Ken Kragen to be Featured Speaker at 2014 Chief Digital Officer Summit

"We Are the World" and "Hands Across America" Producer Inspires Audiences on Accomplishing the Impossible

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Apr 14, 2014, 08:30 ET

NEW YORK, April 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Ken Kragen, renowned for his unique and creative endeavors that have far transcended the music and entertainment industries in which he has had many incredibly successful years, will discuss "Accomplishing the Impossible" as the featured speaker on April 22 at the 2014 Chief Digital Officer Summit at Time Warner in New York City.

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Ken Kragen and President Bill Clinton. (PRNewsFoto/CDO Summit) (PRNewsFoto/CDO SUMMIT)

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Kragen's extraordinary background is legendary in the fields of music, the performing arts, and philanthropy. It includes creating and organizing the historic humanitarian projects "We Are the World," which became the biggest-selling record of all time, raising over $64 million in aid, and the Hands Across America campaign, which raised $34 million to fight hunger and poverty.

He is also known for his management of such globally celebrated artists as Harry Chapin, Lionel Richie, Trisha Yearwood, Olivia Newton John, the Bee Gees, and Kenny Rogers.

Kragen is one of the very few private citizens to have been awarded the United Nation's Peace Medal, and has been further honored by the NAACP, the Los Angeles Advertising Women, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

He has received two MTV awards, an American Music Award, and several Emmy nominations.

CDO Summit curator David Mathison said, "Chief Digital Officers are often tasked with seemingly overwhelming challenges. Ken's presentations show participants how to accomplish the impossible, and are legendary with surprises and proven techniques that can be applied immediately, to almost any endeavor."

Ken's presentation will show Summit participants:

Some of the marketing techniques he used to get 6½ million people to hold hands in one continuous line from Battery Park in New York through 17 states to the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California.
A behind-the-scenes look at the recording of "We Are the World."
Why Thorton Wilder was correct when he said "Every great thing balances on the razor edge of disaster."
He'll also share a concept called "The Magic of Threes" that can be used immediately in business and personal life to get people's attention and sell them anything.

The 2014 Chief Digital Officer Summit will be held on April 22–23, 2014, at Time Warner's Conference Center in New York, N.Y.

ABOUT THE CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER SUMMIT

The Chief Digital Officer Summit is the premier event for digital leaders and executives. The Summit offers intimate access to the digital elite. "These executives are fast becoming our society's leaders and CEOs," said Mathison.

The 2014 Summit will feature over 60 speakers, including Babs Rangaiah, Ben Edwards, Cammie Croft, Chan Suh, Dan Suratt, David Shing, Ganesh Bell, Greg Daniel, Kristin Frank, Lisa Hsia, Marc DeBevoise, Steve Rubel, Thomas Gensemer, Thomas Gewecke, and Winston Binch, among many others.

Other presenters and panelists include digital leaders and executives from organizations including A+E Networks, Amnesty International, AOL, BBC, Bravo, Burson-Marsteller, CBS, Deutsch LA, Edelman, Gannett, GE, Harvard University, IBM, Jostens, JWT, MEC Global, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, News Corp., Nielsen, Oxygen, Prophet, (RED), RF | Binder, Rockefeller Foundation, Ruder Finn, State of New York, Time Inc., Time Warner, Turner Broadcasting System, Unilever, Univision, Viacom (MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo), and Warner Brothers.

In addition to the panels, the CDO summit also includes workshops on Creativity, Crowdsourcing, Innovation, Micro-targeting and Conversions, Outsourcing, Second Screen, Social Media, Talent Acquisition and Management, and more.

For more information, visit: http://www.cdosummit.com/kkragen