Geoff Katz, a high-profile figure in the US interactive TV industry, has
been named VP and general manager of its San Francisco office by
Code and Theory, a New York-based company that has previously
developed interactive entertainment experiences and interactive
advertising campaigns for such clients as Comcast, MobiTV, Dr.
Pepper Snapple Group, Viacom, and MRM Worldwide. According to
Code and Theory, its appointment of Katz, who was previously VP of
media and entertainment at brand experience agency, Method, signals
its intention to position itself as a "one-stop-shop" for
customers--including network operators, advertiser, ad agencies and
programming producers--that are seeking to develop applications and
services for ETV/EBIF, OCAP/tru2way, Microsoft Mediaroom,
Blu-Ray Live and other emerging ITV platforms. Katz will be charged
with leading the company's product definition, user experience design,
strategic consulting and business development efforts in the ITV space.
Katz is currently serving as chairman of the Academy of Television
Arts & Sciences Interactive Media Peer Group Emmy Awards
Committee, the group responsible for organizing the Primetime Emmy
Awards for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media
(note: for a recent interview in which Katz discusses his work for the
IMPG, see [itvt] Issue 7.93). He has also contributed to two Primetime
Emmy-winning ITV projects: the TiVo service, which won an ITV
Emmy in 2006; and ABC's Microsoft Media Center Edition
application, "Celebrity Mole: Yucatan," which he worked on when he
was employed by Zetools, and which won an ITV Emmy in 2004.
According to Code and Theory, Katz's career has seen him serving as a
creative director for advertising at Organic, developing interactive
entertainment properties at Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment,
building broadband content services for Excite@Home, developing 3G
video services at PacketVideo, and creating ITV applications at
Liberate. Prior to his stint at Method, he was a product designer at
TiVo, focusing on developing new broadband applications and
advertising formats. Prior to that, he worked as a producer at the
Advanced Services & Content group at DirecTV, where he launched
DirecTV Active, an ITV service offering data-driven services,
programming promotions and advertising. He began his career in the
creative department of Foote, Cone and Belding Advertising,
eventually rising to VP of creative technology.
