Brands In Play
Welcome to Brands in Play - The podcast where we explore immersive marketing and the people who are leading it.
Episodes
78 episodes
Live Nation Built an Always-On Music Festival in Roblox | Anubhav Mehrotra & Ryan Dow
Episode 78 of Brands In Play, hosted by Nic Hill and Ely Santos, features Anubhav Mehrotra of Live Nation and Ryan Dow of Livewire, who break down the strategy behind Music Festival Tycoon on Roblox.The persistent game lets players buil...
Why Gaming Is the New Comic Book | Monica Austin
Episode 77 of Brands In Play features a special rebroadcast from our friends at This Could Work https://www.youtube.com/@saylor_agencyHost Will Trowbridge sits down with Monica Austin, SVP and CMO at Blizzard Entertainment, to explore h...
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Discord Is Changing Gaming Communities and Brand Participation | Adam Bauer
Episode 76 of Brands In Play explores why Discord is becoming bigger than gaming.Nic Hill and Brandon Iverson are joined by Adam Bauer, Vice President of Advertising Solutions at Discord, to discuss how the platform is connecting commun...
Brands Are Turning the Sky Into a Billboard
The billboard is no longer stuck to the ground.In Episode 75 of Brands In Play, Nic Hill sits down with Kevin Prince, Co-Founder of Heads In the Sky and SkyAd, to explore how drone technology is turning the night sky into a new canvas f...
THE FUTURE OF BRAND EXPERIENCES
Episode 74 of Brands In Play features hosts Nic Hill and Ely Santos as they break down the biggest stories shaping gaming, immersive media, and brand innovation before Nic sits down with Rory Byrne, Founder of the creative innovation studio Loc...
HipHopGamer Shares New GTA 6 Insights & Why Every Brand Should Care
This week on Brands In Play, we're joined by gaming journalist, creator, and cultural connector Gerard "HipHopGamer" Williams for one of our most energetic conversations yet.We unpack why every company should have a gaming division, why...
RIOT GAMES AND CHIPOTLE CHANGE THE GAME
This week on Brands In Play, Nic Hill and Ely Santos sit down with Chris Mann, SVP of RevXP at sports marketing agency rEvolution. Chris takes us behind the scenes of major branded activations with Chipotle and more, explaining why authenticity...
SNAP JUST FIRED THE STARTING GUN
This week on Brands In Play, Nic and Ely sit down with Doddz, the AR artist and founder of Dime. From Disney, Nike, Amazon and beyond, Doddz breaks down how brands can use augmented reality to create experiences that feel like moments of magic....
Participation Beats Brand Placement
Episode 70 is live!This week, Nic Hill and Ely Santos sit down with John Benyamine, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Moonrock, one of the top game marketing agencies. John has worked on everything from Comic-Con a...
Entertainment Is the New Media Plan
This week on Brands In Play, we’ve got a packed house! First up, Ely Santos (Founder of Vibe Glass and host of the Metavertising Podcast) is joining us as our guest co-host for the whole month of June.Then, Nic sits down with Will Trowb...
Your CFO Doesn't Care About Impressions
This week on Episode 68 of Brands In Play, Morgan Pomish sits down with Derek Dabrowski, SVP, Head of Cold Brand Marketing at Keurig Dr Pepper.After nine seasons of Dr Pepper’s micro drama series Fansville, Derek explains why most marke...
GTA 6 Could Become The Next Creator Platform
This week on Brands In Play, Nic Hill and Morgan Pomish are joined by Alexander Lee, Lead News Writer at GamesBeat, to unpack one of the biggest questions in gaming right now:Could GTA 6 become the next major creator platform?Fro...
First Ever Hologram Ad Network
In Episode 66 of Brands In Play Morgan Pomish and Nic Hill are joined by David Nussbaum, Founder and Chairman of Proto Hologram. We unpack the world's first always-on holographic advertising network and how brands are turning malls and public s...
Brands Are Spending in the Wrong Places
What happens when attention moves… but brand budgets don't?This week, Nic Hill and Morgan Pomish sit down with Zoe Soon, Head of Creator and Gaming at the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Zoe unpacks why outdated assumptions abo...
IGN Entertainment Generations In Play Audience Report
This week on Brands In Play, Nic Hill sits down with Karl Stewart, SVP of Worldwide Marketing and Head of IMAGINE AI at IGN Entertainment, Tate Fiebing, Senior Director of Business Intelligence at IGN, and Brent Koning, Global Head of Gaming at...
Roblox Explains the Controversial Ad Revenue Share
Episode 63 of Brands In Play goes straight to the source.Recorded live at World Builders Summit, Nic Hill and Brandon Iverson sit down with Roblox leaders Julie Piskin and Nick McLachlan for one of the clearest conversations yet on wher...
AI Is The Product. Infrastructure Is The Moat
In Episode 62 of Brands In Play Lee Kebler and Nic Hill are joined by Cathy Hackl, CEO & Founder of Future Dynamics and Futurist in Residence at Nokia. Cathy reframes the entire AI conversation away from models and toward netwo...
UGC Platforms Are Dying, Alcohol Brands Are Panicking, and Meta Just Made Its Move
On Episode 61 of Brands In Play Nic sits down with Sara Apaza, Digital Brand Experience Manager at Cosnova, to unpack how Essence built one of the most effective beauty activations on Roblox with Kingdom of Essentia.Sara breaks down the...
What Do Karl Lagerfeld and Paris Hilton Have in Common With Your Brand Strategy?
Episode 60 of Brands In Play features a conversation with Mirjam Schuele, SVP of Marketing at Karl Lagerfeld, joining Nic Hill, Val Vacante and Gigi Casimiro to break down how one of fashion’s most iconic brands is navigating innovation. From e...
The Era of Extreme Disruption
Episode 59 of Brands In Play features an in-depth conversation with Charlie Fink, one of the earliest voices shaping the XR and metaverse space. Nic and Val unpack decades of perspective across immersive tech cycles, from early VR waves to toda...
Live from SXSW: The Future of Play Panel
Episode 58 of Brands In Play was recorded live at SXSW, with Nic Hill on stage alongside Val Vacante, who hosting a panel on the future of play featuring Chris Down (EVP, Chief Design & Innovation Officer at Mattel) and Mitchel Berger Execu...
Barbie, Hot Wheels and the Future of Play
Episode 57 of Brands In Play was recorded live at SXSW at the Red Thread X House, with Val Vacante joining Nic Hill on stage for a conversation with Chris Down, EVP and Chief Design & Innovation Officer at Mattel. Chris broke down how Matte...
The Human Questions Defining SXSW 2026
This week, Nic Hill is joined by special March co-host Val Vacante for a conversation with Katie Pereira, Director of Conference Strategy at SXSW. The interview explores the ideas shaping SXSW 2026, with a focus on AI and human connection, the ...
Engagement Is Not What You Think!
Nic Hill and Aida Andersson are live this week in LA and they’re joined by Brian Ryerson, Senior Director, Digital Strategy at the USTA for a deep dive into how the US Open thinks about immersive platforms as more than a one-off activation.&nbs...
The #1 Biggest Mistake Brands Make in Fortnite (And What To Do Instead)
This week on the show, Nic Hill and Aida Andersson sit down with Matthew Zanazzo for a deep dive into the state of advertising inside Fortnite and the broader UGC gaming ecosystem.Matthew, founder of Catalyst Studios, former Head of For...
