Alyssa Foster, who leads Brand Partnerships and Entertainment PR at Southwest Airlines shares insights into how Southwest uses storytelling to connect with travelers, highlight the heart of its people, and create authentic brand moments. From their groundbreaking short film "Alone in Tombstone" to leveraging micro-influencers for campaigns like "Summer of Go," Alyssa gives us an inside look at how Southwest is redefining airline marketing.

Michael Sternoff, Principal Creative Director at Amazon’s Project Kuiper does a deep dive into the art of authentic brand storytelling. He discusses the hero’s journey, the power of spotlighting real people over celebrities, and how brands can take a supporting role in stories that resonate.

Discover how the LA Times is redefining branded content with emotional impact at the core. Kristen Berke, Vice President of National Advertising and Branded Content, shares how her team blends editorial storytelling with platform-specific strategies to create engaging narratives. From Oscar-winning short documentaries to innovative brand collaborations, they are proving the power of stories that connect deeply with audiences.

Ramon Soto,  Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Northwell Health reveals a powerful lesson in the innovative partnership model that helps them put purpose before profit. By offering filmmakers unprecedented access to their hospitals and healthcare teams, Northwell has reshaped their approach to branded content, while fostering deeper audience connections with their customers. It’s a lesson in how other brands can achieve social good and business success through collaboration in creative storytelling.

This is one of the top requests that clients ask of Marcus Peterzell, CEO of Passion Point Collective, and Brian Newman, founder of Sub-Genre. These two are some of the branded documentary space’s foremost experts on distribution and funding. And while many clients come to them with the dream of getting their brand film on one of the large streaming networks, Marcus & Brian break down why that dream may not be right for everyone. They detail how to leverage other opportunities that exist in the marketplace for distribution based on the delicate balance of goals and budget.

Chief Brand Officer Ben O’Meara and Senior Manager of Strategic Media Partnerships Jeremy Berres Paul from men’s lifestyle retailer Huckberry discuss the creation and distribution of their episodic travel show “Dirt,” and why they chose to invest in such a high quality format.

Undoubtedly, Annie Granatstein has mastered the art of balancing company goals with creating entertainment value for her audience. In her latest travel series, ‘Travel by Design,’ Granastein’s team showcased the design inspiration behind some of Marriott Bonvoy’s most iconic destinations. While the Marriott brand helped secure the locations, it was the focus on beautifully told story that got the buy-in from Amazon Prime. Tune in to discover the creative strategies behind Granatstein’s success and how she managed to seamlessly blend storytelling with brand messaging in this series.

Yeti’s Head of Content Scott Ballew discusses how a soul has emerged from the cooler maker's brand after years of creating story-driven films — all of which anchor some impressive brand-owned content channels and now headline an international film tour.

Wine Enthusiast Magazine Vice President of Content, Dara Kapoor talks about the success story behind the podcast , “Vinfamous.” Part true-crime, part history, and part wine-world inside baseball, “Vinfamous” rose to the top of the crowded food podcast market by borrowing successful storytelling tactics from other parts of the industry. Wine Enthusiast doubled down on the unique content formula with strategic marketing efforts like cross-promotion and targeted giveaways, and in the process, managed to tap in to a huge new engaged audience.

Elise Day, Senior Brand Manager at Backcountry pulls back the curtain on Backcountry's innovative "Venture Beyond" film series to explore how brands can use collaborations to create deep, emotional connections with their customers and inspire outdoor enthusiasts to push their limits through these breathtaking cinematic adventures.