Panelists:
Christina Kounelias, President WW Marketing, Participant Media
Anikah McLaren – EVP, Narrative Film, Participant Media
Moderator:
Patricia Gonzalez, SVP In-Theatre Marketing, Paramount Pictures
About Participant Media:
Participant was founded in 2004 by social entrepreneur Jeff Skoll, with a commitment to producing entertainment with socially relevant themes. As the leading media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires audiences to engage in positive social change, Participant’s content and social impact mandate speaks directly to the rise of today’s “conscious consumer,” representing over 2 billion consumers who are compelled to make impactful content a priority focus. Through its worldwide network of traditional and digital distribution, aligned with partnerships with key non-profit and NGO organizations, Participant is positioned uniquely within the industry to engage a rapidly growing audience while bringing global awareness and action to today’s most vital issues.
Participant has produced more than 100 feature and documentary films that collectively have earned 82 Academy Award® nominations and 19 wins and have highlighted some of the most pressing issues of our time. Initially founded with a focus on film, over the past decade Participant has expanded to become a multi-platform content company, annually producing up to six narrative feature films, six documentary films, three episodic television series, and over 20 hours of digital short form programming.
Film highlights include Oscar® Best Picture winners Green Book and Spotlight; Academy Award®-winning Best Foreign Language Films Roma and A Fantastic Woman; Academy Award®-winning Best Documentaries American Factory, CITIZENFOUR, The Cove and An Inconvenient Truth, as well as Wonder, Contagion, RBG, Lincoln, The Help, He Named Me Malala, The Look of Silence, and Food, Inc. In 2018, Participant released its first television series, Steve James’ acclaimed docuseries, America to Me, followed by Ava DuVernay’s limited drama series, When They See Us. Participant has partnered with many of the world’s most renowned filmmakers including Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Cary Fukunaga, Steven Soderbergh, Ava DuVernay, and many more.
About Christina Kounelias:
Recently named a “Top 25 Marketing Mastermind” by The Hollywood Reporter, Christina Kounelias is an innovative executive and entertainment industry thought-leader with a proven track record of success. In her current role as President, Worldwide Marketing at Participant, she reports directly to CEO David Linde and is a key member of the company’s Senior Leadership Team. Participant, the leading media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires audiences to engage in positive social action, has amassed $3.3 billion in worldwide box office and garnered 82 Oscar nominations and 19 wins, impressive statistics given its relatively short history. During her tenure, notable credits to date include Oscar Best Picture winner Green Book, Best International Feature winner Roma, Best Picture nominee Judas and the Black Messiah, RBG and When They See Us.
Kounelias’ skill set, rooted in experience across film, television and streaming content, enables her to target and build motivated audiences and communities against a wildly dynamic consumer landscape, generating breakthrough campaigns that drive cultural moments, box-office results and engaged viewership.
She is also a noted brand builder and strategist and recently architected Participant’s rebrand, squarely positioning the company at the intersection of Art and Activism. Her insight and data-driven approach to audiences has enabled her to build brand equity by harnessing the company’s followers for global impact. Her efforts have resulted in a connected community of issue-based affinity groups now totaling over 10 million followers. As a direct result, Participant has been named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies for three consecutive years. Kounelias has created culture-shifting campaigns that drive content viewership while also providing pathways for audiences to take action on urgent issues.
During the challenges of COVID-19 in 2020, she successfully pivoted to an emphasis on digital, championing such zeitgeist documentaries as John Lewis: Good Trouble, David Byrne’s American Utopia, 2021 Oscar-nominated films Collective and Judas and the Black Messiah, as well as the upcoming feature film Stillwater. She also supervised a series of three PSAs designed to raise awareness around COVID: first partnering with the filmmakers from the eerily timely film Contagion, produced by Participant; then The Minions and the World Health Organization; and finally, Governor Newsom’s Office, the State of California and Sesame Workshop.
Prior to Participant, Kounelias was Chief Marketing Officer of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. While there, she shepherded the highest-rated global telecast of The Academy Awards in two decades, with 45.4 million viewers. The centerpiece of Kounelias' campaign was a universally acclaimed trailer and series of TV spots directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids), which anchored the three-way partnership she created between The Academy, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and ABC, creating a promotional juggernaut and must-see event.
Kounelias has also held senior posts in marketing and communications at Hollywood’s most storied studios, including Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Fox Broadcasting and Miramax Films. She was key to the success of hundreds of the most iconic and successful motion picture and television properties, from some of the most acclaimed filmmakers and creators. Notable campaigns include The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Sex and the City, Wedding Crashers, Austin Powers, Rush Hour, Elf, About Schmidt, The Notebook, Boogie Nights, The X-Files, The Simpsons, Malcolm in the Middle, That ‘70s Show, Family Guy and Ally McBeal.
Kounelias is serving her second three-year term on The Academy’s esteemed Board of Governors. She has worked passionately to enact sweeping changes to diversify and globalize membership. Kounelias serves on the Museum Steering Committee as the Academy Museum heads into its eagerly anticipated opening in 2021.
Adweek profiled her for her work on The Oscars, and she was featured as a Woman of Impact in Variety. She spoke on the “Brands Building Communities” panel at Variety’s Entertainment and Tech Marketing Summit earlier this year. She is also a member of BAFTA and the Paley Media Council.
About Anikah McLaren
As Executive Vice President of Narrative Film, Anikah McLaren co-heads the development and production of narrative film for Participant, the leading media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires audiences to engage in positive social change.
Prior to joining Participant, McLaren most recently served as Senior Vice President of Production at Fox Searchlight Pictures, where she oversaw The Old Man and the Gun in 2018, as well as development on an eclectic group of projects, including a feature film about iconic choreographer, Alvin Ailey, to be directed by Barry Jenkins. Prior to Fox Searchlight, McLaren was a production executive at Universal Pictures, where she worked on a wide variety of films, including Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Bourne Legacy, The Best Man Holiday and Lone Survivor. McLaren also held positions at Focus Features and Miramax Films.
McLaren received a BA in English from The George Washington University. She currently is a member of AMPAS in the Executive Branch and sits on the Executive Panel for the AFI Directing Workshop for Women.
About Patricia Gonzalez
As Senior Vice President, In-Theater Marketing for Paramount Pictures, Patricia Gonzalez is responsible for the development of film marketing campaign strategies for theatrical releases in the U.S. and Canada. Her leadership encompasses a wide range of areas including the negotiation of promotional activations involving placement of digital and print advertising materials, on-screen custom content, circuit-specific online & social media plans, movie fan events and collaborating on studio life-cycle marketing initiatives within the in-cinema space. Prior to joining Paramount in 2006, Gonzalez served as Head of In-Theatre Marketing Services for DreamWorks SKG, where she oversaw the studio’s efforts in the U.S. and Canada. Before joining the distribution community, Gonzalez had a distinguished career of more than 15 years in exhibition, having served as National Director of Film Marketing at General Cinema Theatres. Gonzalez is passionate about her charity work. She has served on the board of directors for Variety, The Children’s Charity in So CA since 2002. She currently serves as co-chairperson for Variety’s Kids, the charity’s online and silent auction philanthropic endeavors, which has raised more than $2 million to support Variety’s children’s causes since its launch. Gonzalez also chairs the charity’s annual Poker Tournament held at the Paramount lot and has helped raise over $1.2 million dollars to date. In 2017, Gonzalez also joined the Board of Directors of the Variety Boys and Girls Club, a non-profit organization with a rich history in providing meaningful activities and life-altering programs to children and youth in the Boyle Heights area.