Speakers

Janet Balis JANET BALIS was named Executive Vice President of Media Sales and Marketing for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (MSLO) in August 2009. In this position, she oversees Print, Television, Radio and Digital Media Sales and Marketing. An accomplished sales and marketing executive, Ms. Balis joined MSLO from Digital Media Strategies, a company she founded in January 2008, which worked closely with premier entertainment and media companies including Discovery Communications, Warner Bros. and Turner Broadcasting.  Prior to founding Digital Media Strategies, Ms. Balis spent eight years at Time Warner, serving most recently as the Senior Vice President of Sales Development for AOL Media Networks. In this role, she helped to reposition AOL, as it transitioned to an advertising-based business model, to be a strategic, innovative media partner to its clients. Before joining AOL, she spent five years at Time Inc. where she was responsible for Sales and Marketing across the division’s 20 websites, including People, TIME, Fortune and InStyle. Ms. Balis holds a B.A. from Columbia College and a MBA from Harvard Business School. Crain’s New York Business named her one its “Top 40 Under 40” in 2006.
E.B. Boyd E.B. BOYD is a San Francisco-based journalist and contributor to mediabistro.com, covering media and media technology in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley.

Twitter: @ebboyd_newsfut
Coleen Curtis COLLEEN CURTIS is the editorial director of AOL Women's & Lifestyle Programming. Colleen has many years of experience as a journalist, having been a managing editor at the New York Daily News and an editorial supervisor at Good Morning America. She has held senior editorial positions at magazines including US Weekly and Marie Claire.
Meredith Fisher MEREDITH FISHER is Digital Media Director for Diane von Furstenberg, where she oversees the company’s online marketing and social media strategy. Since joining DVF in 2008 as Editorial Brand Director, she has worked to create a consistent voice for the brand across all platforms. She has implemented a variety of online initiatives that have included video, mobile, and social technologies. In the past year, DVF has been recognized as a leader in the online space and was nominated for 4 Social Media Awards. Prior to working at DVF, Meredith was a Senior Editor at Fashionweekdaily.com and was Editorial Director for julib.com. Her freelance work as appeared in New York Magazine, Town & Country, and the New York Post. Originally from New York, she graduated cum laude from University of Pennsylvania with a BA in political science and art history.
Eileen Gittins EILEEN GITTINS is founder and CEO of Blurb, the creative publishing and marketing platform that enables anyone to design, publish, market and sell professional-quality books. She has been at the intersection of the Internet, consumer and enterprise software, imaging systems, search, and digital photography throughout her career. A passionate advocate for enabling technologies that offer new ways to do valuable things, Eileen is democratizing publishing for the rest of us with Blurb, which has published more than 1 million book titles since she launched the company in 2006.

Twitter: @eilg
Brandon Holley BRANDON HOLLEY is Editor in Chief of Yahoo! Shine, a leading women's lifestyle site. Prior to joining to Yahoo! to develop, launch and oversee Shine, Holley served as the editor- in-chief of Jane magazine, and before that, the founding editor of ELLEgirl. She also held senior editorial positions at GQ and Time Out New York. Her journalism career began when she started writing for Paper magazine in 1989 and continued at Rolling Stone magazine, Women's Own and Sportswear International. She was recently named a "Social Media Superstar" by Media Industry News and Advertising Age named Brandon a "Woman to Watch" in 2002. Brandon has been instrumental in the success of Shine, making it one of the leading women's lifestyle community sites.
Lisa Hsia LISA HSIA is the Senior Vice President of Digital Media at Bravo overseeing Bravo's digital businesses including the broadband properties BravoTV.com and TelevisionWithoutPity.com, as well as Bravo's initiatives in emerging media -- wireless, interactive TV, gaming and multi-platform programming. Under her watch, Bravo Digital has been recognized for its innovative, industry-leading digital initiatives with the Tech & Engineering Emmy, Webby, ITVT, Mobile Marketing and Mobile Excellence Awards and four Prime Time Emmy nominations for interactive. Previously, Hsia was Vice President of NBC News, where she supervised the TODAY show, Dateline and NBC News Productions. She is the recipient of six news Emmy Awards. Hsia graduated from Harvard University with a BA in documentary filmmaking and has an MBA from Columbia University Business School.
Nicole Jordan NICOLE JORDAN heads up marketing and communications for Mobile Roadie, a platform for anyone to create and manage iPhone and Android Apps.  Previously she ran communications and industry relations for the Rubicon Project.   She's spent the past 12 years sinking her teeth into tech, start-ups, digital media and what makes people tick to help fuel her love for branding, marketing, PR and all things consumer engagement.  She's logged hours representing brands such as Apple, HP, CNET, PriceGrabber.com, Clearstone Venture Partners and even a brief foray into entertainment for David Lynch.  You can read her blog at: http://www.kickingsand.com

