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TheWrap’s annual TheGrill Conference hosted specialists in all areas of entertainment Wednesday, from the CEO of Mattel and the Warner Bros. Marketing president behind blockbuster hit film “Barbie” to Stanford and MIT professors and researchers who have a pulse on the latest developments in artificial intelligence. TheWrap co-executive editor Adam Chitwood moderated panels about FAST Channels and the future of live entertainment, specifically in regards to Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Ticketmaster, The Sphere and more.
TheWrap CEO and editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman and COO and president Edward Menicheschi kicked off the gathering of executives and minds with opening remarks and comments about the timing of this conference with the WGA strike ending and, hopefully, the SAG strike’s potential close. Besides AI, “Barbie,” Taylor Swift, and FAST Channels, panels also discussed the intersection of sports and entertainment, the battle for Hollywood inclusion, lessons learned from the 2023 Hollywood strike and more.
Read on to get a full sense of the scene at TheGrill 2023:
Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz attended TheGrill 2023 to speak about “Barbie” and more toy movies that the company has in store.
Daniela Rus, MIT’s director of computer science and AI laboratory, spoke at the “AI Unleashed: Academics and Experts Debate the Current State of Artificial Intelligence” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Mehran Sahami, professor and chair of computer science at Stanford University spoke at the “AI Unleashed: Academics and Experts Debate the Current State of Artificial Intelligence” at TheGrill 2023.
The “Reel Resilience: Navigating the Theatrical Landscape in 2023” moderated by Greg Foster, who owns Foster + Crew, featured a discussion between Josh Goldstine, president of worldwide marketing at Warner Bros. Group, Kevin Goetz, founder and CEO of Screen Engine/ASI and Sean Gamble, president and CEO of Cinemark, at TheGrill 2023.
Sony’s chairman of global TV studios Ravi Ahuja, who also manages corporate development, gave a spotlight conversation moderated by Sharon Waxman at TheGrill2023.
Sharon Waxman, founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of TheWrap, opened TheGrill 2023 with remarks about where Hollywood stands amid the rise of AI, the double Hollywood strike — which now only includes the Screen Actors Guild — and more.
President and COO of TheWrap Edward Menicheschi remarked on how his first few months with the company led up to TheGrill 2023.
Sharon Waxman spoke with Mattell CEO Ynon Kreiz about the success of “Barbie” at TheGrill 2023.
Ynon Kreiz told Sharon Waxman of his vision to transform Mattel from a toy manufacturer to an IP company that hopes to manage franchises at TheGrill 2023.
Kreiz compared Mattel’s strategy to that of Marvel, which began life as a comic book publisher before becoming a cross-media behemoth, anchored by zeitgeist-capturing feature films.
Mehran Sahami and Daniela Rus discussed the state of artificial intelligence with Sharon Waxman at TheGrill 2023.
Daniela Rus, director of computer science and AI laboratory at MIT, spoke on the “AI Unleashed” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Mehran Sahami, professor and chair of computer science at Stanford University, spoke at the “AI Unleashed” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Cole Strain, vice president of measurement products at SambaTV, presented “The State of Viewership: Top Trends and Insights for Driving Attention and Retention” as a spotlight conversation at TheGrill 2023.
Sony’s chairman of global television studios and manager of corporate development Ravi Ahuja unpacked the end of peak TV in a spotlight conversation with Sharon Waxman at TheGrill 2023.
Ravi Ahuja predicted that the end of peak TV will likely “be painful for most companies” in his spotlight conversation with Sharon Waxman at TheGrill 2023.
Ravi Ahuja likened the cost-cutting measures taken in the industry to “air coming out of the balloon” in his spotlight conversation with Sharon Waxman at TheGrill 2023.
From left to right, BBC Studios SVP and GM of FAST Channels Beth Anderson, Roku Media’s VP of content acquisition and programming Jennifer Vaux, AMC Networks’ VP of FAST and AVOD revenue strategy Lindsay Stewart, Fuse Media’s head of digital and business development Patrick Courtney and Pluto TV’s global SVP and head of consumer marketing Valerie Kaplan participated in the “FAST Forward Thinking” panel moderated by TheWrap’s co-executive editor Adam Chitwood at TheGrill 2023.
