Leading up to PromaxBDA’s big international conference, we are taking a look at the speakers, sessions and panels that make the event memorable. Matthew Evans, SVP of Nick Digital, Nickelodeon Group, speaks about his upcoming session, his career and his advice to industry up-and-comers. Don’t miss Evans’ session at this year’s conference: “On-Air in an App World: A Case Study on How Digital Innovation is Transforming Creativity and Collaboration.”
Speaker Name: Matthew Evans
Title: SVP, Nick Digital, Nickelodeon Group
Could you summarize your session in 5 words? How on-air & digital can collaborate.
What other speaker are you most interested in seeing at PromaxBDA: The Conference this year? I am looking forward to seeing Brian Grazer win his Lifetime Achievement Award. I am a huge fan of his work, so I am looking forward to hearing what he has to say.
How do you watch television content? Mostly on my TV and my iPad.
What do you think is the most important trait of a leader? The most important trait is having the ability to rally people around a vision or a goal. If you only set the vision but can’t get people to move in the right direction, then you don’t accomplish anything. You can get people to do work, but if there isn’t a clear vision, then people aren’t motivated and you don’t get the best ideas and results. A great leader needs to be able to do both together.
What is your greatest career achievement so far? I am most proud of our recent Nick app launch, which is our first branded channel app. We set out to create a brand-new Nick experience, and it took a ton of amazing work across every function. The launch was great and we are very happy with the results.
What one piece of advice would you give to an up-and-comer in this industry? I always tell people to be ready for when the next opportunity presents itself. If you work hard and take on more than your current responsibilities, then you will be the one who gets tapped for that opening or new job that gets created.
How did you get your start in this industry? Early in my career, I was working at a digital greeting card startup in San Francisco when a contact from Universal Studios called me. He said they needed people who had Internet experience. This was the ‘90s, so there weren’t a lot of us. I always had a passion for media and entertainment, and was excited to see how digital would intersect with that industry. So I packed my bags and moved to LA, and have never looked back.
And for more information for PromaxBDA: The Conference, June 18-20 in Los Angeles, check back at promaxbda.org. Speakers and sessions are being constantly updated.
Tags: