Digital Kids Conference - April 25-26, 2012 - Los Angeles, CA » Engage

10 Reasons Why You Need to be at Digital Kids

engagedigital — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:01:05 +0000

Digital Kids Conference is the only event that provides you with unparalleled exposure to best practices, current trends, and effective strategies behind the most successful techniques to develop and market to digital kids and youth.

In addition to saving $400 off the all-access door price by registering online by end-of-day April 20, here are 10 top reasons not to miss this year’s conference:

1. An Extraordinary Focus on Your Business. In all, 95 of the industry’s best and brightest have one thing in mind – sharing their expertise and strategies on how to successfully engage digital kids and connected youth.

2. Expansive Depth & Breadth. The groundswell of opportunity in the digital kids market space means there’s no end in sight for for the diverse array of businesses interested in gaining a foothold, from entrepreneurs, start-ups, established firms. Learn from Universal Pictures, LEGO, Activision, Disney, Wizard101/KingsIsle, Spin Master, National Geographic, the NFL, Cartoon Network, Sony Online, and Yahoo! Kids and many others.

3. Unprecedented Cross-Industry Networking. Cross-platform success takes cross-industry knowledge. You’ll only gain this by networking at the largest gathering of professionals engaged in producing online and mobile products and services for digitally-connected youth. Industries attending include games, toys, music, software, film, publishing, social media, and more.

4. New Business Deals Await. Ink partnerships with professionals in business management, software development, eye-popping digital arts production and design, and more. Our industry-leading partner organizations include the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, International Game Developers Association, and Toy Industry Association among others.

5. Can’t-Miss Keynotes. Industry ‘game’ changers from KingsIsle Entertainment and Disney will put you ahead of the curve. Wizard101 creators Todd Coleman and Josef Hall discuss Moving from Hardcore Games to Kids Games and Disney Mobile GM Bart Decrem examines Developing a Global Franchise for the Mobile Generation.

6. Market Research Worth Far Beyond the Admission Price. Our market researchers will set you on a profitable path for growth and get your venture soaring. Hear the latest from The NPD Group, Interpret LLC, KZero Worldswide SA, LEMONADE Creative Consulting, M2 Research, The Marketing Store, Circle 1 Network, and Youth Insights.

7. First-of-a-Kind Safety Track. We bring you face-to-face with the FTC and California Attorney General’s office. Learn practical and usable techniques on how to create a safe online or mobile experience for child-aged users. Discover everything you NEED to know, and more.

8. Compelling Topics and Landmark Case Studies. Five conference tracks covering Business, Content, Market Research, Operations and Safety will give you the ins and outs of building, managing and monetizing youth-oriented interactive products and services like you never thought possible.

9. Essential Resources. Our expo floor has you covered. Engage with companies whose expertise is delivering products and services that support content production, hosting, outreach and more. These include: Dubit, Frima, KidSafe Seal Program, Blockdot, Virtual Piggy, and Electrotank.

10. Affordability. Crafting a successful business strategy takes time and money. Digital Kids Conference accelerates your time-to-market while keeping your costs in check. Even the price of attending Digital Kids is a value. No other event provides you more for less. Register now.

Speaker Lineup Reaches 95 with YogiPlay, Electrotank, Bare Tree Media CEOs and More

engagedigital — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:20:15 +0000

Learn the ABCs of business success from our stable of CEOs in the digital kids market space. At Digital Kids YogiPlay Founder and CEO Cedric Sellin explores how children’s app developers can build more sustainable and, ultimately, more meaningful relationships with customers. Electrotank CEO Mic hael Gold compares and contrasts proven methods for monetizing audience engagement. And when it comes to licensing, Bare Tree Media CEO Robert Ferrari tells you when to pull the trigger, how to do it and with whom. In all, 95 speakers are now participating. Please welcome:

Graham Farrar – Co-Founder, zuuka (iStoryTime)
Robert Ferrari – CEO, Bare Tree Media
Michael Gold – Chief Executive Officer, Electrotank
Amy Henry – Vice President, Youth Insights
Nicole Lazzaro – President , XEODesign®, Inc.
Timothy Lee – Director of Community Management, Numedeon, Inc. – Creators of Whyville
Morgan Reed – Executive Director, Association for Competitive Technology
Cedric Sellin – Founder and CEO, YogiPlay
Scott Steinberg – CEO and Lead Analyst, TechSavvy Global
Rich Weil – Vice President of Client Services, Metaverse Mod Squad

Registration Ends this Friday

Team Engage — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:26:43 +0000

Just a quick reminder: Registration for the Digital Kids Conference ends this Friday, April 20th. The show is just over a week away (April 25-26, 2012 in Los Angeles at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena). Onsite registration will be available but the price goes up substantially.

