LOS ANGELES, June 3, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) today announced results of its highly competitive MEF Americas board election, which took place last week to kick off MEFCON 2008, the inaugural event of MEF Americas. The newly elected chair is Jim Beddows, head of content and application partnerships for MSN Mobile at Microsoft. John Orlando, vice president of marketing for LiveWire Mobile, was elected vice chair.
The new board includes highly influential newcomers who represent some of the biggest names at the intersection of mobile and entertainment. They will provide invaluable insight for progress on existing policy for content, advertising, mobile operators and direct-to-consumer services in the mobile entertainment ecosystem.
The new board also identified as key objectives the need to scale MEF Americas to match industry growth -- including intensified focus on Canada and Latin America. It will drive forward key industry initiatives (content sales reporting, quality of user experience, communities, ad-funded content, development of a mobile games sales chart), continue to lobby on issues of content regulation and policy and work closely with MEF global to address issues critical to the growth of the mobile entertainment industry.
The following new members were elected to the MEF Americas board:
* Jim Beddows, Head of Content and Application Partnerships for MSN Mobile at Microsoft * Daniel Cohen, Vice President of Business Development for Dada Entertainment * Ujjal Kohli, CEO of Rhythm NewMedia * Eduardo Sartori, General Manager for New Business and Partnerships of Okto (Brazil) * Gary Schwartz, CEO of Impact Mobile (Canada) * Joe Waimrin, Vice President of Business Development for Mblox.
They join existing board members:
* Ed Boddington, CEO of Harvest Media * Tim Courtney, Vice President of Sales and Strategy of LCC * John Orlando, Vice President of Marketing for Livewire Mobile
Newly-elected MEF Americas board chair Jim Beddows said, "MEF is playing an increasingly pivotal role at the heart of a $25 billion mobile entertainment industry. Leaders in film, TV, music, games and online content look to us for benchmarks on how to integrate mobile strategies into their business plans. Our membership spans the most influential ranks of the mobile entertainment value chain, which empowers us to make significant contributions to the business, regulatory, political and cultural challenges ahead. I also pay tribute to Ted Cohen and Dave Ulmer, outgoing MEF Americas board chair and vice chair, whose leadership has fueled MEF Americas' exponential growth in the past years."
MEF Americas' board elections preceded two days of intensive industry networking at MEF's inaugural MEFCON event, which took place May 28-29 at the Marriott Marina Del Rey. MEFCON broke the mold of industry conferences through interactive sessions, like the Debate Club, in which audience members chose the winners of a mock-academic debate on ad-funded mobile entertainment, and Mobile at the Apollo, where companies presented their mobile entertainment innovations.
MEFCON also featured keynotes from renowned screenwriter and producer LM Kit Carson, Oscar-nominated writer/producer Terry Rossio and technology evangelist Fake Steve Jobs -- Forbes senior editor Daniel Lyons. Founder's Circle sponsors included mBlox, Motorola, Sprint, LCC, LiveWire Mobile and Amobee.
MEF Americas also held a press briefing at the event to announce results of a breakthrough study on the ad-funded mobile entertainment (an industry worth $340 million by 2013) and the launch of the first official U.S. mobile games chart with NPD Group.
About Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF)
MEF exists to represent the interests of its global membership across the mobile entertainment value chain. Our goals are to build awareness, create business development opportunities and facilitate the development of commercial guidelines and best practices to promote a healthy and profitable industry.
With global headquarters in London, a Hollywood-based Americas secretariat, an Asian chapter in Hong Kong and the newly established Europe branch, MEF's network of members represents a veritable 'Who's Who' of mobile entertainment businesses and entrepreneurs. For more information and a full list of members please visit: www.m-e-f.org.