Beth Anderson, Jennifer Vaux, Lindsay Stewart, Patrick Courtney, Valerie Kaplan discussed various aspects of Fast Channels and VOD with TheWrap’s Adam Chitwood for the “FAST Forward Thinking: Innovations and Strategies in Ad-Supported Streaming” at TheGrill 2023.
Beth Anderson, Jennifer Vaux, Lindsay Stewart, Patrick Courtney, Valerie Kaplan also discussed Adam Chitwood’s question of whether FAST is just reinventing cable at TheGrill 2023.
Beth Anderson and Jennifer Vaux speak at the “FAST Forward Thinking” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Patrick Courtney weighs in on the “FAST Forward Thinking” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Lindsay Stewart weighs in on the “FAST Forward Thinking” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Patrick Courtney and Valerie Kaplan talk with Adam Chitwood on the “FAST Forward Thinking” panel at TheGrill 2023.
The “Reel Resilience: Navigating the Theatrical Landscape in 2023” panel included president of worldwide marketing at Warner Bros. Pictures Group Josh Goldstine, founder and CEO of Screen Engine/ASI Kevin Goetz and president and CEO of Cinemark Sean Gamble, moderated by owner of Foster + Crew Greg Foster at TheGrill 2023.
Greg Foster, owner and Principal of Foster + Crew, moderated the “Reel Resilience” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Josh Goldstine, president of worldwide marketing at Warner Bros. Pictures Group, brought his experience of setting up the global “Barbie” marketing campaign to the “Reel Resilience” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Sean Gamble, president and CEO of Cinemark, spoke at the “Reel Resilience” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Kevin Goetz, founder and CEO of Screen Engine/ASI, spoke on the “Reel Resilience” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Mycotoo co-owner and chief development officer Fri Forjindam, president and chief distribution officer of Hartbeat Jeff Clanagan, head of music marketing at WME Levi Jackson and Gerber Kawasaki co-founder and president Ross Gerber, participated in the “Redefining Live Entertainment Presented by Gerber Kawasaki” panel, moderated by TheWrap’s co-executive editor Adam Chitwood at TheGrill 2023.
Jeff Clanagan, president of Hartbeat, spoke on the “Redefining Live Entertainment” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Gerber Kawasaki co-founder Ross Gerber spoke on the “Redefining Live Entertainment” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Mycotoo co-owner Fri Forjindam spoke on the “Redefining Live Entertainment” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Levi Jackson, head of music marketing at WME, spoke on the “Redefining Live Entertainment” panel at TheGrill 2023.
After lunch, Endeavor’s Dakota Ortiz, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group’s Emerlynn Lampitoc, Amazon Studios and Prime Video’s Jerome Core, Paramount’s Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Yvette Urbina, participated in the “No Barriers: The Battle for Hollywood Inclusion” panel moderated by USC Annenberg’s Ariana Case at The Grill 2023.
Endeavor vp of impact and inclusion Dakota Ortiz spoke on the “No Barriers: The Battle for Hollywood Inclusion” panel at The Grill 2023.
Paramount’s evp of entertainment and diversity and inclusion Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i spoke on the “No Barriers: The Battle for Hollywood Inclusion” panel at The Grill 2023.
Amazon Studios and Prime Video’s head of US and worldwide DEIA content Jerome Core spoke on the “No Barriers: The Battle for Hollywood Inclusion” panel at The Grill 2023.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s vp of diversity, equity and inclusion as well as creative and production Yvette Urbina spoke on the “No Barriers: The Battle for Hollywood Inclusion” panel at The Grill 2023, and Program Manager of USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Ariana Case moderated the panel.
Universal Filmed Entertainment Group’s (UFEG) vp of creative talent and content Emerlynn Lampitoc spoke on the “No Barriers: The Battle for Hollywood Inclusion” panel at The Grill 2023.
TheWrap’s labor and box office reporter Jeremy Fuster held a roundtable discussion: “Lessons from the 2023 Strike” with Loeb & Loeb’s chair of entertainment labor Ivy Kagan Bierman at The Grill 2023.
Jeremy Fuster discussed lessons learned from the strike in the roundtable with Ivy Kagan Bierman at The Grill 2023.
Ivy Kagan Bierman provided an in-depth analysis of the Hollywood double strike to Jeremy Fuster at The Grill 2023.
Journalist Peter Csathy moderated the “From Blockbusters to Algorithms: How AI is Changing the Face of Entertainment” and “Aquire or be Acquired: Navigating the Complexities of M&A” panels at The Grill 2023.
