Emily L. Barr is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Graham Media Group, the television broadcasting division of Graham Holdings Company. She has held this position since July 2012. Emily oversees seven local television stations - each in a top-70 market, representing nearly 7% coverage in the U.S. All stations are recognized as news leaders on air, on mobile and on line: KPRC-Houston (NBC); WDIV-Detroit (NBC); KSAT-San Antonio (ABC); WKMG-Orlando (CBS); a duopoly in Jacksonville: WJXT (Fully Local) and WCWJ (CW); and WSLS-Roanoke (NBC). GMG also owns Social News Desk, a leading provider of social media management tools designed to connect newsrooms with their users. Under Emily’s leadership, Graham Media Group was awarded “2016 Station Group of the Year” by Broadcasting and Cable Magazine. Prior to joining Graham Media Group, Barr served as the President and General Manager of ABC 7 Chicago (WLS–TV), the ABC-owned station in Chicago, IL. She held this position from April 1997 until July 2012. Under her leadership and throughout her tenure, ABC 7 strengthened its dominance in the market and remained the top-rated/most watched station in Chicago. In 2009, Barr helped create The LIVE WELL NETWORK, an innovative, nationally-distributed digital broadcast, online and wireless network focusing on home, health and lifestyle programming. Previously, Barr served as the President and General Manager of WTVD–TV, the ABC–owned station in Raleigh–Durham, NC, which she joined in October 1994. In July 1988, Barr joined WMAR–TV in Baltimore, MD, as the Director of Broadcast Operations & Programming. She was promoted to Assistant General Manager in May 1993. Earlier in her career, Barr was the Director of Creative Services (1987-88) and Advertising and Promotion Manager (1985-87) at KHOU–TV in Houston, TX. She also worked as a writer and producer for WJLA–TV in Washington, DC, which she joined in January 1983. Barr began her career in broadcasting in 1980 as a news editor at KSTP–TV in St. Paul, MN. Barr serves on the boards of the Associated Press and the Television Bureau of Advertising. In addition, she is the 1st. Vice Chair for Television for the National Association of Broadcasters and serves on the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation. Barr is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the NBC Affiliate Board and is a past Chair of the ABC Board of Governors. She has served twice as Chairman of the Board for the Illinois Broadcasters Association. In addition, Barr is a member of the Advisory Board for Quinnipiac University’s School of Communications and is actively involved in the Chicago community serving on the board and executive committee of the Chicago Academy for the Arts. Honored for her civic involvement, Barr is the 2018 recipient of the Golden Mike Award from the Broadcasters Foundation of America and was inducted into the 2016 Silver Circle of the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. She was awarded the 2014 Vincent T. Wasilewski Broadcaster of the Year by the Illinois Broadcasters Association and received the 2010 Westbury Leadership Award from the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago for her involvement in a citywide media effort to raise funds for the Haitian earthquake relief effort. That year, Barr received an Honorary Doctorate from Robert Morris University in recognition of her community service. A native of Haverhill, MA, Barr is a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and holds a BA in Film Studies from Carleton College in Northfield, MN. In 1986, she earned an MBA from George Washington University in Washington, DC. Barr is married to Scott M. Kane and has two daughters. They live in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Howard Horowitz is a renowned specialist in the marketing of television, computer and Internet services to consumers. A political scientist by training and market researcher by profession, Mr. Horowitz has served as advisor to many of the major media companies. Over the past thirty years, Mr. Horowitz’s work has helped shape and advance the standard for success in marketing cable television, home entertainment services, and broadband and mobile content and services.
Horowitz Research has been called upon by many clients, including MVPDs, cable systems, television networks, developers of interactive applications, Internet companies and other content providers to assess the impact on consumers of new technological developments and increased competition in the marketplace. Howard’s most recent work focuses on trade and consumer research in the areas of digital media including broadband and mobile content, services and technologies. Horowitz Research is also well-recognized for its research on urban, multicultural consumers, and Latino consumers in particular.
Howard Horowitz is a Cable Pioneer (Class of 2012) who began his career in the industry thirty years ago. His innovative research helped usher in the era of programmed cable television in the United States, highlighted by his work on the NCTA Segmentation Study, a first of its kind, conducted in 1983. Howard continues to be an innovator, introducing new and powerful research methodologies. Howard and his company were the first among cable research companies to introduce ethnography as a research methodology to understand the complexity of how consumers interact with technology in their homes, their places of business, and out of the home. Mr. Horowitz and his staff at Horowitz Research continue to put into practice new and cutting-edge research methodologies to fully capture the nuances of the rapidly changing cable and telecommunications industry.
Mr. Horowitz and his staff at Horowitz Research have developed a series of industry studies that are widely recognized as essential data on the market for multichannel, broadband, and mobile services, and in particular, on adoption and use of these services among America’s Hispanic, Black, Asian, and other multicultural communities. These annual studies include titles such as State of Cable and Digital Media, Multiplatform Content and Services, FOCUS: Latino, and FOCUS: African America.
Mr. Horowitz has a B.A. in Psychology (1973) as well as a M.A. in Political Science (1977) from New York University. He graduated with honors and is Phi Beta Kappa.

