MEF Executive Questionnaire #7: Jiella Esmat, Sony Pictures

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The seventh in the series is from Jiella Esmat, Director Digital Expansion at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation
I look after cross platform digital distribution across all International markets. This is anything fro traditional licensing to preloads and new format deals for Sony Pictures film and TV content.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses.
We cover all digital distribution models including DTO, VOD, SVOD and FVOD.

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?
I'm not in a position to say, there are many across the various divisions.

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?
Mobile and cross platform digital initiatives including content licensing and partnerships. DECE, led by Sony, is also a big focus with an effort to standardise entertainment ecosystems and bring vast benefits to the consumer experience.

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?
The vast array of new mobile devices hitting the market with all incredible new audiovisual functionalities and Connected TVs, enabling consumers to stream content direct to their TV sets. I am also incredibly excited about Android and the vast opportunities it will hold for the industry.

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
My iPhone, Mac and DAB Radio.

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
iPhone and Blackberry.

8. What’s your favourite application?
Shazam.

9. What’s your ringtone?
Silent.

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
I read TechCrunch, PaidContent, Mobile News, and other general technology guides.

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
DRM & cross functionality with other in-home CE devices.

12. Which other MEF member organisation do you most admire?
Qtel, RIM, Orange.

MEF leadership and activities point the way to a robust Mobile Media future

Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) Global held its prestigious board elections and AGM on the eve of its 9th annual conference, MeM09, in London last week. Andrew Bud, Executive Chairman, mBlox, returns for the second consecutive year as the Global Chair, having been a founder and driving force for MEF since its launch in 2000. He is joined by Billy Wright, Global Head of Media and Games Partnerships, Nokia, who has been elected as Vice Chair and Pete Wood, VP International Mobile Business Development, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

They join existing Global Board members:

• Jim Beddows, MEF Americas Chair
• Mark Harding, Media & Digital Content Specialist, KPMG
• Gerrit Jan Konijnenberg, MEF EMEA Chair & EVP of Sales, Comfone
• Miguel Lopez-Quesada, General Manager, Zed TV
• Patrick Parodi, CMO, Amobee
• Neeraj Roy, MEF Asia Chair & CEO, Hungama Mobile
• Seth Schachner, VP, Digital Business Latin America, Sony Music Entertainment
• Ingrid Silver, Partner, Denton Wilde Sapte

Upon his re-election to the Board, MEF Chair Andrew Bud, said “I look forward to working with this exceptionally strong Board to support our $32 billion industry whose mood, as measured by our latest MEF BCI, is impressively optimistic. In this time of change and opportunity, our mission to improve, inform and protect the market for MEF members, both globally and nationally, is more vital than ever. I would also like to thank outgoing MEF Vice Chair Marco Argenti for his invaluable contribution to the board over the last 2 years.”

The new Global Board identified as its key objectives continued support for

• initiatives which accelerate and change the industry such as the recently launched Smart Pipe Enablers initiative;
• regulatory and policy activities which represent the industry and protect revenues and consumers;
• trade development activities across EMEA, Asia and the Americas and greater localization to support the growth of the mobile entertainment industry in these markets, commencing with the launch of an Italian chapter; and
• MEF metrics and intelligence which illuminate the industry and provide competitive advantage to members.

The week commenced with the unveiling of MEF’s 2^nd Quarterly Business Confidence Index (BCI) compiled by KPMG showing that the industry remains confident despite the current economic challenges and predicting average revenue growth of 28% for the coming year. The industry’s confidence was further reflected in two days of celebrations and deal-making at the sold-out Meffys Awards, attended by 350 of the industry’s top executives from over 25 countries and MeM, MEF’s 9^th annual event, which saw a recession-defying comeback to London with a 26% increase in attendees.