The Pop-Marketing Podcast

Continuing our exploration of fandom and how to connect through popular culture, we welcome Erin Novodvorsky, The Geek Travel Agent herself to the show.
Erin has spent 17 years in the travel industry, designing travel experiences around the specific needs of fans of popular culture.
You may have heard of Lord of the Rings fans making a pilgrimage to New Zealand where the movies were filmed, but that's just the tip of the iceberg in 2022 geek travel options.
Fulfill your K-Pop fantasies on a BTS-themed tour of South Korea, See if vampires really do shimmer on a trip to the Pacific Northwest, or take a quick break from planet earth on a trip to space on Virgin Galactic (she can make it happen).
Erin has a Google's worth of knowledge about designing experiences around the stories people love and offers so many insights and ideas about serving the needs of your audience.
This is one of those podcasts that will not only make you think about fan experiences in a completely different way but may just have you checking these notes for Erin's contact so that you can start planning your very own geek vacation.

More from Erin Novodvorsky, The Geek Travel Agent
The Geek Travel Agent on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeekTravelAgent
Connect w/ Erin on Linkedin:https://www.facebook.com/GeekTravelAgent
Company Website: thegeektravelagent.ca

Connect w/ The Pop-Marketer:
https://qrco.de/bcI85K

Luke Hurd, one of the most influential augmented reality instructors & creators in the world as well as Director of XR for VMLY&R joins us once again to talk about the other side of the metaverse. Contrary to popular belief, the incoming of web3 & the metaverse isn't only about escaping your reality through VR goggles, but about getting more out of the real world and getting our attention off of these GD screens.
Luke once again flips my ideas about the metaverse upside down through history lessons about Sumerian tax records, differences between extremists & fundamentalists, the upbeat future of Back to the Future, and the grand vision of humans getting time and attention back from our screens through AR/MR, game design & AI.
If you're new to the concepts of web3 & metaverse or working to champion it in your own organization, this interview is a must-listen. Buckle up, cuz the PMP is off to the metaverse.

Ryan Stephens is a Creative Director & founder of Electric Seaweed, an agency specializing in surf culture. This So-Cal native talks about how surf culture would impact his identity & his future career working for iconic brand Vans.
Why does surf culture translate to audiences nowhere near an ocean? How does a brand integrate into a sport that's traditionally anti-marketing? Where does the surf culture live now that magazines have died? All this and many Point Break references on this episode of the Pop-Marketing Podcast
“That's, ahh... that's a surfboard all right! Looks like a '57 Chevy I used to have.” -Bohdi

Connect w/ Ryan
http://electricseaweed.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rystephens/
https://www.instagram.com/electricseaweed/

Connect w/ The Pop-Marketer:
https://qrco.de/bcI85K

Continuing our exploration into Esports & gaming culture, I am talking with Tyler Farnsworth, the CMO of Built By Gamers. Built by Gamers is a leading esports organization that develops top talent in the world of competitive gaming and content creation.
We talk about the new gamer identity & the stereotypes that still persist outside of the exploding communities. Streaming, lifestyle, content production & what marketers need to do to make sure their first steps into the esports culture are impactful.

Learn more about Tyler & Built By Gamers:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tafarnsworth/
https://twitter.com/TylerFarnsworth
https://www.builtbygamers.gg/

The Pop-Marketer:
Website: https://www.pop-marketer.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/popmarketer/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joenormal
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jocox/

Afrikan Caesar is the creator & host of The Sneaker Box, the #1 podcast in sneakers. Caesar is also a powerful voice of the sneaker culture community and a hell of a pop-marketer for not being a marketer by trade.
Caesar shares with us the origins of modern sneaker culture and how sneakers have become a vessel for so much meaning and impact in popular culture.
A fascinating interview, with easily one of my favorite guests of the year, if you are a sneaker enthusiast yourself, or want to understand the people & community behind this $79 billion business, this podcast would be a smart place to start.
If you are a marketer, this episode should be a prerequisite before you enter your first marketing gig or CMO position. Trust me, Caesar brings up some ideas about community, commitment & connection that may shift how you are working and speaking with your consumer.

Links for Afrikan Caesar:
The Sneaker Box Podcast: https://sneakerbardetroit.com/tag/the-sneaker-box-podcast/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashone-bryant-7b434b102/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afrikan_caesar/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/afrikancaesar?lang=en

The Pop-Marketer:
Website: https://www.pop-marketer.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/popmarketer/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joenormal
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jocox/

Faris Yakob is the Co-founder of Genius Steals, a nomadic creative consultancy, that travels the world working with and chatting about ideas with agencies and brands like Coca-Cola, Facebook, TikTok & Activision.
One of my favorite thinkers in the world of advertising, Faris brings an academic mind and an artist's curiosity into our commerce-driven profession of marketing strategy.
We break down the relationship between brands & pop culture, explore America's "Mickey Mouse" strategy of cultural imperialism, discuss why brands have been so slow to integrate with gaming and the Zen of Fortnite.

