San Francisco Agenda
- Day 1Tuesday 22 October
- Day 2Wednesday 23 October
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Select a Theme
- User Acquisition Track
- Product Monetization Track
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Kristina Taylor, Business Development, GamehouseKristina TaylorBusiness DevelopmentGamehouse
Mike Aaronson, SVP, Commercial Strategy & Growth, Hyper Hippo EntertainmentMike AaronsonSVP, Commercial Strategy & GrowthHyper Hippo EntertainmentAs SVP Commercial Strategy & Growth, Mike is responsible for establishing & executing the growth strategy for the business of Hyper Hippo’s live games and maximizing the profitability of the business. Prior to Hyper Hippo, Mike spent 20 years scaling new digital businesses in the entertainment industry at Comcast and NBCUniversal.
Tanner Hanson, President, RevUTanner HansonPresidentRevUTanner Hanson is the President of RevU, where he is responsible for the business’ growth, product, and account management. He joined RevU in 2022 to transform the business into a multi-platform solution for publishers and advertisers.
Prior to RevU, Tanner led US account management across advertisers and publishers at ironSource (now part of Unity Technologies), overseeing both ad network and offerwall clients. He started his mobile career after a post-college stint in retail on the agency side, running app campaigns for clients including Square, Eventbrite, and Meta. Tanner is Bay Area born and raised, currently based in San Francisco.
Josh Chandley, COO, WildCard GamesJosh ChandleyCOOWildCard Games
Daniel Helmhold, Head of Product Marketing, Mobile, EADaniel HelmholdHead of Product Marketing, MobileEA09.00
Gamesforum Unfiltered: Growth
A 4am bar chat at 9am in the morning, the only way to kick-off Gamesforum San Francisco! Join our Unfiltered panel as they go off the record on the state of mobile games marketing. This session is not-recorded, you must be in the room to hear our growth leaders break down rising CPI’s, the impact of app giants buying up marketing space, the role of AI, the state of privacy and prediction for UA in 2025…
10.00 - Morning Break
Alex Kyle, Global Media Buying Lead, Growth, Riot GamesAlex KyleGlobal Media Buying Lead, GrowthRiot GamesAlex's experience has been working with innumerable clients, KPIs, technology platforms and ad products for over thirteen years in the digital world. He now leads the in-house media buying team at Riot Games, focusing on user acquisition and revenue growth for their titles.
10.30
Player-First Advertising: The Riot Approach to VALORANT's Growth
This presentation explores Valorant user acquisition, balancing player trust, data-driven marketing, and creative engagement while addressing challenges in measurement, ROI, and maintaining Riot’s player-first philosophy.
William Hughes, Head of Creative Services, KabamWilliam HughesHead of Creative ServicesKabam11.00
Creativity and AI in Mobile Game Marketing
Mobile marketing evolves rapidly, demanding swift adaptation. Integrating AI into your creative pipeline boosts efficiency and output. AI streamlines content creation and minimizes repetitive tasks, freeing up artists for more creative work. It enables real-time trend adaptation and empowers artists with actionable insights, enhancing asset creation and driving improved performance.
Athar Zia, CEO & Co-Founder, BLKBOX.aiAthar ZiaCEO & Co-FounderBLKBOX.aiAthar “Z” Zia is the CEO of BLKBOX.ai, an AI-powered all-in-one creative intelligence platform for mobile marketers to create, test, analyze, and scale.
With deep expertise in statistics, ad auctions, and performance marketing, Z previously helped scale a top gaming advertiser to become the fifth largest on Meta, achieving a track record of $1M in daily ad spend. Driven by the rise of artificial intelligence and creatives being the key lever to unlock scaled ad performance, he then left Meta to build BLKBOX.ai in 2020.Sponsored by
Imagine instantly identifying the top 5% of creatives that resonate with your audience and effortlessly scaling those winners across paid social channels. BLKBOX.ai makes this possible with our AI-powered, omnichannel ad production and testing platform. Our no-code, plug-and-play solution pinpoints the exact ads that deeply engage your audience. Whether for geo-expansion or high-performing localized content, we highlight the best ads every time. At BLKBOX.ai, we don't leave success to chance.
11.30
AI-Video Ads: Built 90% Faster & 80% Cheaper
In a world where creatives fail 95% of the time, we will leverage the BLKBOX platform to showcase how AI Video Ads can be made 90% faster and 80% cheaper to help you scale your business.
Mariam Ahmad, Head of Content, GamesforumMariam AhmadHead of ContentGamesforumMariam recently joined Gamesforum as Head of Content, having previously worked at Exchangewire as editorial lead. With a keen interest in ad tech, Mariam’s area of interest also includes ad monetisation, UA, curation, and more. Previously, she also hosted the Madtech Podcast, which featured a range of industry leaders and visionaries, ranging from Paramount to Uber and Microsoft.
Tina Shaw, Creative Director, Activision Blizzard MediaTina ShawCreative DirectorActivision Blizzard MediaA multiple award-winning creative, Tina is Creative Director for ACTIVISION, leading a diverse team in innovative content across UA paid & organic platforms for players around the world of Call of Duty: Mobile, Crash Team Rumble, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and the upcoming Warzone: Mobile.
Prior, she was Creative Director driving creative & strategic campaigns across digital, experiential, interactive & AR/VR for entertainment brands NBCUniversal, Netflix, HBOmax, Hulu, TNT & Showtime for shows, such as Law & Order: SVU, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Tommy & Pam, Good Girls & This Is Us, amongst others.
