Niko Drakoulis, one of the featured delegates at the 2010 KIN Global Summit, is the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, and founder of Akoo. He provides the leadership, strategic direction & vision for the Company.

Niko has led a distinguished 19-year career as an entrepreneur, inventor and investor in the telecommunications, Internet technology, and broadcast media industries. Throughout his career, he has pioneered several next-generation digital media and technology solutions for leading Fortune 500 companies.

Niko founded Akoo in October, 2001. The company has since become the largest social music television network in the world delivering major label music videos and original programming to 89.6 million monthly consumers in premium out-of-home environments across America.

Akoo empowers social engagement by uniquely enabling viewers to control programming on its high-definition TV screens with their mobile devices. Viewers can select music videos from Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and EMI, via text message request or Akoo’s mobile app, and share them on the network, free and on-demand. Akoo’s ability to engage media-elusive demographics, while integrating brand sponsors within the media experience, results in increased advertising effectiveness.

In recognition of its innovative technology, Akoo has been profiled in the New York Times, CTIA’s SmartBrief, Reuters, Associated Press, Advertising Age, and BrandWeek, among hundreds of additional media outlets.

Niko holds four United States Patents and currently has several patents pending.

For additional reference we’ve included links to some of the people, places and things discussed in this episode*:

*coming soon

Mary Tidlund, one of the featured delegates at the 2010 KIN Global Summit, is the Founder & CEO of the  Mary A. Tidlund Charitable Foundation, a charitable foundation that identifies, financially supports and participates in medical and educational programs in Canada and overseas. The foundation also has a mandate to alleviate poverty.

Mary was adopted at the age of 7 by a loving Calgary family. Along with 3 other adopted children, she shared her childhood with at least 40 other foster children that her parents nurtured and loved. She knew at a young age the importance of giving and receiving and that she would give back in some way. Early in her business life she organized functions for hundreds of Calgarians where the proceeds would be given to the Red Cross – Bangladesh projects. In Saskatchewan where she operated her businesses she annually contributed funds for educational advancement for children.

In 1998, after extensive world travels, she realized she could do far more by creating a formal structure and using her skills with others to aid in areas where they could identify medical, literacy and the alleviation of poverty needs. The foundation was registered and now she can continue to give back what has been given to her.

For additional reference we’ve included links to some of the people, places and things discussed in this episode*:

*coming soon

Seth Starner, one of the featured delegates at the 2010 KIN Global Summit, is the Senior Business Innovations Manager at Amway, a direct selling company and manufacturer that sells a variety of products, primarily in the health, beauty, and home care markets. His specialty lies in surfacing, evaluating, building and testing new ideas.

His latest work has been focused on creating and building effective and profitable models in the Bottom of the Pyramid in West Africa. Other projects have taken him to Brazil, Japan, Korea, Thailand and Taiwan. Previous to Amway, Seth worked for Wirthlin Worldwide.

For additional reference we’ve included links to some of the people, places and things discussed in this episode*:

*coming soon

Warning – This interview was conducted via Skype to a land line in Switzerland. Some of the audio may be slightly distorted. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Melih Keyman, one of the featured delegates at the 2010 KIN Global Summit, is the President & CEO of KEYTRADE AG, a leading global fertilizer trading company based near Zurich, Switzerland. KEYTRADE AG trades fertilizer in more than 90 nations and has offices throughout Europe and Asia.

KEYTRADE AG, founded in 1997, buys fertilizer, primarily nitrogen products but also phosphate and potash, in 35 countries and markets it in 65 countries. The company has extensive commercial relationships in both fertilizer supply and market regions. It trades approximately 3 million tonnes of fertilizer each year.

For additional reference we’ve included links to some of the people, places and things discussed in this episode*:

*coming soon

Of all the characters MIPtalk co-host Brad Rowe has brought to life in various film and television roles throughout his acting career,  the one that fans still regularly approach him about is Shaun, the writer who develops a deep emotional and physical bond with the budding painter/graffiti artist Zach in the 2007 independent feature film Shelter, written and directed by Jonah Markowitz. The winner of the 2008 Audience Award for Dramatic Feature at Outfest, the film was heralded as a reinvention of LGBT film making that defies the conventions of gay cinema to tell a heartfelt and authentic love story in a unique setting.