D. Quincy Johnson is vice president, distribution technology strategy & integration for Turner. In this role, Johnson provides guidance and strategic direction related to technology issues that impact Turner’s content distribution business. He is responsible for assisting content deal teams with deal preparation and negotiation, working with account teams and Turner affiliates to align technology goals and roadmaps and partnering with business development and technology to develop and enhance technology related content strategies across the company. He is based in Atlanta and reports to Scott Miller, executive vice president content negotiations and strategy for Turner.

Johnson began his career at Turner over twenty-one years ago as a satellites and transmissions intern, and has since been an integral part of the team dedicated to the engineering and development of both broadcast and digital delivery systems for Turner. Most recently, Johnson was vice president of strategic products for the global technology organization (GTO) where he provided strategic leadership for platform solutions that supported network and digital brand initiatives. Prior, he was vice president, digital ad systems and managed the advertising platforms development, integration, testing, and execution for Turner’s digital properties. Johnson also worked in various leadership and technical positions within technology and operations where his responsibilities included the design, installation, and integration of broadcast systems and technology. He was the engineering lead for the broadcast facility in Buenos Aires, Argentina for Turner Latin America.

Johnson serves on the board of directors of the Technology Association of Georgia’s Education Collaborative (TAG-Ed) and the board of directors of Victory World Christian School as board treasurer. He is co-Chair of the Black Professionals @ Turner business resource group and was a past president of the National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications’ (NAMIC) Atlanta Chapter. Johnson was named the Society of Cable and Telecommunications Engineer’s (SCTE) Young Engineer of the Year in 2006. He was named a 2015 Georgia Game Changer in Digital Media and Entertainment by the Technology Association of Georgia, and he was a recipient of NAMIC’s 2015 Next Generation Leader Award. Johnson has been listed among “The Most Influential Minorities in Cable” by CableFAX magazine from 2012-2016. Additionally, he received the 2012 Multicultural Leadership Award from the National Diversity Council.

Johnson earned a bachelor of science in electrical engineering (BSEE) degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master of business administration (MBA) from Georgia State University. He is also a graduate of the NAMIC Executive Leadership Development Program at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Turner Content Distribution (TCD) is responsible for the multiplatform distribution and marketing of Turner’s ten domestic linear networks and on-demand branded content to all traditional and emerging distribution partners throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. TCD also establishes the distribution strategy for Turner’s portfolio of digital brands, as well as manages the relationships with partners across the VOD, OTT, SVOD and AVOD landscape.

TCD is part of Turner, a WarnerMedia company, is a global entertainment, sports and news company that creates premium content and delivers exceptional experiences to fans whenever and wherever they consume content. These efforts are fueled by data-driven insights and industry-leading technology. Turner owns and operates some of the most valuable brands in the world, including Adult Swim, Bleacher Report, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN, ELEAGUE, FilmStruck, Great Big Story, HLN, iStreamPlanet, Super Deluxe, TBS, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), TNT, truTV and Turner Sports.

