Variety is pleased to announce the in-person return of its annual Entertainment and Technology Summit, presented by City National Bank in West Hollywood on Sept. 15. This year’s summit features keynote speakers Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution; Tracee Ellis Ross, actor, producer and CEO and founder of Pattern Beauty; Jenna Fischer, actor, producer and host, “The Office,” “The Office Ladies” podcast; Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions; and Abhijay Prakash, president of Blumhouse Productions.
The summit brings together leading entertainment executives and creative talent for a full day of keynote and panel conversations highlighting new digital strategies and innovations that are advancing film, TV, music, video games and more.
Daniel will explore how his team drives the distribution of The Walt Disney Company’s content across its vast portfolio of media platforms and channels, including the company’s streaming services; portfolio of linear television channels; its ABC owned-stations; its advertising sales business; content licensing and distribution; and theatrical film distribution for the company’s entertainment studios.
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Ross will speak about her storytelling vision as she moves into creating across different platforms, including executive producing and narrating docuseries “The Hair Tales” and producing the upcoming podcast “I Am America.” Joy Mill Entertainment, Ross’ production company, is committed to amplifying stories that reframe assumptions about how people see themselves and each other.
Blum and Prakash will discuss the evolution of their prolific entertainment company Blumhouse Productions, which spans film, TV, podcasts and more. Upcoming projects include fall theatrical releases “The Nanny” and “Halloween Ends.”
Brennan and Lewin will speak about their expanding “Star Wars” productions spanning TV series “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” “Andor” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
In other conversations, Verna Grayce Chao, EVP of treasury management solutions, City National Bank, will detail strategies to accelerate transparent compensation transactions for the entertainment industry.
Additional conversations include “Titans of TV Programming,” “Strategies Accelerating Compensation and Transparency for the Entertainment Industry,” “Brand Storytelling Elite,” “Making Sense of Web 3 for Entertainment Industry,” “The Future of Audio is Now,” “Best Business Strategies in the Stream,” “Producers in the Zeitgeist — Creating Across Platforms” and “Unlocking the Gen Z Audience.”
“Variety is excited to bring together entertainment thought-leaders sharing their strategies to succeed as the industry rapidly transforms through new technologies and innovation,” said Dea Lawrence, chief operating and marketing officer, Variety. “City National Bank has been a strong supporter of this event and we are happy to continue our collaboration with them as presenting partner.”
“City National has served the entertainment industry for decades and is proud to present Variety’s Entertainment and Technology Summit again this year,” said Linda Duncombe, executive vice president and chief marketing, product and digital officer at City National Bank. “We pride ourselves on offering a client experience no other bank can match, and our digital capabilities play a critical role in that. We look forward to hearing from leaders across the industry about the incredible ways digital innovation is shaping the future of entertainment.”
Attendees can enjoy conversations, networking breaks, lunch and an in-person cocktail reception. Attendees can also choose to live-stream the summit.
Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.
To secure your spot at the Entertainment and Technology Summit presented by City National Bank, and view the rest of the agenda, register here: Variety.com/technologysummit
