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Variety and Outfront today announced the first-ever Variety Experience and Culture Summit: The IRL Advantage presented by Outfront, taking place Oct. 7 in New York at The Penn District by Skylight. The invite-only event
will bring together artists, brand CMOs, sports leaders and media executives for candid conversations on how live, real-world experiences build fandom, fuel creativity and move audiences to act, with appearances by Questlove, Charlamagne tha God and Ice-T.
As attention fragments across endless feeds and screens, the moments people choose to show up for in person have become some of the most valuable in media. Brands, sports organizations and entertainment companies are looking beyond the screen to reach audiences where they gather — at games, concerts, festivals and premieres, and on the streets of the cities they live in. The summit will explore what that shift means for marketers and how to put it to work.
“Partnering with Outfront on this first-ever summit reflects exactly the conversation the industry needs to be having right now,” said Michelle Fine-Smith, SVP, Global B2B Partnerships, Variety. “The leaders joining us, from CMOs rethinking brand experience to entertainers and sports icons building lifelong fandom, will explore why the IRL advantage, real-world connection, has become something that can’t be automated. There’s no better place to have that conversation than New York, a city that just celebrated a historic Knicks championship.”
“There’s a lot of talk about what in real-life (IRL) media means, but there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for breaking through to the audiences that matter most,” said Julie Massoni, Head of Enterprise Sales, West Coast, Outfront. “For an entertainment industry changing this quickly, IRL media is how you meet that disruption head-on — whether you’re driving attention to a series, a theatrical release, a concert, a festival or a sporting event, or you’re a brand trying to reach fans through them. This summit is about real examples of real-world campaigns that delivered real results.”
Programming highlights include:
- Questlove, Grammy-winning musician, Academy Award-winning filmmaker and New York Times best-selling author, on how the energy of a live audience shapes his work with The Roots, from their role as house band for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to the group’s expansion in an annual festival with the acclaimed Roots Picnic.
- Charlamagne tha God, multimedia mogul and co-host of The Breakfast Club, will discuss his approach to building unique experiences for his passionate fan base, including the Black Effect Podcast Festival, and how live experiences fuel his creativity across platforms, including top-rated radio program “The Breakfast Club.”
- Ice-T, who stars in “Law & Order: SVU” as Sgt. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola; Mark Marshall, Chairman, Global Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal; Rachael Zaluzec, Chief Marketing Officer and SVP, Customer Experience, Volkswagen of America; and Julie Scelzo, Chief Creative Officer of Xfinity, Comcast will discuss how NBCUniversal drives fandom across must-see experiences, live studio audiences and more, as well as explore how brands can authentically participate in these cultural driving moments. The conversation – marking NBC’s 100th anniversary – will be moderated by Savannah Sellers, Anchor, NBC News NOW; NBC News Correspondent.
- Outfront CEO Nick Brien in a keynote conversation on why experience is becoming central to the next generation of marketing.
- Rafael Espinal, Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, on how New York continues to serve as a massive IRL stage and a catalyst for community, culture and large-scale experiences.
- Ulta Beauty CMO Kelly Mahoney, Dick’s Sporting Goods CMO Emily Silver, Snap CMO Grace Kao, Land O’Lakes CMO Heather Malenshek and Instacart Head of Commercial Marketing Stephanie Paturzo-Swingle on the experience economy: why brands are making real-world engagement a core part of their consumer strategies, and how innovation is reshaping the events landscape.
- “IRL Advantage: Building Trust in an Agentic World,” a panel with Kantar CEO, Americas Jeff Greenspoon, Snap Head of Research, Consumer Insights and Strategy Aarti Bhaskaran and Outfront Chief Marketing and Experience Officer Stacy Minero, will dive into what data reveals about the positive business impact of real-world audience interaction.
- NFL CMO Tim Ellis, Major League Soccer CMO Radhika Duggal, New York Giants SVP, Marketing and Brand Strategy Nilay Shah and Women’s Tennis Association Chief Brand Officer Sarah Swanson on what it takes to turn fans into lifelong followers, and how brands can tap into the cultural power of sports.
- A look at the future of experiential entertainment, including emerging technologies, AI and new approaches to event design, with Paul Caine, President, On Location, TKO Group Holdings (UFC, WWE); Christine Cassis, CMO, Twitch; Bess Spaeth, EVP, Global Brand Management & Experiences, American Express; Josephine Vaccarello, EVP, Live, Madison Square Garden; and Benoit Vatere, Chief Media and Digital Commerce Officer, Liquid Death.
The Variety Experience and Culture Summit: The IRL Advantage presented by Outfront is invite-only. To request an invitation, visit variety.com/outfrontexperience.
