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. 

Brian breaks down why Roblox and Fortnite are fundamentally an audience growth play for tennis and how they earned internal buy-in by turning the US Open into a 52-week story. 

In the news, Matthew Ball’s State of Video Gaming 2026 • Hollywood backlash over ByteDance’s AI video generator Seedance 2.0 • Zillow launches virtual home listings inside World of Warcraft • Twin Atlas and Wynton SunSky Entertainment expand Roblox game Creatures of Sonaria into an animated series.

And for the Real-Time Review, Aida takes us into Creatures of Sonaria on Roblox, the progression-heavy roleplay ecosystem that’s become a serious playground for brand integrations, including LEGO’s Ninjago takeover and Amazon’s Joyful Horizons activation.

If you are liking the show, give us a follow. We break down how brands, platforms, and creators operate inside gaming, UGC Platforms and Immersive media.

The Brands In Play Episode 54 is now live on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and everywhere else!

Chapters:
Intro - 00:00 
Announcements - 01:57
News - 05:27
Creatures of Sonaria - 21:03
Brian Ryerson Interview- 27:32
HIT, MISS & BET - 49:21

Follow Brian Ryerson -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianryerson/

Immature - https://www.linkedin.com/company/usta/

Follow Us:

Co-Hosts:
Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/
Aida Andersson -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/aida-a-807781a4/

Producer / Editor 
Edward Regue -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/

Creative Producer
Dr. Giovanna Casimiro https://www.linkedin.com/in/ggcasimiro/

Website: https://www.brands-in-play.com/

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