Twitter: @nicolejordan
Lynn D Johnson LYNNE D JOHNSON is SVP, Social Media for the Advertising Research Foundation, where she is responsible for content, brand and social media development and strategy, as well as developing consumer insights, market research, and true metrics for the industry at large via the ARF Social Media Council. As a consultant, Lynne works with Web and media properties on content, brand, and social media development and strategy. She's also a sought after speaker, and has presented keynotes and moderated panels around the world about the future of media, web 2.0, women in tech, African-Americans in tech, hip-hop and tech, and the intersection of music and technology. A widely published author and blogger, Lynne wrote the foreward for Tactical Transparency: How Leaders Can Leverage Social Media to Maximize Value and Build their Brand, by Shel Holtz and John C. Havens (Wiley, 2008) and was the technical editor for Google Voice For Dummies, by Bud E. Smith and Chris Dannen (For Dummies 2009). Since 2001 Lynne has published Lynne d Johnson || Diary (Music, Media, My Life), the winner of the 2006 Black Weblog Awards Black Blogger Achievement Award. She also currently blogs for Jack Myers MediaBizBloggers.

Twitter: @LynneLuvah
Susan Lyne SUSAN LYNE is CEO of the Gilt Groupe. Susan spent more than two decades as a media executive before joining Gilt Groupe in September 2008. Most recently, she served as president and CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO), where she led the company's recovery and return to profitability. During her tenure, MSLO significantly expanded its merchandising business, launched a successful new content website, and diversified its brand portfolio with the acquisition of chef Emeril Lagasse's company. Before joining MSLO, Susan spent eight years at Disney/ABC, rising to president of ABC Entertainment, where she oversaw the development of shows such as Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Grey's Anatomy. Prior to her role as president, she ran the network’s longform division, fielding a schedule of original movies and miniseries that regularly dominated the ratings and earned numerous awards, including a Peabody, Golden Globe, Humanitas and multiple Emmys. Susan’s early career was spent in the magazine industry. She was managing editor of New Times and the Village Voice and, in 1987, created and launched Premiere magazine. The Wall Street Journal named Susan one of its "50 Women to Watch" in 2006. Susan serves as a Board of Director for AOL and the New School.

Twitter: @GiltGroupe

Alice McKown ALICE McKOWN is Executive Director of Marketing for Condé Nast Digital, where she oversees advertiser custom ideation, magazine integration marketing, promotion, and sales support across all of the company’s digital brands. McKown joined Condé Nast Digital as executive director of integrated services after working for The New Yorker, where she was the executive director of creative services. Prior to that, McKown was at New York magazine and nymag.com overseeing the development of integrated programs. Additionally, McKown was at WIRED magazine from 1999 through 2006 where she moved through the ranks from promotion manager to promotion director in the San Francisco office and then moved to New York as the creative services director. During her time at WIRED she launched innovative marketing projects such as WIRED NextFest and the WIRED Store, as well as won Marketer of the Year in 2000, 2002 and 2004. She also won Condé Nast Marketing Person of the Year in 2004.
Michela O'Connor Abrams

MICHELA O'CONNOR ABRAMS is President of Dwell Media, the award-winning design and lifestyle media company. Ms. O'Connor Abrams leadership has led Dwell magazine to General Excellence at the National Magazine Awards, the Adweek HotList, the Advertising Age A-List, and Cappell's Circulation Top Ten Performer growth. In 2009, Dwell Media was a finalist in the corporate category for the prestigious National Design Awards through the Cooper Hewitt Museum. Ms. O'Connor Abrams herself was honored in 2005 by Media Industry News as Sales Leader of the Year. Most recently, Ms. Abrams has initiated several successful brand extensions for Dwell Media including Dwell Digital, Dwell on Design events, and the Dwell Homes Collection. The newest Dwell platform launched by O'Connor Abrams and team this Spring is the for-profit platform Dwell Strategy+Research and its groundbreaking "intelligence service." Prior to her role at Dwell, Ms. O'Connor Abrams was the President of Imagine Media's Business Division, including its flagship publication Business 2.0.

Twitter: @dwell

Marita Scarfi MARITA SCARFI Marita was recently named CEO of Organic, Inc. Since 1996, Marita has led global operations for Organic, establishing global policies and procedures, implementing financial internal controls and optimising available resources. Today, Marita oversees global operations at Organic and manages the legal, real estate, facilities, finance and IT functions. In February 2000, she was instrumental in Organic’s IPO. She then co-led the sale of the company to Seneca Investments in December 2001 and later to Omnicom Group, Inc. in December 2002.
Debbie Stier DEBBIE STIER currently has two roles at HarperCollins: Senior Vice President, Associate Publisher for HarperStudio and Director of Digital Marketing for the rest of HarperCollins. Her duties at HarperStudio range from assessing and acquiring projects, to devising and executing marketing plans, as well as making sure the trains are all running smoothly with the sales, art and production departments. In her role as the Director of Digital Marketing for HarperCollins, she is responsible for educating and evangelizing digital trends throughout the company. The trends encompass how people communicate, what technologies they are using, how other industries are using technology, and how this all applies to book publishing. She began her career working for a literary agent when submission letters were typed on an electric typewriter with carbon paper – a process that could often take 2 weeks.

Twitter: @debbiestier