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We’re closing out the year here at Brief with a look back at PromaxBDA’s highlights of 2014.
In March, the association headed to London for the first time ever with the 2014 Europe Conference, hosted at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, just off the bridge from Parliament Square and with Big Ben within walking distance.
Comedian Jeff Leach hosted the PromaxBDA Europe Awards on the final night of the conference, which saw The BBC, Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1 TV Deutschland GmbH - Creative Solutions, UK’s Red Bee and Italy’s RAI radiotelevisione italiana leave as big winners.
In June, it was back to the Big Apple for The Conference, with New York City once again hosting the association’s main event at the New York Hilton Midtown.
The Museum of Modern Art hosted a gorgeous Gotham-ized gala opening night party that featured Batman-themed snacks and guided tours of the museum’s collection.
Filmmaker and El Rey founder Robert Rodriguez encouraged members to live the creative life 24/7 and not just at the office, while former Viacom exec Tom Freston and VICE founder Shane Smith had a conversation with The New York Times’ media reporter David Carr about the rapid evolution of the television business.
Conference goers also learned former Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide CEO Chalotte Beers’ tips for effective leadership, and heard from AOL Digital Prophet David Shing about the importance of speaking fast, thinking faster, and reacting fastest.
Jeff Leach crossed the Atlantic to reprise the role he played at the Europe Conference, and served as Master of Ceremonies for the North America and Global Excellence Awards on the final night of The Conference. Among the big winners in 2014: FX Networks (North America Marketing Team of the Year), Stun Creative (North America Agency of the Year), Bell Media Agency (Global Excellence Marketing Team of the Year), and The Corner London (Global Excellence Agency of the Year).
The first cohort of Thrive, PromaxBDA’s new leadership development program, officially kicked off at The Conference. In October, Thrive Leaders attended a four-day intensive training seminar in Ojai, Calif., taught by industry leaders, leadership coaches, and business experts. PromaxBDA designed the training as a hands-on project-based learning environment that allowed candidates to learn in a collaborative environment.
The Conference also marked the beginning of Scot Chastain’s term as co-chair of the PromaxBDA Board of Directors, replacing Lisa Gregorian, who moved over to the position of chair emeritus.
Later in June it was time to celebrate local markets at Station Summit, which moved to the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas as the event continued to grow.
Host, author, and consultant Shelly Palmer spoke about the inevitable—and rapidly approaching—shift from linear to online viewing, and urged attendees to stop thinking that tomorrow would be like today.
Comedian and host of Warner Bros.’ The Real Loni Love emceed the PromaxBDALocal Awards at a gala luncheon, which saw NBCUniversal, Tribune Broadcasting, LIN Media, and Gannett among the big winners.
Outside of Station Summit, 2014 saw a significant expansion of PromaxBDA’s local programming, including the introduction of a new local station membership package.
Over the summer, PromaxBDA also welcomed the Class of 2015 to Promo Pathway, the nation’s first accredited on-air promotions training program. Since 2001, Promo Pathway has offered students an opportunity to earn a fast-track certificate in producing, writing, and editing, be mentored by some of the most seasoned executives in the entertainment marketing space, and be surrounded by a group of like-minded aspiring creatives. Earlier in 2014, a Promo Pathyway graduate, Laura Rivas, got to produce a promo for one of her favorite shows, NBC’s Parks and Recreation.
The fall saw the Latin America Awards continue to grow with the introduction of new categories celebrating local programming, reflecting the growing importance of marketing, promotion, and design to success in Latin American markets. For the first time ever, the awards also featured an interactive hub showcasing winning teams and work.
2014 closed out with the arrival of Steve Kazanjian as PromaxBDA’s new president and CEO. Kazanjian is a Fortune 500 brand marketing executive with global brand strategy expertise across entertainment marketing, consumer products, and social media. Working with many of the world’s most admired brands, Kazanjian has pioneered powerful consumer engagement strategies by leveraging best-in-class consumer insights techniques and robust market analytics with award-winning creative excellence.
Looking forward to 2015 when PromaxBDA hosts PromaxBDA Europe in Berlin, The Conference at the J.W. Marriott at L.A. Live in Los Angeles and Station Summit at the Mirage in Las Vegas, along with Digital Master Classes and other exciting events.
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