Fandom Unpacked
Come inside the minds of the world's greatest leaders of live experience brands with the Fandom Unpacked podcast series. Featuring conversations with the leaders on the front lines of brands who shape our culture, join us as we dive into the powers and forces that drive audience connection, loyalty, and lasting fandom.
Hosted by Damian Bazadona (Situation), Peter Yagecic (A Mind at Work Consulting), and Maureen Andersen (INTIX).
Fandom Unpacked is powered by Situation – the world’s leading marketing agency for live experience brands.
Episodes
43 episodes
Community Is the Killer App: Human Connection & Growth at TLCC 2026
A period-instrument orchestra relocates to a working-class public school, teams up with student street dancers, and suddenly Bach becomes a sold-out, standing-ovation collaboration. That real story, “Breaking Bach,” is our jumping-off point for...
Mission Is The Marketing from TLCC 2026
The arts don’t have a marketing problem. They have a mission translation problem, and it’s hiding in plain sight. From the floor of the Tessitura Learning and Community Conference in Washington, D.C., we talk about what happens when financial p...
ICYMI: What Tessitura's Learning & Community Conference Carries Forward
With TLCC 2026 just around the corner, we revisit a conversation with Tessitura President and CEO Andrew Recinos about what makes a professional community meaningful. Andrew reflects on the forums, affinity groups, and relationships that help a...
ICYMI: Why the Best Trips Aren’t About the Destination
Summer travel season is here, but the trips we remember most are often less about where we go than who we experience them with.In this ICYMI episode, Sixthman CEO Jeff Cuellar explains why passionate fans will rearrange their calendars, ...
The Essential Power in Prescribing Joy and Making Memories
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-s...
ICYMI: How a Video Game Brought FIFA to America
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.I...
From Paddington to Park Place, Turning Familiar IP into a Playable Night Out
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 s...
ICYMI: The Whole City Is Showing Up for The NBA Finals
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 orga...
The Harlem Globetrotters Bring Joy To The Court
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, ...
ICYMI: The Savannah Bananas and the Surprisingly Serious Business of Fun
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 sto...
The Live Experience Brand Behind Channing Tatum’s Biggest Movie
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 Mik...
ICYMI: Broadway's Biggest Concert is Coming Up
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 ...
Speaking My Language: A Conversation with Gordon Cox
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...
ICYMI: Drive To Survive Turned Drivers Into Stars And Changed Fandom
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 peo...
Merch That Sells The Memory Long After Curtain Call
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 Reg...
ICYMI: What March Madness Carries Into the Pros
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 t...
How New York City Tourism + Conventions Sells The Iconic And The Unexpected
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 ...
Escaping Into Audacious New Worlds with Spiegelworld
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 t...
How Carnegie Hall Balances Legacy, Innovation, and Fans
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 huma...
From Vegas Stages To VIP Magic: How Caesars Builds Unforgettable Nights
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 ...
The Results Are In: Recapping the 2026 Live Entertainment Leadership Survey
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+ patr...
The Year in Fandom: How Sports, Culture & Entertainment Leaders Build Fans
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 t...
Fans First, Entertain Always: How The Savannah Bananas Turn Baseball Into Joy
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. ...
You Had To Be There: Randy Weiner on Making Immersive Experiences Fans Can’t Quit
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 ho...
Making the Point: How Loyalty Programs Strengthen Live Entertainment
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 repea...