Michael Lee, Senior Manager, Creative Product Marketing, Jam CityMichael LeeSenior Manager, Creative Product MarketingJam City
Alon Golan, Principal Product Manager, BigabidAlon GolanPrincipal Product ManagerBigabidAlon Golan leads product initiatives at Bigabid, a data-driven DSP focused on app growth. He specializes in creating innovative solutions that harness data science to enhance performance and drive results for mobile app advertisers.
João Vieira da Costa, CEO & Founder, ReplaiJoão Vieira da CostaCEO & FounderReplaiJoao is the CEO & founder - Replai that uses an innovative data-to-ads process to generate mobile video creatives. Replai counts with over 5 billion dollars of ad-spend per year processed by their video generation platform, where they are helping the world leader studios on mobile gaming.
12.00
Creative Advertising Panel
With CPIs rising and privacy restricting data, what can creative teams do to maximise ad impacts? Our panel will explore the work being done to maximise user engagement, the importance of data in informing creatives, working with product teams, the evolution of AI and what makes an effective creative marketing team in 2024.
13.00 - Networking Lunch
Faith Price, Director of Growth Marketing, DoubleDown InteractiveFaith PriceDirector of Growth MarketingDoubleDown Interactive14.00
SKAN Custom Conversion Values for Campaign Optimization
Three years after SKAN, and signal loss continues to be a challenge for User Acquistion campaigns. Can you expand custom conversion values that were originally developed to predict LTV to provide data for campaign optimization? What questions do you need to ask and what data should you evaluate? Faith will walk through lessons learned from this initiative.
Nancy Peters, CRO, Rainbow Unicorn GamesNancy PetersCRORainbow Unicorn Games
Brad Shapiro, EVP of Revenue, KashKickBrad ShapiroEVP of RevenueKashKick
Macarena Cáceres, UA Lead, Hyper Hippo EntertainmentMacarena CáceresUA LeadHyper Hippo Entertainment
Yoni Ellert, VP of Performance MarketingYoni EllertVP of Performance Marketing14.30
Utilizing Rewarded UA Channels
One of the hottest UA networks in 2024 is rewarded, but how do you assess the impact of rewarded platforms and what is being done to weed out fraudulent traffic? Our panel will share their work tightening up the rewarded UA space, identifying and removing fraudulent users and making the most of newly acquired high LTV users in product and monetization strategy.
15.30 - Afternoon Break
Phil Shpilberg, UA & Marketing ExpertPhil ShpilbergUA & Marketing ExpertPhil Shpilberg, founder and former president of GameChangerSF (sold to Pixis), is an AI-focused data scientist with over a decade of experience in gaming and mobile marketing.
Brian Truman, Principal & Founder, Truman XP AdvisorsBrian TrumanPrincipal & FounderTruman XP Advisors
Ying Shao, Norther America, GM, BrightLakeYing ShaoNorther America, GMBrightLakeYing is a passionate advocate for ASA full services, dedicated to expanding North American clients' businesses through BrightLake's best-in-class offerings. With extensive experience as a senior leader at Meta, Google, and Unity, Ying brings deep insights into the gaming and apps industry. Her expertise particularly shines in growing app native businesses in the global market.
Fiona Lin Ferrier, Head of Strategic Accounts, AppierFiona Lin FerrierHead of Strategic AccountsAppier
Nikhil Sharma, Product Manager, Wizards of the CoastNikhil SharmaProduct ManagerWizards of the Coast16.00
Data & Measurement in 2024: The Future of Mobile UA
Drawing our UA content to a close, the data segmentation panel. Join panellists as they take to the stage to talk about making the most of your data in 2024, use cases for segmenting your audience and best practices in retaining and reengaging your most valuable users.
Laura Taranto, Senior Director of Product & Head of New Games, Big Fish GamesLaura TarantoSenior Director of Product & Head of New GamesBig Fish GamesLaura has over 15 years experience in the games industry, focusing on F2P casual mobile games covering all phases of development (ideation to live operations management).
She’s worked in lead/key roles on titles Farm Heroes Saga (ABK), EverMerge (BFG), Tuscany Villa (Scopely) and Pearl’s Peril (Playtika).
Built and scaled a new games division at BFG; and plays a central role in casual publishing and strategy.
Jen Donahoe, Podcast Host & Marketing Consultant, Deconstructors of FunJen DonahoePodcast Host & Marketing ConsultantDeconstructors of FunJen is a marketing leader with over 25+ years of experience at major game, toy, & entertainment companies.
She’s worked alongside developers in marketing, publishing, and growth roles at Riot, Scopely, EA, & Zynga specializing in product marketing with game teams. She’s also established & led new teams while educating leadership on the values of UA, mobile publishing, and product marketing.
Currently, Jen is a Strategic Marketing Consultant at Beta Hat Market Research & JadeInferno Consulting.
Eric Kress, Principal Consultant , Gossamer Consulting GroupEric KressPrincipal ConsultantGossamer Consulting GroupEric is a gaming thought leader with 25+ years of video games industry experience including EA and Kabam, and advisory work for WB Games, Google, Amazon, and Sega.
Currently Eric is the Principal at Gossamer Consulting Group, founded in 2015 and based in San Francisco, where he provides primary research on worldwide console and mobile gaming markets. Eric also consults with a variety of mobile and console game publishers on product and market strategy.
17.00
State of Mobile F2P with Deconstructors of Fun (and guests!)
