The Speakeasy

00:00 – Introduction

00:50 – Yuki's path from live sports broadcasting to global PR and marketing

02:50 – Formats: adapting Japanese hits vs building new ones for the world

04:15 – How Old Enough went from a 30-year-old Japanese show to a Netflix global release

05:55 – Why audiences were divided on Old Enough, and how the show won them over

09:15 – Relaunching Old Enough as a format, and the versions it has inspired

11:55 – Inside Gyrokuro Studios: creating formats from zero with a global audience in mind

14:45 – What makes a format travel across borders?

16:40 – How much flexibility should local producers have when adapting a format?

18:15 – The Hotspot on Netflix: why a very Japanese story has universal appeal

21:35 – Managing character IP and taking a beloved Japanese brand global

24:50 – The anime pipeline: from manga and series to film and merchandise

27:05 – Why the opportunity for IP is "limitless" in the era of digital, social and VTubers

29:05 – Viral Pocket: Nippon TV's push into vertical content

30:15 – Sponsor integration and micro dramas: how Viral Pocket works

31:40 – Why building vertical-first beats adapting horizontal content

32:50 – Why Nippon TV is happy to be first to test new media

36:40 – Advice for global partners looking to work with Nippon TV

38:10 – Closing thoughts

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03:10 – Introduction
03:45 – From Disney Japan to Scopely to SEGA: Justin's career journey
05:10 – What does transmedia actually mean for a games company?
07:40 – How do you manage IPs at different life stages? Sonic at 35
10:25 – How Roblox introduced Sonic to a new generation of fans
12:20 – Why the people buying Like a Dragon merchandise aren't the ones playing the game
19:45 – How do you stay true to a franchise's DNA while bringing in new audiences?
26:45 – Why building a franchise in Asia takes a different approach
35:05 – Why fan events are about celebrating fandom, not making money
39:45 – From Balenciaga to Walmart: how does SEGA balance exclusivity and accessibility?
44:30 – How does SEGA decide which partnerships are right for an IP?
49:25 – Why location-exclusive merchandise drives fandom
58:50 – Why Sonic, Crazy Taxi and Stranger Than Heaven need different Netflix strategies
01:05.00 – The first steps to turning a hit into a franchise
01:10:30 – Why the games industry has reason to be optimistic
01:13:00 – How Japanese IP is becoming a global play
01:15:40 – Closing thoughts

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00:00 – Introduction

1:50 – Why writing the newsletter revealed a skill Perla didn't know she had.

3:55 – What The Odyssey's cultural takeover tells us about audience psychology.

4:40 – Why core fandoms are a trusted channel, not a risk to avoid.

5:45 – How empowering existing fan creators builds a new lease of life for a franchise.

7:05 – What it means to give fans a literal seat at the table in game development.

7:50 – Why brand loyalty and brand fandom are not the same thing

10:15 – How to expand a brand story without replacing what fans expect.

12:35 – What "being additive to the fan experience" actually looks like in practice.

13:35 – Why “ownability” matters more than hype, and what brands get wrong about mental availability.

16:05 – How Nike stakes an ownable claim in niche sports like calisthenics.

23:45 – What does it mean to add depth to a brand: the case for (and against) getting on Substack.

26:05 – How Red Bull became a media company in its own right.

28:36 – Why shared cultural references work even for people who've never seen the source material.

30:05 – Why reactive marketing vs. long-term strategy dos and don'ts need to be set long before the trend hits.

32:40 – The mindset shift Perla thinks marketers need over the next five years.

34:55 – Closing thoughts.

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0:35 – Introduction:  how Mathias Gredal Nørvig became CEO of SYBO

3:20 – Unpacking almost 5 billion downloads: what gave Subway Surfers its "lightning in a bottle" spark

6:25 – The moment Subway Surfers stopped feeling like a hit game and started feeling like a franchise

8:30 – How SYBO knows when an IP has broken into the wider cultural conversation

11:15 – Why Easter eggs and cultural nods were built into Subway Surfers from day one

14:00 – Defining SYBO today: game studio, IP owner, or entertainment company?

