For more information, please contact:
Jan Moen, executive director
Accelerate Madison, Inc.
Phone: 608.213.3939
Email: info@acceleratemadison.org
Accelerate Madison Event will feature Steve Banfield on
Thursday, March 23, 2006, 6:30 p.m., at Fluno Center in Madison.
Madison, WI – March 16, 2006, Accelerate Madison announces details of a
networking and educational event being held on Thursday evening, March 23,
2006, at Fluno Center in Madison. This event is hosted by Accelerate
Madison, sponsored by Madison Gas and Electric, and is open to the general
public. To obtain a complimentary Media Pass, contact Jan Moen at
608.213.3939.
“Spotlight on Sony Media Software”
An Accelerate Madison Event
Speaker: Steve Banfield, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Sony
Media Software
Sony Corporation of America
Date: Thursday, March 23, 2006
Time: 5:00 p.m. Networking Reception; 6:30-8:00 p.m. Program
Venue: Fluno Center for Executive Education
Admission: $30 Non-Members; $10 Students; $0 Accelerate Madison’s Members
Registration: http://www.acceleratemadison.org or (608) 213-3939
Event Sponsor: MGE
http://www.mge.com
ABOUT THIS ACCELERATE MADISON PROGRAM
Sony Corporation of America arrived in Madison on July 30, 2003, after
purchasing Sonic Foundry’s desktop software division. That date marked a
milestone in building Madison’s software sector. On March 23, 2006,
Accelerate Madison will host an event to hear and see first-hand how a
local world-class team and their products have integrated into Sony
Corporation of America’s strategy and universe.
Keynote Speaker Steve Banfield, Senior Vice President & General Manager,
Sony Media Software, Sony Corporation of America, will share his vision,
satisfy local curiosities, and share wisdom to help motivate product
innovation and the software development sector throughout our region.
During his presentation and interactive discussion with a live audience,
Mr. Banfield will discuss the following topics:
• Sony Media Software is the corporation’s only division and product line
that is software application specific. How does Sony Media Software fit
into the world of Sony?
• Sony Corporation of America’s ability to develop, invest in and grow its
Madison-based subsidiary is bounded only by the ability to hire and retain
the right people in this marketplace. Regarding workforce development in
an innovative economy, what best practices can Madison’s business
community learn from Sony Media Software’s experiences here during the
past 32 months?
• A wealth of opportunity exists for digital media content to be leveraged
and personalized by businesses and consumers alike. In the current age of
media convergence, our fundamental relationships with media are changing
at rapid speed. What does the future hold from Sony’s perspective?
ABOUT SPEAKER STEVE BANFIELD
Steve Banfield is responsible for a dynamic product line of applications,
content and services for professional and amateur media creators alike.
Sony Media Software’s award-winning products include the video production
suite Vegas, ACID Pro for music creation and Sound Forge, the standard for
digital audio editing on PCs. Under Mr. Banfield’s leadership, his team
has expanded its distribution and product lines to include new products
for children, as well as support for new Sony devices such as the Mobile
Walkman lineup of phones and the PlayStation Portable system.
Mr. Banfield’s previous positions at Sony include executive roles at both
Sony Pictures Digital Networks and Sony Connect, where he was responsible
for building out the digital distribution infrastructure to support many
consumer-driven digital entertainment businesses, including SoapCity,
Screenblast, and the Sony Connect music service.
Prior to joining Sony, Steve Banfield served as Vice President of
Strategic Relations at RealNetworks, Inc. In that role, he was
responsible for the company’s product evangelism efforts, as well as the
development of new distribution avenues through partners and other key
industry leaders. Mr. Banfield joined RealNetworks in 1998 as Group
Program Manager for the company’s RealPlayer®. In 1999, he was promoted
to General Manager of Consumer Products with responsibility for the
strategic direction of RealNetworks’ consumer applications. Under his
leadership, the division shipped three releases of RealPlayer, plus the
RealOneTM Platform and RealOne Player, and substantially grew the
company’s user base from 30 million to 285 million.
Prior to his tenure at RealNetworks, Mr. Banfield led product development
and marketing initiatives at such leading technology companies as
Microsoft, where he was involved in the development of Windows 95; and NCR
and IBM.
Mr. Banfield holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and is a
graduate of Transylvania University where he received a degree in Computer
Science. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
ABOUT ACCELERATE MADISON, INC.
Accelerate Madison is a nonprofit membership organization that brings
together entrepreneurs, business leaders, technologists, educators and
students involved in information technology to educate on and improve the
use of information technology, nurture the development of technology
companies and optimize economic growth of diverse businesses within
Greater Madison.
ADDITIONAL UPCOMING EVENTS HOSTED BY ACCELERATE MADISON
Networking events and educational programs hosted by Accelerate Madison
are open to the general public. Upcoming monthly events in Madison
through June 2006 are announced as follows:
“An Evening with Microsoft”
Speaker: Michael Risse, Microsoft Corporation
Date: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Time: 5:00 p.m. Networking Reception; 6:30-8:00 p.m. Program
Venue: TO BE DETERMINED (Venue will not be Fluno Center)
Admission: $30 Non-Members; $10 Students; $0 Accelerate Madison’s Members
“Patent Cooperation Treaty”
Speaker: Isabelle Boutillon, World Intellectual Property Organization
Date: Monday, May 22, 2006
Time: 5:30 p.m. Networking Reception; 6;30-8:00 p.m. Program
Venue: Fluno Center for Executive Education, 601 University Ave., Madison
Admission: $30 Non-Members; $10 Students; $0 Accelerate Madison’s Members
“The Information Technology Association of Wisconsin”
Speaker: Jim Rice, Information Technology Association of Wisconsin
Date: Thursday, June 22, 2006
Time: 5:00-6:30 p.m. Networking Reception; 6:30-8:00 p.m. Program
Venue: Fluno Center for Executive Education, 601 University Ave., Madison
Admission: $30 Non-Members; $10 Students; $0 Accelerate Madison’s Members
