HITS Exclusives

By Chris Tribbey

Before the media and entertainment industry gathers the afternoon of March 22 in Los Angeles to tackle the state of screeners at the “Content Protection Briefing,” the Women in Technology Hollywood (WiTH) will start the day with a breakfast panel discussion on mentoring women in the technology arena. To register for the event click here.

The panel discussion, kicking off at 9 a.m., will be followed by a “New Year, New You – Vision/Performance Zone Workshop,” which will have participants interacting with people at their table to discuss their goals in work and life.

The opening WiTH panel will feature Sara Akhteh, mentor program manager for women in technology at Sony Pictures; Cathy Daoust, executive director of IT learning and development at Sony Pictures; Nancy Ridge, co-founder of Women in the Channel; and Nina Skorus-Neely, VP of WB technology solutions for Warner Bros. and others to be confirmed. They’ll tackle how generosity and mentoring in the workplace — especially with women in the technology sector — can have huge benefits for everyone involved.

Look no further than a recently concluded, five-year study by a major technology company: employees who mentored others were promoted six times more often than their peers who didn’t, and those who benefited from the mentorship were promoted at a rate five times that of those who passed up on the opportunity.

“One-on-one tutelage has not only yielded a faster track toward salary increases but has also given its participants a greater sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in their lives at work,” the panel description reads. “Like mountaineers linked at the hip, mentors and mentees typically stay loyal to their jobs and are justly valued for their professionalism and commitment.”

The WiTH breakfast event is being sponsored by Deluxe and produced by the Media & Entertainment Services Alliance, and will be held at the Line Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard.

Later that day, from 4 – 6 p.m., is the Content Protection Briefing by MESA and the Content Delivery & Security Association (CDSA), which is being sponsored by Deluxe and Microsoft Azure.

The event will see the discussion of a number of existing and in-development solutions for screeners, along with the studio perspective from security executives in the media and entertainment sector. “Click here to register and for more details.

Companies interested in sponsorship opportunities can contact Garrett Randall at 1-310-882-9204 or [email protected].