Covering key takeaways from day one of Gamesforum San Francisco, join Deonstructors of Funs’ Laura, Jen and Eric as they break down the topics and conversations of our UA and Product tracks. Offering counter-arguments and hot-takes, this is the way to round off your learning from day one at Gamesforum SF!
18.00 - Networking Drinks -
10.00 - Morning Break
Anastasia Zaiceva, CCO, ZiMADAnastasia ZaicevaCCOZiMADChief Communications Officer at ZiMAD, expert in Strategic Communications. Brand marketing professional with over 10 year of experience. Mother of a young gamer, blogger, lecturer. ExWargaming, exGame.tv, exFreeplay
Elizaveta Savenkova, CBDO, ZiMADElizaveta SavenkovaCBDOZiMAD10.30
Partnerships as a Catalyst for Growing Your Product’s Metrics and Brand Awareness
Join Anastasia and Elizaveta as they provide insights on leveraging partnerships to grow your products metrics and elevate brand awareness!
· Leverage Shared Audiences: How collaborations can introduce your product to new customer segments.
· Boost Engagement: Partnering to create joint campaigns that drive user interaction and retention.
· Co-branded Promotions: Joint promotions that amplify brand visibility across platforms.
· Content Collaboration: Creating shared content, such as blogs, social media posts, or in-game events, to increase brand recognition.
· Mutual Value Creation: How partnerships benefit both brands through shared resources and expertise.
· Enhanced Social Impact: Aligning with causes to boost brand reputation and customer loyalty.
Paul Thind, CRO, AethirPaul ThindCROAethirPaul Thind is an accomplished entrepreneur and the Chief Revenue Officer at Aethir, bringing over 25 years of expertise spanning gaming, music, Web3, and digital media. He has founded several successful ventures, including Triggerspot Inc., Blackmoon Games, Rivus Media, and Necropolis Records.
As a visionary in game publishing, Paul played a pivotal role in the growth of iconic platforms like Habbo Hotel and Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom. He also pioneered the integration of high-profile artist visits, featuring legends such as Ozzy Osbourne, Gorillaz, Oasis, and Beastie Boys, within gaming environments.
Throughout his career, Paul has held senior leadership and advisory positions at leading companies such as Spil Games, IGG, Zynga, 20th Century Fox, Denuvo, Spyr Games, LandVault, Disney, InMobi, and Outspark. His innovative contributions to the gaming and Web3 sectors have been instrumental in driving over $2 billion in transactions and enterprise value.
11.00
Optimizing UA in Mobile Gaming with Decentralized Cloud Tech
Explore how Aethir’s 'Instant Play' is reshaping user acquisition for mobile games, particularly in emerging markets like Asia and Latin America. This session discusses strategies for optimizing performance on low-end devices using decentralized cloud technology to increase conversion rates, improve user engagement, and boost retention for sustainable growth.
Solomon Ruiz-Lichter, Senior Director, Global Gaming, CleverTapSolomon Ruiz-LichterSenior Director, Global GamingCleverTapSponsored by
CleverTap Gaming, powered by Leanplum, is the industry’s only all-in-one platform that unlocks
Player Experience Management, enabling game studios and publishers to own the full player
lifecycle from early onboarding to ritualized play, through LiveOps, CRM, and Game
Configuration, built on a foundation of advanced player analytics and industry-leading data
management. The company is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Mumbai, Sofia,
Amsterdam, and Singapore.11.30
Survive Past '25 - How To Execute In The Down Market
Join Solomon Ruiz-Lichter, Sr. Director of Global Gaming at CleverTap, for an in-depth analysis of the current state of the gaming market, a look at how we got here, and a discussion about the new business models, approaches, technologies, and processes that will see us through the current market environment and have us stronger and more resilient than ever on the other side.
Ji Hyun Jeong, Product Management ConsultantJi Hyun JeongProduct Management ConsultantJi Hyun Jeong is a Product Consultant with expertise in launching new games, monetization strategies, and driving data-driven improvements for North American and Asian markets.
Nancy MacIntyre, CEO, WorldWinnerNancy MacIntyreCEOWorldWinnerNancy MacIntyre, CEO of WorldWinner, is a well-respected games industry executive, with a proven track record of successfully growing audiences worldwide for mass-market digital products.
Andy Wong, Growth Marketing Manager, Find you Fun Studio, Wizards of the CoastAndy WongGrowth Marketing ManagerFind you Fun Studio, Wizards of the Coast
Mat Harris, VP of Product, Activision Blizzard MediaMat HarrisVP of ProductActivision Blizzard Media
Davin Miyoshi, CPO & Co-founder, SkillprintDavin MiyoshiCPO & Co-founderSkillprintCo-Founder of Skillprint, which distributes games that enhance a player’s mental well-being. Previously, Davin sold Mesmo to GSN, and grew GSN Games to over 75+ million users and $100+ million in revenue.
12.00
Product Roadmaps: Planning to Market & Monetize
The market space is becoming increasingly crowded and successful, means-tested market penetration is more important than ever.
Join us as our panel share their best practices on planning a strong marketing and monetization strategy in a products GTM strategy.
13.00 - Networking Lunch14.00
Dafna Ben Onn, Director of Monetization, SciPlayDafna Ben OnnDirector of MonetizationSciPlayDafna Ben Onn serves as the Director of Monetization at SciPlay, leveraging a rich decade-long experience within the gaming industry. Her expertise spans diverse domains, transitioning her roots in marketing to excel in monetization, LiveOps, social media and CRM. Notably, Dafna has masterfully led the establishment of thriving LiveOps teams across three of SciPlay’s flagship games: Jackpot Party Social Casino, Gold Fish Casino and 88 Fortunes. Prior to SciPlay, Dafna held the role of Marketing Lead at Playtika. Dafna attended Shenkar College of Engineering in Tel Aviv where she studied industrial engineering and management. She currently resides in Austin, TX with her husband and two children.
