Denver: Thursday, June 21st; San Diego: Tuesday, June 26th

In today’s fragmented marketplace, brands are returning to the art of storytelling to communicate their message: they’re designing powerful multi-media narratives through content development, distribution and promotion. Successful brands know how to tell, augment and refine stories that effectively engage, delight and inspire customers to connect more deeply with the brand and of course, to pass along to friends. In this session, we will explore why content is the future of marketing, and how brands can leverage content-share across the web to gain and keep the attention of customers and prospects. The panel discussions include experts from Sanuk Footware & CareFusion in San Diego and Boppy in Denver.

Topics Include:

• Identifying the stories and story-tellers within your organization
• The art of SEO and Social Media in content success
• Content strategy basics – development, distribution, promotion
• Making the most out of each story –

La Jolla, CA, April 10 2012-Ernst & Young today announced the 18 finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2012 Award in San Diego. The awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. These business leaders were selected from more than 80 nominations by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special gala on June 13, 2012 at the Hyatt Aventine, La Jolla.

The finalists are:

Arthur Gruen, CEO – EA Health Corp., Solana Beach
Gene Lay, Founder & CEO – BioLegend, San Diego
Daniel Bradbury, President & CEO – Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., San Diego
Scott Dennis, CEO and Alex Kunczynski, President – D & K Engineering, San Diego
Susan Salka, CEO & President – AMN Healthcare, San Diego
Robert Feeney, Founder & CEO – MedVantx, San Diego
Jon Sundt, CEO – Altegris Investments, Inc., La Jolla
Reid Carr, President & CEO – Red Door Interactive, San Diego
Kelly Grismer, President – The Wheat Group, San Diego
Frederick Pierce, President & CEO – Pierce Education Properties, L.P., San Diego
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