Brian Olson joined NewTek in 2016 to lead strategic development for new and existing product lines – guiding and designing the next generation of products that transform the video industry. Prior to joining NewTek, Olson was the Director of Marketing Product Management & Business Development at Ross Video for XPression. In this role he was responsible for global product strategy, product marketing, and business development for the XPression line of 3D motion graphics systems. Olson was also the driving force behind Ross’ entry into the virtual set & augmented reality space.

Olson also held positions at Miranda Technologies, Pinnacle Systems, the ABC affiliate in Omaha, NE, and Editech, Omaha’s premier post production facility. While at Editech, Olson worked with NewTek’s founders on the first Video Toaster demo reel. An accomplished editor, Olson was a founding partner of North Sea Films and is credited with 3 independent feature films, PBS specials, and national commercials.

John Landman has been VP of Sales with Teradek for the past 5 years. He is responsible for development of worldwide sales, with an emphasis on the broadcast market. Jon has over 25 years experience in the broadcasting world and is an expert on MPEG-2/4, Cell Bonding and IP systems as Jon is both an certified Broadcast and IP Network Engineer.

Edgar Shane is General Manager, Engineering at JVC Professional Products.

With 30 years of experience in industrial electronics Edgar specializes in professional video equipment, video-over-IP solutions and ENG (Live News) workflow optimization.

Edgar joined JVC 20 years ago and was involved in professional camcorders and monitors development, product launch and sales support. He has an extensive hands-on experience with shooting, NLE and digital media creation, wireless video transmission and encoder/decoder applications.

Edgar Shane received his Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering in 1986 and worked as a design engineer for more than 10 years concentrating in digital video and image processing circuits design and manufacturing.

Edgar Shane lives in New Jersey, USA

Specialties: Professional Video Products: development, management, training, evaluation and competitive analysis.

Tom Butts is the content director of TV Technology. He has covered the broadcast business for the past 20 years, getting his start with the National Association of Broadcasters He is a former editor of Video Technology News and launched digitalbroadcasting.com in 1999 while at Verticalnet. He has a B.A. from the University of Maine and has worked part time in radio off and on for the past 35 years.

Mr. Hayes received his Bachelor's Degree in Communications in 1977. He has worked in broadcasting since 1973 in both radio and television with extensive experience planning, designing and constructing television stations. He is currently the Director of Engineering and Technology for Iowa Public Television and is responsible for the planning and development of all technology projects at IPTV including the studio origination facility and 17 RF transmission facilities throughout Iowa. Bill is active in future broadcast planning nationally and internationally and serves on a number of committees developing standards for emerging media technologies and the next generation of terrestrial digital television. He is a Fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and the former Central Regional Governor. Bill is also a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and currently serves as the president of the Broadcast Technology Society. He is also a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers and was honored as their Educator of the Year in 2007 for his work educating the industry and the public regarding digital television. He is also a member of the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers.

Dave Siegler is Vice President of Technical Operations for Cox Media Group (CMG) at the company’s Atlanta, Ga. headquarters.

As Vice President of Technical Operations, Siegler is responsible for leading and growing the integrated media company through the rapidly changing technologies and consumer demands. Specifically, he manages CMG’s Technical Operations groups to integrate new technologies across various platforms for CMG’s fifteen Television stations, eighty-five Radio stations and four daily newspapers.

Prior to his current position, Siegler was Cox’s Director of Broadcast Operations & Engineering for the company’s WSOC and WAXN TV stations in Charlotte, NC and served thirteen years in various positions with Post-Newsweek Stations.

He serves on the ATSC Board of Directors, NAB’s Radio and Television Technology Committees and is a member of the AFCCE, SMPTE and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.

Robyn Peterson is the Chief Technology Officer at CNN, a board director at WWE, and a member of the adjunct faculty at New York University.  

