We’ve pulled together an awesome lineup of presenters for Hollywood to Higher Ed. These experienced entertainment marketers have worked with some of your favorite celebs and brands — Netflix, The Golden State Warriors, Billie Eilish, and David Lynch to name a few. They’re excited to share their passion and expertise on how entertainment marketing can translate to higher education.
You and your team will draw inspiration from entertainment’s best and learn how Hollywood creatives:
- Understand and connect with target audiences.
- Optimize content across platforms.
- Spot the “real deal.”
- Advocate and persuade through executive presence.
- Take calculated risks.
- Work with influencers.
- Build hype.
- Increase exposure.
Learn More & View All sessions + speakers
Featured Sessions and Speakers
Day One — April 22
How Hollywood Works: An Insider’s Guide to How Movies and TV Get Made
12:15 p.m. — 1:15 p.m. EDT / 9:15 a.m. — 10:15 a.m. PDT
This session will give you an overview of the entertainment industry as a whole — delivering an understanding of the interplay between creators, managers, agents, producers, and executives and how it relates to packaging projects and giving them the best chance of success in the market. You will come away with a specific understanding of how it all works in TV series development and feature-film development — from concept to pitch to scripting to release.
We will draw from the strategies Hollywood creatives use to make impactful content for a specific audience and distill it, so you can employ the same fundamental tools when reaching your own audiences (prospective students, current students, colleagues, board members) in the most impactful way.
Colleen McAllister, writer, film & TV executive
Colleen has worked as a creative executive and producer for Illumination Entertainment on the Minions franchise, “The Secret Life of Pets,” “Sing,” and “The Grinch.” Following this, Colleen became director of current series at Hasbro Studios, driving creative on the broadcast, digital, and publishing platforms for their major TV franchises such as “My Little Pony” and “Littlest Pet Shop.” She is currently a head writer on a new animated TV series coming to Netflix in 2021 and is an adjunct professor for Ithaca College’s Los Angeles Program.
Demystifying the World of Influencer Marketing
1:30 p.m. — 2:00 p.m. EDT / 10:30 a.m. — 11:00 a.m. PDT
We live in a time when everyone fancies themselves an influencer. In fact, it’s the No. 1 most desired career choice for Gen Z. How did this happen? And how can your institution tap into the power of influencer marketing?
Successful influencer engagement is both art and science. In this session, we’ll explore the evolution of influence and what it means today. You’ll learn what makes programs successful and better understand the right levers to pull when building an influencer marketing program. You’ll also be given an inside look at how digital creators of today are able to wield influence, and how to distinguish the “real deal” from the one-hit wonders.
At the end of the day, not all influencers are created equal. This session will give you the tools you need to to tackle your next influencer campaign with confidence.
Mariel Gurrieri, director of brand partnerships, Fullscreen Media
Mariel effectively drives client marketing solutions by leveraging insights and data, cross-platform creative, and measurement solutions — resulting in more than $4M in revenue. Mariel’s marketing philosophy and passion is focused on connecting with people on a human level. She consistently leverages her deep understanding of the next-gen consumer to help educate her clients and demonstrate how they can champion meaningful causes that resonate with those audiences. Mariel spent eight years at Viacom working across Comedy Central, Spike TV, CMT, TV Land, MTV and Logo in production research, ad sales research, and ad sales. Her diverse experience at Viacom laid the groundwork for her ability to think holistically about client needs.
Day Two — April 23
Be a Star On Campus: The Body Language of Successful Marketers
12:15 p.m. — 1:15 p.m. EDT / 9:15 a.m. — 10:15 a.m. PDT
Resources on campus continue to be scarce as the need for more sophisticated marketing grows. How do higher ed marketing and communication professionals generate positive attention — not only through the quality of their programs but also through their personal presence?
Actors and politicians are coached to bring out their executive presence, but what about you? Can acting secrets from Hollywood open doors on campus? Learn from two experts in higher ed, theater, and body language on how you can harness the power of executive presence on campus to:
- Build respect for marketing.
- Persuade administrators.
- Advocate for increased funding.
- Inspire friends and donors.
- Interview for advancement.
- Collaborate with colleagues.
- Win at campus politics.
Learn how to make the top components of executive presence work for you and your colleagues. You’ll gain useful, practical tips on how to attract the right kind of attention, and respect from campus leaders.
Dr. Jan Palmer, president, Communication Excellence Institute
Dr. Neal Palmer, executive vice president, Communication Excellence Institute
Drs. Jan and Neal Palmer have been principals of Communication Excellence Institute (CEI) in Southern California for 34 years. CEI specializes in leadership development, consulting, and executive coaching for academic administrators. They have been popular presenters on dozens of campuses and frequent keynote speakers at leadership conferences. Their specialty is how to use body language and vocal presence to build credibility on campus. By showing higher ed leaders and staff how to project executive presence and dynamic energy, the Palmers have been instrumental in bringing out the best in campus professionals and teams. Jan was a professor of communication and performance studies for 20 years at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and Arizona State University before founding CEI. Neal, a linguist, was a researcher in Eastern European studies at the Library of Congress and senior technical writer and speaking coach at Cal Tech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
Augmented Reality in Digital Marketing
3:00 p.m. — 4:00 p.m. EDT / Noon — 1:00 p.m. PDT
This session will take you through the world of augmented reality (AR) and how it’s disrupting social marketing techniques. AR is a new way to organically connect with a worldwide demographic. You’ll learn how brands use AR effectively, strategies they employ for exposure, and how to incorporate AR into your next digital campaign.
Michael Nicoll, founder, Blnk Digital
Michael is an augmented-reality creator and the Founder of Blnk Digital, a creative agency that specializes in Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook augmented reality filters. He has created hundreds of Snapchat and Instagram lenses for the music industry, including viral filters for Billie Eilish, The Beatles, and Eminem.
Hollywood to Higher Ed
When?
April 22–23, 2020
Noon to 5:15 p.m. EST / 9:00 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. PST
How much?
$799 (Early bird pricing ends April 1, 2020.)
Current mStoner clients receive 50% off.
Registration closes on Monday, April 21, at 8:00 p.m. EDT / 5:00 p.m. PDT
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Travis Koury Marketing Manager As marketing manager, Travis Koury shares mStoner’s thought leadership and service offerings across a multitude of channels. He thoughtfully applies digital marketing best practices to ensure higher education marketing and communication professionals can easily discover and access mStoner’s helpful resources, primary research, and on-demand content.