Agenda Committee & Speakers

 PRELIMINARY AGENDA

DAY 1 MORNING 9AM    What is the new publishing business model?

• How do you balance resources between digital editions, print, video, social media and other platforms?
• How do we monetize content in the era of free: connecting content creators – advertisers – publishers 
• What can new media projects learn from the startup culture which thrives on a no-borders philosophy
• Native advertising: making it authentic & objective, giving value to the brand and editorial integrity to writer
• Are brands the new media? Do you trust their stories?

DAY 1 MORNING 10AM: story telling in the era of social media & video

• How do we tell stories to engage the cool & youth audience: ‘hype’ & embed the journalist in the story (the Vice model) vs objectivity & distance from the story (the NY Times & CNN models);  is this ethical as a professional journalist?
• Who is telling the story? ‘Parachute journalists’ vs journalists living long-term in a region; how does time alter your perspective, your excitement, your humility, your outlook – disclaiming to your audience who you are as a story-teller.
• Is the journalist destined to be the eternal freelancer; what is the new model for funding content-creators?
• How should editors engage their audiences on social media and comment sections

DAY 1 MORNING 11AM   How to build engaged audiences and communities

• Evolution of media to the 2010’s: how does media make you feel? What is your urban tribe?
• Media as an engine for social progress:changing mindsets, empowerment, building transnational communities
• How do build organic communities in the era of likes, tweets, instant gratification and churning audiences; what is your mission, what do you stand for as a media platform?

DAY 1 AFTERNOON PART ONE: Pitch Your Media Startup Project

• Media entrepreneurs pitch in 3 minutes their projects to match with potential partners and seek funding

DAY 1 AFTERNOON PART TWO:  Screening of Select Innovative Short Films

• Screening of select short films showing innovative story-telling methods & authentic topics

Agenda Committee & Invited Speakers

• Chrysovalantis Stamelos film-maker Izmir
• Nikos Katsaounis nikoskatsaounis.com New York
• Mehran Khalili: social activism & media –Omikron Project – Athens
• Iason Athanasiadis: journalist & film-maker Middle East – Istanbul
• Theopi Skarlatos: film-maker – journalist – London
• Aurore Belfrage: yourmiddleast.com – Stockholm/Middle East
• Costas Voyatzis: Yatzer.com – publisher– Athens

• Tania Karas: journalist WSJ, Reuters – Istanbul/Athens
• Spyros Ladeas: blogger – London
• Evangelia Avloniti: literary agent: Ersilia Literary Agency – Athens
• Nikos Kakavoulis: digital media entrepreneur– Athens
• Fotis Tsimelas: magazine editor – Pegasus Publishing: Homme – Athens
• Georgina Razack: MTV Greece – Athens
• Thodoris Georgakopoulos: investigative journalist diaNEOsis- Athens

The Mission of the Aegean Summit

Why an East Mediterranean Media Summit?

The cities of Athens, Istanbul, Izmir, Beirut, Rome and Cairo are seeing a wave of under-the-radar talent in media startups, publishing, bloggers, filmmaking, journalism and photography and our goal is:

1. To create an annual ecosystem for media talent from the region to meet under one roof
2. Network and create synergies between creative and commercial sides of industry
3. Engage and influence international audiences and media to put forward local perspectives from region
4. Panel discussions & workshops on video, publishing, monetization, story-telling, native advertising
5. Media incubator: pitch new projects, find partners and investors for startup media projects