Media Summit returns in person on Oct. 27 to discuss emergence, future of streaming

With a theme of “On-Demand In Demand: Audiences and the Future of Video Streaming,” the summit will be headlined by the traditional 3 p.m. all-star panel presentation in Tyler Hall’s Waterman Theatre.

Panelists include Jamie Duemo, the media and entertainment business development leader at Amazon Web Services; award-winning educator and filmmaker Chrissy Guest from Ithaca College; Renard Jenkins, WarnerMedia’s vice president of production integration and creative technology services; and 1983 Oswego alumnus Frank L. Palumbo, vice president/account manager of local television for Nielsen Holdings.

Justin Dobrow, a 2017 SUNY Oswego graduate and supervisor of program operations at NBCUniversal supporting Peacock, will serve as moderator.

Abby Czerwonka, who leads the 11-member student team organizing the media summit, said the topic looks at an entertainment avenue that has evolved so much just in current students’ lifetimes.

“The typical student at our age group has seen video streaming come about,” said Czerwonka, , a senior double majoring in public relations and in business administration. “As kids, we’ve gone from watching DVDs and with a parent to the rise of on-demand video, but now every student seemingly has a Netflix or Hulu account. We’re excited to talk to them about the changes in their lifetime and where the future is going.”

In addition to the 3 p.m. presentation, expert panelists will speak to a variety of classes throughout the day, and the popular Career Connectors post-panel event will allow current students to network with successful alumni in a variety of fields.

Streaming superstar panel

“We think that it’s huge for students, especially those going into the communications or broadcasting industry, which seems to change on a day-to-day basis,” Czerwonka said. "They can gain some perspective from alumni and high-profile panelists talking about how their careers shifted as video streaming came about."

In addition to the leadership post with Amazon, Duemo possesses over 20 years of experience within the broadcast and media industry, architecting solutions for post-production, broadcast and distribution workflows. At AWS, Duemo is responsible for leading cloud migrations for media workloads, bridging the gap between the business and technical requirements. Duomo’s career also has included time with major network providers such as Turner Entertainment, Discovery Communications and NBC Universal.

An associate professor of media arts, sciences and studies for Ithaca College, Guest received the University Film and Video Association Excellence in Teaching Award in 2019 and was a featured Entertainment Educator in Variety magazine. Guest researches career trajectories for women entering the animation field. Her award-winning short documentary “The Women of Titmouse Animation” is part of a larger “Beyond Ink & Paint: The Women of Animation” series examining animation history and studio culture surrounding women from the 1970s to today.

In addition to his key position in WarnerMedia, Jenkins has more than 30 years of experience in the film, television and radio industry. Currently he oversees teams which support 10,000+ cast/crew members, 5,000+ hours and hundreds of global feature film and syndicated television productions annually. He provides these projects and their creators with creative production technology solutions and strategy for studio, post and remote applications, IP and production pipeline workflows and work stream design and implementation. 

Palumbo has continuously worked his way up into his executive role since joining Nielsen in 1997. He is part of the Nielsen local media organization that measures the country’s 208 local U.S. markets. Prior to Nielsen, Palumbo was a corporate research director for a broadcast TV group and spent 14 years in television management, sales and research operations. He credits his career decisions directly to the Oswego’s communication program, including serving on the executive board at the student-run WTOP television station in college. 

Dobrow managed delivery for tens of thousands of assets for Peacock including the migration of the full 17,000-hour WWE library, NBC network hits, Peacock originals and the classic comedic hit “The Office.” In his previous role at NBCU as Program Operations Manager, he worked with the launch team for Peacock, managing fulfillment for the streaming platform launched in July 2020. Dubrow earned his Oswego degree in broadcasting and mass communication, and served as the general manager of WTOP, for two years.

Perspectives and pointers

“I think the summit in general provides a lot of different perspectives for students,” Czerwonka said. “I went in my first year and didn’t know what I wanted to do yet and didn’t know where I wanted to go, but it’s very eye-opening to see so many professionals and hear them talk about how they got to where they are and how we can get into the industry as well.”

These professionals include the alumni Career Connectors during a session from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Tyler Hall lobby. Confirmed connectors so far include Travis Clark '15, senior media reporter for "Insider"; Kalie Hudson Dobrow '16, senior social strategist, Edelman; Imani Cruz '17, talent and series development, MTV Networks; Geselle Martinez '17, stage manager, "CBS Mornings"; Carmen Mendoza '17, commercial operations coordinator, Sundance TV; and Matt Stone '15, segment producer for "Good Morning America."

“For the Career Connectors networking event, you can meet alumni face to face, talk about their experience, and about coming from being a SUNY Oswego graduate to where they are today,” Czerwonka explained. “That’s an excellent event and we are super-excited to have it again in person.”

Those who are unable to attend can still see the panel on live-streaming via a live Zoom webstream.

SUNY Oswego’s School of Communication, Media and the Arts hosts the Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit each fall. The summit was founded in 2005 by media pioneer and 1977 Oswego alumnus and Lou Borrelli. In 2007, 1976 Oswego graduate Al Roker of NBC’s “Today” show became a co-sponsor of the event, which was renamed in memory of their beloved professor, the late Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell.

For more information on the event, livestream of the panel or biographies of participants, visit the Media Summit website, mediasummit.org.