Brand advertising and marketing requires constant innovation and continuous learning in order to reach—and engage—consumers with dynamic content across a variety of platforms in an ever-evolving media landscape. Learn about the critical skills and latest strategies you’ll need to connect with consumers and build a successful career in advertising and marketing.
Anne Becker, Senior Vice President, Trade Marketing & Communications, Paramount Advertising
Anne Becker is a marketing leader with 25 years in media and entertainment, known for blending strategy with storytelling to create measurable growth. With a background in journalism, she brings a unique perspective to B2B, direct-to-consumer, and integrated marketing, crafting compelling narratives that resonate with audiences and generate demand.
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A data-driven and creative thinker, Anne has built and scaled high-performing teams, successfully led brand launches and rebrands, and fostered collaboration across matrixed global organizations. She excels at aligning marketing with business objectives, building stakeholder consensus, and guiding teams through transformation with clarity and empathy.
As head of B2B Marketing and Communications for Paramount Advertising, Anne oversees trade partnerships, content marketing, internal and executive communications, and sales enablement for Paramount’s advertising division. Previously, she led marketing and communications at Tribeca Film Institute, running brand strategy and expansion. She began her career as a journalist, covering media and entertainment for outlets including The New York Post and Broadcasting & Cable.
Louis Maldonado, Partner & Managing Director, d exposito & Partners
Louis is an accomplished marketing strategist and communications professional that specializes in Hispanic and multicultural marketing, advertising, content creation and communications. At d expósito & Partners, Louis leads cross-functional teams for several key client accounts, leveraging his deep expertise in branding, insights and strategy, public relations and grassroots outreach to develop breakthrough campaigns that effectively connect with the increasingly diverse Hispanic communities across the U.S.
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Louis’ work has been recognized with several awards in marketing, advertising and content creation circles, including the North American Effie, two David Ogilvy Awards, five Hispanic Marketing Council Strategic Excellence Awards, three “Big Apple” Awards from the Public Relations Society of America and five ¡Bravo Awards! from the Hispanic Public Relations Association. He has received nine Emmy nominations and two Emmy wins over five years for long-form content airing as television programming. His experience spans several categories, including Non-profit, Packaged Goods, Quick-Service Restaurants, Healthcare, Managed Care, Government, Data Science, Entertainment and Tax Preparation Services, among others.
Louis is a staunch champion for the Hispanic community and currently serves as Board Chair of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, where he has been instrumental in ushering in a new era for this iconic institution. In 2020, City & State, the premier media organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy, named Louis as one of the “Latino Power 100,” a list of distinguished leaders that have helped promote and shape diversity in New York. He was also recognized by the ANA Educational Foundation (AEF) in their inaugural group of “50 AEF Talent Champions” in 2020, which included noteworthy individuals that represent Fortune 100 companies, leading advertising agencies, publishers and other media companies that have helped promote the study of marketing and advertising by fostering ties between their industries and Academia. That same year, he was recognized for his contributions to the Hispanic marketing and media industry with the Hispanic TV Summit’s Rafael Eli Pioneer in Hispanic TV Award
Louis holds an MBA from Indiana University, and he has served as guest lecturer at reputable universities, including NYU, Columbia, Fordham, Duke and others. A classically trained musician and supporter of the Arts, Louis has served on the Boards for the Opportunity Music Project, The Limón Dance Company and The Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas.
Scott Newman, Founder & Creative Director, work x work; Festival Director, On Air Fest
Scott Newman is a multimedia artist and storyteller. He founded work x work to satisfy the needs of brands to express themselves through true storytelling. His approach is grounded in twenty years’ experience building brands and crafting successful cross-platform marketing campaigns. He is also the Founder and Director of On Air Fest, the premier podcast festival.
Idia Ogala, Founder, CBG Marketing
Idia (ē-dee-yuh) Ogala is the Founder of CBG Marketing, a boutique agency specializing in connecting global creators with top brands through strategic partnerships.
CBG’s mission is to educate creators on marketing strategy while helping them craft, negotiate, and execute impactful brand partnerships. Since its inception in 2017, the agency has serviced for over 1,000 high-profile creators across entertainment, sports, wellness, beauty, and non-profit sectors.
Prior to founding CBG, Idia led global brand partnership and product marketing initiatives in the sports, media distribution, and tech industries, with experience at organizations such as the NBA, Disney, Klarna, and DraftKings.
Moderator: Alexandra Merceron, EVP, Insights, Rubenstein; Lecturer, Columbia University
Alexandra Merceron is a communications executive and thought leader with 20 years of experience transforming how organizations connect with audiences. Currently, she’s the Executive Vice President of Insights at RUBENSTEIN, where she leads research, analytics, digital strategy and AI initiatives for the firm’s diverse roster of clients. She’s also on the board of PRSA New York, serving as the association’s VP of Marketing.
Alex is also an award-winning educator with 15 years of experience teaching graduate courses in PR, digital strategy, campaign planning and measurement at Columbia University, University of Colorado, Wake Forest and Georgetown, among other institutions.
Alex holds a BA from Pace University in New York and an MA from Emerson College.
Presented with the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and the School of Media Studies at The New School
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
The Center's programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
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