16:15 – How SYBO finds the right tone for IP expansion and measures success beyond game metrics

19:40 – How platform mechanics, from TikTok to Instagram, shape the way SYBO tells stories

22:35 – Why balancing UGC freedom with protecting the Subway Surfers DNA is key to fan engagement

25:00 – Where overexploitation begins: lessons from SYBO's licensing journey

30:50 – How SYBO manages one breakout IP alongside new bets like Blades of Brim and Subway Surfers Cities

38:00 – Inside the Brawl Stars x Subway Surfers collaboration

41:10 – How SYBO turns a viral spike into lasting retention once the crossover hype fades

43:40 – What Mathias would advise to anyone starting a new mobile-first IP today

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0:00 – Who is Shelley Macintyre, and what does BBC Studios' Brands & Licensing division actually do?

1:10 – What does "show to shelf" mean in practice?

3:00 – How did a career at Unilever, Coca-Cola, and SipSmith prepare Shelley to build entertainment franchises?

12:10 – With such a wide catalogue of IP, how does BBC Studios decide what fits where?

12:45 – What's the three-step journey from cultural relevance to fan demand to commercial conversion?

15:00 – What makes Bluey's storytelling work for toddlers and their exhausted parents at the same time?

18:00 – How does a 60-year-old IP like Doctor Who stay relevant to new fans and nostalgic ones alike?

21:25 – What does it mean for a brand to have "permission" to stretch into new territory?

26:20 – What were the earliest signals that Bluey was becoming a global franchise, not just a hit show?

30:00 – How does BBC Studios think about fan-made content it doesn't control?

34:10 – Beyond sales, what actually signals a franchise is healthy?

36:50 – How different is the platform strategy for Doctor Who's core fans versus Bluey's stretch audiences?

40:35 – How do you localise a global franchise like Bluey without losing what makes it "Bluey"?

43:45 – With the Bluey movie landing in 2027, how do you keep a franchise from becoming overexposed?

47:55 – What are the first questions Shelley asks when a new IP shows franchise potential?

53:20 – What can traditional media learn from creators building their own IP — and what can creators learn back?

59:00 – Where is Shelley least confident the industry is getting it right?

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00:00 – Introduction

00:30 – From strategy consulting to Formula E: how does that background shape building a commercial operation inside a sports series?

07:45 – Fans regularly ask for a standalone Formula E game. What's the thinking behind not building one?

09:10 – What did the NFT racing game in Season 7 teach the team about evaluating new opportunities?

11:35 – Without revenue pressure on the gaming side, how does that change who Formula E chooses to partner with?

19:00 – Why the team baked creative flexibility into their Roblox IP activation from day one

20:25 – What is Brainrot, and what made it the right fit for Formula E's Roblox audience?

22:20 – What did the response to the Brainrot trailer teach the team about which channels suit which content?

23:15 – How a brand can actually get discovered on Roblox

27:50 – Beyond player numbers, what does a gaming partnership deliver for a team or sponsor's media value?

31:10 – Why does the physical Gaming Arena remain Formula E's most popular fan village activation?

35:45 – Is gaming simply another distribution channel for Formula E's IP, or something fundamentally different from broadcast?

40:05 – Where does Sanjay see the biggest untapped opportunity for Formula E's IP right now?

47:10 – How well do brands currently understand the value of a gaming audience?

53:25 – What's the mindset shift that separates sports properties building lasting IP ecosystems from those simply accumulating licensing deals?

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EPISODE NOTES

0:00 – Introduction

0:40 – 28 years at Ubisoft: from assistant brand manager to running Film & Television

2:55 – Why there's never really been a "playbook", and why one would be obsolete within six months anyway

6:00 – What The Last of Us as can teach about timing that you just can't manufacture

7:55 – Why Assassin's Creed on Netflix and Five Nights at Freddy's require completely different playbooks

10:20 – What really makes a game IP "cinematic" 

13:25 – 4 Million views on TikTok: how the Rabbids clips overtook the game as the entry point to the IP

19:45 – Why sometimes ignoring fan backlash is the right move.