14.00
Personalize Your LiveOps
Jackpot Party Casino Slots has been live for more than a decade, yet still feels fresh for even its earliest players thanks to the developer’s LiveOps approach specifically tailoring activities and events to individual player preferences. SciPlay’s LiveOps mastermind shares tips and strategies that can benefit every game.
Eiso Kawamoto, Growth Marketing Consultant, Mobile Game DoctorsEiso KawamotoGrowth Marketing ConsultantMobile Game Doctors
Mike Gallagher, Founder, Untitled Ad LabMike GallagherFounderUntitled Ad LabDafna Ben Onn, Director of Monetization, SciPlayDafna Ben OnnDirector of MonetizationSciPlayDafna Ben Onn serves as the Director of Monetization at SciPlay, leveraging a rich decade-long experience within the gaming industry. Her expertise spans diverse domains, transitioning her roots in marketing to excel in monetization, LiveOps, social media and CRM. Notably, Dafna has masterfully led the establishment of thriving LiveOps teams across three of SciPlay’s flagship games: Jackpot Party Social Casino, Gold Fish Casino and 88 Fortunes. Prior to SciPlay, Dafna held the role of Marketing Lead at Playtika. Dafna attended Shenkar College of Engineering in Tel Aviv where she studied industrial engineering and management. She currently resides in Austin, TX with her husband and two children.
Joel White, Head of Product , Kingsisle Entertainment, Gamigo GroupJoel WhiteHead of ProductKingsisle Entertainment, Gamigo GroupJoel White is a 24-year professional in the games industry and currently Head of Product for KingsIsle Entertainment.
Aiden Tan, Senior Product Manager, Live OpsAiden TanSenior Product Manager, Live Ops14.30
LiveOps: Driving Monetization with Content
LiveOps continues to prove a determining success in successful acquisition, monetization and retention, but getting it right requires a lot of testing. Hear from our mobile F2P LiveOps experts as they share insights on their successful LiveOps, lessons from mistakes and best practices for kicking off our maximising return on your LiveOps strategy.
15.30 - Afternoon BreakJosh Chandley, COO, WildCard GamesJosh ChandleyCOOWildCard Games
Alex Kozachenko, CEO, HyperBeardAlex KozachenkoCEOHyperBeardAlex Kozachenko is the CEO of HyperBeard, the largest mobile game developer and publisher in Mexico with over 210M downloads on Apple AppStore and Google Play Store with great games like Campfire Cat Cafe, Adorable Home & Pocket Love! HyperBeard specializes in cute, casual, idle-games targeting an adult-female demographic. Alex specializes in business, product & marketing strategy.
Oindrila Mandal, Senior Game Product Manager, EAOindrila MandalSenior Game Product ManagerEAOindrila Mandal is a Senior Game Product Manager at Electronic Arts. She builds player-friendly monetization systems for EA's portfolio of mobile games.
Devin Becker, Senior Games Industry Consultant, NaavikDevin BeckerSenior Games Industry ConsultantNaavik
Tiffany Keller, Product Director, Startup Advisor & Podcast Co-Host, GameForgeAI & Rise&Play PodcastTiffany KellerProduct Director, Startup Advisor & Podcast Co-HostGameForgeAI & Rise&Play Podcast16.00
Diversifying Revenue in 2024
Today’s mobile game product manager must also be a tight rope walker, finding the perfect balance for a sustainable economy. Whether it is weighting rewarded ads, fine tuning IAPs, mapping out time loops, adding battle passes or exploring subscription models, our panellists will share their experience in constructing and maintaining a healthy game economy.
Laura Taranto, Senior Director of Product & Head of New Games, Big Fish GamesLaura TarantoSenior Director of Product & Head of New GamesBig Fish GamesLaura has over 15 years experience in the games industry, focusing on F2P casual mobile games covering all phases of development (ideation to live operations management).
She’s worked in lead/key roles on titles Farm Heroes Saga (ABK), EverMerge (BFG), Tuscany Villa (Scopely) and Pearl’s Peril (Playtika).
Built and scaled a new games division at BFG; and plays a central role in casual publishing and strategy.
Jen Donahoe, Podcast Host & Marketing Consultant, Deconstructors of FunJen DonahoePodcast Host & Marketing ConsultantDeconstructors of FunJen is a marketing leader with over 25+ years of experience at major game, toy, & entertainment companies.
She’s worked alongside developers in marketing, publishing, and growth roles at Riot, Scopely, EA, & Zynga specializing in product marketing with game teams. She’s also established & led new teams while educating leadership on the values of UA, mobile publishing, and product marketing.
Currently, Jen is a Strategic Marketing Consultant at Beta Hat Market Research & JadeInferno Consulting.
Eric Kress, Principal Consultant , Gossamer Consulting GroupEric KressPrincipal ConsultantGossamer Consulting GroupEric is a gaming thought leader with 25+ years of video games industry experience including EA and Kabam, and advisory work for WB Games, Google, Amazon, and Sega.
Currently Eric is the Principal at Gossamer Consulting Group, founded in 2015 and based in San Francisco, where he provides primary research on worldwide console and mobile gaming markets. Eric also consults with a variety of mobile and console game publishers on product and market strategy.
