Media Legends. Media Village. Connecting the Past to Your Future

By The Myers Report Archives
Cover image for  article: Media Legends. Media Village. Connecting the Past to Your Future

Last week, two interconnected events happened that define the future of the media and advertising business. The first: two dozen legends of the media and advertising business gathered for a reunion, to reminisce and to ponder the state of today's industry and its future. This small group played a major role in transforming the culture of our industry from a three TV network mass media marketplace to a splintered industry with trillions of ad availabilities annually, more than 12,000 individual media content distributors, and a global agency holding company infrastructure that processes millions upon millions of transactions each year. What rang through loud and clear throughout the evening was the collegiality of the group – a reminder that our business was founded and built on personal relationships, and that the accomplishments of these leaders, the risks they took, and the advances for which they are responsible provide an important and needed perspective for today's media and advertising industry leaders.

Many of my readers may not recognize the names or contributions of people like Keith Reinhard, Jim Rosenfield, Kay Koplovitz, Phil Guarascio, Peter Spengler, Tony Ponturo, John Lazarus, Arnie Semsky, Matt Bryant, Mike Drexler or Alec Gerster. You may be more familiar with Joe Uva, John Nesvig, Mike Shaw, Peggy Green, Nick Brien, David Verklin, and Bill Koenigsberg. Others equally notable were also a part of the conversation. The Media Legends dinner, which I hosted with Dave Morgan, CEO of Simulmedia, may expand and evolve to a regular gathering of past, present and future industry leaders. Or it may prove to have been a unique, memorable and very special one-time-only event that brought together a generation of leaders who led our industry through a 30-year period of transformation.

But as we look to the next two decades of industry metamorphosis, we see a different face of leadership – built and defined by technology rather than people. Yesterday's leaders took risks and built businesses. Emerging generations of leaders will focus more on technology and algorithms than relationships. Legacy business models will erode, traditional organizational silos will collapse, and data and information systems will overload. Today's media and ad industry leaders should focus their energies on connecting legacy business knowledge and relevant practices with emerging digital business needs. If they fail to respect the past, the knowledge, practices AND the leaders will soon be lost. Establishing the framework for building and maintaining these connections – human, business and technological -- is essential for the future of our business, which is why last week's second event is so essential and opportune. In an environment that discourages risk and focuses on technology, it's more important than ever to support risk takers, build relationships, and share knowledge.

Last week Myers Media Business Network, joined with Vision Critical, the leading provider of insight community technologies, to launch MediaVillage, the industry's first social knowledge network developed exclusively to bring together the media, advertising, marketing and entertainment community for shared knowledge and practices, collaboration and social engagement. Media Village, powered by the Vision Critical Insight Community technology platform, will provide executives in media and entertainment with a unique portal for sharing insights, practices, knowledge, ideas and social connections. You can become a member (at no cost or obligation) at www.MediaVillage.com ).

Media Village is being underwritten by the more than 100 members of Myers Media Business Network. It will provide professionals in all stages of their careers with the resources and support they require for career advancement, social engagement and corporate development. As Media Village evolves and expands, members will have instant access to insights and intelligence from hundreds of companies, resources and reports, as well as exclusive opportunities to be recognized and acknowledged for their own leadership. Through its many features, Media Village will foster an industry-wide sharing of feedback and opinions that will be used to:

• Improve service and encourage support from members' industry partners

• Advance collaboration among media companies, agencies and marketers

• Assure that members' interests are recognized and that those opinions will be heard on leading industry issues

• Broaden industry awareness through exposure to MediaBizBloggers, MediaBizBuzz, Women in Media Mentoring Initiative and the Jack Myers Media Business Report

Members of the Media Village community will have the opportunity to connect and participate in social events, engage in online and mobile industry games and competitions and vote for industry awards and prizes. All Media Village members will have the opportunity to gain recognition for achievements, ideas and successes and will have access to counsel and advice to enhance your decision-making process. To address the need for greater career opportunities for women (with an emphasis on diversity), Media Village will link to Women in Media Mentoring Initiative (www.WIMMI.net) with programs dedicated to supporting women at all stages of their careers.

In today's technology-focused business environment it takes a Media Village to deliver a meaningful platform to share ideas, insights, perceptions and opinions. The Vision Critical technology enables Media Village to gather market knowledge and manage member engagement and satisfaction in an unprecedented way. The support of so many companies reflects a shared commitment to building and recognizing today's and future generations of leaders.

"Working with Myers Media Village is an exciting opportunity for Vision Critical to help foster a true sense of community in the media, agency, marketing and entertainment worlds," comments Bruce Friend, president of media and entertainment at Vision Critical. "The need to remain connected and engaged for both individual and industry betterment is essential in the quickly moving media and entertainment landscape. The Media Village community will now be a great place to explore ideas, topics and more."

Media Legends of the past four decades led our industry through three decades of transformation. Their experiences offer valuable guidance for all future generations. One of the goals of Media Village is to capture and archive these experiences, to maintain the spirit of leadership they personify, and to connect leaders past, present and future. I urge you to be a part of this future. Join Media Village today.

If you are receiving this report, you are a registered member to Jack Myers Media Business Network or are receiving it as part of a registered corporate membership. As a member, Jack responds personally to your e-mails, requests and comments. He is available to speak at your company events. In addition to Jack Myers Media Business Reports, your membership underwrites MediaBizBloggers.com, Women in Media Mentoring Initiative, Jack Myers Wall St. Report, Jack Myers Video Media Report, plus our exclusive industry economic forecasts, trend forecasts and corporate performance research. Re-distribution in any form, except among approved individuals within your company, is prohibited. As a member you have full access to all archives and reports at www.jackmyers.com. If you require your ID and password, contact maryann@jackmyers.com

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