Episode 67: Giving a Voice to Gamers through OTT Television

Gary Kleinman joins Joe and Tom this week for a conversation on OTT television and gaming. Gary is the CEO is the CEO of a WHAM a truly unique and engaging platform that is all things gaming. Gary has created, managed and activated sound experiential marketing campaigns for Sony Pictures Television, Warner Bros, PBS/WGBH, MLB, AEG Sports and others. Whether it was connecting college students to Seinfeld, or re-creating the Freedom Ride, Gary understood and created story based activations that drove tune-in, purchase intent, or content consumption for some of the world ‘s most important brands. About 14 months, by coincidence, Gary tripped across an article detailing the world of esports and gaming. Fascinated by the absolute commitment by the audience to live esports events, Gary embarked on a journey to understand the passion points and connective tissue between gamers and games. Gary understood the core reasons why gaming is such an integral part of the lifestyle and cultural fabric of society. Since no one was speaking to the lifestyle and culture of gaming, Gary created WHAM, an independent and agnostic digital media platform that covers the news, information of gaming while producing engaging original entertainment programming to this global phenomenon.

In this episode, Gary talks about the genesis of WHAM and the road he has been on since. Gary also talks about the changing landscape of television, and he shares some stories of his career in experiential marketing. Be sure to check out WHAM Network’s website http://whamnetworkinc.com/

The Facts

The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports Our presenters are Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR).