As a fashion editor, entrepreneur, agency owner, and ‘chief articulator,’ Jed has helped fashion brands and C-level executives bridge the digital media gap for well over a decade.

Jed has overseen strategy, brand development, communications, PR, and integrated digital initiatives for companies such as Bluefly.com, MAGIC, Levi’s, Earthlink, OP, Original Penguin (Perry Ellis), Smashbox Cosmetics, AT&T Wireless, Shiseido, Intel, Howe/Tony Hawk brands, and SK Telecom, He has also worked closely with the U.S. Department of Commerce to promote U.S. businesses to the fashion sector. Previously, as owner of branding agency Authntik, he and his team created a new tradeshow platform designed to launch innovative global fashion brands into the U.S. market called ‘The Edge’ for MAGIC (100,000 attendees), In 2010 he spearheaded Bluefly.com’s “Closet Confessions” social media initiative (in partnership with IntersectNYC).

He is also the founding director and chief editor of the Fashion Marketing Group (FMG), a private online community for executives in Fashion, Marketing, & Digital Media with 45,000+ members worldwide. A Manhattan native, Jed splits his time between NYC and Los Angeles.

He and his partners founded Eight-Eighteen Strategies in 2004, which provides digital media strategy, marketing, and consulting services for fashion and tech brands.

ARTICLES, SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, PANELS, ADVISORY COMMITTEES:

A journalist/marketer at heart, Wexler writes and speaks regularly at conferences/panels (MAGIC, IEG, NATPE Mobile) on topics related to fashion, marketing, digital media, branding, and mobile.. For list of his published articles, speaking engagements email Jed directly by clicking here.

A former West Coast Editor for Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), Kristin Young is one the premier fashion editors and writers of the last decade, with over 16 years of experience in fashion, beauty, and travel.

She combines traditional journalism access and expertise, with cutting edge digital content creation (and a passion for tech).

Previously, In 2005 Kristin was the acting Director of Public Relations for Lucky Brand Jeans, which at the time delivered $250 million in annual sales across 91 stores worldwide.

As a contributor and managing fashion director, her articles have appeared in print and online publications such as USA Today, AOL’s Luxist.com, C Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Men’s Fitness, Modern Luxury Media (Angeleno), Nylon, Condé Nast’s Portfolio.com, Redbook, Sportswear International, ‘TEEN, WWD and W.

Kristin has interviewed and profiled celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, Harrison Ford, Christy Turlington, Jessica Alba, Cameron Diaz, Eva Mendes, Heidi Klum, Ashton Kutcher, Sandra Bullock and others.

She has also Interviewed seminal designers and fashion industry luminaries such as Roberto Cavalli, Narciso Rodriguez, Oscar de la Renta, Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Stella McCartney, Michael Kors, Christian Lacroix, Diane Von Furstenberg, Badgley Mischka, Karl Lagerfeld, Miuccia Prada, Marc Jacobs, the Ferragamo family, Dolce & Gabbana, Tom Ford, Frank Gehry, Mickey Drexler, Tommy Hilfiger, Betsey Johnson, Norma Kamali, Ralph Lauren, Alexander McQueen, Isaac Mizrahi, Paul Smith, Carolina Herrera and Vivienne Westwood.

Kristin was nominated for the Excellence in Communications award (part of the L.A. Fashion Awards) in 2006 and 2007 and currently pens “The Fashion Statement”, a weekly fashion column for AOL’s Luxist.com.

An digital entrepreneur at heart, Austin Chang is the CEO and co-founder of the Fridge (www.frid.ge), a private and personal alternative to Facebook, where anyone can easily create shared spaces, invite their friends, and socialize/share photos, videos, music, events, and more.

Previously, Austin was Vice President, Strategy and Development at MTV Networks responsible for the development of creative, product and platform ideas both internally and externally for MTV Digital. Under his guidance, MTV has launched several digital programs and products that extend the linear viewer experience online, including the award winning Backchannel, a competitive chat game developed for 'The Hills', '$5 Cover', a new multi-platform music series, and oversaw all digital facets of new live daily show 'It’s On with Alexa Chung'.

Austin joined MTV Networks when his previous social game company and IP ‘Popularity High’ was acquired in 2005. He helped start the MTV Networks Online Games group that launched online game destinations for various brands including MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, and MTVNi.

Austin is also an Adjunct Professor at Parsons The New School of Design in the MFA and BFA Communication, Design and Technology department. Austin graduated from Williams College and holds graduate degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design and Parsons The New School of Design. Austin was recently featured on CNN discussing privacy and the Fridge. The Fridge was recently acquired by Google and its features incorporated into Google+.

For over 15 years Ms. Kernan has helped great brands across the U.S and Europe develop retail strategy, effective in-store programs, and satisfying, profitable shopping environments (both big box and boutique). She advises executive management teams on how to tell just the right story at the store level.