In partnership with the Screen Actors Guild LGBT Actor’s Committee, MIPtalk presented a screening of Shelter on Saturday, April 17, 2010, to an enthusiastic, capacity audience in Los Angeles.

Pictured clockwise from top left: Jason Stuart, Zino Macaluso, Billy Cogar
Jonah Markowitz and Brad Rowe

Picture by Elizabeth Reynolds

The screening was followed by a lively and informative Q&A featuring Shelter star Brad Rowe, its writer/director Jonah Markowitz, and here! Network’s Director of Development Billy Cogar, all of whom shared their recollections in making the film. The event was moderated by Zino Macaluso, SAG national director/sr. counsel, Agency Relations.

Jeffrey Hayzlett is not your typical C-Level marketing executive. A committed social media practitioner, he has made it his priority to directly engage customers like never before in his role as Chief Marketing Officer of the Eastman Kodak Company.  In the latest installment of CMO Insights we speak with Hayzlett about the transformation underway at Kodak and how he and his team are leading the charge in product innovation, value creation and customer engagement.

As CMO at Kodak, Mr. Hayzlett is responsible for the company’s worldwide marketing operations including the design and implementation of all marketing strategies, investments, policies, and processes.  He leads the company’s efforts for Strategy and Planning, Marketing Programs, Marketing Network Operations, Brand Development and Management, Business Development, and Corporate Sponsorships.  He is also responsible for the company’s Corporate Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs organizations.

Mr. Hayzlett speaks frequently around the world on business growth, communications, and marketing, including keynotes at THE Conference on Marketing, the Direct Marketing Association Leadership Forum, the National Postal Forum, the Canadian Marketing Association’s National Convention and Trade Show, and Print Oasis.  He is cited as a leading marketing expert in numerous books, magazines, and newspapers worldwide, and is a frequent television guest and commentator, having appeared on shows including CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, Fox Business News, and NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump.

His book The Mirror Test: Is Your Business Really Breathing? will be released in May 2010.

For additional reference we’ve included links to some of the people, places and things discussed in this episode*:

*coming soon

Long time listeners of our podcast know that MIPtalk’s existence is due in part to the late Larry Hertzog. Larry was a successful and highly regarded writer/producer of many famous television shows including  “Kate Loves a Mystery,” “Hart to Hart,” “Hardcastle and McCormick,” “Stingray,” “J.J. Starbuck,” “seaQuest,” “Nowhere Man,” “Profiler,” “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Hunter,” “La Femme Nikita” and “Missing”.

Larry and his close friend Lauren Proctor Hirsch also created and hosted the podcast series Drinks with Larry and Lauren which ran for 99 episodes.  In fact, MIPtalk is recorded on the same equipment as the DWLL podcast which was donated to us by Lauren after Larry’s death on 4/19/08. Had we not received the equipment, it’s entirely possible that this series might never have been launched.

In honor of the one year anniversary, we reaired an episode of the DWLL podcast that Brad Rowe appeared in. For this year’s anniversary we wanted to try something a little different.

While going through some old files we found the unaired 100th episode of Drinks with Larry and Lauren that was recorded a few months before his death.  For those of us who knew and loved Larry, it’s a painful thing to listen to but something we wanted to share as a way of remembering his legacy.

His voice raspy from radiation treatments, he uses the program as his way to let Lauren know how much he cares about their friendship and to say goodbye.

Although he signs off the episode with his customary salutation and promises to return the following week, it’s the last time we’ll hear his sarcastic humor and unique perspective on life and love.

Special thanks to Lauren Proctor Hirsch, Laine Capsi and Karen Lore Hertzog for permission to air this program.

This episode is a bit longer that usual but definitely worth the listen. Please visit with Drinks With Larry and Lauren website to hear this innovative and one-of-a-kind series.

