2023 AGENDA

NOTE: This is a preliminary agenda and is subject to change frequently.
Last Updated: March 20
Sunday, May 21
Monday, May 22
  • 7:30 - 5:00 – Registration
  • 7:30 – 8:30 – Continental Breakfast
  • 8:00 – 8:15 – Opening General Session 
    • Welcome: Lori Locke, EVP/CAO Warner Bros. Discovery, MFM Board Vice-Chair and Conference Chair; and Marie Tedesco, CFO Beasley Media, MFM Board Secretary and Conference Co-Chair
  • 8:15 – 9:30 – Keynote Speaker: Jim Collins
    • Turning the Flywheel from Good to Great 
  • 9:30 – 9:45 – Refreshment Break
  • 9:45 – 11:15 – Questions and Answers with Jim Collins
  • 11:25 – 12:15 – Breakout Sessions
    • The Future of Streaming – Margarita Lam, pointb
    • Dual Transformation – John Garrett, Community Impact
      • Learn how a successful publisher used the principles of Dual Transformation to create a new digital business, while incorporating a “phygital” strategy to enhance his legacy newspaper business.  
    • Making Dollars and Sense of Electronic Payments – Industry Panel Moderated by Jeff London, Marketron 
      • Discover the latest on how the payments landscape is changing, and how media companies can discover and address client pain points and opportunities while improving margins and increasing efficiencies. 
  • 12:00 – 7:00 – Exhibit Hall Opens
  • 12:20 – 1:30 – Networking Lunch in the Exhibit Hall
  • 1:45 – 2:35 – Breakout Sessions
    • The Mainstreaming of Games: When Tech and Entertainment Converge – Yoshio Osaki, IDG Consulting
      • Learn about AI’s potentially transformative role in media, and what financial executives need to know to help their organizations use it to evolve and to improve their bottom lines.  
    • Media Cybersecurity, Response, and Resiliency – Brian Bark, Sinclair Broadcast Group
      • As cyber attacks continue to escalate across all industries, learn how organizations can more effectively build cyber defenses and enhance their ability to respond to attackers. 
    • Digital Media Trends – Jeff Loucks, Deloitte
      • Hear details on Deloitte’s 17th annual Digital Media Trends survey, which taps into the shifting behaviors driving massive change across the media and entertainment ecosystem. 
  • 1:45 – 2:35 – Network Roundtables
    • Newspaper Network #1
  • 2:45 – 3:35 – Breakout Sessions
    • How Media Companies Can Reduce Costs and Generate Working Capital – Industry Panel Moderated by Mark Brousseau, CSI
    • How to Lead a Strategic Discussion on AI: What CFOs Need to Know – Daniel Anstandig, Futuri Media
    • Transmedia TV and Movies: What’s Working and What’s to Come – Vince Muscarella, Whip Media
      • As gaming properties reach new levels of mainstream success— and continue this upward trend—get the latest insights on audience demand and viewership in the transmedia space. 
  • 2:45 – 3:35 – Roundtables
    • Newspaper Network #2
    • Customer Finance Operations Network
  • 3:45 – 4:15 – Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall
  • 4:20 – 5:15 – Breakout Sessions
    • Preparing for the Green Wave: What to Expect from the 2024 Election Cycle – David Oxenford,  Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP
    • Financial Implications of Changing Entertainment Consumption Habits – David Offenberg, Ph.D, Loyola Marymount University 
      • As changing consumer habits affect the media and entertainment landscape in probable ways, learn about a predictive model that can reveal which types of firms are likely to thrive in the years ahead.  
    • Sports Streaming - Speaker TBD
  • 4:20 – 5:15 – Network Roundtables
    • Radio Network
  • 5:30 – 7:00 – Reception in the Exhibit Hall
  • 7:30 – 10:00 – Dinner and Dancing at La Mesa
Tuesday, May 23
  • 10:30 – 11:30 – Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall
  • 11:30 – 12:20 – Breakout Sessions
    • Technology and the Reaction of the Courts – Wanda Borges, Borges & Associates
      • Discover the myths surrounding electronic signatures on credit applications, contracts, and other binding documents—and how to create bulletproof documents for legal purposes. 
