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Karla Crawford Kerr, Director of Business Development and Corporate Relations for Hawthorne Direct, a full service brand response advertising agency, will serve as moderator for a panel entitled "Direct Response 101." The event will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 24th, during the Electronic Retailing Association's (ERA) annual Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Convention in Las Vegas. The panel will be held from 8:30 - 10 a.m. at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel.

Joining Crawford Kerr for this session will be panelists:
Ron Steblea, President, Rutledge & Bapst
Michael Montgomery, Vice President of Business Development, Mercury Media
Kristy Pinand- Dumpert, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Concepts TV Productions
Scott Swanson, CEO, Expert Planet, LLC
Brian Wargula, President, Christopher Morgan Fulfillment
Jeff O'Conner, COO, Digital Target Marketing

The "Direct Response 101" session is described as follows: Get to know the basics of direct response from the experts. This is a must-attend session for anyone who wishes to bring their product to the masses through direct response marketing. Topics addressed will include: long-form vs. short-form commercials; specialized websites; how to bring a product to retail; paid media or PI; utilizing an IVR or live operator; meeting ROI, and more. The answers to these questions will be discussed and revealed during a 90-minute session sure to inform, entertain and inspire. Following the seminar a half hour of networking with the speakers will be offered to attendees.

For more information on the "Direct Response 101" session, please see: http://www.d2cshow.org/content/bonus-session-direct-response-101

ABOUT KARLA CRAWFORD KERR
Karla Crawford Kerr is the Director of Business Development and Corporate Relations for Hawthorne Direct. In that position, she works with prospective and existing clients to optimize brand response television success. She is a leader in the company's marketing and business development arenas, specializing in public relations, event/trade show planning and account management. Her portfolio of clients has included Applica, Kaz Honeywell, Nikon, U.S. Navy, Clorox, Procter & Gamble, RotoZip Tool Corporation, Braun, Oreck, Aero and more.

Karla was named Volunteer of the Year in 2004 by the Electronic Retailing Association. She is active on the ERA's Content Committee, and was the 2011-2012 Education Chair (past chair five terms, co-chair one term.) She has judged the Moxie Awards since 2005, and has also been a co-presenter at the Moxies. Karla was accepted to the Direct Marketing Association Broadcast Council Operating Board, and has served on the DMA Broadcast Council Operating Committee. She was also co-chair of programming for that organization for two years.

ABOUT THE ERA
The annual ERA D2C Convention is produced by ERA, the only trade association in the U.S. and internationally that represents leaders of the direct-to-consumer marketplace. ERA includes members that maximize revenues through direct-to-consumer marketing on television, online, mobile and on radio. For more information about the 2013 convention, please visit: http://www.d2cshow.org/

ABOUT HAWTHORNE DIRECT
Hawthorne Direct is a full service brand response advertising agency, specializing in strategic planning, creative development, production, media planning, buying and analytics, and campaign management for integrated marketing campaigns. With nearly 30 years of proven excellence in brand response, the agency combines persuasive brand messaging with best-in-class analytic systems to create accountable, high performance advertising campaigns.

Hawthorne Direct has developed successful award-winning campaigns for brands such as 3M, Armor All, Bose, Black & Decker, Hamilton Beach, Pella, SanDisk, Transamerica, United Healthcare, and more.

The agency is headquartered in Los Angeles, with the founding office located in the Midwest. Hawthorne Direct was founded in 1986 by Timothy R. Hawthorne, who serves as Chairman/CEO. Hawthorne's daughter, Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, today holds the post of Chief Operating Officer. For more information, please visit www.hawthornedirect.com