17.00
State of Mobile F2P with Deconstructors of Fun (and guests!)
Covering key takeaways from day one of Gamesforum San Francisco, join Deonstructors of Funs’ Laura, Jen and Eric as they break down the topics and conversations of our UA and Product tracks. Offering counter-arguments and hot-takes, this is the way to round off your learning from day one at Gamesforum SF!
06.00 - Networking Drinks sponsored by YouAppi
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Select a Theme
- Ad Monetization Track
- Alternative Growth Track
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09.00
Gamesforum San Francisco Networking Breakfast
Reconvene for day two over a coffee and pastries! The perfect chance to catch up with colleagues about day one and fuel up for day two of Gamesforum San Francisco!
Brian Truman, Principal & Founder, Truman XP AdvisorsBrian TrumanPrincipal & FounderTruman XP Advisors
John Welch, Founder & CEO, Making FunJohn WelchFounder & CEOMaking Fun
CK Wang, CEO, KooappsCK WangCEOKooapps
Jade Graves, Senior Director of Publisher Business Development, MobileFuseJade GravesSenior Director of Publisher Business DevelopmentMobileFuse17+ year veteran of adtech, currently focused on expanding MobileFuse's brand advertising platform by acquiring new publisher partners, and specializes in in-app and CTV brand ad monetization strategies.
Nicole Opas, Gaming Strategist & AdvisorNicole OpasGaming Strategist & Advisor
Indy Khabra, Co-Founder, LivewireIndy KhabraCo-FounderLivewire10.00
Gamesforum Unfiltered: Monetization
Kickstart day-two of Gamesforum San Francisco with Gamesforum Unfiltered: Monetization, the chance to break down the state of mobile games monetization in 2024. This session is off-the-record, with panellists tackling the greatest challenges and offering innovative solutions. Come armed with a coffee and your questions for our uncensored first panel of the day.
11.00 - Morning BreakCK Wang, CEO, KooappsCK WangCEOKooapps11.30
F2P Indie Acquisition, Retention, Monetization Tactics (ARM)
From industry consolidation to privacy changes, surviving in the mobile F2P space seems impossible as an indie studio. In this talk, CK will share acquisition, retention, and monetization (ARM) tactics that enabled games like Snake.io to grow from 0 to 400 million+ players. Topics covered include increasing organic traffic, retaining via push notifications and playtests, and monetize via ads and live events.
12.00Tanner Hanson, President, RevUTanner HansonPresidentRevUTanner Hanson is the President of RevU, where he is responsible for the business’ growth, product, and account management. He joined RevU in 2022 to transform the business into a multi-platform solution for publishers and advertisers.
Prior to RevU, Tanner led US account management across advertisers and publishers at ironSource (now part of Unity Technologies), overseeing both ad network and offerwall clients. He started his mobile career after a post-college stint in retail on the agency side, running app campaigns for clients including Square, Eventbrite, and Meta. Tanner is Bay Area born and raised, currently based in San Francisco.Sponsored by
RevU operates the industry's most advanced offerwall for games of all sizes and genres! Our secure SDK-less offerwall platform allows for quick and flexible integrations, and our unique lineup of direct demand generates the highest eCPMs in the industry on all mobile platforms. With a reach of millions of unique users, RevU also is a powerhouse for studios looking to acquire large amounts of new gamers while exceeding KPIs!
12.00
Off the Wall
If you still think offerwalls require SDKs and exclusivity, you’re not making as much money as you should be. Learn the why's and how's of monetizing with offerwall from RevU, a company revolutionizing the format, led by executives from ironSource and Tapjoy.
12.30 - Networking Lunch
Matthew Brown, Ad Monetization & Marketing ExpertMatthew BrownAd Monetization & Marketing ExpertMatt started his career working in television ads in New York in 2011. In 2014, he joined Kongregate as an Account Executive working on traditional web ad sales for Kongregate.com and Gamestop.com. By the end of the year, he took over Kongregate's in-app ad monetization for their mobile publishing business which included such hits at AdVenture Capitalist and Animation Throwdown. He rose up the ranks over the next 10+ years and became the Vice President of Ad Monetization & Marketing in November of 2021. Matt and Konreagte parted ways in February of 2024 and he is currently an independent ad monetization and marketing consultant.
Ammar Banatwala, Director, Analytics & Revenue, AdsAmmar BanatwalaDirector, Analytics & Revenue, AdsI've worked in the Ad Mon industry for over 5 years now and in that time, we've all witnessed unprecedented change with widespread consolidation through M&A and evolution of the ad stack towards bidding. Having worked on some of the top grossing F2P mobile games, there's always the expectation of growth despite external circumstances. With my background in Economics and Statistics, it has led me to a highly data driven approach to Ad Mon with a huge emphasis placed on things like Segmentation to maximize the value of every single cohort within our games.
Dan McAdams, Head of Sales, Ads, UnityDan McAdamsHead of Sales, AdsUnity
Jay Shah, Ad Monetization Manager, SEGA of AmericaJay ShahAd Monetization ManagerSEGA of America13.30
Gamesforum Ad Monetization Panel
The bread and butter of what Gamesforum is, join The Ad Monetization panel as they break down the day-to-day in mobile IAA. From working on mediation in 2024 and waterfall automation in the era of bidding to effective user segmentation and breaking ground on new ways to maximise revenue.
