2011 CES Reporting Team
 David Wertheimer info@etcenter.org |
David is CEO & executive director of the Entertainment Technology Center at USC. He was formerly the president of Paramount Digital Entertainment, founder/CEO of WireBreak Networks, executive director of the Institute for Creative Technologies, and held technology and business management positions at Oracle and NeXT. He has been immersed in producing content, developing new technologies, and managing organizations for over 20 years. At ETC, he is bringing his expertise to bear on the technological and sociological implications of providing content to consumers who desire it at any time and any place. His background and day-to-day interaction between students, studio executives and technology/CE strategists places David in an ideal position to speak about the state of digital entertainment. He was named one of five entertainment executives to watch by USA Today and one of three individuals leading the next generation of convergence by The Hollywood Reporter. |
 KC Blake kcblake@etcenter.org |
KC is director of business development at the Entertainment Technology Center at USC. He heads the ongoing research efforts in the ETC’s Anytime/Anywhere Content Laboratory and Consumer 3D Experience Lab where the entertainment, consumer electronics and technology services industries explore how consumers will interact with high-quality entertainment in an integrated environment. He also manages the ETC’s Marketing Metadata Working Group. Prior to joining the ETC, KC worked in content development both as a supervising sound designer on numerous feature films and as the producer of the animated DVD series “Junior’s Giants.” KC has a BS in Film from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the University of Southern California. |
 Sarah Blake sjmblake@gmail.com |
Sarah is an LA-based writer with a BA in Journalism from Brigham Young University and a Masters of Education from Harvard University, where she specialized in instructional design and educational entertainment. Her professional background includes six years in humanitarian aid, including a stint as principal of a school in India for children from leprosy colonies, and several years as a writer and editor on veterans and military healthcare issues for the Department of Defense. After switching directions a few years ago, she has worked on children’s television programming at Jim Henson Company and WGBH-TV Boston, and conducted research on youth media consumption with the Center on Media and Child Health. Here at CES she’s covering educational technologies, lifestyle electronics, family-focused products, and green technologies. |
 George Gerba gx2@me.com |
Following his experience as a technical director in dance and repertory theater, George moved to Los Angeles for LAOOC’s Olympics Arts Festival. In 1987 he joined Walt Disney Pictures where he managed the legendary Ink and Paint department at Feature Animation at the beginning of their transition into the electronic world. At Walt Disney Imagineering he was the first general manager of the Architecture & Facility Engineering group. He graduated to Creative Development at Imagineering as a senior concept designer where he was pivotal in the concept development of Disney-MGM Studios Europe, Tokyo Disney Seas, and many other break-through projects. He moved to Disney Televentures and worked on navigational concept development for a Disney video partnership with various telephone companies. George was part of the exciting growth moment in mobile at the Walt Disney Internet Group and eventually moved to corporate Disney to evangelize a broad view of intertwined entertainment and technical issues. He has always focused on understanding and communicating by visionary example, the entertainment value of technology change. |
 Carolyn Giardina cgiardina@me.com |
Carolyn has spent roughly 15 years covering media and entertainment, with emphasis on the impact of technology as well as the creative process. She serves as contributing editor, Tech, at The Hollywood Reporter. Her credits as an editor, reporter and/or columnist also include British Cinematographer, Film & Video and The IBC Daily News. She has contributed to the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, and was a contributing writer to the second edition of the book “The Guide to Digital Television.” Carolyn serves on the Board of Directors of the Hollywood Post Alliance, and she co-founded and chairs its annual HPA Awards. |
 Bryan Gonzalez bgonzalez@etcenter.org |
Bryan joined the ETC in early 2007 to aid with the development and build-out of the Anytime/Anywhere Content Lab. Since then he has worked on a variety of projects ranging from executive education to development of the Consumer 3D Experience Lab. On the personal side, he enjoys keeping up to date with the latest tech trends, and keeps very busy helping colleagues, family and friends navigate through tech crises. |
