LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - Jul 17, 2012) - On Wednesday, July 18th, 2012, at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Krista Smith, West Coast Editor of Vanity Fair, will interview keynote speaker Greg Yaitanes, EMMY-award winning director, producer and early investor at the sold out Social TV Summit LA. The prestigious, executive-only conference will be live-streamed to thousands on the official Social TV Summit website (www.socialtvsummit.com) beginning at 8:30 a.m. PDT, along with 200 top media and entertainment executives in the audience.
As an accomplished journalist, Smith has written several high-profile Vanity Fair entertainment cover stories, including profiles of Jude Law, Julia Roberts, Cher, Naomi Watts, Paris Hilton and Nicole Kidman. A previous host of ABC's Oscars pre-show, Smith is also a prominent film multimedia journalist. She has attended every major film festival, including Toronto, Sundance and Cannes, to interview Natalie Portman, Robert Redford and other top names in the film industry. Smith will lead what is sure to be a compelling and insightful interview with Yaitanes, who is a creative executive with many producing and directing credits and early investments in Twitter, foursquare, Pinterest and more. Yaitanes will discuss the importance of cutting-edge digital and technological solutions in the TV industry and the process of successfully producing creative content.
The Social TV Summit will be preceded by the Social TV Awards, hosted by Billy Bush, Host of Access Hollywood, tonight, July 17, 2012 at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles at 7:30 p.m. PDT. As the first annual social TV awards gala, Social TV Awards will celebrate social TV industry excellence and award the leading players in the fast-moving social TV space. All media, technology and entertainment professionals and enthusiasts are encouraged to watch the live-streamed event at www.socialtvsummit.com to see the winners as they are announced.
Following the Social TV Awards, the Social TV Summit on Wednesday will focus on technology that allows viewers to interact, socialize, search, share and purchase video content, whether viewed on the "big screen," laptops, tablets, mobile or out-of-home. Yaitanes and Smith's keynote interview will be followed by top entertainment executives, including leaders such as Andy Batkin of Social Summits; Jack Myers of Jack Myers Media Business Report; David Wertheimer, President Digital, FOX Broadcasting; Marc DeBevoise, Senior Vice President and General Manager - CBS Interactive; Steve Franks, Executive Producer, Psych, USA Network's longest running show; Kevin Frazier, Host of The Insider, CBS; Evan Silverman, SVP, Digital Media, A+E Networks; Jason Hoch, SVP Digital, WWE; David Jones, EVP, Sales and Marketing, Shazam; Andrea Harrison, Director, Digital Engagement, PepsiCo Beverages N.A.; Jesse Redniss, EVP, Digital, USA Network; and many others. Along with a day of high-profile speakers, the conference will also include workshops and networking in the social TV industry.
The Social TV Summit and Social TV Awards were created by digital and social media expert Andy Batkin, recognized as one of the founders of the interactive industry. Batkin has more than 30 years of experience in creating innovative integrated marketing, digital media, social media and promotional campaigns for Fortune 500 and entertainment companies. Batkin and his consulting practice developed the business model for YAHOO! and served as its media representative for the first two years, building more than 1,700 sales relationships for YAHOO!.
For more information go to: www.socialtvsummit.com / www.socialtvawards.com.