JUDGES

The 2010 judges will be announced shortly. Please see below for last year's judges:

• Steven Hawley, Principal Consultant, TV Strategies
• Colin Dixon, Senior Partner, Advisory, The Diffusion Group
• Peter MacAvock, Programme Director, European Broadcasting Union
• Paul Sweeting, Editor, ContentAgenda.com
• Bernard Mediburu, Author of "3D Movie Making"
• Paul Erickson, Independent Contractor, Consumer Electronics Industry
• Goran Nastic, Editor, Cable & Satellite International
• Benjamin Schwarz, Principal Consultant, Farncombe Technology
• Dr. Arjang Zadeh, CEO, Imagine Broadband
• Justin Lebbon, Publisher, VideoNet
• Zahava Stroud, President, iHollywood Forum

Steven Hawley, Principal Consultant, TV Strategies

Steven Hawley is an independent consultant, industry analyst, and researcher serving the telecommunications and digital media industries. His consulting practice, tvstrategiestm (Advanced Media Strategies LLC) provides subject matter expertise in the areas of Broadband Television (IPTV and IP-delivered Video) and converged multi-play services: the delivery of live TV, on-demand video, interactive content and multimedia personal communications services to network-connected consumer electronics devices.

Mr. Hawley has consulted to more than forty IPTV industry clients, contributing in areas that include business strategy, product strategy, service requirements development, infrastructure selection, strategic marketing and positioning, go-to-market, partnerships, business development and tactical marketing program development.

Colin Dixon, Senior Partner, Advisory, The Diffusion Group

Peter MacAvock, Programme Director, European Broadcasting Union

Peter MacAvock is Programme Director in the technical department of the European Broadcasting Union. He took up the position with EBU TECHNICAL in October 2008, where he has responsibility for Media Delivery Technology & Consumer Equipment and Applications Technology.

He was previously the Executive Director of the DVB Project. Involved in DVB since it was founded in 1993, Mr. MacAvock was responsible for shaping, documenting and demonstrating the suite of standards that form the basis of DVB systems. He was the principle standards co-ordinator for the Project, a member of Project’s senior executive board and was involved in a number of the key technical working groups. He has also managed European collaborative projects and managed commercial activities associated with the implementation of the DVB standards. He is an Irish national living and working in Switzerland.

Paul Sweeting, Editor/Contributor, ContentAgenda.com/Variety

Paul Sweeting has covered the home entertainment and technology industries for more than 15 years for such publications as Daily Variety, Billboard, Video Business and Publishers Weekly. His widely read weekly column in Video Business focuses on technology trends, intellectual property issues, Internet and technology policy, and business and financial developments in the home entertainment industries. In 2006 he developed and launched ContentAgenda.com, an online business-to-business news portal and blog site focused on the intersection of entertainment content and digital technology. The Web site is part of the Variety Group of Reed Business Information. Sweeting is based in Washington, DC and has a Bachelor’s degree from Columbia University.

Bernard Mendiburu, Author of "3D Movie Making"

Bernard Mendiburu is a stereographer and digital cinema consultant working with feature animation studios in Los Angeles, where his credits includes “Meet The Robinsons” and “Monster vs Aliens”. He just published “3D Movie Making, Stereoscopic Digital Cinema from Script to Screen” with focal Press.

Paul Erickson, Independent Contractor, Consumer Electronics Industry

Goran Nastic, Editor, Cable & Satellite International

Benjamin Schwarz, Principal Consultant, Farncombe Technology

Benjamin Schwarz has 20 years of international experience in consulting and in Telco & Media organisations as well as in start-ups. Benjamin spent 8 years with Orange, whom he joined in 2001. He managed technology development for Orange Labs and ran international music download then TVoDSL deployments internationally.

Dr. Arjang Zadeh, CEO, Imagine Broadband

Dr. Arjang Zadeh has been a pioneer in broadband, telecom, cable and software industries for over 20 years.

Prior to creating Azdio, Dr Zadeh was the Global Managing Partner of Network Practice for Accenture Communications & High Tech Operating Group.

In 2000, Dr Zadeh founded Imagine Broadband a world leading Network Design and Integration and NGOSS Products company.  Under his leadership Imagine broadband successfully delivered some of the most complex and largest projects for many of the major Telecom and Cable operators around the world. Dr Zadeh was the CEO of the company until its acquisition and integration into Accenture in Jan 2004. In this role, Arjang was selected as one of the top 50 European executives in broadband Industry ("Broadband Euro 50 - 2003").

Justin Lebbon, Publisher, VideoNet

Zahava Stroud, President, iHollywood Forum

Zahava Stroud is the President and co-founder of iHollywood Forum which is a leading producer of business conferences and forums about the how new technologies impact digital, mobile, and telecom based entertainment.