Agenda
(detailed version)
3 pm
Videl Bar-Kar, Bookwire: Welcome
Videl Bar-Kar has over 20 years media industry experience in both corporate and start up environments. He has worked in publishing for over a decade, first as Director of the Ways With Words literary festival, then as the first Audio Publisher for Penguin Random House, where he led an award winning team across editorial, production and marketing to create the UK’s leading audiobook publisher. As Global Head of Audio for Bookwire, Videl leads the international expansion of the company’s rapidly growing audio business, from production through distribution of audiobooks and the development of flexible, end-to-end solutions for publishers across all markets.
3.15 pm
Mark Mulligan, MIDiA Research: Audio in 2021: Created, Curated and Social. The current and future trends that will shape the industry
The rise of audio is unstoppable. But what’s the future we are heading towards? Buckle up as Mark Mulligan, respected music and spoken word industry expert, takes us on a ride through current and future audio trends as he interprets the latest facts and figures to help publishers and creators position themselves and their businesses towards an audio future.
Mark Mulligan is Managing Director at MIDiA Research. He is a long-term media and technology analyst and a leading thinker on the music industry's digital transition. He has 15 years of media business analysis and consulting experience, working with leading global media, technology and device companies.Mark heads up MIDiA's music research and oversees all of MIDiA's research output, and is the author of the industry- leading Music Industry Blog and ‘Awakening: The Music Industry In The Digital Age'.
Audio storytelling has the power to capture kids’ hearts and minds - in our digital age more than ever. However, growing up with audio today can be more than just consuming a simple audio ‘file’. Shelly Sundag explains how tonies® offer a new form of entertainment for kids to explore and enjoy audio in a more engaging way. It doesn’t only invite them to play but leads to a connected and memorable experience triggering all their senses, with a touch of magic along the way.
3.45 pm
Shelly Sundag, tonies®: Bridging the emotional gap in a digital world. How tonies® will break through worldwide with a physical product in a digital native ecosystem
Shelly Sundag is Head of Global Brand at tonies®. She started her career supporting tonies® in their first international launch – the UK market. After that she led the Brand & Communications team for GAS markets, as well as Global and further international launches for two years. Shelly has a background in branding and creative agencies and studied Business & Strategic Management in the Netherlands.
4.15 pm
Steve Carsey, Storyglass: Audio first: what does it take to make the next blockbuster Audio Originals?
Content is king, even more so in the audio sector where routes to market and diverse audiences present many opportunities. But how do you shout loudly and get heard in a very noisy world? Steve Carsey knows what it takes to produce successful audio originals. In his keynote he conveys his personal secret formula for the development and production of new bestsellers and sheds light on what makes compelling audio stories.
Steve Carsey is Managing Director, Audio Alliance (UK) at Bertelsmann, a role he started at the beginning of this year. In this capacity he lead's the group's dedicated international podcast studio/label Storyglass, identifying content opportunities and business synergies in podcasting across Fremantle, BMG, Dorling Kindersley and Penguin Random House, as well as with external partners.
4.45 pm
Panel Discussion: Leading players across publishing, production and retail unlock the drivers and opportunities in the dynamic Spanish language markets
Spanish language audio is conquering multiple markets: Europe, Latin America and the US while finding new audiences for this global phenomenon. There are both opportunities and challenges ahead, and in this extended panel discussion we will learn from three leaders in the field about how to choreograph and fine tune all the elements that make for successful audio publishing into a market of almost 500m people worldwide.
Juliana Rueda is Sound Engineer & Founder of Miut and Miutbooks. After her studies of music and sound engineering as well as her master's degree in sound for film and audiovisual media she created Miut, a studio specialized in audiovisual projects. Since 2012 she and her team produce high-quality audiobooks from Barcelona and Colombia for the Spanish-speaking market.
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Juan Baixeras is Country Manager Spain at Audible. He has 25 years of experience in digital and the internet industry and is among others an expert on OTT and subscription business strategy and management, content development and distribution. As Associate Professor of Digital Content and DigitalTransformation he teaches at the ISDI, one of the top digital business schools worldwide.
Carmen Ospina is Director of Marketing, Publicity and Business Development at Penguin Random House. She is responsible for leading the consumer insight and audience development efforts, marketing and publicity campaigns as well as the audiobook division at Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial. She is also in charge of new businesses around publishing like the self-publishing imprint Caligrama or the e-learning platform www.cursiva.com.
Ani Attamian is Head of Publishing Partnerships – Europe, Middle East & Africa at Google. Ani’s expertise is in remodeling business processes to affect digital transformation and find technical solutions to solve problems at scale. Her current focus is building partnerships with publishers to utilise Google's best in class text to speech technology, which uses machine learning models for synthetic speech, and aims them at book narration.
5.25 pm
Ani Attamian, Google:
Grow your audiobook catalog with the push of a button; Google’s solution to filling the audiobook gap with high quality auto-narration
Audiobooks are the fastest growing segment of the books industry, thanks to consumer demand. Despite this market opportunity, a large majority of ebooks don’t have an accompanying audiobook. Google’s dedicated research team produces the best-in-class text-to-speech technology and now, this technology can be applied to audiobook creation. Auto-narration provides a fast, cost-effective, and scalable way to create high-quality audiobooks.
5.55 pm
Albee Dalbotten Romero, Libro.fm: Collaboration networks are future-proofed: partnerships with local bookstores. How Libro.fm has fired up spoken word in your neighbourhood
Shopping local has never been more important. Libro.fm provides a local experience for audiobook lovers by connecting sales–and splitting profits–with independent bookshops around the world. With listening up 213% last year this Social Purpose Corporation is making an impact in our reading and our local communities.
Albee Dalbotten Romero is the Publicity Director at Libro.fm, the digital audiobook platform for more than 1,400 independent bookstores. She works with authors, publishers, media, and influencers and manages the ALC program. Prior to that, she was Marketing Director at Chronicle Books. She enjoys hiking Bay Area trails, cooking with her children, and listening to audiobooks while she does the many chores that come with parenthood.