The NASPP Blog

Who doesn’t love a celebrity sighting? For today’s “Meet the Speaker “interview, we take a detour from DC to Hollywood, to interview Emily Cervino of Fidelity, who will moderate the panel “Stock Compensation Goes Hollywood.” Here is what Emily had to say:

NASPP: What is the most important thing attendees should know about bringing a little Hollywood to their stock plan education program?

Emily:  Education and communication continue to be a challenge for stock compensation. Our plans and technology have evolved, but too often our communication has not kept pace, with printed materials and static intranet sites. Validated by the wild success of viral videos and YouTube, videos are all the rage. You don’t need an all-star cast and legendary Hollywood director to make this medium an Oscar-worthy contender in your stock compensation toolkit. This session explores how video and other digital mediums can help connect and educate today’s stock plan participants. We will provide a comprehensive overview of your digital choices, including live video, custom-animation, computer-based training, voice-enriched video presentations, and others. We will provide a solid understanding of what works in the digital world, and what doesn’t, and cover from concept, to budget, to storyboards, to production.

NASPP: Why is this topic timely right now?

Emily: You don’t have to be a visionary to see that the way we consume information is changing. Printed materials, static intranet sites and long memos and articles are on the decline, while digital content, social media, mobile apps and virtual meetings are on the increase. With more than 40 million videos viewed on a monthly basis on YouTube, 56% of employers using social media for internal communications, and 93% of internal communications professionals seeing video as an important tool for sharing information with employees, it is clear that video is here to stay. Finding new and innovative ways to educate employees on equity and really engage with them is a challenge. Video is well suited to meet that challenge.

NASPP: What is the most innovative solution for companies that want to incorporate video into their educational program?

Emily: The great thing about this session is that it is bursting with innovative solutions. We will view eight different samples of equity compensation digital communications. From in-house to outsourced. From big-budget to no-budget. Live action, custom animation, computer based training…we have it covered. For companies looking for inspiration and innovation for stock plan education, this session is the place to be!

NASPP: What is your favorite NASPP Conference memory?

Emily: Many years ago…. long before I worked for Fidelity, I attended the Fidelity event at the Levi Strauss store in San Francisco. It was a great event, complete with a mechanical bull and a henna artist. But, the best thing was that I brought home a new pair of jeans with a fancy pocket embellishment. Two of my favorite things–shopping and stock compensation–rolled up together. I still have those jeans. Perhaps I’ll dig them out for DC!

The NASPP and Fidelity Investments are not affiliated. Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC. 658022.1.0 Fidelity Stock Plan Services LLC.

About the NASPP Conference
The 21st Annual NASPP Conference will be held from September 23-26 in Washington, DC. This year’s program features 60+ sessions on today’s most timely topics in stock compensation; check out the full agenda and register today! You don’t want to miss Emily’s session, “Stock Compensation Goes Hollywood.”