Sahil Modi, Partnerships Manager, AudiomobSahil ModiPartnerships ManagerAudiomobSponsored by
Founded by ‘Forbes 30 Under 30’ awardees Christian Facey and Wilfrid Obeng, Audiomob is a leading global adtech solution provider for the mobile gaming market. Backed by some of the largest investors in adtech, such as Google, LightSpeed Ventures, and Makers Fund, Audiomob has raised over $16 million in funding and is valued at over $110 million.
Audiomob's patented technology allows game developers to seamlessly insert audio adverts into their games. By focusing on audio-only adverts, developers can monetize their games without disrupting the player’s gaming experience. This creates a better ad ecosystem for developers, advertisers, and players. One that gives players more control over when and how they experience in-game ads, encouraging them to Play OnTM uninterrupted for longer.
Audiomob's industry-leading ad solutions earned it the StartUp of the Year award in 2022. In the same year, Audiomob received a nomination for the renowned Drum Awards, in collaboration with Proctor & Gamble.14.30
Audio Ads 2024: Driving User Growth with CPI (Cost Per Install)
Join us as we explore the groundbreaking advancements of audio ads, with a spotlight on CPI (Cost Per Install) as a powerful new user acquisition tool for advertisers and mobile apps. 2024 has seen audio ads evolve into a key strategy for driving installs, thanks to significant technological innovations and partnerships with leading industry players. This session will showcase how CPI is opening new doors for mobile advertisers, highlight success stories, and provide insights into the future of audio ads. If you haven’t yet integrated audio ads and CPI into your user acquisition strategy, now’s the time to listen up!
Mariam Ahmad, Head of Content, GamesforumMariam AhmadHead of ContentGamesforumMariam recently joined Gamesforum as Head of Content, having previously worked at Exchangewire as editorial lead. With a keen interest in ad tech, Mariam’s area of interest also includes ad monetisation, UA, curation, and more. Previously, she also hosted the Madtech Podcast, which featured a range of industry leaders and visionaries, ranging from Paramount to Uber and Microsoft.
Charlie Castell, Founder, PubRev+Charlie CastellFounderPubRev+Charlie Castell is the CEO and co-founder of PubRev+, a publisher, monetization consultancy and CTV demand partner. PubRev+ has a strong record of increasing publishers’ revenue, through adops, business development and technical services. Their first app, Rebuild Ukraine, built in Cherkasy, Ukraine, raises money for World Kitchen and Save the Children, by gamifying charitable giving. Charlie has consulted for a number of political campaigns, including Adam Schiff, been shortlisted for a student academy award, and previously led the ads business at Warner Bros TV, Scopely and TextNow.
Capucine Thiebault, Creative Strategist, WildCard GamesCapucine ThiebaultCreative StrategistWildCard GamesCreative strategist at WildCard Games, passionate about merging AI, creativity, and data. I manage creative strategies from ideation to production to craft innovative marketing campaigns.
Bryce Cire, Senior Manager, Ad Product & Revenue, Maple MediaBryce CireSenior Manager, Ad Product & RevenueMaple Media15.00
Fireside Chat: Ad Quality in Mobile
56% of mobile gamers report experiencing ads that blatantly misrepresent the gameplay. So, Ad quality has been brought to the centre stage, with the light shining on UA teams to attest to why bad ads, be it problematic or poorly designed, are still being utilised in 2024.
But how can we work to change the narrative? Join Mariam and Charlie and guests as they discuss firefighting bad ads via ad ops, tech to identify poor quality and the need to build a publisher coalition.
Wendy Wan, Publisher Acquisition Manager, Yango AdsWendy WanPublisher Acquisition ManagerYango AdsWendy is currently the Publisher Acquisition Manager of Yango Ads, focusing on the commercial cooperation and expansion of mobile application and game developers, helping overseas companies to increase advertising revenue in key countries and regions.
15.30
Emerging Markets: Is it really a new source of revenue for apps?
Explore how emerging markets can serve as lucrative new revenue source for apps, and identify strategies for tapping into these markets.
16.00 - Afternoon Break
Andy Ulery, Director of Publisher Sales, MolocoAndy UleryDirector of Publisher SalesMolocoAndy is an 18 year veteran of the Adtech industry working in and around ad monetization with publishers, brands and agencies and demand side businesses in BD and operations. An entrepreneur at heart, Andy has almost exclusively worked at early stage challenger startups in Adtech as well as founding 4 startups during his career. He and his cofounder built a SaaS based mediation platform to try to disrupt the duopoly in the mediation space today. They sold Aequus to Moloco in October of 2022 to help build and lead Moloco's direct to publisher SDK strategy. The SDK is live and scaling on Max and Ironsource with more to come in 2024. Andy handles BD and partnership strategy on Moloco's supply side team.
Phil Suh, SVP, Ad Monetization, ZyngaPhil SuhSVP, Ad MonetizationZyngaPhil Suh Vice President of Ad Monetization, ZyngaPhilSuhis the Vice President of Ad Monetization at Zynga, a wholly owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. In his role, Suh leadsteams that manage the company’s Ads business and provide platform products and services to its portfolio of game studios and advertisers. He previously was a Lead Product manager for Zynga’s studio developing Farmville mobile games.
With 10 years of experience in Ad Tech, Gaming, and Financial Products, Suh combines analytical rigor with a customer-focused mindset to drive innovation and growth across Ad Tech, Product, User Experience, and Monetization.
Suh holds a Masters’ degree from MIT and Harvard, and as a West Point graduate, also served as a US Army Signal officer in Germany and Iraq.
