BEN MENDELSON
President, Interactive Television Alliance
Ben Mendelson is the founder and president of the Interactive Television Alliance, an independent trade association representing the broad interests of the entire iTV industry. He is also the co-founder and sr. partner in 2degree Partners, a management consultancy involved in iTV, Direct Response TV, and integrated online services. Ben has been an innovator in developing interactive Òt-commerceÓ applications and has been involved in New Media technology from its earliest days.
In January 1994, he started one of the first commercial Internet companies, where his clients included Sony Pictures, HBO, House of Blues, Philips Media, and Graham Nash. In 1996, Ben created the Internet Services Division for Curtco Freedom Publishing. In 1999, he developed the Internet division for Williams Direct, a full service Direct Response TV (DRTV) advertising agency. Later that year, Ben was hired to head the Internet program for the Electronic Retailing Association, the primary trade organization for the DRTV industry. Most recently, Ben was VP of Business Development for the Winterberry Group.
Prior to his Internet experience (from 1982 - 1991), Ben was the owner and director of LAPA (L.A. Art Photographers Association), an art gallery and resource center for commercial and fine art photography. In 1992, he founded PhotoSource, a showcase, service bureau, and training center for digital imaging. He has taught at the American Film Institute( AFI), UCLA Extension, and the So. CA Institute of Architecture (SCIArch). Ben writes a regular column for Response Magazine and has been published in numerous magazines and trade journals. He is on the advisory board of the American Film Institute Enhanced TV Program and is a familiar speaker at many iTV, Internet, and Direct Marketing conferences.