Our consulting associates include:
Janet Greco
Sheila Cassells
Justin Hewelt
John Holland
Rod Large
Sebastian Becker
Benjamin Schwarz
Alan Mercer
Chris Barlas
Janet Greco is Founder & Principal Consultant, Broadcast Projects. She is an Entrepreneur & Consultant working in Broadcast Media, Technology and Art. She founded Broadcast Projects in 2004, and is currently active in the EU regulation of Video on Demand Services, providing ongoing monitoring and support for companies affected by implementation of the recent EC Audio Visual Media Services Directive (AVMS), in the UK and rest of Europe.
She is also involved monitoring EU policy and regulatory developments with the potential to impact the ¨Connected TV¨ space. In association with her network partners, she has worked on projects for pay TV operators and leading technology companies worldwide.
Janet has an extensive background in metadata aggregation, Electronic Program Guides, search and content navigation, and has contributed to various metadata and content identification standardization groups over the years. She founded Europe’s first EPG data aggregation business, Infomedia S.A., established in Luxembourg in 1991, now Europe’s largest metadata aggregation company. Infomedia was the first pan-European company to aggregate and distribute multiple language TV program listings online, and to harmonize TV programme genres for interactive EPGs under an internationally adaptable universal classification scheme.
Today she offers business advice and evaluation services to pay TV platforms, cable operators, system integrators, broadcasters, content providers, major technology companies and others in connection with the selection of data providers for Advanced Content Navigation products and services, as well as advising on best practice on international content labeling / harmonisation strategies.
She enjoys working with entrepreneurs, providing business start up advice and assistance. She has a range of business interests in IT consulting, digital media production, branding, graphics and web design. She is an occasional contributor of documentary reportage to Sojournposse, the global collective of visual journalists.
Sheila Cassells
Sheila Cassells is Director of Cassells Consulting Ltd, and has over 20 years experience on both the regulatory and regulated sides of the media and communications industries. She is a highly respected and trusted public policy professional with extensive high level contacts in the industry and the EU institutions. From 2001 to 2009 Sheila held the position of Head of Economic Policy at BSkyB and was Member of BSkyB’s Top 100 Leadership Team. In this position she was responsible for raising and enhancing Sky’s profile in the UK and EU policy discussion as well as positioning the company as the key contributor to policy debates on media and communications sectors. Before joining BSkyB, Sheila Cassells worked for the Independent Television Commission in the UK, holding the position of Director Economic Regulation. Prior to her role at the ITC, she was Head of Airline Finances at the Civil Aviation Authority.
In 2003 Sheila established and since then chaired the Digital Interoperability Forum (DIF), a pan-European trade association for the paid-for content distribution chain addressing technology policy issues. The DIF also initiated and led the first self-regulatory agreement for complex set top boxes under the Energy Using Products Directive. In April 2010 Sheila became DIF’s first Executive Director. Sheila’s substantial contribution to public policy has also been recognised by the European Commission when she was asked to convene and chair, together with the EBU, the European High Definition Forum – and together with the EBU, bmcoforum and GSM Europe the European Mobile Broadcasting Council. Alongside executive roles at consultancy company, Policy Insight Europe, and chair of the Registered Digital Installers Licensing Board, Sheila is Director of Cassells Consulting Associates Ltd , a company established in August 2009 to provide strategic policy and regulatory advice to media and communications technology businesses.
Sheila is an economist with a MA degree from the University of Edinburgh, a MPhil in Town Planning from University College London, and a MBA (Finance) from the City University Business School. She also studied graduate economics at Queen’s University, Canada.
On January 21, 2011 Sheila Cassells was appointed Executive Director of AEPOC. Sheila will continue also in her role as Executive Director of DIF. Company website.
Justin Hewelt
Justin is Managing Director of the PayMedia Consulting Group, providing strategic support and knowledge to leading Digital Broadcasters and Pay TV operators around the world. Justin Hewelt has written for a number of leading industry publications including Cable & Satellite Europe, Broadcast, Multichannel News International and Interspace. He is also one of the original co- founders of the Global Interactive TV networking organisation ‘Broadband Bananas’ Working alongside Gay Bell (Platform PR), Clare Bramley and Ferhan Cook, (Mediaplay Intl / Anyscreen Productions ) Broadband Bananas built up a membership of more than 25,000 digital TV professionals and an online archive of more than 450 video examples of interactive television via its web portal before its purchase by Digital Media Publishing in 2005. Justin works alongside leading figures in the global Pay TV industry, providing strategic advice, industry reports, relevant case-studies and introductions. Justin provides unique skills in the areas of Pay TV Product Development and Marketing, Brand Development, Business Strategy, as well as specialist skills in User Interface, Electronic Programme Guides and interactive services. Justin has helped a number of key operators around the world develop, launch and market HD, PVR and other advanced products and services. Company website
John Holland is an independent consultant in digital media focusing on product and marketing strategies. He also has a track record in research, sales and the delivery of complex projects. His career has embraced a wide range of disciplines: general management, sales & marketing, account management, strategy, branding, professional services and programme making. At the BBC, where he led a £35m department, he played a prominent role in the strategic development of online and interactive TV into the Corporation’s offering.
Holland believes strongly that for digital media to fulfil its potential and deliver increased profitability, service providers must focus on building enhanced levels of customer trust and on satisfying consumer lifestyle needs, with technology acting as an invisible enabler. Great design, ease-of-use and accurate measurement tools are essential. Furthermore, digital media must be integrated with traditional, non-digital media to realise fully its potential.
He is an alumnus of Cranfield University School of Management and a member of the Royal Television Society. He has spoken extensively at industry events. Company website.
