Buzzfeed co-founded to make UK speaking debut at Power to the Pixel forum

Power to the Pixel: The Cross-Media Forum (Oct 7-10) is to be headlined this year by John Johnson, co-founder of social news website Buzzfeed, who will speak publicly in the UK for the first time.

As keynote speaker, Johnson will share thoughts and experiences of media impact measurement that point to new ways of funding and creating new projects as well as engaging audiences.

It was revealed earlier this week that Buzzfeed is to launch a dedicated feature film arm after receiving $50m in investment from venture capitalist firm Andreessen Horowitz.

BuzzFeed Motion Pictures will produce content ranging from six-second videos to episodic series and feature films, while Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained exec Michael Shamberg has been attached as an advisor.

The company, which generates more than 200 million monthly views, will look to work with Hollywood studios and distribute the content on BuzzFeed, YouTube and other platforms.

Johnson said: “It’s time to rethink how we measure the success and impact of entertainment to better unlock creative and commercial potential.

“I’m honoured to share some of the models and strategies we can adopt to achieve this with the forward-thinking audience of Power to the Pixel’s Cross-Media Forum.”

Johnson is also founder and executive director of The Harmony Institute, a research organisation analysing the impact of entertainment media on society. Johnson also founded Eyebeam, a non-profit centre exploring art and technology through education, research and development.

PttP’s Cross-Media Forum is held in association with the 58^th BFI London Film Festival

Liz Rosenthal, CEO and PttP founder, said this year’s edition would pay particular attention “to the companies who have successfully created new models to incubate and invest in the latest innovative entertainment brands and story formats.”

Angry Birds

Other speakers at the event include Mikko Pöllä, group creative director at Rovio Entertainment, creators of the Angry Birds franchise that began as a mobile game and has been developed into a TV series.

In his speech, Pöllä will talk about how his company develops and sustains new and innovative entertainment brands and products.

Nick Fortugno, chief commercial officer at New York-based Playmatics, is a design guru and games entrepreneur best known for designing Diner Dash as well as games for Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and the award-winning Ayiti: The Cost of Life.

His speech will consider how to incubate new character-based entertainment ideas from the ground up.

Francesca Panetta, the Guardian’s multimedia special projects editor, and Loc Dao, head of digital content and strategy at the National Film Board of Canada, will showcase The Guardian and NFB’s first collaboration, The Seven Digital Deadly Sins, looking at the complementary skills and value that two very different industry brands can bring each other.

Other speakers include Alexa Clay,co-author of The Misfit Economy, which explores underground and black market innovation; Karim Ahmad, senior digital strategist at the Independent Television Service, who will talk about how his organisation fosters innovation; and Lance Weiler, International Emmy nominee, qho will focus on the importance of “rapid prototyping”.

Pixel Market

The Pixel Market Financing Forum (Oct 8) will be opened with a new study on new media formats and successful finance models presented by Valerie Creighton, CEO and president of Canada Media Fund and Monique Simard, president and CEO of the Development Corporation of Cultural Enterprise for Quebec (SODEC).

Creighton said: “ A White Paper supported by the CMF will shed light on how funders in various countries approach audiovisual and transmedia content and what revenue streams support their initiatives. We also look forward to providing insight on the unique Canadian funding ecosystem.”

Other speakers include Lili Blumers, head of development, web productions for ARTE France; Nick Cohen, managing partner, head of content, Mediacom; Lucia Haslauer, commissioning editor, new media and cross-media, ZDF; Ingrid Kopp, director of digital Initaitives for the Tribeca Film Institute; Sabine Lange, commissioning editor, new media, ARTE GEIE; Michael Morris, co-director, Artangel; and Andra Sheffer, executive director, Bell Fund & IPF.

Further information on Power to the Pixel: The Cross-Media Forum including the full list of speakers and jury members and full details on tickets can be found on Power to the Pixel’s website.