Las Vegas – Variety is expanding its presence at CES with teh inaugural Business of Creators Summit, presented by Samsung Ads, on January 9th. Building on its established Entertainment Summit, the new one-day event will gather industry leaders to discuss the evolving landscape of creator marketing, fandom, AI, and the broader business of online content. The summit, held in partnership with EY as the presenting partner of Variety’s Entertainment Summit, will feature keynotes, panels and roundtable discussions with executives from companies including Samsung, Hasbro, Lionsgate, Google, and Tencent Games, as well as prominent creators like Hannah Stocking and Alessandria Catanese. Programming will also include a conversation with actor and producer Breckin Meyer and Arcana Labs CEO Jonathan Yunger.
Variety is returning to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with the Variety Entertainment Summit, a full-day event focused on the forces shaping the future of the entertainment industry. The summit, taking place Wednesday, January 7, at C Space in Aria, will bring together global leaders, pioneering creatives, and forward-thinking strategists to discuss key trends, emerging technologies, and innovative ideas poised to impact the business in 2025 and beyond.
This year marks the debut of a second day of programming: the Business of Creators Summit, presented by Samsung Ads on January 8. The half-day program will explore the dynamic intersection of creators and entertainment, examining storytelling trends across platforms, brand opportunities within the creator economy, and the broad impact creators have on modern audiences. The creator economy has rapidly become a significant force in media and marketing, prompting industry leaders to analyze its evolving landscape.
Both summits will be open to all CES attendees at no additional cost.
The Variety Entertainment Summit on January 7 will feature a series of discussions, including:
- A keynote conversation with Anthony Wood, founder, chairman, and CEO of Roku, moderated by Cynthia Littleton, co-editor-in-chief of Variety. Wood will share his vision for Roku’s leadership and how the company continues to innovate and shape the future of entertainment through consumer-focused strategies. He will also discuss the launch of Howdy, Roku’s new ad-free streaming service, and its role in enhancing engagement and redefining the viewing experience.
- A keynote conversation with actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“500 Days of Summer,” “Inception,” “3rd Rock from the Sun”). Gordon-Levitt will discuss his passion for the intersection of media and technology, including his work as co-founder of HitRecord, an Emmy-winning online collaborative community, and his recent launch of “Joe’s Journal” on Substack. He is also set to direct an upcoming AI thriller for T-Street, with distribution by Netflix.
Additional keynote speakers will include Kelly Day, Vice President of Prime Video International.
The summit’s agenda also includes:
The Future of Content Panel
- Bruce Campbell, Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros. Discovery
- Jennifer Witz, CEO of SiriusXM
- Jon Liebman, CEO of Brillstein Entertainment Partners
The New Business of Entertainment presented by Danny Ledger, Head of Telecom, Media & Entertainment Consulting Services, Deloitte
- Tim Natividad, President of Sales and Advertising, TelevisaUnivision
- Jeff Collins, President of Advertising Sales, Marketing & Brand Partnerships, Fox
- Rita Ferro, President of Global Advertising, Disney
- Mark Marshall, President of Advertising & Global Partnerships, NBCUniversal
- Amy Reinhard, President of Advertising, Netflix
- Mike O’Donnell, Chief Revenue & Strategic Growth Officer, Vizio
First Look: Behind the Scenes of AMC and AMC+’s Upcoming Series “The Audacity,” presented by Variety Co-Editor-in-Chief Cynthia Littleton
- Simon Helberg, actor, “L’Audace”
- Billy Magnussen, actor, “The Audacity”
- Jonathan Glatzer, showrunner of “The Audacity,” “Better Call Saul”
- Dan McDermott, President of Entertainment and AMC Studios, AMC Networks
Live This! What’s Next in Events Across Platforms?
- Kim Boyd, President, Licensing & Entertainment, Hasbro
- Javi Borges, Global & US Media & Entertainment Industry Leader, EY
- Carly Zipp, Global Brand Marketing Lead, Amazon Ads
- Jenefer Brown, President, Global Products & Experiences, Lionsgate
- Kevin Chernett, Executive Vice President & Global Media Partnerships Director, Live Nation
- Sandra Douglass Morgan, President of the Las Vegas Raiders
AI at Full Speed
- Jill Steinhauser, Executive Vice President, Group Head, Monetization & Platform Partnerships, Warner Bros. Discovery
- John Jelly, Senior Vice President of Product & User Experience, Peacock and Global Streaming, NBCUniversal Media
- Sam Hall, Director of Product, Epidemic Sound
- André Kudelski, Chairman and CEO of NAGRA
- Kristen O’Hara Vice President, Agency, Platforms and Client Solutions, Google
Elite Brand Creators Roundtable
- Allison Robl Stransky, Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung
- Grace Kao, Chief Marketing Officer, Snap
- Mónica Austin, Chief Marketing Officer, Blizzard Entertainment
- Darren Schillace, Chief Marketing Officer, Fox Entertainment
A Conversation with Breckin Meyer, Actor and Producer; and Jonathan Yunger, Co-Founder and CEO of Arcana Labs
Fandom in Tune with the Times
- Nadine Zylstra, Global Head of Programming & Originals, Pinterest
- Pat Shah, Global Head of Content Acquisition, Strategy & Partnerships, Audible
- Mitchel Berger, Senior Vice President of Global Commerce, Crunchyroll
- Thai Randolph, CEO of LL Cool J’s Rock the Bells
Big Picture Outlook: What Trends Will Shape 2026?
- Jim Lanzone, CEO of Yahoo
- Chris McGurk, CEO of Cineverse
- Maureen Polo, CEO of Hello Sunshine
- Shahrzad Rafati, CEO of RHEI
- Yong-yi Zhu, Vice President & Head of Business Operations, Strategy & Compliance, Tencent Games
The Business of Creators Summit, presented by Samsung Ads, will also feature:
A conversation with Raina Penchansky, CEO and Co-Founder of DBA, Co-Chair of UTA Creators; and Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, Co-Founders of The Home Edit, co-hosts of Get Organized with The Home Edit and co-hosts of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Creator Verse Masters
- Hannah Stocking, award-winning content creator with 73 million collective followers
- Alessandra (Ale) Catanese, CEO of Smosh
- Lewis Ball, Director of Product & Strategy, RHEI
- Aleen Dreksler, Co-Founder and CEO of Betches
Unlocked Audiences: The Future of Creator Marketing
- Cameron Curtis, Senior Vice President of Global Digital Marketing, Warner Bros Studio Group
- Briana McElroy, Global Digital Marketing Director, Lionsgate
- Robin Tilotta, Global Brand Marketing Lead, Twitch
- Dara Treseder, Chief Marketing Officer, Autodesk
“We are thrilled to expand Variety’s presence at CES with a second day, the Business of Creators Summit,” said Dea Lawrence, Co-President and Editor-in-Chief of Variety. “Partnering with Samsung Ads for this inaugural event underscores the collaboration between creators, marketers, and brands to deliver compelling messaging to audiences.”
EY is the presenting partner of Variety’s Entertainment Summit at CES. Zefr is an official partner. Epidemic Sound, RHEI, NAGRA, and Vizio are supporting partners of the summit. Samsung Ads is the sole presenting partner of the Business of Creators Summit. For more information and programming updates, visit: Variety.com/ces.
