Sunday, 10/09
6:30 PM Central
7:30 PM ET
Welcome Cocktails
Capital Ballroom Terrace (2nd floor)
Monday, 10/10
7:45 AM Central
8:45 AM ET
Coffee Service Available
Capital Ballroom foyer - 2nd Floor
8:00 AM Central
9:00 AM ET
VIP 1:1 Meetings
2nd Floor (across from Capital Ballroom)
8:30 AM Central
9:30 AM ET
Breakfast Buffet Opens
Capital Ballroom foyer - 2nd Floor
9:35 AM Central
10:35 AM ET
Opening Remarks
- MC
- Steve Smith, VP, Editorial Director, Events, MediaPost @popeyesm
9:45 AM Central
10:45 AM ET
Keynote Fireside Chat: Cashing In With Axios: What Worked?
As many news brands struggle Axios went from inception to a half billion valuation in five years. CRO Fabricio Drumond lets us pop the hood on this successful media business. What decisions were critical to success, about both editorial focus and format as well as revenue strategy? What did they learn about monetization models as well as the importance and limits of diversification? Were there critical course corrections? And how will this model and its lessons extend now to Axios’s plan to make local reporting a sustainable business?
- Interviewee
- Fabricio Drumond, CRO, Axios
- Interviewer
- Steve Smith, VP, Editorial Director, Events, MediaPost @popeyesm
10:15 AM Central
11:15 AM ET
Sponsor Spotlight and Coffee Break
10:45 AM Central
11:45 AM ET
Panel: Data as Media: New Drivers of Audience Monetization
We know data is the new media when it comes to the publishing business. But what is the data strategy? We bring several publishing leaders together to share their plans for increasing, organizing and mobilizing their first-party audience data to drive revenue growth across products.
- Moderator
- Barbie Romero, Director, Event Programming, MediaPost
- PanelistS
- Estee Cross, Vice President, Head of National Sales, USA TODAY Network
- Brett Goverman, Associate VP, Data Strategy, Penske Media Corporation
- Dennis O'Neill, SVP Sales, Insider Inc.
11:15 AM Central
12:15 PM ET
Case Study: Beyond the Transaction: Tactics for an Acquisition Strategy
BDG has acquired ten companies in less than a decade. But it isn't about the transaction. A successful M&A boils down to culture, transparency, and integration. Sharmi Gandhi shared lessons learned from overseeing many of these deals. She explores how companies can prepare pre-close to set up a successful acquisition post-close.
- Presenter
- Sharmi Gandhi, Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, Bustle Digital Group
11:35 AM Central
12:35 PM ET
Case Study: Rethinking The Programming Stack for Our Inevitable Metaverse Overlords
Media companies are told that their future audience is, well, everywhere. Content needs to flow into everything from 2D forever scrolls to metaverses, CTV episodes to TikTok/YT/IG “shorts,” game worlds to gas station pumps. IGN Publisher John Davison explains how one of the largest, and oldest, digital entertainment sources is rebuilding both their programming and monetization strategy around fluid audience media behaviors. How can publishers future-proof a foundation that adapts to the next TikTok, the next rideshare media network, the next ultraverse?
- Presenter
- John Davison, VP, Publisher, IGN Entertainment
11:50 AM Central
12:50 PM ET
Roundtable: Growth Through Acquisition
- Featuring
- Sharmi Gandhi, Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, Bustle Digital Group
11:50 AM Central
12:50 PM ET
Roundtable: Content and Commerce: New Ideas in E-Commerce
- Featuring
- Lauren Newman, EVP Revenue, Red Ventures
12:35 PM Central
1:35 PM ET
Lunch
1:30 PM Central
2:30 PM ET
Axe Throwing at Urban Axes
Austin Brewery Tour
LBJ Presidential Library + Stroll through Texas State Capital + Happy Hour
6:30 PM Central
7:30 PM ET
Cocktail Party
At world famous Stubbs BBQ
Shuttles leave hotel at 6:15pm sharp! (5 min ride)
7:30 PM Central
8:30 PM ET
Dinner
At world famous Stubbs BBQ
Tuesday, 10/11
7:45 AM Central
8:45 AM ET
Coffee Service Available
Capital Ballroom foyer - 2nd Floor
8:00 AM Central
9:00 AM ET
VIP 1:1 Meetings
2nd Floor (across from Capital Ballroom)
8:30 AM Central
9:30 AM ET
Breakfast Buffet Opens
Capital Ballroom foyer
9:35 AM Central
10:35 AM ET
Welcome Back
- MC
- Steve Smith, VP, Editorial Director, Events, MediaPost @popeyesm
9:40 AM Central
10:40 AM ET
Keynote: Dotdash Meredith: Crafting the Digital/Legacy Future
As the largest marriage of digital native and legacy media brands to date, but clearly not the last, Dotdash Meredith offers a glimpse into the future of media. We explore with Alysia how the company is deciding to place its bets, the brands it has jettisoned and where it is doubling down. We will also see how Dotdash Meredith is putting first-party data at the center and moving from simple audience segmentation to targeting intent and moments of need.