The 2nd edition of Faris' book "Paid Attention: Innovative Advertising for a Digital World" will be available this November and it's a must-read for all Pop-Marketers. Pre-Order it now on Amazon
https://www.amzn.com/1398602507

The Stolen Genius newsletter holds a sacred place in my inbox as it's filled with insight & inspiration from across the globe, featuring diverse voices from across the marketing and creative spaces we traverse
https://geniussteals.substack.com/about?utm_source=subscribe_email&utm_content=learn_more

Faris & his partner Rosie also run one of my most favorite online communities of thinkers and makers at The School of Stolen Genius. Find out more and come say hi
https://learn.schoolofstolengenius.com/

If you want to see what Faris is up to right at this very moment, head to Twitter, he's there saying smart stuff on the daily and gives me hope that Twitter isn't all dumpster fire
https://twitter.com/faris

The Pop-Marketer:
Website: https://www.pop-marketer.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/popmarketer/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joenormal
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jocox/

We go deep into esports & learn what makes a successful brand partnership in competitive gaming tick.
John Davidson is an esports expert that's helping shape the future of the industry. Founder of DLC youth, host of the DLC Drop podcast, Chairman of the Esports Trade Association & advisor to many in the industry.
John has the "cool dad" energy that allows him to bridge the gap between the high octane culture of esport fandom & the grown-up world of brands and businesses that need to learn how to connect.
We learn why brands should be taking notice and what tools from traditional sports marketing they should bring with them and what they should leave behind. John helps us see the view from global phenomena to local engagement and gives some great advice on how and where a brand fits within the ecosystem.
One of my favorite chats of the year, there's something in here for everyone.

Connect w/ John:
DLC Youth: https://www.dlcyouth.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-davidson-42953846/
The DLC Drop Podcast: https://esportsfpn.com/show/the-dlc-drop-podcast/
The BW Businessworld article we discussed: http://www.businessworld.in/article/India-Fitting-Into-Future-Of-Entertainment/10-07-2021-396164/

The Pop-Marketer:
Website: https://www.pop-marketer.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/popmarketer/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joenormal
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jocox/

Our favorite marketing Viking returns to the podcast. Stefan Peterson, the founder of Gameng, a travel and sustainability marketing consultancy out of Sweden, introduces us to Nordic Noir. A popular genre of literature and film, famous for its dark and depressive vibes, created by some of the happiest people on earth, where the setting and towns in the stories become a character themselves bringing in thousands of tourists each year.
We discuss The Killing, The Bridge & The Millennium Series of novels, but Nordic Noir is just one example of morbid tourism and this week we dig deep into our fascination with true crime and very bad things and how creators and destinations can work together to create travel experiences that invite visitors into the story and the juggling act of balancing the art, the city, and its people.

The Killing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killing_(Danish_TV_series)
The Bridge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridge_(2011_TV_series)
The Millennium Series
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_(novel_series)

Stefan Pettersson
https://gameng.se/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-pettersson-9883564b/

The Pop-Marketer:
https://www.pop-marketer.com/
https://www.instagram.com/popmarketer/
https://twitter.com/joenormal
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jocox/

Jayson "Shag" Arrington is one of the stars of Motor Trend TV's Iron Resurrection, but before the show, Shag was an event marketing pro working with brands like Red Bull & Gatorade.
We talk about life on the other side of the camera & Shag shares how car culture & lifestyle marketing have always been at the core of his career.

You can catch Iron Resurrection's season 5 premiere streaming on Motor Trend TV right now.
https://watch.motortrend.com/tv-shows/iron-resurrection/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shagarrington/
https://www.instagram.com/shagillac/

Connect w/ The Pop-Marketer:
https://www.pop-marketer.com/
https://www.instagram.com/popmarketer/
https://twitter.com/joenormal

What's a Hashtag Cult?
Internet creator & filmmaker, Mike Fallek joins me on the show to talk about his work Hashtag Cult. A mobile-first bit-sized documentary released on Rizzle exposes the underbelly of internet cults and how they leverage the algorithms and decentralized nature of social media to scale their message and membership.
Mike is a fascinating creator that gives us a peek into the future of storytelling and how we can utilize social media to inform and educate without losing our sense of humor.

Check out more of Mike here:
http://bigweasellilweasel.club/
https://rizzle.tv/post/607063e1ecc68f3dbe464c47
https://twitter.com/BigLilWeasel
"Like It" Film Festival http://bigweasellilweasel.club/partners-and-sponsors-of-like-it-film-fest

More from The Pop-Marketer:
Connect w/ The Pop-Marketer:
https://www.pop-marketer.com/
https://twitter.com/joenormal
https://www.instagram.com/popmarketer/