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The Paley Center for Media Launches The Next Big Thing

Thursday, November 18, 2010

The Paley Center for Media partners with Mediabrand's Velociter to launch new quarterly event series showcasing new entrants and disruptors in media, entertainment, and technology.

Inaugural event set for February 2011 at the Paley Center in New York City.

Nov. 18, 2010 - New York, N.Y. - The Paley Center for Media announced today at its annual International Council forum that it will launch The Next Big Thing, a series of quarterly gatherings designed to showcase new entrants and disruptors in the media, entertainment, and technology spaces  by bringing them together with established leaders and investors in those industries. The series will launch with sponsorship from Velociter, the strategic investment arm of Mediabrands, and hold its inaugural gathering in February 3, 2011, at the Paley Center's New York location.

A mash-up of elevator pitches and no-holds-barred dialogue, The Next Big Thing gatherings will feature short presentations by new entrepreneurs outlining their businesses and strategies for success followed by intimate discussion with a select audience drawn from the Paley Center's Media Council, and other leaders and innovators in the new media, technology, and venture capitalist communities.

Details about the inaugural Next Big Thing session, including featured presenters, will be announced at a later date.

In consultation with About.com founder and Paley Center trustee Scott Kurnit, the Paley Center has convened a Next Big Thing advisory board to help identify startups and curate the sessions. The advisory board will be chaired by Kurnit and include Tim Hanlon, CEO and managing director, Velociter; Wendy Clark, SVP, Integrated Marketing and Communications Capabilities, Coca-Cola; Kay Koplovitz, Paley Center board member and founder and CEO, Koplovitz & Co.; Alan Patricof, founder and managing director, Greycroft LLC; Clay Shirky, author and associate professor, NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program; angel investor Yossi Vardi; and Fred Wilson, managing partner, Flatiron Partners and Union Square Ventures.

"As The Paley Center for Media has long provided a forum for industry leaders from around the world to gather and chart the future of media, there is no better place for rising innovators and entrepreneurs to meet the pillars and pioneers of our industry," said Pat Mitchell, president and CEO of the Paley Center. "The Next Big Thing series puts the Paley Center at the forefront of change in the media business."

"By enabling this kind of exchange of ideas and experience between the new and the established, the Next Big Thing series could have a direct impact on innovation and growth across the media industry," said Mr. Kurnit, CEO of AdKeeper, Inc. "Startups get access to high-level executives and the wisdom of their collective experience while media executives and investors get a closed-door look at new ideas and new talent from the digital world."

The Next Big Thing program at the Paley Center for Media is an important forum that is uniquely positioned to connect the leaders of today’s most successful media companies with cutting-edge innovation from the country’s most compelling technology startups and entrepreneurs,” said Mr. Hanlon.  “It is the ideal environment to foster dialogue, debate and mutual benefit among the key architects of the future of media and communications.”  

Next Big Thing gatherings are exclusive to members of The Paley Center’s Media Council and invited guests. For more information about the Next Big Thing series or Media Council membership, contact Marisa Laureni, manager, industry programs, The Paley Center for Media, 212-621-6653 or mlaureni@paleycenter.org.

About The Paley Center for Media
The Paley Center for Media, with locations in New York and Los Angeles, leads the discussion about the cultural, creative, and social significance of television, radio, and emerging platforms for the professional community and media-interested public. Drawing upon its curatorial expertise, an international collection, and close relationships with the leaders of the media community, the Paley Center examines the intersections between media and society. The general public can access the collection and participate in programs that explore and celebrate the creativity, the innovations, the personalities, and the leaders who are shaping media. Through the global programs of its Media Council and International Council, the Paley Center also serves as a neutral setting where media professionals can engage in discussion and debate about the evolving media landscape. The Paley Center was founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, a pioneering innovator in the industry.  For more information, please visit /.     

About Mediabrands
Created by IPG to manage all of its global media-related assets, Mediabrands employs 6,500 communications specialists operating in 90 countries and manages $32B in global media billings.  A proven entity in helping clients maximize the impact of their marketing investment to deliver explosive business results, Mediabrands enhances the communications offering and performance across its network of media agencies including Initiative, UM, MAGNA and a roster of Specialty Service Groups.  Mediabrands is part of Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), one of the world's leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services companies.  For more information, please visit www.mediabrandsww.com.