CREATIVE INNOVATORS PODCAST

 

Everything Old is New Again with Ted Cohen

Season 1 · Episode 3

Aug. 26, 2020

This week on the Creative Innovators with Gigi Johnson podcast, we are joined by Ted Cohen, who shared tales of doing things for the right reasons and seeing decades ago the dimensions of our current music streaming playlists and challenges. He talks about genuineness of artists vs. overproduction in livestreaming and concerts, pricing the risks of new markets, scarcity, negotiations, how business challenges repeat, and how some people don’t see or know the past launches in their very own businesses. He shares his search and joy for things that are “effing amazing” as a whole with elegant execution. And he shares the joy of paying it forward from those who got him started as mentors.

Guest: Ted Cohen, Head of Development, Mediatech Ventures; Managing Partner, TAG Strategic

Known as “part connector/part evangelist/always a futurist,” Ted Cohen is Managing Partner of TAG Strategic, an LA-based digital entertainment consultancy. Additionally, Ted is Head of Corporate Development for Mediatech Ventures, the Austin-based VC/incubator/accelerator. Previously, as SVP-Digital for EMI Music, Cohen led global digital business development. Prior to EMI, Ted led Consulting Adults, clients included Universal Studios, Amazon, Microsoft, and Napster. Cohen also held senior positions at both Warner Bros Records & Philips Electronics. A 40+ year digital entertainment industry veteran, Cohen created & chaired MidemNet and served on the Grammy National Trustee Board. Ted continually looks for the next innovative technology & his next challenge, he really loves his life.

Mentioned Links:

Episodes

From Rhythm & Hues to Dancing Atoms with Saraswathi “Vani” Balgam

From Rhythm & Hues to Dancing Atoms with Saraswathi “Vani” Balgam

Saraswathi “Vani” Balgam, CEO and Creative Director of Dancing Atoms, shares her journey from starting in a family-run animation studio in India to leading global teams at Rhythm & Hues and DreamWorks. In conversation with Gigi Johnson, Vani explores how storytelling, cultural heritage, and trust have guided her career in animation, VFX, and filmmaking. She discusses building communities through Women in Animation India, ASIFA India, and Epic’s Women Creators Program, while also championing women’s leadership in immersive media. This episode highlights how Vani blends creativity, resilience, and mentorship to shape both stories on screen and opportunities off-screen.

read more
Creating New Musical Instruments with Mike Butera

Creating New Musical Instruments with Mike Butera

Mike Butera has gone on some intriguing journeys, connecting music performance passions, philosophy and sound studies, and tech in creating new musical instruments for regular people to get into music. He shares his path to launching Artiphon after years in academic...

read more
Building VR Community through Learning with Dominique Wu

Building VR Community through Learning with Dominique Wu

Dominique Wu is a real leader in bringing together education and VR for regular people. She's created the XReality Pro program. She'll talk about what it's like to be an immigrant in the United States as a creative, a different story than we've had a lot of guests...

read more
Ask the Right Questions with Isaac Saldana, CEO, Memo

Ask the Right Questions with Isaac Saldana, CEO, Memo

Isaac Saldana leans on two core values: asking the right questions and humility. Along with a good friend, he launched several companies. And several failed -- until he launched SendGrid in 2009. After learning to hire up with strong CEOs, the company went public in...

read more

Transcript