Fandom Unpacked

Oncologists prescribing beaches, Broadway, and ballgames sounds unbelievable until you hear the why. We sit down with Jon Albert, founder of the Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation, to talk about what families actually need when late-stage cancer enters the picture: time, relief, and a chance to feel like a family again. Jon shares the story behind the foundation, rooted in the loss of hi...

As soccer supporters from around the world transform cities across North America with songs, traditions, and unforgettable displays of fandom, we're revisiting a conversation that helps explain how many of those lifelong passions begin. In this ICYMI episode, Mike Lorenc (Clinical Assistant Professor of Sport Management at the University of Michigan and co-owner of AFC Ann Arbor) shares why t...

Monopoly has a reputation for turning friendly game nights into grudge matches, and Saw has a reputation for making people squirm. So what does it look like to build live, immersive experiences from those worlds and still leave guests feeling satisfied, included, and eager to come back? We sit down with David Hutchinson, CEO of The Path Entertainment Group, to unpack how modern fandom changes when...

Game 4 of the NBA Finals is tonight. If you live even remotely close to New York, you're feeling the fandom. It sent us back to a conversation with Bronwen O'Keefe, Head of Brand Marketing and Content at the Harlem Globetrotters — an organization that's been filling basketball arenas in this city for 100 years — on what it actually means to give every person in a room something to f...

Everybody recognizes the Harlem Globetrotters. The more interesting question is why people keep coming back, and why first-timers leave feeling like they just joined something. We talk with Bronwen O’Keefe, Head of Brand Marketing and Content, about the simplest strategy that is also the hardest to execute at scale: building fandom by making joy a two-way exchange between the team and the crowd. B...

We break down how the Savannah Bananas build a fan experience by doing the exact opposite of “normal” and keeping everything anchored to entertainment. We hear from co-owner Emily Cole on the behind-the-scenes planning that turns a baseball stop into a fan-first trip people schedule a year in advance. • The Savannah Bananas’ philosophy of rejecting normal to create standout sports entertainment  •...

Staying home has never been easier, which makes the decision to go out more meaningful and more demanding. We sit down with Vincent Marini, President of Content and Production at Free Association Live and the executive producer behind Magic Mike Live, to unpack what it really takes to earn a live audience in 2026: not hype, not spectacle alone, but a designed emotional journey that makes people fe...

Tony nominations dropped last week, and if you work anywhere near Broadway, you felt it. But every year the same question comes up: how do you bring people who don't follow the industry closely into the moment? That question sent us back to a conversation with Ruthie Fierberg from Broadway News, who made an argument we haven't stopped thinking about — that the Tonys are, functionally, Br...

You know that feeling when you’re watching a live show and realize you’re working harder to understand what's going on than actually enjoying it? That’s the reality for a lot of international audiences when the story is being told in a language they don’t speak, and the “solution” has often been to keep snapping your eyes away from the stage. We wanted to understand which technologies could h...

The New York Auto Show passing by our office triggers a sharp memory about how global fandom works when the main event is far away. We revisit Jonathan Linden’s thinking on the F1 Exhibition and how Drive to Survive helped turn drivers into people fans can truly follow. the challenge of accessing Grand Prix races as popularity rises and tickets cost more creating a live F1 Exhibition as a touring...

Merchandise can feel like a simple souvenir until you realize it’s doing three jobs at once: capturing the emotional high of a live event, extending the brand into everyday life, and quietly selling the next ticket. We sit down with Michael Rego, CEO of The Araca Group and a longtime Broadway producer, to unpack what makes live event merchandising actually work, from the first creative conversatio...

If you've ever wondered what peak fandom actually looks like, this one's your answer. March Madness just wrapped, and watching those final moments — the upsets, the eruptions, the arenas turned into something electric — it felt like the right time to revisit one of the most resonant clips we've put out. Because what happens in college basketball doesn't stay there. It carries i...

New York City is one of the most famous “brands” on earth, yet selling a trip to NYC still comes down to the same hard question every marketer faces: how do you keep something iconic feeling personal, current, and worth the effort? We sit down with Nancy Mammana, Chief Marketing Officer at New York City Tourism + Conventions, to get inside the strategy behind promoting a city that never stops chan...

