Title:GEMA Breakfast Series with Jason T. Williams (MBA’05), Senior Director at Viacom International Media Networks

May 17, 2012 the New York Chapter of GEMA hosted a Breakfast Speaker Series event with Jason T. Williams (MBA ’05) – Senior Director, Global Consumer Products Business Operations, Viacom International Media Networks. At the breakfast, 20 GEMA members had the opportunity to have a roundtable discussion with Jason regarding a wide variety of topics affecting the media industry.

Jason The discussion began with Jason providing all of the attendees with a brief background on how his interest in television as a child helped him ultimately build a career in the media business. He then discussed some of the major drivers of change over the past ten years in media, and how they have affected the industry landscape. Some of the major changes he touched upon include the exponential growth in bandwidth now found in each home, the increase in the number of “devices” consumers are using, the more prevalent role of technology companies in the media landscape, and the democratization of media.

The group then had a spirited debate about what the most relevant factors are that will change consumer media over the next 10 years. Some of the common ideas that came up in the conversation included the continued role of technology, coordinated content, a potential return of vertical integration (maybe), and successfully monetizing short form advertising. All of the attendees enjoyed the opportunity to exchange ideas with Jason regarding the current state of media, as well as get his perspective on the industry going forward.