John Martin, Associate Vice President, Publisher Growth, PubMaticJohn MartinAssociate Vice President, Publisher GrowthPubMaticJohn Martin is Associate Vice President, Publisher Growth Solutions at PubMatic. John oversees various products at PubMatic, including OpenWrap for Mobile App and Access Membership. In his role, John is responsible for commercial strategy and "Go to Market", globally, for his respective areas of the business. This includes brand expansion, product development and the management of regional sales teams. Prior to joining the team at PubMatic, John spent 7 years with Playwire working closely with the Gaming Publisher and App Developer community to better monetize their content. Before falling into AdTech, John began his career in Enterprise Software with SAP where he worked on sustainable supply chain solutions. John is originally from the UK and moved to the States 8 years ago- he now lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Kelly Kang, Senior Director of Ad Monetization & Partnerships, Pixel UnitedKelly KangSenior Director of Ad Monetization & PartnershipsPixel United
Sisian Sadler, Business Development Director, Mobile, VerveSisian SadlerBusiness Development Director, MobileVerve16.30
Innovation in Ad Monetization
Closing out our ad monetization track our Future of IAA panel. Designed to provide novel areas of opportunity panellists are exploring to help maximise ad revenue opportunities. From offerwalls and skipits to brand advertising and immersive ad experiences, gain insights you can take back to the office as soon as tomorrow.
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11.00 - Morning Break
Kelly Trask, Director, Slot Performance & Strategy, SciPlayKelly TraskDirector, Slot Performance & StrategySciPlayKelly brings nearly a decade’s experience in land-based slots management to social gaming in her role as SciPlay’s strategic slot portfolio and content growth lead.
11.30
How Real-World Slots Made Social Slots Better
In 2023, SciPlay, the leading social game developer behind Jackpot Party Casino Slots and Quick Hit Slots was acquired by Light & Wonder, the leading cross-platform global game company. Discover what these companies gained from each other’s approach, and how that cross-pollination helped both deliver better experiences for their players.
Divya Gunaseelan, App Marketing ExpertDivya GunaseelanApp Marketing ExpertMike Gallagher, Founder, Untitled Ad LabMike GallagherFounderUntitled Ad Lab
Alyssa Liu, Senior Social Media Manager, Devsisters USAAlyssa LiuSenior Social Media ManagerDevsisters USA12.00
Influencing Growth Through Community
As an industry mobile gaming has little interaction with its consumers. Despite the devices use as a platforms for community and connection F2P gaming remains largely separate.
Join our panel as they explore opportunities in not just attracting more users via influencer marketing but fostering communities and communicating with players through social media!
12.30 - Networking LunchKristina Taylor, Business Development, GamehouseKristina TaylorBusiness DevelopmentGamehouse
Drew Hambke, Director of Marketing, KongregateDrew HambkeDirector of MarketingKongregate
Gavin Leung, VP of Marketing, WorldWinnerGavin LeungVP of MarketingWorldWinnerGavin Leung, VP of Growth Marketing, is an experienced marketer, specialized in working with entertainment and technology companies to find and grow their audience.
Vera Manhoso, Gaming Account Director, RTB HouseVera ManhosoGaming Account DirectorRTB House
Cameron Thom, CBDO, AdikteevCameron ThomCBDOAdikteevCameron Thom is the Chief Business Development Officer at Adikteev, where he has contributed to the company's success for 5 years. Before this, as Director of Sales at Adikteev and Account Executive at Liftoff, he developed strategies and grew revenue by building strong community relationships. Cameron leads the new business efforts for Adikteev's mobile marketing tools like Churn Prediction, helping new and existing clients to further develop their retention strategies.
13.30
Retain & Reengage: The Importance of a Positive Game Experience
CPIs are increasing, privacy is restricting access to user data. Mobile game marketing is becoming significantly more difficult. Successfully identifying, segmenting and retaining high LTV players is more important than ever.
Join our panel as they break down the importance of a core audience, from targeted content and deals to a positive gameplay experience, our panel will explore the available technology and game design for a positive high LTV player base.
Dimitri Souffan, EVP, Apps & Strategic Accounts, VibeDimitri SouffanEVP, Apps & Strategic AccountsVibeDimitri has 17+ years of experience in digital advertising. The last 11 years in Mobile apps, Gaming, and re-engagement in companies like Bluestacks or Adikteev. He is now EVP, Apps & Strategic Accounts at Vibe, the leading performance CTV/OTT platform.
Sponsored by
Vibe.co is a performance-focused Streaming TV DSP allowing marketers to drive incremental reach, increase UA campaign revenue, and support brand uplift, at scale. With over 500 premium app and channel partnerships and major MMP integrations, Vibe.co affords performance marketers full control of their campaign measurement and performance.
14.30
State of CTV and Emerging Trends for 2025
More information coming soon...
Dobrinka Kostadinova, Founder & Principal Advisor, Ad AstraDobrinka KostadinovaFounder & Principal AdvisorAd AstraExpertise in aligning mobile-centric data analytics, technology, and process management to execute strategic initiatives seamlessly.
Offering extensive experience in App Store Optimization and Go-To-Market planning, bolstered by top tier industry KPIs like revenue, downloads, betas, geos, and genres.
Anthony Lai, CEO, TapBlazeAnthony LaiCEOTapBlazeAlex Kozachenko, CEO, HyperBeardAlex KozachenkoCEOHyperBeardAlex Kozachenko is the CEO of HyperBeard, the largest mobile game developer and publisher in Mexico with over 210M downloads on Apple AppStore and Google Play Store with great games like Campfire Cat Cafe, Adorable Home & Pocket Love! HyperBeard specializes in cute, casual, idle-games targeting an adult-female demographic. Alex specializes in business, product & marketing strategy.