Choose from the following:

- 1 Day Pass (good for either day you choose)
- 2 Day, All Access Pass

Ink New Partnerships at Digital Kids

engagedigital — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:01:46 +0000

Digital Kids Conference is endorsed by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, International Digital Media and Arts Association, International Game Developers Association and Toy Industry Association, among many others. This conference is the only event to provide entertainment professionals everything needed to create a profitable kids’ digital strategy, including inking valuable partnerships.

From the business of games, toys and feature-length productions to market research and venture capitalism, we’re blending professionals in business management, software development and eye-popping digital arts production and design. There’s a full spectrum of talent at Digital Kids capable of helping businesses prosper and their digital properties flourish.

Promotional Partners:

Application Developers Alliance
Entertainment Consumers Association
Global Toy Experts
International Digital Media and Arts Association
International Game Developers Association
Los Angeles Venture Association
Maverick Angels
National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Toy Industry Association
The Next Web
Women in Games International

An Interview with Joby Otero, VP of Art and Technology & Creative Director for Product and Brand, Activision & Skylander

Team Engage — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:26:53 +0000

We are pleased to announce a special fireside chat interview with Joby Otero, VP of Art and Technology & Creative Director for Product and Brand, Activision & Skylanders. Activision’s Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure, a unique cross-platform product that combined a video game with collectible real-world toys, has recently taken the toy and video game industries by storm.

In a fireside chat entitled: Transmedia and Connected Play, ShadyLogic, Founder and CEO, Marty Poulin will interview Joby at a special lunchtime session starting at 12:15 on April 25th. Touching on the core of the narrative, play and transmedia focus of Skylanders, Joby and Marty will share their experiences in helping create different aspects of the Skylanders franchise and what it means to bring toys to life.

Universal Pictures, Lego, Microsoft, National Geographic and More Bring Digital Kids Speaker Lineup to 80+

engagedigital — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:25:26 +0000

We’ve got you covered. From games, toys, technology and online media to providing the gold standard for measuring and influencing user behavior in a safe connected environment, our expert lineup spans the digital kids frontier and now stands at 80+ speakers.

Hear from Michelle Sullivan of National Geographic Global Media’s kid and family division on social gaming for good, and find out from Kelly McKiernan of Lego and Tiffany Qiang of Taomee Holdings how your business can play internationally. We’re also pleased to welcome online industry veteran Jennifer M. Puckett of eModeration to help you consider how best to scale your technology and toolsets, while awarding-winning creative and NoodleWorks President Mark Schlichting provides critical insight you need to choose the best mediums.

Online registration for Digital Kids ends April 20. Register now, and save $400 off the door price. Welcome:

Call for Volunteers

Team Engage — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:48:37 +0000

Volunteer Coordinator for Digital Kids Conference is accepting applications for a limited number of hard-working, knowledgeable, enthusiastic people who are interested in serving as members of the support team. Volunteers gain full access to the conference including lunch and networking events when they are not working. The Volunteer Coordinator will work with volunteers to insure a percentage of their time is left open to attend portions of the conference. If you are interested in participating in the most exciting Digital Kids Conference yet, please read and complete the application here.

Market Research Track to Help Businesses Transform; Keep Pace with Digital Kids

engagedigital — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:17:04 +0000

The unprecedented convergence of the physical and digital worlds and their profound impact on the entertainment landscape is redefining what makes a brand a kid “must have” and a parent “I’ll pay for that”. Our Market Research Track on April 26 will offer an in-depth look at the exploding connected youth market and help you identify trends and strategies to position your business for success.

