Beyond Google, Wikipedia, & Amazon: A Practicum on How Traditional Businesses Can Lead, Compete & Win on the Social Web

In addition to a 20-year career in commercial film and television as a writer/producer/director, George LeBrun has founded two companies, Lightstorm Media and VOX4, that offer consulting and licensing services to the some of the most influential media companies in the world, including Disney/The Jim Henson Company, Universal Music Group, NASCAR drivers, and many more. He has also held CEO and top-level management positions at Performance Monitor LLC, Business Development for Digital Standard LLC, and IPNetwork.com in corporate strategy, marketing, market research, and the licensing of intellectual property for companies such as HP, IBM, Oracle, Miramax TV, and Turner Broadcasting.

Prior to joining O’Reilly Media, George was the founder and CEO of Rule 13, a consulting company that helps companies assess and re-align their business rules, strategies, and innovation methodologies for the “experience economy.” Much of the company’s work relates to emerging trends & technologies, Web 2.0 applications, social media, new advertising platforms and methodologies, as well as multi-platform digital content development and distribution. Rule 13’s clients include Accenture and Best Buy, among others.

George holds a law degree and sits on the Advisory Board for the University of Texas School of Business SA. He is a member of the Writers’ Guild and the International Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Joshua Ross has been consulting with businesses on digital strategy for over a decade. During that time, he has overseen the launch of dozens of highly successful, enterprise-class ecommerce sites, exchange platforms, and community sites. He has worked extensively with start-ups to Fortune 500 companies on strategy and governance planning for ebusiness.

Joshua comes with a deep background in online marketing and communications, utilizing emerging social media technologies¬¬—community, blogging, virtual worlds, and WOM, among others—to deliver highly successful, sustainable marketing strategies. His focus over the last three years has been on applying Web 2.0 principles to deliver competitive advantage to Global 2000 clients, from new business model development to customer engagement and communication strategies. Joshua has been a guest lecturer at Harvard University on information design and human factors, and has spoken at conferences related to technology and digital strategy. Past clients include Washington Mutual, Accenture, Best Buy, Arup, Autodesk, and Polycom.

Joshua holds a degree with honors in Chinese Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.