Highlights Unveiled for MIPCube

PARIS: MIPCube will again take place during MIPTV this year, with a lineup of events and conferences that includes speakers from Twitter, Warner Bros. and Machinima.

As part of a series of case studies, Dan Biddle, the head of broadcast partnerships at Twitter UK, will look at how the micro-blogging site is linked to TV. In sessions led by Andrew Creighton, who leads Vice, and Scott Dikkers, the founding editor of The Onion, participants will get insight into what tomorrow’s media business will look like in the hands of new media moguls.

Kevin Tancharoen, the director and producer at Warner Bros., and Lance Sloane, the head of digital programming and development at Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, will talk about Mortal Kombat: Legacy, a split-screen hit that was the most-viewed web series in 2011.

The speaker roster also includes Philip Debevoise, the president and co-founder of video entertainment network Machinima; Jamal Edwards, founder and CEO of SB.TV Global; and Jorge Rincón, COO of Cisneros’ AdsMovil company. Gene Liebel, the chief strategy officer of branding agency Huge, who developed the strategy and built the HBO Go digital platform, will discuss the importance of intuitive design and user interface in encouraging audiences to consume more content. Ashley MacKenzie, the founder of digital media company Base79, will take part in a discussion about which distribution models exist for content creators and how best to leverage them.

A number of matchmaking sessions will involve broadcasters, including Canal Plus’s head of digital, Fabienne Fourquet; Julie Barstow, executive director of studio and unscripted content from Canada’s CBC; brand representatives such as Paolo Bonsignore from Illy Café; and branded content experts such as Victor Knaap of Media Monk.

A new feature this year is the Brands and Content Masterclass, sponsored by Ogilvy & Mather and in partnership with Hyper Island. Another new feature is the Women in Tech and Media Breakfast, during which the challenges women face as they shoot for greater influence in the industry will be discussed. The talents of tomorrow will be showcased in the Content 360 Pitch Competition for transmedia producers and creative agencies, this year sponsored by Russian independent broadcaster CTC Media and telco MTS; the MIPCube Lab, an international competition for startups innovating in the TV field; and the TV Hack Day, featuring 15 selected developers and designers who have 48 hours to come up with what might be the next big app.