DEVO musician and co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh, Cineverse president and chief strategy officer Erick Opeka, Human Artistry Campaign’s explAIner-in-chief Dr. Moiya McTier, Intel’s head of media and entertainment partnerships Rick Hack, Lore Machine’s founder Thobey Campion and What’s Trending founder Shira Lazar participated in the “From Blockbusters to Algorithms” panel moderated by Peter Csathy at TheGrill 2023.
DEVO’s Mark Mothersbaugh and Cinverse’s Erick Opeka on the “From Blockbusters to Algorithms” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Dr. Moiya McTier, explAIner-in-chief of the Human Artistry Campaign, participated on the “From Blockbusters to Algorithms” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Intel’s head of media and entertainment partnerships Rick Hack participated on the “From Blockbusters to Algorithms” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Shira Lazar, founder of What’s Trending, participated on the “From Blockbusters to Algorithms” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Founder of Lore Machine Thobey Campion participated on the “From Blockbusters to Algorithms” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Truist managing director Charles Johnson, BTIG partner Ed King, senior managing director of Guggenheim Securities Ethan Sawyer, Shamrock Capital partner Jason Sklar, Iconoclast founder and CEO Olivier Chastan and Vody CEO and founder Stephanie Horbaczewski participated in the “Acquire or be Acquired” panel moderated by Creative Media founder Peter Csathy at TheGrill2023.
Shamrock Capital partner Jason Sklar spoke on the “Acquire or be Acquired: Navigating the Complexities of M&A” panel at TheGrill2023.
Truist managing director Charles Johnson spoke on the “Acquire or be Acquired: Navigating the Complexities of M&A” panel at TheGrill2023.
Senior managing director of Guggenheim Securities Ethan Sawyer spoke on the “Acquire or be Acquired: Navigating the Complexities of M&A” panel at TheGrill2023.
Founder and CEO of Iconoclast Olivier Chastan spoke on the “Acquire or be Acquired: Navigating the Complexities of M&A” panel at TheGrill2023.
Truist managing director Charles Johnson (left) and BITG partner Ed King spoke on the “Acquire or be Acquired: Navigating the Complexities of M&A” panel at TheGrill2023.
Vody CEO and founder Stephanie Horbaczewski spoke on the “Acquire or be Acquired: Navigating the Complexities of M&A” panel at TheGrill2023.
Mortal Media co-founder Ryan Kalil and Make Plays Media founder Scott Braun spoke on the “GAME ON; The Intersection of Sports and Entertainment Presented by City National Bank” panel moderated by svp and team leader of sports and family office banking at City National Bank Todd Burach at TheGrill 2023.
Make Plays Media founder and media personality Scott Braun spoke on the “GAME ON” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Mortal Media co-founder and producer of “White Men Can’t Jump” and “Hello Tomorrow?” Ryan Kalil spoke on the “GAME ON” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Todd Burach, svp and team leader of sports and family office banking at City National Bank, moderated the “GAME ON” panel at TheGrill 2023.
Following the conclusion of TheGrill 2023, the conference had a cocktail party.
Edward Menicheschi and Sharon Waxman celebrated TheGrill 2023 at the cocktail party.
Ivy Kagan-Bierman and Jeremy Fuster caught up at the cocktail party.
Scott Braun and Ryan Kalil attended the cocktail party.
Lucy Porter, Claire Uhar, Lauren Beveridge, Maddie Kattleman, TheWrap’s director of events Emily Vogel and Chelsea Beeler celebrated at the cocktail party.
Sharon Waxman and TheWrap film editor Kristen Lopez attended the cocktail party.
Charles Johnson and Alexis Austin attended the cocktail party.
TheWrap staffers deputy audience editor Lawrence Yee, TV editor Jose Bastidas, audience reporter Dessi Gomez and TV reporter Loree Seitz attended the cocktail party.
Lucas Davidson and Aaron Jarboe attended the cocktail party.
Sharon Waxman and WrapPRO Editor Alexei Barrionuevo attended the cocktail party.
About TheGrill: For more than a decade, TheGrill event series has led the conversation on the convergence of entertainment, media and technology, bringing together newsmakers to debate the challenges of and opportunities for making content in the digital age. TheGrill delivers a unique series of curated discussions, industry panels and networking activations that explore the ever-changing media landscape.
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