nextMEDIA Announces Participation of Leading Digital Media Executives in "The Future is out of the Box" Superpanel

Stewart Butterfield, Co-Founder, Flickr and Director of Product Management, Yahoo! joins three of the world's most influential digital media executives at nextMEDIA 2006, Banff, Canada, June 9 - 11, 2006

Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) May 25, 2006 -- nextMEDIA announced today the participation of four of the world's most influential digital media executives in "The Future is Out of the Box: Programming in the Multi-Platform Universe", a 'superpanel' scheduled for Sunday, June 11.

It's a 'superpanel' of super players in the emerging digital broadcast industry with Raja Khanna, Chief Operating Officer of QuickPlay Media Ltd. leading the conversation. Participants include Stewart Butterfield, Co-Founder, Flickr and Director of Product Management, Yahoo!; Graeme Ferguson, Executive Head (Global Content), Vodafone; Bernard Gershon, Senior Vice President/General Manager (Digital Media Group), ABC News; and Ben White, Vice President (Digital Media), MTV Networks.

"These are four leaders who have recognized that multi-platform really is the future of distribution, that there is a way to profitably expand programming into alternative channels," explains Jennifer Harkness, Director of Content for nextMEDIA. "This panel is about offering insight into the characteristics, values and opportunities presented by emerging distribution channels, such as mobile, broadband, IPTV, and VOD."

A complete schedule for nextMEDIA can be found online at http://www.nextmedia2006.com.

About the Panelists:

Stewart Butterfield is a recognized leader in the development of social networking applications. As the co-founder of Flickr, a Web 2.0-based photo-management service bought-out in 2005 by Yahoo!, Butterfield represents the cutting-edge of social networking and online communities and content.

Bernard Gershon has guided ABC News to a leadership position in the programming, marketing and delivery of streaming media. In the last 5 years, ABCNEWS.com has started to turn a profit while simultaneously maintaining high journalistic standards. The site has won numerous awards, including the prestigious RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence.

Ben White is a member of the new digital business team at MTV. Most recently, he oversaw the launch of MTV Overdrive, MTV's broadband video network. He and his team have also transformed MTV.com into an immersive entertainment experience that not only compliments on-air programming but has unique content created solely for the Web.

Graeme Ferguson leads the Content Development Team for Vodafone Global Products and Content Services. During his three-and-a-half years at Vodafone, Graeme has been responsible for bringing brands like The Simpsons, UEFA Champions League and Lord of the Rings to the mobile platform.

nextMEDIA is an important networking and business opportunity for members of the broadcast and media industries navigating through the multi-platform distribution of digital content.

About nextMEDIA:

nextMEDIA is owned and produced by Achilles Media Ltd. with the support of an international advisory board from the interactive media industry. Scheduled for June 9-11, 2006 at the Fairmont Banff Springs, nextMEDIA (www.nextmedia2006.com) is an intimate three-day event that will present the brightest and most promising industry leaders in the evolving new media sector. Achilles Media is a media events management organization that also produces the Banff World Television Festival (June 11-14, 2006) and the World Congress of History Producers (December 2006).

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