    • How ESG Drives Business Value – Suha Gillani and Durran Dunn, Grant Thornton
      • Join a discussion around which ESG requirements are currently most concerning to media companies, and how to align your ESG strategy and goals with business objectives.   
    • Too Much Too FAST? – Industry Panel Moderated by Karin Bleiler, SymphonyAI Media
      • As streaming platforms continue to proliferate, learn how media companies are responding to viewers' appetites for free streaming content while remaining loyal to the traditional distribution partners and platforms. 
  • 11:30 – 12:20 – Network Roundtable Sessions
    • Games Network
    • Newspaper Network #3
  • 12:30 – 2:00 – Buffet Lunch in the Exhibit Hall
  • 2:00 – 2:50 – Breakout Sessions
    • Creating a Credit and Collection Policy that Manages Risk, Reduces Bad Debt and Improves Cash Flow – Randy Neff, Szabo Associates 
      • Get the latest on media credit management—from credit and collection policies, best practices and risk and accounts receivable management.  
    • Creating a Compelling Corporate Culture – Joshua Jackson, Siegfried Group
    • Sports Betting and How It Is Changing the Media Landscape – Scott Purdy and Rick Arpin, KPMG
      • Sports betting is slated to shape the media landscape for years to come. Learn how media companies are integrating sports betting into their programing and capitalizing on it through advertising, partnership, and collaborations. 
  • 2:00 – 2:50 – Network Roundtables
    • Young Professionals Network
      • Open to all conference attendees, join discussions related to today’s hot topics affecting the workplace and society as a whole—from hiring practices to technology to social media.  
  • 2:00 – 3:50 – Network Roundtables
    • CFO Network (invitation only)
  • 3:00 – 3:50 – Breakout Sessions
    • Economic Outlook and Its Impact on Credit and Collections - Moodys TBA
    • Transforming Finance Operations and Reducing Expense– A Panel Discussion moderator by Alison Young, WideOrbit Payments
      • Get the latest updates and learn best practices on payments, including credit card surcharges, legislation that may affect the credit card industry, ACH and real-time payments, and more. 
    • Valuation of Sports, Film, and Music Libraries – Brian Marler, Houlihan Lokey 
  • 3:00 – 3:50 – Network Roundtables
    • Accounting Standards Network
  • 3:50 – 4:30 – Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall
  • 4:30 –5:20 – Breakout Sessions
    • YP Network presents: Speed Mentoring – Carrie Heffernan, Bonneville Int'l; and Ryan Laninga, Bonneville Int'l
      • Access and connect with some of the most trusted and experienced experts in the media industry in this popular annual speed mentoring event.  
    • Death of the Credit Card – FastPay panelists TBA
      • This candid panel discussion around payment terms and modalities includes DSO and preferred payment types.
    • Topic TBD – John Sanders, Bond & Pecaro
  • 4:30 – 5:20 – Network Roundtables
    • Television Network
  • 5:30 – 6:30 – Reception and Award Presentations
Wednesday, May 24
  • 8:00 – 8:45 – Continental Breakfast
  • 8:45 – 9:15 – Annual Membership Business Meeting
  • 9:15 – 10:15 –Closing General Session
    • Jack Meyers Moderated Panel
  • 10:30 – 11:20 – Breakout Sessions
    • In-House Customer Data Platform (CDP) our first party database platform for marketing contacts and applied applications – Joseph Gordon, LA Times
      • In this session you will learn about what a CDP is, what feeds it, what is in it and where it lives. We will also focus on how to use it for individual marketing contact and consolidating revenue across platforms to as single customer record. 
    • Data Analytics and Internal Audits – Christine Kichi, Hearst Corp.
    • Oracle Panel topic TBD
  • 1:00 – 5:00 – NMIA (Audit & Compliance) Roundtables

 NOTE: This is a preliminary agenda and is subject to change frequently. A final agenda will be published in May.