 Philip Lelyveld phil@reelword.com |
Phil is an entertainment technology strategy consultant and the founding program manager of the Consumer 3D Experience Lab at the ETC. His current work focuses on the art, technology, business and health aspects of 3D in the home, on personal devices, in public spaces, in advertising, and in theaters. Prior to this he evaluated business opportunities for the post production industry, and developed a proposal for “The Future of Museums in the Digital Age.” Phil spent 10 years as corporate VP, Digital Industry Relations at The Walt Disney Company, where he worked on the technical, legal, and business issues associated with the production, distribution, and monetization of digital content and services. After CES he flies to Seoul, Korea to negotiate a peace treaty with the North and lecture on 3D. |
 Jack Lerner jlerner@law.usc.edu |
Jack is Clinical Assistant Professor of Law at the USC Gould School of Law and is director of the USC Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic, where students under his supervision work with filmmakers, entrepreneurs, artists and others who face challenges at the intersection of art, law, and technology. Under Jack’s guidance clinical interns have sought an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act on behalf of a wide coalition of documentary filmmakers that, if granted, will help filmmakers exercise their fair use rights, and worked with policymakers in the developing world to conduct a major survey of copyright limitations and exceptions among Pacific Rim economies. Prior to joining USC, Jack taught at UC-Berkeley School of Law and was a litigator in Palo Alto, California. Jack is a graduate of the University of Kansas and Harvard Law School. |
 Nick Nero nick.nero@disney.com |
Nick is a lifelong geek who is passionate about technology and consumer experiences. He has worked for The Walt Disney Company for nearly a decade, starting as an IT infrastructure architect and eventually moving into technology strategy roles. He helped build games in the world’s busiest theme parks and deployed 3D digital cinema on cruise ships. New to the area, he relocated to LA in 2008 to take the role of director, New Technology & Innovation at Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment leading that group’s efforts on 3D, BD-Live and other new areas of consumer entertainment. An avid gamer, obsessive videophile and (really bad) amateur photographer, Nick finds CES to be a little slice of “Nerdvana” that comes once a year. |
 Paula Parisi paula@paulaparisi.com |
Paula is an LA-based journalist with extensive experience covering business, entertainment, technology and lifestyle topics. She has written cover stories for Wired and Entertainment Weekly, and was a staff writer and editor at The Hollywood Reporter, where she managed the features department from 2000 to 2007 and was eventually promoted to VP and executive editor. She is author of the 1998 non-fiction book “Titanic and the Making of James Cameron,” which was released internationally. For the past two years, she has pursued her love of horse sport as editor in chief of The Equestrian News, a position that draws on her skills as a rider, writer, editor, designer and photographer. An avid interest in all things technological resulted in the launch of thegeekster.com and online firm Web-O-Matic. Paula received her BA from Rutgers University and studied photography at the Philadelphia College of Art. Her favorite author is Shakespeare; guilty pleasure, “Boston Legal” (Henry VI notwithstanding); great escape, skiing. Creature comfort: Her horse, Lawrence the Arabian (aka Larry). |
 Adrian Pennington penningtonadrian@hotmail.com |
Adrian is a freelance journalist who has been covering the media production sector for 15 years. He has contributed to The Guardian and Financial Times newspapers and writes regularly for Screen International, Broadcast, New Media Age, TVB Europe and Cable Satellite International. He is also managing editor of The IBC Daily and producer of the conference 3D Masters 2010. Adrian lives in Liverpool, United Kingdom. |
 Robert Scott r.e.scott@verizon.net |
Rob is a media consultant, freelance writer and communication professor currently based on the east coast. He joined the ETC three years ago for our CES reporting and has since been involved with a number of ETC projects. Rob was formerly with the New Technology & New Media department at Disney where he managed online and video communication initiatives. He earned his MFA in Film Studies & Screenwriting from the University of Miami and studied multimedia at the American Film Institute. His professional background includes corporate communication, entertainment media technology, film/video production, and saltwater big game fishing. Contact Rob with questions about shooting a documentary in HD with a DSLR or effective bait-rigging techniques for blue marlin. |
