group Y, a collective of youth marketing and communications professionals in the action sports and entertainment industries, will hold a panel discussion on Wednesday, March 25th at the OC Tavern in San Clemente. Featured panelists include professionals from New Era and 686/Westlife Distribution.

The discussion, co-sponsored by Transworld Business, will focus on the power of brand collaborations. What makes a successful collaboration? What are the best practices involved? How can two independent brand identities merge into a profitable hybrid product?

The panelists will speak to their experiences as well as promote discussion, questions and networking opportunities among members and guests.

Panelists Include:
• Braden Dahl – Strategic Business Unit Manager, New Era
• Mike West – President and Creative Director, 686 & Westlife Distribution
• Kristin Cusic – VP of Marketing, 686 & Westlife Distribution
• Rob Campbell (moderator) – Publisher, Transworld Business

Built upon collaborating, New Era has perfected the art of successfully uniting brand identities. Recent examples beyond their traditional branded caps have been the 20|94 collection with DC Shoes, the Good Livin’ Collection with Greg Lutzka and Oakley, the Times Collection with 686, the Capture The Flag Collection (athlete designed series – Jake Burton, Danny Way, James “Bubba” Stewart) and the latest New Era x TWSurf Top 44 Trading Cards.

686 has also made a “collaborative” name for itself by aligning themselves with like-minded brands and producing exclusive and innovative products. Partnerships over the years have included Dragon, Sanrio’s Hello Kitty, Dakine, Vestal, Levi’s, Famous, KR3W and New Balance.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the panel will begin at 7:00 p.m. Admission at the door is $20 and includes appetizers and drink specials courtesy of OC Tavern.

group Y invites all those involved in marketing & PR within the action sports, entertainment & communications industries to attend. For more information and to RSVP, please visit our website at www.groupYnetwork.com.

In addition, group Y will be hosting a PR-focused panel at the IASC (International Association of Skateboard Companies) Skateboarding Industry Summit this April. group Y panel guest speakers will include Chris Overholser of Vans, Tiffany Montgomery of Shop-Eat-Surf.com, and John Stouffer of Fuel TV. For more information about the Summit and IASC, please visit http://skateboardiasc.org.

About group Y – “Where Action Sports and Youth Marketing Come to Meet”
group Y is a collective of youth marketing & communications professionals with a focus on action sports and entertainment industries. Founded in 2006, the group is vehicle to bring people together and assist new relationships between others within our sphere of Action Sports and Entertainment. Panel discussions and speakers have included industry leaders from brands including Burton, Quiksilver, Billabong, MySpace, Verizon, (RED), Oakley, Roxy, Skullcandy, IMG and RVCA. For more information, please visit us at www.groupYnetwork.com

Tags: group y

Posted by Cameron on Saturday, March 21st, 2009 in Press Releases.

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