What Betamax Teaches Us About AI – The Business of Entertainment: 2nd Princeton CorpGov Forum

Ned Nalle ’76, President, Copper Beeches, Inc.; Previously, ION Media Networks, ABC Studios, President, Universal Worldwide Television, Universal Studios 

Phillip Escaravage ’97, CEO, Gift Games

John Jannarone ’03, CEO, CorpGov (Moderator)

The panelists discussed why entertainment companies initially resist new technologies like VHS, streaming, and AI before eventually adopting them once profitable.

AI is drastically reducing development costs in gaming and media, allowing small teams to build products faster and cheaper.

Human creativity, emotion, and instinct are still viewed as essential for successful storytelling and entertainment.

AI is expected to eliminate some industry jobs, especially repetitive or entry-level roles, while raising concerns about replacing actors and creators.

Media companies are shifting toward immersive experiences, gaming, and maximizing user engagement across digital and physical platforms.

Paul Haaga ’70, Former Chairman, Capital Research and Management Company; Chair of the Board, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation; Board Director, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution

Ned Nalle ’76, President, Copper Beeches, Inc.; Previously, ION Media Networks, ABC Studios, President, Universal Worldwide Television, Universal Studios 

Thomas Courtney, Jr. ’86, President and CEO, The Courtney Group

Curtis Glovier ’86, S’87, P’19, P’25, Chief Investment Officer, Star Mountain Capital​

Robert Maciejko ’88, Founder, Board AI Institute; Managing Partner, Oaks Prime Family Office​

John Evans ’91, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Tractus Asia​

Phillip Escaravage ’97, CEO, Gift Games

Kevin McLaughlin ’97, Vice President, Brand and Corporate Marketing, Dataiku​

Doyl Burkett ’98, Managing Partner and Founder, Integrity Growth Partners​

Brian O’Kelley ’99, Co-Founder and CEO,  Scope3 

Ari I. Weinberg ’99, Contributor, Pensions & Investments; Board member, HBS Club of Connecticut; Class agent, Princeton University Annual Giving​

Brian Kirschbaum ’02, Partner, Astra Capital Management ​

James Shin ’05, President, Film & TV, HYBE America​

Judson Wallace ’05, Managing Director, White Rabbit Capital; Former Captain, Princeton Men’s Basketball

Whit Clay, Partner, Head of New York, Longacre Square Partners

Lawrence S. Elbaum, Co-Head of Shareholder Activism Practice and Partner, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Jon Feldman, Partner, Head of Business Law Group, Goodmans LLP

John Grau, President, InvestorCom​

Rafique Jiwani, Vice President, Goldman Sachs Private Equity

Lisa Kaplan, Founder and CEO, Alethea ​

Andy Katz, General Partner, BrknPar Ventures (Sport Tech Growth Equity Fund)​

Ryan Keating, Industry Leader, Venture Services, Eisner Advisory Group

John Price, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, HighGround Market​

Michael W. Robinson, Chairman and CEO, The Montgomery Strategies Group​

David Schulhof, Founder and CEO, MUSQ Global Music Industry ETF (NYSE: MUSQ)​

Karen Snow, CEO, Rose & Co. Capital Advisors; Former Global Head of Listings, Nasdaq​

Zach Swartz, Partner, Real Estate Capital Markets and Mergers & Acquisitions, Vinson & Elkins LLP​

Ken Traub, Chairman, President and CEO, Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (Nasdaq: CMTL)

Patrick A. Westerhaus, Partner, Cyber Risk Services, EisnerAmper

Christopher Young, Investment Banker, Formerly Director of M&A and Proxy Fight Research, ISS​​

John Jannarone ’03, CEO, CorpGov (Moderator)​

Jarrett Banks, COO, CorpGov (Moderator)​

John G. Quigley, Co-Founder and former Managing Partner, Nassau Capital (Moderator)