workshops, drill down breakout panels, keynotes from smarty pants like Beian Wieser, SVP, Magna Global, and Joe Fiveash, EVP and General Manager, The Weather Channel Interactive. Super stars for me were Wenda Harris Millard, Co-CEO Martha Stewart Living, Omnimedia, whose big boss used to be my current big boss and who is also my favorite personality cocktail: Straightforward, aggressive, and a total manhandler. As the moderator of "Publishers and Ad Networks, Can This Marriage Be Saved?" panel, she waved her Wenda wand of good spirited debate and the boys on stage listened. Only with conflict comes resolution, right? Right!

Anyone have any GOOD distribution plans? Craig Shapiro, President GOOD Digital wants to hear it. He has this documentary on Barack Obama (you may have heard of him) from two years ago and he hasn't yet decided how to distribute it. Chop it into chunks and distribute online or package it full length and head to Sundance? I was too shy to grab the microphone, but imagine the community that would build around a wonderfully chunked out online series like that! I envision vodcast interviews, long comment threads on published pieces, and forwards of funny and moving clips. Hook up with will.i.am, recent Webby winner (yes we can!), and get some tune tie-in. The possibilities are endless when you involve a passionate audience who has already shown the desire to speak up and stand out.

To end the day, we sipped on cocktails in the glass shrouded Sky Lobby. I really wish more people had stuck around. People like me, who were twittering all day and taking photos, don't have time to chew the fat during the event so the cocktail party is ideal for some informal blabbing.

Hey, it's where I met some lovely gals from NBC Universal, the guy from Salary.com, and some other fellow who told me the room was cold, which was a common feeling from everyone. Now I must prepare for tomorrow's Minute - a beautiful rooftop party at Gramercy Park. I'm telling you, I wouldn't be let into these places otherwise.

Throwing something harmless and you want it covered in Just An Online Minute? Send invitations to kelly@mediapost.com.

You gotta see the photos up on Flickr !