A circus company that builds entire worlds does not stop at the stage. We're joined by Spiegelworld CMO Lindsay Sanna to unpack how immersive live entertainment becomes real fandom when every detail is intentional, from the moment you walk in to the last sip of a cocktail. We talk about what makes Spiegelworld experiences like Absinthe feel like true escapism, why intimate venues create a kin...

Ever wondered how a legendary stage keeps pace with a hundred different audiences at once? We sit down with Carnegie Hall’s Chief Marketing Officer, Sara Villagio, to explore how a 135-year-old institution stays agile, relevant, and deeply human while serving fans who arrive through classical subscriptions, education programs, global tours, and once-in-a-lifetime occasions. From a rebrand that lan...

Step onto the INTIX show floor with us in Las Vegas as we sit down with Amy Graca, Senior Vice President of Entertainment at Caesars Entertainment, to unpack how an ordinary ticket becomes an extraordinary night. Amy takes us inside a 50-venue footprint (over 20 on the Strip alone) where the “all-in-one” experience blends world-class shows, signature dining, and artist access into something fans c...

What makes a show truly “worth it” when wallets feel tight and the pace of change won’t slow down? We sat down on the floor at INTIX to unpack new survey data from leaders across live entertainment and paired it with insights from 100,000+ patron responses. The result is a clear map of where price perception meets real value, how C‑suite and frontline teams see the same problem from different seat...

If you care about how fandom really grows, this year-end review is your field guide. We pulled threads from dozens of candid conversations across sports, Broadway, music, family entertainment, and venue operations to reveal seven clear themes that separate fleeting hype from durable community. We start with growing audiences: the U.S. Open’s free Fan Week proves sampling converts, while the Formul...

What if a sports team stopped selling your attention and started earning your trust? We sit down with Emily Cole, whose company, Fans First Entertainment, owns the Savannah Bananas, to unpack how putting fans first can flip an entire industry. From all-in ticket pricing and ad-free outfields to a face-value resale platform that prioritizes local families, Emily shows how clear principles lead to b...

What happens when a show stops asking you to watch and starts inviting you to be seen? We sit down with impresario Randy Weiner, the creative force behind Sleep No More, Queen of the Night, The Box, and the new Phantom Masquerade, to explore how human touch, story clarity, and radical hospitality can transform a night out into a memory that won’t let go. Randy traces his spark back to the balcony...

Want to see how a loyalty program actually moves behavior without feeling transactional? We sit down with Katie Dalton, president of Audience Rewards, to unpack the mechanics that turn a thrilling night out into a habit fans can’t wait to repeat. From the first “wow” perk to AI-powered recommendations, we explore the playbook that keeps people choosing live entertainment over another night on the...

What makes someone stick with a team through losing seasons, changing conferences, and shifting media deals? We dig into the core of modern fandom with Clinical Assistant Professor of Sport Management at the University of Michigan and co-owner of AFC Ann Arbor, Mike Lorenc, tracing how identity, access, and economics shape the way people fall in love with sports—and stay there. From the evergreen...

How can physical spaces enhance rather than simply contain fan experiences? Kristina Heney, EVP of Marketing at Oak View Group, takes us on a fascinating journey through the evolution of fan-venue relationships, drawing from her remarkable career spanning the NBA, Madison Square Garden, Cirque du Soleil, and now the leader in global venue development. Heney reveals how next-level fan experiences b...

What does it take to create extraordinary family entertainment that spans generations? Jim Moseley, VP of Event Marketing and Sales, Northeast, for Feld Entertainment, pulls back the curtain on how iconic brands like Disney on Ice, Monster Jam, and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey continue captivating millions of fans yearly. The numbers alone are staggering—10 million people attend Feld sho...

Ever felt like sports media wasn't speaking your language? Jacie deHoop, co-founder of The Gist, is changing that conversation by creating content for "GISTers" – predominantly female, millennial and Gen Z sports fans who love the game but haven't felt fully welcomed by traditional coverage. When deHoop and her co-founders launched The Gist, they faced significant skepticism. C...