Strategic Networking to Promote Yourself as a Brand

New York Digital Media and Online Advertising Meetups

Strategic Networking to Promote Yourself as a Brand –March 19th, 2009:

·        7:00-8:30pm – Panelists Introductions, Moderated Panel

·        8:30-9:00pm – Q&A with Attendees

·        9:00-9:30pm – Networking/Snacks

Guest Speakers:

Liz Lynch

www.smartnetworking.com

Liz Lynch is author of "Smart Networking: Attract a Following in Person and Online" (McGraw-Hill, 2008) and a sought-after speaker who brings a practical and insightful perspective to networking that has connected with a global audience. Her printed and audio products have sold on six continents, she’s been invited to speak at conferences and organizations around the world, and her writings have been translated into multiple languages. Liz has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, as well as on ABC News, Fox Business News, CNBC.com, Forbes.com, and Businessweek.com.

Liz is also founder of the Center for Networking Excellence, a company that develops products, programs and seminars to help entrepreneurs and professionals get clients, build their businesses, and accelerate their careers through networking. Her bottom-line approach grew from her experience in corporate America working at some of the top firms in their industries—Goldman Sachs, Disney, Booz Allen & Hamilton, and Time Warner—to hone her strategic, analytical and financial expertise. Liz holds an engineering degree from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from Stanford University.

Bill Sobel

www.sobelmedia.com

Bill Sobel, the Principal of SobelMedia and NY:MIEG/The New York Media Information Exchange Group, has been described as a media powerhouse and a master connector. Sobel uses his massive network as a tool to both build his popular NY:MIEG events, which draw 150-200 per month and to connect others in the media and technology space.  Most people and companies that Bill consults with have a great product or service but rarely have the access he has to execute meetings with the correct players. In this way, Bill Sobel is a business matchmaker. Some of the connections that Sobel Media has driven include major broadcast and cable networks, Hollywood Studios, Multi-National media companies and film and video producers.

Many of the people in his network do not have the connections to get either a meeting or get the project in the face of the right people…this is where Sobel and his army of "mishpacah" (Yiddish for "extended family") can help move these connections along. Whether it's a new geo/social media startup wanting to connect with the folks at NBC Universal,  the consultants at CapGemini wanting to meet with the SVP/Disney Corporate Strategy, new web ad technology interested in meeting with the president of Carat or the CEO of InBev (new owner of Anheuser Bush) wanting to meet with the CEO of the Miami Dolphins or the former SVP/Marketing at Walmart interested in meeting with Bob Pittman - former head of MTV - and the list goes on and on.)

What makes Bill truly unique is not what he does but how he does it. He has an unmistakable charisma and the uncanny ability to disarm virtually anyone because of his natural curiosity of all things media. In two short years since it's launch, Bill Sobel has grown NY:MIEG from  a few hundred members to an active and vibrant community of over 3000 members of major media in New York, Los Angeles and around the world.

Steve Cherches

www.SteveCherches.com

Steve Cherches is a Learning & Development Specialist based in New York City. Steve brings with him more than seventeen years of business consulting experience from a wide variety of industries.  He has worked with industry-leading organizations such as American Express, Hearst Entertainment, Viacom Enterprises, Deutsche Bank, RBS, Pfizer, Liquidnet, and many others.

As a Learning & Development Specialist and Coach, he works with individuals to maximize their effectiveness as communicators, presenters, influencers, and leaders.  Steve focuses on the areas of communications and presentation skills training, presentation design, innovative and creative thinking, strategic influencing, and teambuilding - as well as other leadership related topics.

Steve is also a champion of the "visual thinking and communication" movement, and is the lead organizer for the local New York City VizThink group (www.VizThink.com).  At the heart of Steve's approach to training, coaching, speaking, and facilitating, is the idea that learning and growth should be innovative, interactive, experiential, and fun.

Laura Allen

www.15secondpitch.com

Laura Allen is the Co-Founder of 15SecondPitch.com. Laura gets people EXCITED about selling their products or services! She has over 15 years of sales experience in industries such as: book publishing, advertising, and online marketing. Her focus now is helping people start the sales process with a story they can share in just 15 seconds. She also helps her clients tell their unique sales stories on sites like: LinkedIn, Facebook and twitter. Laura's clients become masters at building a Brand Identity Platform (B.I.P.) and getting a ton of sales in any economy--even this one.

Laura is SUPER proud of a 5.5 million dollar deal she closed from a cold call. She also likes to talk about the time that she sent a 3 foot tall steel pyramid to Star Wars director George Lucas. The stunt got his attention and resulted in approximately 50 million in sales for Laura’s client.

Since co-founding 15SecondPitch.com in 2002, Laura has been written about in Adweek, The Financial Times, Crain’s New York Business, and The Wall Street Journal. Laura has been a guest speaker at "Networking Nights", Co-Sponsored by The New York Times and Starbucks; The M.I.T. Women’s Alumni Group; Pace University; Downtown Women’s Club and New York City Women in Technology. She was also interviewed for the ABC News program HomeWork. Laura is currently working on her first book, which will be an e-book.

Charlie O’Donnell

www.path101.com

Charlie is the Co-Founder & CEO of Path 101 (www.path101.com), a NYC startup that is revolutionizing career guidance though the mining of data from millions of public resumes. After funding VCs at the GM pension fund, and funding startups at Union Square Ventures (www.unionsquareventures.com), Charlie spent a year as Director of Consumer Products at Oddcast before starting Path 101 with Alex Lines. The founder of nextNY (www.nextny.org), he also teaches entrepreneurship at Fordham University and is the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at ITAC (www.itac.org)

Contributors:

Sonia Jairath

www.metierlink.com

President and Founder Metierlink, planned and organized the event.  Metierlink represents leading professionals to progressive companies in advertising, media, technology and all areas of the digital workspace.  Sonia is the Organizer for the New York Digital Media and Online Advertising Meetups. Please contact her at sonia@metierlink.com if you would like to sponsor an upcoming Meetup, have a particular topic of interest or would be interested in speaking at an upcoming event.

Maria Ogneva

www.homeshopr.com

Co-Founder of HomeShopr, is the Assistant Organizer of the event. HomeShopr is the digital shopping list that is easy to create, easy to add to, and easy to access. As Assistant Organizer of New York Digital Media and Online Advertising Meetups, she mediates the monthly events and would be happy to hear from you at mogneva@gmail.com, if you have specific questions you would like covered during specific monthly events.

Charles Noel

Production Artist at Redworks/Ogilvy, is the presentation show-caser and official DJ of the New York Digital Media and Online Advertising Meetups. Please contact him at archetyp@gmail.com with inquiries.