As we’ve been telling you for the past few weeks realscreen’s Branded Entertainment Forum has attracted a veritable who’s who in the branded entertainment space. From A-list speakers and presenters to the high-level delegates, we’ve covered (almost) the entire alphabet.
 
Here are just some of the companies with representatives attending the conference tomorrow, Thursday, October 20:
 
AMC Networks · BBC Worldwide · Cineflix Media · Discovery Communications · Endemol USA · FremantleMedia · GSD&M · Hulu · ITV Studios France · JWT · Katalyst Films · Leopard Films USA · Microsoft · NBCUniversal Entertainment · OgilvyEntertainment · PepsiCo · QMI · RSA Films · Scripps Networks Interactive · The Coca-Cola Company · Unilever USA · Vision Films · W+K Entertainment · Y&R
 
The Branded Entertainment Forum is designed to deliver leading-edge strategies and best practices for the development and production of unscripted/factual brand funded entertainment.  Stakeholders from the brand marketing, content production and television network sectors will be on hand to deliver a day full of informative panels and case studies, highlighting the best in unscripted/factual brand-funded entertainment and showcasing the ever-evolving relationship between brands and content creators, producers and distributors.
 
You can register online until 5 p.m. EST today, October 19 here. Otherwise, e-mail Joel Pinto at jpinto@brunico.com and he can register you ahead of time or on-site.

In 2002, 10 seasons ago, CAA Marketing brought together Coca-Cola and American Idol for what has developed into one of the most successful and enduring branded entertainment partnerships of all time. Every season brings a new twist and the complexity of the activations extends deep beyond the bell-shaped cups  in front of the judges. In a fascinating case study at realscreen’s Branded Entertainment Forum in New York on Thursday, Jed Selkowitz, director, entertainment marketing for The Coca-Cola Company’s North American division, examines how the company’s association with one of reality TV’s most enduring properties has evolved, touching on the broader impact of partnerships upon television and digital properties.

In 1993, Jon Kamen founded @radical.media, a company with roots in the commercial production business. As the winds of change began to blow through the ad industry, @radical expanded its remit to become a global entertainment and communications company, resulting in the production of such projects as Errol Morris’ Academy Award-winning The Fog of War and Joe Berlinger’s acclaimed Metallica: Some Kind of Monster documentary. With Robert Friedman coming on board to join Jon as president of @radical’s Media and Entertainment division following a series of large media stops, including MTV and New Line Cinema, the company has created engaging branded entertainment that has done much to move the medium forward. Over the last number of years, @radical, now part of the FremantleMedia family, has produced and distributed an array of award-winning projects including Nike Battlegrounds, Sundance Channel’s Iconoclasts and MTV’s Gamekillers.

In a revealing keynote conversation at realscreen’s Branded Entertainment Forum in New York this Thursday, Jon Kamen and Robert Friedman will revisit these milestones, showcase practical examples of branded entertainment at various stages of its evolution, and discuss where producers, distributors and broadcasters of branded content will go from here.  
 

Today, brands have fans. Brands have audiences. And smart brands are creating content for those audiences – content that puts forward brand values and connects with its consumers in myriad ways while steadfastly avoiding the hard sell.

Jeremiah Weed is a line of badass spirits within the Diageo portfolio.

For the launch of Jeremiah Weed in a can, CAA created a content platform celebrating everyday badasses. From an alligator wrestler to a 10lb hamburger builder to a guy who can flip a 1000lb tire, these are the Americans who do what they love no matter what the rest of the world might think.

Launching with a series of films from director Casey Neistat (The Neistat Brothers on HBO, Daddy Longlegs),the platform manifests in every form of media: films, social media, live events, music, and a TV show. Hear from Neistat and CAA creative director Ned McNeilage about the thinking behind this exciting program at realscreen’s Branded Entertainment Forum on October 20th.

Ned McNeilage Creative Director CAA Marketing Creative Artists Agency	Casey Neistat Filmmaker Neistat Brothers

A trademark of realscreen’s conferences is the unprecedented opportunities delegates have to network with industry experts. The Branded Entertainment Forum which takes place at the fabulous Sentry Centers in NYC, October 20th, continues this tradition, offering delegates the opportunity to lunch with a leader in the branded content space.

Luncheon hosts confirmed thus far are:

Russ Axelrod Director of Branded Entertainment Microsoft Corporation	Colby Gaines Founder Back Roads Entertainment	Kevin McAuliffe VP, Branded Entertainment Group NBC Universal Cable Entertainment	Mike Wiese Director of Branded Content & Entertainment JWT

With YouTube now firmly ensconced as an entertainment destination and moving further into original content creation along with other online portals such as Hulu, it’s a safe bet that more producers and brands will make forays into digital episodic content. But beyond numbers of views, what’s the return on investment for those taking the plunge? Join Chris Bruss (Executive Producer, Branded Entertainment) and Ed Wise (VP, Ad Sales) of the top destination for comedy on the web Funny Or Die to find out more about what works as content on the web and how their digital episodic content “clicks” with consumers.

Chris Bruss Executive Producer Branded Entertainment Funny Or Die	Ed Wise VP, Ad Sales Funny Or Die

In a recent survey conducted by the U.S.’ Association of National Advertisers, while close to two-thirds of client-side marketers say they aim to use branded entertainment campaigns in 2012, 65% of respondents also said they were unsatisfied with the quality of research available to measure branded entertainment’s effectiveness. And 37% of companies that don’t use branded entertainment campaigns cited lack of measurable results as a key reason. So where do we go from here?

At realscreen’s Branded Entertainment Forum, a distinguished panel of industry leaders will explore the key questions behind the measurement issue: what really makes a branded entertainment “hit” for all parties concerned, and how can a consistent, uniform measurement of success be established?

Frank Cooper III CMO, Global Consumer Engagement PepsiCo Global Beverages Group	Christie Kawada SVP, Strategic Marketing Science The Nielsen Company	Evan Shapiro President IFC tv and Sundance Channel	Tony Weisman President, Chicago-Boston-Detroit Region Digitas

Brands have teamed with television as presenting sponsors for decades, since the first soap operas. But evolution is afoot. Discovery Channel’s ambitious multi-year, multi-platform Curiosity series has brought on Intel as a presenting partner in a unique, multi-tiered partnership that will see the brand receive broad exposure through the series’ first 16 episodes, and online at curiosity.com. At the realscreen Branded Entertainment Forum, taking place in New York City on October 20, Discovery Communications’ Jocelyn Egan, Senior Vice President, Discovery Solutions, will shed light on both the details of the deal and Discovery’s approach to brand partnership.

In line with our mandate, we’re very pleased to unveil a panel that will provide a glimpse into the global world of branded content – how different territories are moving into the field, the range of deals being made, what lessons are being learned from maturing markets such as the US, what opportunities exist for producers in working with global brands and what challenges exist for branded content in assorted markets. Panelists include some of the most influential and well-seasoned experts in the discipline from around the globe. Meet those committed thus far.

The Branded Entertainment Forum is hosted at the Sentry Centers, and you only have until August 19 to take advantage of our special early bird rate. Register now for only $625* and save $200 on the full rate of $825*! Check out who’s already registered to gain the competitive edge in branded entertainment and make your plans to join them.