For additional reference we’ve included links to some of the people, places and things discussed in this episode:

Nowhere Man
Bruce Greenwood
Nowhere Man Opening
Nowhere Man: Fact or Fiction?
Joel Surnow
Nowhere Man DVD
La Femme Nikita
Oyster House
Drinks with Larry and Lauren episodes
Lawrence Hertzog Dead at 56
Lauren Proctor
Drinks with Larry and Lauren on MySpace

At most companies, it would probably be frowned upon to regularly poke fun at your CEO in most of your brand communication, let alone develop a national campaign where he gets hit by a bus and his life hangs in the balance.  But that’s just an average day for the marketing team at the Jack in the Box Innovation Center in San Diego, CA.  In the latest installment of CMO Insights we interview Terri Graham, SVP and CMO for restaurant company Jack in the Box since September 2007.

Terri was previously vice president and chief marketing officer from December 2004 to September 2007, and vice president of marketing from May 2003 to December 2004. She was vice president of brand communications and regional marketing from July 2002 to May 2003, division vice president, marketing services and field marketing from April 2000 to July 2002, and director, marketing services from October 1998 to April 2000. Ms. Graham has 18 years of experience with the company in various marketing positions.

Find out about how things are done at “The Box” and discover Jack’s new plans now that he has recuperated from his injuries and is back at the top of his game.

For additional reference we’ve included links to some of the people, places and things discussed in this episode*:

*coming soon

For our latest installment of CMO Insights we interview Randy Drawas, CMO for IT security company Kaspersky Lab. As a chief marketing officer, Randy is responsible for all strategic marketing efforts in the Americas for the company. Since its introduction into the United States just four years ago, Kaspersky Lab has emerged as the world’s largest privately-held Internet security company.

The Company’s products provide protection for large enterprises, small & medium-sized businesses and consumers against cybercriminal attacks, such as viruses, spyware, hackers and spam. Kaspersky’s technology is also embedded inside the products of more than 100 leading IT security vendors, including Microsoft, Juniper, Checkpoint and Alcatel-Lucent.In 2007, Kaspersky Lab saw an unprecedented rise in cybercriminal activity equal to all the malicious attacks of the preceding 11 years combined. In 2008, these attacks grew 8-fold from 2007. As part of the company’s response, Randy is leading the launch of an entirely new approach to new media journalism to help combat the threats from cybercrime, Threatpost.

For additional reference we’ve included links to some of the people, places and things discussed in this episode*:

*coming soon

We recently interviewed Evan Greene for CMO Insights, a series of in-depth interviews with leading marketing executives in partnership with The CMO Club. As Chief Marketing Officer of The Recording Academy, Evan oversees marketing, licensing, sponsorship and overall strategy for music’s biggest brand – the GRAMMYs. Beyond increasing telecast ratings, he is charged with aggressively finding ways to keep the brand in consumers’ minds during the other 364 days of the year.

In today’s shifting marketplace, digital strategy is more vital than ever, and as The Academy builds on over 50 years of GRAMMY heritage, Evan looks to continually integrate, innovate and activate!

Prior to joining The Academy, Evan spent over a decade in theatrical marketing for both Columbia Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures, positioning movie properties to corporate America, and structuring integrated partnerships. Using the global power of entertainment, he built innovative marketing and advertising solutions, and was responsible for award-winning campaigns for movies including Spider-Man, Stuart Little and S.W.A.T. Major brands he has managed national relationships with include; Kodak, Cingular, Nextel, Carl’s Jr., Ford, Procter & Gamble, Kellogg’s, Heineken, People Magazine, Delta, Hilton, USA Today, Yahoo!, Apple, Westwood One Radio, GM, XM Radio, Verizon, GAP, Hersheys, Dr Pepper, and Wendy’s.

Evan holds a double bachelors degree in marketing and international business from the University of Colorado.

For additional reference we’ve included links to some of the people, places and things discussed in this episode*:

*coming soon