20:36 – Why creator passion for the IP matters more than industry pedigree

23:11 – The current gold rush of game adaptations, and why "movie number two" is where the real franchise test happens

26:49 – Fandom over format: why book, game and creator-economy audiences are all the same asset

27:56 – How Ubisoft keeps its own creative talent, and audiences, from franchise fatigue

34:26 – How a local-first strategy can help beat over-saturation

35:15 – What actually separates a franchise from a one-hit wonder

37:40 – Managing fan expectations (and leaks) on IP that's always "in development"

42:00 – Where games and entertainment convergence goes next

44:52 – Why turning fans into co-creators is the key to keeping them for life

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EPISODE NOTES

00:00 – Introduction

02:45 – What did it take to build Banijay Branded Entertainment from scratch?

03:50 – Just how big is Banijay, and where does branded content sit within that scale?

05:35 – How does sport fit into Banijay's storytelling strategy?

07:15 – What's the real difference between branded entertainment and advertising?

09:45 – How branded entertainment plays the long game when younger audiences are choosing brands based on values.

11:55 – How do you find the right genre match for a brand?

12:35 – Why telling a values-led story always trumps selling a product.

15:40 – How do you actually measure success in branded entertainment?

17:00 – What did Changing Rooms x Dulux prove about branded content driving real sales?

19:40 – Are more brands building branded entertainment into their strategy from day one?

23:40 – Why does timing matter so much, and why is coming in early the key to a natural, non-invasive integration?

26:00 – Why is branded entertainment becoming more important as commissioning budgets shrink?

32:55 – How do you extend content into live experiences without losing the heart of your IP?

43:30 – What are the two biggest misconceptions brands have about branded entertainment?

45:00 – Where is branded entertainment heading next, and will it become a standard line in every brand's marketing mix?

47:55 – Closing thoughts

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0:00 – Introduction

0:15 – The numbers behind the ballot: 1.3 million entries and counting

2:00 – Why "inspiring activity" is the mission, not just running a race

3:15 – The enduring power of broadcast in a declining-audience world

7:40 – What London Marathon Events actually does for the other days of the year

8:45 – Inside the year-round product and tech cycle behind race day

12:45 – How LME approached building its app: from blank page to tracking thousands of runners

15:00 – How to choose vendors, and the red flag that ends a pitch

16:50 – How to turn ballot rejections into on-ramps for engagement

20:00 – Why it’s key to build products for every kind of runner

24:55 – Where AI actually will disrupt the most

32:35 – What happens when organisations bet everything on AI

37:25 – How LME builds a roadmap in a fast-moving world

45:35 – What dwell-time data really proves

47:00 – What's next: fusion events and expanding LME's reach

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0:00 – Introduction

1:35 – Why Trivial Pursuit Infinite was the experiment that changed everything

3:00 – Inside the moment that led to an AI Ouija board with 250,000 interactions in 72 hours

4:20 – Why iconic IP lands completely differently with AI voices

5:00 – Why traditional licensing isn't built for characters that speak in real time

5:40 – What is the character operating system — and what is the golden record?

8:20 – How Behavioural licensing came to be, and why it didn't exist before Sixth Wall

8:45 – Why infringement at scale is actually a signal, not just a problem

9:40 – What happens when you ask an LLM "Peppa, do you like bacon?"

15:15 – What happens when your characters run their own 24-hour station, and how it informs character deployment

18:50 – Why Hasbro got talent compensation right before going to market

23:35 – 12 characters live now, vaults full of IP to come — what's the roadmap?

28:40 – How inbound and outbound moderation keeps characters in canon and safe

31:30 – Why CEO buy-in and a culture of experimentation are so important

38:01 – Sixth Wall is open for business: character-as-a-service, and what that actually means

40:40 – What is the vision for the future of Hasbro's AI characters? 

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