Ben Collins Jones, Solutions Specialist, SplitmetricsBen Collins JonesSolutions SpecialistSplitmetrics15.00
Organic Growth in 2024 & Beyond
AppStores continue to crowd, UA costs are rising and apps like Temu are using large budgets to flood inventory. So how can growth teams strive to top the charts and feature on AppStores?
Join our panellists as they divulge their ASO best practices, organics on alternate stores and utilizing CPP.
Josh Burns, Senior Director of Business Development, FunPlusJosh BurnsSenior Director of Business DevelopmentFunPlusJosh is the Senior Director Business Development for global gaming company FunPlus, a top 25 mobile publisher by IAP revenue globally. He supports teams in the East & West around platform, marketing, tech and other partnerships as well as managing licensed IP partners in Hollywood and beyond for soon to be announced mobile games in addition to in-game integrations across the FunPlus portfolio such as with The Walking Dead & The Joker.
Josh previously founded & operated DigitalDevConnect for nearly a decade as a consultant/freelancer, working with both emerging & leading companies in the mobile and/or gaming space across business development, partnerships, sales, marketing, product and other areas. Prior to DigitalDevConnect, Josh led the US product team at social & mobile game publisher 6waves as well as holding multiple business roles at EA's Pogo.com casual gaming division.Paul Thind, CRO, AethirPaul ThindCROAethirPaul Thind is an accomplished entrepreneur and the Chief Revenue Officer at Aethir, bringing over 25 years of expertise spanning gaming, music, Web3, and digital media. He has founded several successful ventures, including Triggerspot Inc., Blackmoon Games, Rivus Media, and Necropolis Records.
As a visionary in game publishing, Paul played a pivotal role in the growth of iconic platforms like Habbo Hotel and Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom. He also pioneered the integration of high-profile artist visits, featuring legends such as Ozzy Osbourne, Gorillaz, Oasis, and Beastie Boys, within gaming environments.
Throughout his career, Paul has held senior leadership and advisory positions at leading companies such as Spil Games, IGG, Zynga, 20th Century Fox, Denuvo, Spyr Games, LandVault, Disney, InMobi, and Outspark. His innovative contributions to the gaming and Web3 sectors have been instrumental in driving over $2 billion in transactions and enterprise value.
Jong Woo, VP of Game Services, Samsung ElectronicsJong WooVP of Game ServicesSamsung ElectronicsJong Woo is the Vice President of Game Services for Samsung Electronics America, leading the Samsung Galaxy Store and Game Launcher within the mobile device ecosystem.
15.35
Exploring Alternate App Stores
Look beyond the duopoly of Apple and Google as we explore the potential of alternative app stores. Diving into the opportunities, restrictions and what needs to be done to make this appealing leap to third party stores a reality.
16.00 - Afternoon Break
Elin Jonsson, CBO, East Side GamesElin JonssonCBOEast Side GamesAs a producer, Elin worked on Trailer Park Boys: Greasy Money, where she launched over 200 live events. Aside from the day to day, she was able to successfully integrate several big-name guest stars to help boost and improve all live-ops games goals. The last few years, Elin has lead the production team on The Office: Somehow We Manage, where she launched over 100 live events. Currently, Elin is excited to be managing all of ESG's external IP relationships.
16.30
Collaborative Success: Strategies for Driving Organic Traffic with Brand Partners
In this presentation, we will explore effective strategies for driving organic traffic to mobile games through brand and IP partnerships. We’ll emphasize the importance of tailoring content for each partner and how strategic collaborations can amplify reach and engagement.
Key case studies, such as our successful campaigns with Trailer Park Boys and the Intergalactic Friendship Day event featuring Star Trek and Doctor Who, will illustrate the impact of aligned marketing efforts. By creating compelling marketing beats around real-world events, we achieved significant increases in installs and Day 1 retention.
We’ll also discuss the value of fostering long-term relationships with brand partners, staying attuned to market relevance, and leveraging the potential of smaller or medium-sized IPs with passionate followings.
Dobrinka Kostadinova, Founder & Principal Advisor, Ad AstraDobrinka KostadinovaFounder & Principal AdvisorAd AstraExpertise in aligning mobile-centric data analytics, technology, and process management to execute strategic initiatives seamlessly.
Offering extensive experience in App Store Optimization and Go-To-Market planning, bolstered by top tier industry KPIs like revenue, downloads, betas, geos, and genres.
Momchil Kyurkchiev, CSO, CleverTapMomchil KyurkchievCSOCleverTap
Matei Andrei, CEO, ML Engineer, Voice PatrolMatei AndreiCEO, ML EngineerVoice PatrolMachine learning engineer for 8 years. Avid tennis player.
17.00
Transforming Player Engagement and Monetization: Leveraging Data, Emerging Tech, and Hybrid Models for Sustainable Growth
Join Dobrinka Kostadinova the Founder of Ad Astra Advisors as she shares insights on three alternate pillars to build sustainable growth. Exploring maximising player engagement in-game through player chat, leveraging IAPs, loyalty programmes and subscription models to boost monetization and utilizing emerging tech, including AI to fine-tune mobile F2P growth.
Home of the Gamesforum events series, Mobilize & Monetize podcast, leading mobile game analysis and more about the world of mobile games marketing and monetization.