Robyn was most recently the Chief Technology Officer of Mashable, where he built and oversaw the product management, design, data science and engineering teams. While at Mashable, he led the development of the Velocity Technology Suite, which is a patented proprietary software suite that utilizes predictive analytics to inform content ideation, creation, and distribution. Specifically, the Velocity suite predicts what topics and formats of content the audience wants to engage with, assists creators in creating unique content quickly that stands apart, and post-publish, the suite both optimizes that content in real-time across the website and the distributed social platforms to maximize engagement, and targets the content to the users who have the most observable social influence on a related and/or relevant topic.   

His career has been the perfect marriage of tech start-ups and media companies. Before joining Mashable, Robyn was head of product at Next Issue Media. He has also served as the head of product strategy and technology for a division within NBC Universal, senior vice president of product management and CTO at Ziff Davis Media, and director of operations at Juno.   

Robyn has spoken at SXSW, TEDx, CES and many other conferences, and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, Fox and the WB network. His writing appears on Mashable, PCMag.com, ABCNews.com, Yahoo and elsewhere.   

Robyn has a Masters of Science in computer science from New York University's Courant Institute of Applied Mathematics, where he’s also a member of the adjunct faculty, teaching computer science to undergraduates. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Sterling Davis graduated from Taylor University with a Bachelors degree in Physics and Math. After tour of duty with the Navy he entered the broadcast business with ABC network in Hollywood. He held various technical and operational positions over 11 years at KTTV in Hollywood and eventually became the Vice President of The Vidtronics Company division of Technicolor. Mr. Davis was the Chief Engineer of Telemation Productions in Seattle for 4 years prior to his joining Cox’s KTVU in San Francisco in 1982 as Director of Operations. He was promoted to the parent company, Cox Broadcasting, in 1998 as VP of Engineering, where he was responsible for the technical activities of 86 radio, 15 TV stations and 4 newspapers.

He retired from the Cox Media Group in 2010 continues to actively consult with them. He has been active in the ATSC, on the board of directors for 8 years, past chair of the Planning Committee and currently participates in most ATSC 3.0 technical committees.

Sterling also served broadcast industry issues as past chair of MSTV’s/NAB’s Engineering Committee for 8 years and provides technical guidance to Pearl LLC.

He has been honored with the Broadcasting & Cable, “Technology Leadership Award” in 2006, Radio Ink’s, “One of the Most Admired Engineers in Radio” in 2008, the NAB “Engineering Achievement Award” in 2009. Mr. Davis is a member of AES, AFCCE, a Senior Life member of IEEE, a Fellow of SBE as well as a Life Fellow of SMPTE.

Tom Sahara serves as vice president of operations and technology for Turner Sports. A 30-year veteran of the broadcast industry, Sahara has been with Turner Broadcasting since 1997 overseeing the remote broadcast facilities for Turner Sports’ IT departments, which includes the day to day operations of the live sports productions seen on TBS and TNT as well as supporting infrastructure for the Turner Sports’ online properties. Sahara also oversees remote operations and technology for NCAA Men's Basketball on TBS, TNT and truTV, as well as remote operations of events presented on NCAA.com. Sahara also serves as the senior liaison with Turner Studios and Network Operations and manages the tape library archivists. Sahara is based in Atlanta and reports to Matthew Hong, senior vice president, general manager of sports operations.

Prior to his current role, Sahara served as the director of technical operations for the Goodwill Games, where he supervised all technical functional areas, studio and remote production facilities and crews, vendors, technology providers, transmission and communications, as well as budget oversight for operations. He also previously served as the manager of studio engineering for Turner Studios where he managed technical operations for all live studio productions. Prior to joining Turner Sports, Sahara was a freelance technical manager for various major television networks covering the NFL, NBA and the NCAA, as well as the 1996, 2000 and 2002 Olympic Games where he directed the technical operations for Olympic sporting events. Sahara graduated with a bachelor of science from the University of Hawaii. He currently holds the title as Sports Video Group Chairman.