Get to Know the Metaverse - With Matthew Ball, Managing Partner, Epyllion Industries
Live on Zoom - Wednesday, September 2nd at 1:00PM PST
Will we know the future when we see it? Venture Capitalist and elite media analyst Matthew Ball posits that the future is already here. Advancements in personal computing, technology, new media, and gaming lend themselves to the first signs of what is referred to as the “Metaverse”, an often imagined but rarely well-defined ideal of a technological future that will do for society what the internet did for the 21st century. And while something that sounds straight out of science fiction may leave you thinking that it has no bearing on today’s world, think again. Companies like Facebook, Google, and Epic Games are already competing to edge each other out in a race to be first to the Metaverse mountaintop.
Join Zefr and Brand Storytelling as we host Matthew Ball to expound on his knowledge, research, and insight into the Metaverse and its many implications for brands and advertisers. Learn what the Metaverse really is, why it matters, what it’s going to take to build, who’s trying to build it, and what that means for your business.
Featuring
Matthew Ball
Managing Partner
Epyllion Industries
Matthew Ball is Managing Partner of Epyllion Industries, which operates a venture capital fund, as well as venture and corporate advisory arms. Matthew was previously the first Head of Strategy at Amazon Studios, a global role where he oversaw greenlights, strategic planning, and the use of data to inform decision making. Prior to joining Amazon, Matthew was a director at the Chernin Group’s Otter Media division, and an executive at Accenture Strategy. His written essays have endorsed by the Financial Times, BBC, Wall Street Journal and Axios, among others. He holds bylines at the New York Times, The Economist, and MediaREDEF. He can be found at matthewball.vc
Chip Russo
Executive Vice President Strategic Partnerships
ZEFR
Chip Russo is currently EVP Strategic Partnerships at ZEFR, a contextual data company built for brands. Chip originally launched the ZEFR Media Solutions team, Ad sales, Ad Operations and Sales Marketing divisions; tasked with developing direct ad sales and channel partners while expanding ZEFR's relationships with global agencies and brands.
Russo served previously as Senior Vice President, at Collective. He led the internal technology division called Ensemble and prior to Ensemble, Russo launched and lead Collective Video, a network leader in the digital video marketplace.
Russo joined Collective as Vice President and employee number 8. He went on to drive revenues in excess of $80MM from fortune 500 brand marketers in display, in-stream, mobile, social media and exchange inventory.
In 2004, Russo joined PointRoll Inc., where he established the west & mid-west offices. As the Regional Vice President, Russo was responsible for two thirds of PointRoll’s revenue guiding a sales and operations team of 35 employees. In June of 2005 PointRoll Inc. was sold to Gannett for upwards of $100MM.
A technology veteran, Russo was previously Director of Sales at Eyeblaster where he was responsible for a team in the west and the southwest regions. He launched the Eyeblaster product in these markets and drove over fifty percent of domestic revenue for the company.
Prior to his tenure at Eyeblaster Russo held media sales positions at Classified Ventures (Cars.com, Apartments.com) and Turner Broadcasting.
He currently resides with his wife and two children in Los Angeles, CA