- Keynote
- Alysia Borsa, Chief Business Officer, President of Lifestyle, Dotdash Meredith
10:10 AM Central
11:10 AM ET
Panel: Monetizing the Stream: Winning the Bigger Screen Wars
As SVOD mainstays add AVOD components, subscription fatigue and churn proliferate, media buyers struggle to rebuild their lost linear TV reach. The video landscape is as promising for publishers as it is cluttered and diffused with brands but dominated by a few goliaths. How do publishers play profitably in such a complex terrain? How do they manage distribution and monetization challenges in a market where media buyers demand scale?
- Moderator
- Barbie Romero, Director, Event Programming, MediaPost
- PanelistS
- Evie Kelly, Midwest Director, Ad Sales & Brand Partnerships Lead, Crackle Plus
- Michael O'Neil, Director, Programmatic Sales, The E.W. Scripps Company
- Damian Pelliccione, CEO & Co-Founder, REVRY
10:40 AM Central
11:40 AM ET
Coffee & Networking Break
11:10 AM Central
12:10 PM ET
Case Study: Life-Hacks: How 5-minute Crafts Became an Omni-Media Brand
Since it launched in 2016, DIY brand 5-minute Crafts has consistently been a top channel on YouTube and Facebook. But with the rise of short-form video and the growing importance of long-form CTV distribution, the brand found itself having to evolve its video formats in opposite directions. Michael shares how the company is adapting both the content and the business models for its key video franchises into the Omni-Media world.
- Presenter
- Michael Boccacino, Senior Director of Content Partnerships, TheSoul Publishing
11:30 AM Central
12:30 PM ET
Case Study: Did You Know You're A Gamer?
Gaming is everywhere, and is for everyone. The question is no longer "do you game?", but "what do you play?" How can a range of publishers better understand and capture the many demos and the energy of gaming? One of the largest gaming and esports media companies shares what it has learned about understanding gaming as a social connector, how it innovates in ad products and opens a door for publishers into Web3/Metaverse futures.
- Presenter
- Amanda Rubin, SVP | Global Head of Sales & Marketing, Enthusiast Gaming
11:45 AM Central
12:45 PM ET
Roundtable: Monetizing Video Across Screens
- Featuring
- Justin Barton, SVP, Digital Strategy & Partnerships, Black Enterprise @JustinBartonNY
11:45 AM Central
12:45 PM ET
Roundtable: The New Content Studio
- Featuring
- Estee Cross, Vice President, Head of National Sales, USA TODAY Network
12:30 PM Central
1:30 PM ET
Lunch
1:30 PM Central
2:30 PM ET
Cruise on Lake Austin
Golf at River Place Country Club
Kayak on Town Lake
6:30 PM Central
7:30 PM ET
Cocktail Party
Ranch 616 restaurant
Shuttles leave hotel at 6:15pm sharp! (5 min ride)
7:30 PM Central
8:30 PM ET
Dinner
Ranch 616 restaurant
Wednesday, 10/12
8:00 AM Central
9:00 AM ET
Breakfast Buffet Opens
8:45 AM Central
9:45 AM ET
Panel: Can You Hear Our Audio Strategy, Now?
This is not a test. On-demand audio is quickly becoming an expectation of media brands, not an experimental project. But what podcast strategy fits different brands, both as editorial extensions of brand and viable businesses? We ask several publishing brands to compare different audio business strategies. Do you need a network of shows, or a marquee blockbuster? Can podcast inventory energize ad sales? And how do you build a viable audience amidst the clutter?
- Moderator
- Shannon Toumey, VP of Strategy, Co-Head of Post Studios, New York Post
- PanelistS
- Jordi Oliveres, Co-Founder and General Manager, Pitaya Entertainment
- David Spiegel, Chief Revenue Officer, Betches Media
9:15 AM Central
10:15 AM ET
Case Study: Profiting from Non-Profits
The Texas Tribune helped pioneer the model for a non-profit, public service news organization. What has the company learned from its blend of personal and corporate donations and sponsorships, newsletters and signature news-driven events? The head of the Trib’s internal RevLab, a support organization built to explore ideas around sustainable media businesses, shares what is working for them and for others.
- Presenter
- Emily Dressler, Director, RevLab
