NewFronts West to Include Los Angeles Times, Ellen Digital, More

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) gave a few details on its first ever NewFronts West presentation, and the lineup is impressive. The event will feature of a roster of major and upcoming online video publishers, some of whom regularly take part in the New York City NewFront Week, and some of whom have never taken part.

Presenting companies include the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Ellen Digital Network, Meredith Corporation, SoulPancake, Viacom Digital Studios, Vice, and FameBit by YouTube.

That's not all, as Gallery Media Group, Junkin Media, LiveXMedia, and Unity Technologies will be there. Not surprisingly, Digitas, the marketing agency that originated the newfronts, will also take part.

Unlike the New York City event, which spans a week and has media buyers dashing from location to location, the West Coast event will take place over two days (October 9 and 10), with all the action occurring at the NeueHouse Hollywood in Los Angeles. Publishers will make presentations, although the IAB hasn't yet released a schedule of events.

Besides spotlighting online video publishers, NewFronts West will also host research presentations from BBC News, Spectrum Reach, TrueX, and Zefr.

The theme of the inaugural event is "Hello, L.A.: Where Ideas Meet Content," and is meant to show brands how they can work creatively with publishers and make digital content a larger part of their marketing efforts.

"Brands can expect to see the type of inventive digital programming that can help them forge meaningful, direct connections with consumers," says Anna Bager, executive vice president of industry initiatives at the IAB. "In addition, this new Los Angeles event marks a return to the roots of NewFronts, with a focus on elevating and supporting up-and-coming independent content creators across the digital video, digital audio, and VR landscapes. Furthermore, the event will celebrate the West Coast creator community and its central role in helping shape the digital video ecosystem since its inception."

Marketers and agency executives who want to take part can request an invitation.

Troy Dreier's article first appeared on OnlineVideo.net