Prior to founding her own firm, Secor Retail Consulting (SRC), Ms. Kernan was the Senior Director of Apparel Brand Strategy for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., managing, planning, and growing its $30 billion softlines brand portfolio, overseeing the successful, exclusive launches of both Ocean Pacific and Garanimals.

From 1994 through 2003, Ms. Kernan held various buying and executive positions in merchandising, strategic planning and product development at Nordstrom and Harrod’s.

She was also Director/GMM of Softlines for Wal-Mart Germany, leading her team to reposition and revitalize the apparel, accessories and jewelry and footwear businesses in the 90-store hypermarket chain.

She has a keen eye for trends, merchandising and how to integrate retail initiatives into the digital experience at a senior level – with an especially strong focus on customer-centric brand management and engagement.

Ms. Kernan is bilingual in Spanish and near fluent in French and German.

“While millions of hits or thousands of visitors have been the default standards of assessing websites, how a blog affects people it reaches, and the quality of the conversations will become a much more important measure,” YM Ousley.

YM Ousley is a pioneer in the field of fashion website metrics, style content, advanced search engine optimization, and social media strategy. She consults clients on a range of online marketing issues including SEO, international search marketing, and branded social media campaigns.

YM is also the editor and publisher of Signature9, a site covering lifestyle topics including men's and women's style, tech, food, travel and design. Mentioned in WWD, the Daily Beast and Jezebel, Signature9 counts companies like Dior, Glam Media, Levi's, Hautelook and Ideeli among the many who've purchased its flagship data and research report, the Style99.

Previously, YM led marketing and business development for IQONS, a professional fashion community, where she was responsible for partnerships with brands including Nike, P&G and Dior. A native of Chicago, YM now splits her time between New York and Paris.

Lisa has earned her start-up stripes—a few times— and in 2009 founded Jigsaw Global, a company that helps media and brand executives/CEOs improve their digital literacy primarily through workshops at film festivals, conferences, and via private training sessions.

She recently conducted a 1-day digital media immersion program at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival as well as a digital media workshop in Chile August 10-11.

Lisa was also part of the launch team that produced Turner Network Television's first website with original, not repurposed, content. Then she became the first, full-time internet hire at Adidas corporate headquarters in Germany, expanding the vision for their site and turning it into one of the leading sports company destinations on the web. Most recently, she helped run the American Film Institute's digital media incubator, called the AFI Digital Content Lab. The Lab partnered mostly with TV networks and production companies to develop cutting-edge entertainment products and services for digital delivery.

Since earning a journalism degree at Northwestern University, She has worked on projects for ABC, NBC, Cartoon Network, ESPN, DIRECTV, MTV, Oregon Public Broadcasting, the World Cup, David Beckham, the French Open, and the All Blacks, among others. Along the way, she has collaborated with talent from creative agencies, such as Leagas Delaney, Digital Pulp, Method, Schematic, Team One, Barbarian Group, Code and Theory, and Pod Design. She is the go-to resource for convergent media strategy and for film/tv/content executives looking to develop and implement the right digital media tactics in time for launch.

Cheriff is an award-winning interactive advertising and digital marketing entrepreneur who has landed, developed and managed marketing programs for Fortune 500 clients and others such as Intel, Universal Studios, Sony Music, Microsoft, Exxon Mobil, Vespa/Piaggo USA, Arnold Advertising, Digitas, Michael C. Fina, and Volkswagen. Cheriff provides top-level strategy and business development expertise in digital/interactive, E-commerce, media planning, and social media. He was previously the co-founder of web/interactive agency DigitalProduce, Inc.

AWARDS, SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:

• 2008 Award: Internet Telephony Magazine Product of the Year – for excellence in innovation and design in VoIP/IP internet telephony, mobile technology for i2 Telecom’s “My Global Talk” (Digital Produce)
• MIMC Council Awards (Massachusetts Multimedia Industry Council) - Two awards for web innovation and end-user experience.
• LACP Awards (League of American Communications Professionals) – three 2003 Spotlight awards
• 2006 ImaginAsian Conference: keynote speaker at international conference focusing on new media and intellectual property issues specific to Asia.
• Fasion Marketing Group (FMG) Founder and Co-Chair of The Fashion Marketing Group (FMG).

AnneMarie has extensive knowledge in branding, marketing and how content can complement and fit into a company’s overall marketing strategy. Her career spans many media outlets mostly on the creative development side helping writers hone their voice and weave better stories and characters at NBC, Creative Artists Agency and Peter Guber’s Mandalay Entertainment Group. This knowledge is combined with an understanding of business acumen from an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and an Economics major and English minor from Duke University. She currently uses these skills to consult with early stage companies to develop their brand and voice specifically in the digital space helping to launch and garner their first customers.