Our Market Research Experts:

While the growth of digital play has companies partnering across business sectors with new-found ingenuity to keep pace, Nic Mitham, Founder and CEO, KZero Worldswide SA advises companies on the digital forefront expand their thinking to incorporate the physical world. “It’s no longer sufficient just to have a virtual world. From launch, companies need to consider the integration of additional channels such as mobile and licensing,” says Mitham. “The virtual worlds growing the fastest are the ones with offline presence.”

Market Research Track Sessions:

Disney Mobile’s GM Bart Decrem to Keynote Digital Kids: Developing a Global Franchise for the Mobile Generation

engagedigital — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:55:41 +0000

We are pleased to announce Bart Decrem, SVP and General Manager of Disney Mobile, as our day-two keynote speaker at the 6th annual Digital Kids Conference. Decrem, who leads the business unit behind the wildly successful ‘Where’s My Water?’ mobile gaming phenomenon, takes the floor of the Expo Hall at the Pasadena Convention Center in Los Angeles at 9:30 a.m., April 26 to discuss Growing Up Mobile – Developing a Global Franchise for the Mobile Generation.

Decrem will address how content producers are changing their ways to reach a generation growing up with mobile and tablet devices as their screens of choice. He will also delve into how entertainment companies like Disney are changing their character development and consumer experiences to serve their next generation of guests.

Decrem rounds out two days of exciting keynotes. Our day-one keynote features Todd Coleman and Josef Hall, co-creators of KingsIsle Entertainment’s popular online game Wizard101, discussing From Hardcore Gaming to the Kids Market – how they moved from hardcore gaming in the world of massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) and achieved runaway critical and commercial success with the #1 AAA family-friendly online social game in North America.

A seasoned Silicon Valley entrepreneur and product visionary, Bart founded Tapulous in 2008. The company quickly became a leading app developer, with more than one billion games played among all Tapulous apps to-date. In July, 2010, Tapulous became a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, becoming part of Disney Interactive Media Group.

Before founding Tapulous, Bart headed marketing and business affairs for the Firefox 1.0 launch. He was also a co-founder of desktop Linux startup Eazel and the founding chief executive officer of Flock, the social web browser company.

Bart has been an Entrepreneur In Residence at Doll Capital Management and worked on a number of community projects. He was born and raised in Belgium, holds a JD from Stanford Law School.

Online registration for Digital Kids ends April 20th. Digital Kids offers both a 1 Day Pass (good for either day you choose) and a 2 Day, All Access Pass.

NPD Group, Rovio (Angry Birds), Google, AOL and More Join Speaker Lineup

Team Engage — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:40:59 +0000

With just over 30 days until Digital Kids takes over the Pasadena Convention Center (early registration ends this Friday, March 23rd) we are pleased to share word of new speakers added to the lineup. Attendees will benefit from the insight of experts like Daniel Witenberg with Rovio (new Angry Birds Space game launches tomorrow), Kathleen Cella who manages NPD’s Group’s KIDS business, Stuart Drexler who’s experience spans Barbie, Elmo, LEGO and to Dan Klitsner who will discuss taking Bop it! From a Toy to Social Game. In all, Digital Kids Conference is the largest gathering of professionals engaged in building online and mobile products and services for kids: now fortified with more than 70 speakers. Recent adds include:

Daniel Witenberg – Lead Concept Designer, Web & Social , Rovio Entertainment Ltd.
Kathleen Cella – Director, KIDS, The NPD Group
Stuart Drexler, Chief Creative Officer, Mister Game
Dan Klitsner – Co-founder, KID Group LLC
Clark Stacey – President and CEO, Smart Bomb Interactive
Björn Jeffery – CEO and Founder, Toca Boca
Nancy McIntrye – CEO, Fingerprint Play
Holly M. Hawkins – Director of Global Consumer Policy & Child Safety, AOL
Nate Sawatzky – Director of Player Relations, Sleepy Giant Entertainment
Katharine Wang – Policy Analyst, Google
Marian Merritt – Norton Internet Safety Advocate, Symantec
Matt Palmer – Chief Strategy Officer, Sweety High
Dave Rogers – Managing Editor, Yahoo! Kids