Career headlines:
· Head of Interactive TV and Digital Text Services, BBC MD
· Ensequence International (Digital Media software & Services)
· Media City Director, University of Salford
· Head of Interactive TV Production, Cable & Wireless Communications
· MD, Pittard Sullivan UK (branding, design & interactive media)
· Director of Interactive in Havas Advertising group
Rod Large
Rod Large is an expert in electronic media particularly in the development of digital thematic channels for major media groups and the design and marketing of subscription television platforms and video on demand services for cable and fixed line telecoms operators. He has strong expertise in the field of film & video archive management, IP management & development, new product development & implementation. Rod has worked as a senior project manager for clients including Intel Corporation, ProSeiben AG, UPC Cable Networks Europe, Centrica Plc, VideoNetworks, OnDemand Management Group, Callahan Cable Networks Germany and Spain, Virgin Media, T-Online, Burda AG, RTE Television. Rod has latterly developed a pan-European digital TV channel operations plan for a global institution.
His corporate career includes JWT Advertising London, The Irish Export Board Germany and Dublin, as a division head and as MD International of one of Europe’s largest NPD (New Product Development) Consulting firms, CLK Plc London. Rod worked in The Soviet Union in the mid-late 1980′s acquiring client projects from Soviet companies and organisations such as Aeroflot and Soviet State Broadcaster GostelRadio. He developed and launched the USSR’s first western-style game show (Trivial Pursuit) in 1988 which ran until the mid-90′s. He was then recruited by Silvio Berlusconi’s Fininvest Media Group to be MD of PubliEurope SA, a TV sales and programming business with business centres in UK, Germany, Russia, Madrid, Munich. After a period working Aegis Plc (Carat International) as VP Broadcasting Services, Rod went on to Grundy Worldwide Television as SVP Corporate Development. He was appointed to the board of Alliance Atlantis Communications International in September 2006. Company website.
Sebastian Becker
Sebastian Becker is a well-known expert with many years experience in the field of strategy and product consulting, using best practice methodologies. He has an extensive industry network that catalyses research, strategy, deal generation, partnerships and execution. He is co-Founder and Managing Partner of the respected Munich-based consultancy [tbb\*] thebrainbehind GmbH, a PayMedia Consulting partner organisation. His specialities include strategy, business development and benchmarking.
Track record highlights include:
· Modern Times Group (PayTV Strategy Eastern Europe, Consulting Project
· Microsoft TV (Global PayTV Benchmarking; Consulting Project)
· UPC / BSkyB / Telenet / Sky Germany, KDG & others (Best Practise Benchmarkings on VoD, Barker Channels, UI; Consulting Projects)
· Expert on international Pay TV Marketing Strategies and interactive applications.
Company website.
Benjamin Schwarz
Benjamin Schwarz has over 20 years of international experience in consulting and Telco & Media organisations. He is recognized as a world-class industry expert in converging media, especially IPTV and innovation.
In August 2008 Benjamin created “CTO innovation Consulting” bringing his unique expertise to Content owners, Technology companies and network Operators and is now involved in many projects including TV business modelling and deployment, advertising, hybrid and “Over-the-top” content delivery and quality of experience.
He spent 8 years with Orange, whom he joined in 2001. Benjamin started as a manager within Orange Labs focusing on video, search and other technologies. In 2004 he joined the Content division running international music download then IPTV deployments in Europe (France, Poland, Spain, UK) and Africa (Senegal).
In 2000 Benjamin was CTO of Net4Music, a digital sheet music Internet start-up. Previously he spent 10 years with Logica-CMG and fresh out of university he joined the ‘World Press Centre’ in 1989.
Benjamin is based in Paris and has a BSc from King’s College London in Computer science and completed an executive MBA within INSEAD. Company website.
Alan Mercer
Alan Mercer is a media professional with over 30 years of experience. Alan’s career has seen him build expertise with the BBC, EuroNews and Al Jazeera, evolving at managerial level in these organisations’ engineering, production and new media environments. He has also designed, built and implemented a state of the art IPTV platform to deliver high quality video over the public internet in conjunction with bespoke back office systems.
Previously, Alan has been a key member of the launch team that saw the global news channel Al Jazeera English, based in Qatar, exceed its objectives, with over 80 million viewers at launch, and produced in HD. His consulting firm, GBF Media offers a wide range of broadcast and new media consultancy expertise with partners worldwide. He has worked extensively in interactive, convergent New Media and in Television. He has a track record managing and delivering complex digital projects. Company website.
Chris Barlas
Chris Barlas has extensive experience as a consultant, specialising in business and policy issues that affect the copyright management of digital content. With a background in rights management, he has advised companies specialising in technology development, content origination and content consumption. He currently provides expert services to the European Commission DG for Information Society and Media (INFSO).
In 2000, he established the Rightscom consultancy, based in London, where, among others, he provided consultancy services for companies such as Microsoft, The World Bank, the World Intellectual Property Organisation, Open University (UK), Royal National Institute for the Blind (UK), CEN/ISSS, EMI Music Publishing (US), Business Software Alliance (US), and ContentGuard (US). He was also editor of two standards in MPEG-21, and has provided extensive Rights Expression Language documentation.
Areas of expertise include the eBook landscape, DRM technologies and rights management issues, streamed music services. Before the foundation of Rightscom in 2000, Chris was active in rights management, and served as chairman of ALCS, the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society, in the UK. As chairman, he oversaw the strategy and internal policies of the company, as well as participating in extensive negotiation with other bodies. While he was chairman of ALCS, he also served on the Board of the Copyright Licensing Agency.