2025 Agenda 

Preliminary Program (all times are subject to change) 

8:00 – Networking Continental Breakfast (coffee and pastries) sponsored by CCR (Communications Credit & Recovery)

8:45 - 9:00 – Welcome and Introductions

9:00 - 10:00 – What’s Ahead for the Media and Entertainment Industry: The Impact on Advertising Revenue, Order-to-Cash, and You

• Howard Homonoff – Grant Thornton, Fordham University

10:00 - 11:00 – Bridging Revenue and Risk:  Aligning Sales with Credit & Collections

• Joe Fortunato, Hearst Television
• Carmen Reyes, Hearst Television

Overview: Turn Sales and Finance tension into a revenue–risk advantage.  This session shows how to align Sales and Credit & Collections on shared KPIs, and best practices for order holds, disputes, and resolutions.  We’ll share candid examples where minimizing risk meant walking away from a deal, alongside cases where the client relationship warranted booking the order with tight controls in order to protect the revenue, reduce write-offs, and grow responsibly.

11:00 - 11:15 – Networking Refreshment Break 

11:15 - 12:15 – Looking for Cash

• Bryan DeGraw, Rachen Patel – The Hackett Group

Overview: Gain actionable insights into the ways AI is improving and streamline the Order-to-Cash process in this dynamic session. AI is changing the way you handle many functions and this presentation will help you understand where it can be leveraged to improve cash collections process, revenue leakage monitoring, and much more. We will be sharing how World Class companies manage the O2C process and what benchmarking data they are leveraging to prioritize AI initiatives in the process. More importantly, we will be sharing the areas of the O2C process that can be effectively transformed with AI and how to make some key changes today. You will also hear on how AI can help with bringing efficiencies to your Cash Application process by reducing the manual intensive process and match payments to invoices with 85%+ accuracy. You’ll walk away with tangible ways to streamline your operations and boost you department’s contribution to your company’s bottom line. 

12:15 - 1:30 – Networking Lunch sponsored by Szabo Associates 

1:30 - 2:00 – Turn Data into Powerful Decisions with Creditsafe's  Ledger Insights (industry attendees only)

• Scott Garger, Sales Director, Creditsafe US
• Leo Lichman, Partner Relationship Manager, Creditsafe US  

2:00 - 3:00 – Fireside Chat - Transforming Digital Ad Sales Billing: A Proven Methodology for Cross-Functional Project Success Through Shared Goals, Automation, and Insights

• Mary McKenna, Vice President, Global Head Customer Finance Operations, NBCUniversal Media LLC
• Leadership from Digital Advertising Sales Operations & Services and Global Billing, NBCUniversal

Overview:  Join us for an insightful fireside chat as NBCUniversal shares its experience in transforming Digital Ad Sales Billing through a strategic, cross-functional approach. This session will showcase how collaboration across interdependent teams, aligned around shared goals, can successfully drive meaningful change. We will delve into how process excellence methodology, data-driven decision-making, project management, and automation have contributed to measurable improvements in billing accuracy, speed, and customer satisfaction. Additionally, we will explore how this practical example of applying this methodology can be extended to other areas of order to cash, providing a comprehensive understanding of its versatility and effectiveness.

3:00 - 3:30 – Networking Refreshment Break

3:30 - 4:15 – Beyond the Transaction: Navigating Payment Trends

• Melissa Lewis, Director of Financial Services, Basys Processing
• Kenny Thompson, Executive Vice President Of Partner Relations, Basys Processing
• Bob Blacketer, Chief Revenue Officer, Basys Processing
• Dave Crosswhite, Director of Healthcare Partnerships, Basys Processing

Overview: The payments landscape is evolving rapidly, and media finance professionals face both exciting opportunities and new complexities in how they manage transactions. This session will provide a comprehensive look at the latest payment trends—from what businesses across industries are adopting today to the new technologies on the horizon.  We’ll examine topics like: 

• Optimizing traffic systems to drive smarter decisions around payments.
• Exploring how payment portals can simplify billing, improve customer experience, and streamline reconciliation
• Unpacking credit card fees: weighing the benefits of speed, flexibility, and customer preference against the rising costs and margin pressures they can create.

You’ll leave with a clear understanding of today’s payment environment, actionable insights into the trade-offs of different payment methods and strategies to future-proof their payment systems in a rapidly changing landscape. 

4:15 - Brief Break before final session and Welcome Introductions to additional attendees

4:30- 5:30 – Managing a Multi-Generational Workforce (Held in conjunction with the MFM Regional Meet Up Event)

• Nikki Bethel, The Emma Bowen Foundation
• Tiffany Mack-Mohammed, The Walt Disney Company

Overview: The five generations currently in the workplace have been shaped by different historical events. They have divergent world views. They are motivated by different things and have unique communication styles. This session will provide practical insight to overcome stereotypes, cultivate inclusivity and foster a culture of belonging. You will walk away with an overview of current generations in the workforce and expectations for next 3-5 years and practical insights on how to embrace the different generations and equip them to work together to enhance your organization.

• CPE: 1 [Field of Study: BMO=Business Management & Organization/Level: Overview/Delivery Method: Group Live/No Prerequisites or Advanced Preparation]

5:30 – 7:00 – Credit Conference Attendee and Regional Meeting Joint Networking Reception sponsored by The Hackett Group

Questions? Send an email to [email protected]