Yahoo Lifestyle Evan Spiegel and will.i.am Join Variety Entertainment Summit at CES
Snap Inc. co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel and FYI CEO will.i.am are added headliners of the Variety Entertainment Summit at CES on January 8 in Las Vegas. The summit features a full day of panels and keynotes exploring how new technologies and innovations are steering the future of film, TV, digital media, music, podcasts, gaming and more.
Spiegel will discuss his vision for Snap Inc. in 2025, and how Snapchat, which now reaches over 850 million people around the world, is continuing to innovate for its community and partners in the entertainment industry and beyond.
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Focused on the intersection of AI and creativity, will.i.am will talk about his latest initiative FYI (Focus Your Ideas), an AI-powered messenger and productivity platform built for creatives and their teams. The FYI app/platform was co-founded by will.i.am and Sunil Reddy.
They join previously announced headliner Ravi Ahuja, the incoming President and CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment as of Jan. 2.
Also just added, Mark Marshall, Chairman Global Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal will chat with Maria Taylor, Host Football Tonight in America and Big Ten College Countdown about NBCUniversal’s vision for blending its IP with innovative capabilities ahead of NBC’s 100th Anniversary.
In other highlights, OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair will sit down with entrepreneur, fashion designer, OnlyFans creator, TV personality and mental health advocate Leah McSweeney to discuss how creators are strengthening followings and business interests over the platform.
Tim Sims, chief commercial officer, The Trade Desk, Lee Brown, VP, global head of advertising business & platform, Spotify and Anjali Sud, CEO, Tubi, will walk the audience through a “day in the life,” demonstrating how new technologies are driving the personalized ad experience across channels.
Additional newly added lineup highlights include:
“How Webcomics Are Fueling The Global Entertainment Market” with COO and CFO, WEBTOON Entertainment David J. Lee in conversation with Variety co-editor-in-chief Cynthia Littleton. The conversation will be distributed on Variety’s weekly “Strictly Business” podcast.
“Shoppable Storytelling: Connecting Creators, Content & Commerce” featuring Bryan Moore, CEO and co-founder, TalkShopLive and Justin Breton, head of brand marketing innovation, Walmart moderated by Todd Spangler, business editor, Variety.
Shahrzad Rafati, founder and CEO, RHEI and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator join earlier announced panelists Paige Fitzgerald, COO, Patreon; Rebecca Glashow, CEO, BBC Media; Jennifer Koester – President & COO, Sphere; and Jen Wong, COO, Reddit in the “Breakthrough Tech Trends – What Will Stick” panel.
Samira Panah Bakhtiar, GM, global media & entertainment, games, and sports, Amazon Web Services (AWS) joins already announced panelists Alison Levin, president, advertising, NBCUniversal; Donna Speciale, president, advertising & marketing, TelevisaUnivision; Mike O’Donnell, chief revenue and strategic growth officer, VIZIO; Amy Reinhard, president of advertising, Netflix; and Jon Diament, EVP of ad sales, Warner Bros. Discovery on the “Business of Media” panel.
André Kudelski, chairman and CEO, Kudelski Group joins previously announced panel “Succeeding with AI & Entertainment” featuring Melody Hildebrandt, CTO, Fox; Sara DeWitt, SVP & GM, PBS Kids; Silvia Candiani,, VP telecommunications, media & entertainment, gaming, Microsoft; Hugh Burgin, AI and data analytics leader, EY Americas; and Khartoon Weiss, global head of agency & accounts, TikTok.
The event is open to all CES registrants at no additional charge. TheTradeDesk and WEBTOON Entertainment are premier partners of the event. TalkShopLive is an official partner of the event. Amazon Web Services, Deloitte, EY, Nagra Kudelski Group, RHEI, SAG-AFTRA, Shout! Studios and Vizio are supporting partners of the event. See the full agenda at variety.com/ces.
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