Culture & Entertainment Summit

Thursday, May 28, 2026

• 9:00 AM Breakfast & Registration
• 9:45 AM Opening Remarks

  Brandon Gutman, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Brand Innovators

  Marc Sternberg, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Brand Innovators

• 10:00 AM From Fandom to Fairway: Building the Modern Sports Brand

  Golf is evolving—becoming more accessible, more cultural, and more connected to new audiences than ever before. This conversation explores how the PGA of America is reshaping its brand to meet the moment, turning fan interest into deeper participation and long-term engagement. From storytelling and partnerships to growing the game at scale, we’ll unpack how modern sports brands balance heritage with innovation to stay relevant and drive meaningful growth.

  Fahad Zahid, Head of Brand and Marketing, PGA of America

  Moderated by: Richard Harmer, Founder, UNCOM Media 

• 10:30 AM From Media to Moments: Building Sports Partnerships That Scale

  Sports today operates at the convergence of media, live experience, and global business growth. This conversation explores how leading organizations build high-impact partnerships that drive both brand value and revenue across platforms like ESPN and PGA of America. From cross-platform media strategies to strategic collaborations and immersive event experiences, we’ll unpack how modern sports marketing continues to evolve. Expect a candid look at unlocking new opportunities and creating lasting impact in an increasingly competitive landscape.

  Taiya Ryan, Director Global Brand Marketing and Media, Pizza Hut

  Sala Shanley , Senior Manager, Marketing, Dallas Cowboys

  Ernie Vilar, Senior Director – Global Partnerships , PGA of America

  Moderated by: Hilary Shaw, Senior Account Executive, Kargo

• 11:00 AM Measuring Fandom: From Local Passion to Global Growth

  Every interaction, from a first game to a global digital touchpoint, contributes to the growth of a fan base. This session will explore how brands measure fan expansion across markets, platforms, and channels, balancing quantitative data with cultural relevance. By identifying the signals that matter most, brands can turn broad awareness into measurable, sustained fandom.

  Travis Dillon, Senior Vice President Marketing, Texas Rangers

  Ryan Luckey, Executive in Residence, TCU

  Moderated by: David Western, Team Sales Lead, Perion

• 11:30 AM Networking Break
• 11:45 AM From Audience to Affinity: How Modern Brands Turn Sports Passion Into Lasting Connection

  The most effective brands in and around sports know that reach alone is not the goal. The real opportunity is turning audience into affinity and moments of interest into lasting connections. That means understanding where fans spend time, what they care about, and how content, community, and collaboration can deepen the relationship. This panel will explore how brands and creator-driven platforms are engaging audiences in more human, participatory ways. From storytelling and live experiences to community-building and thoughtful partnerships, the conversation will focus on how modern fandom is shaped and how brands can contribute to it in ways that feel additive, relevant, and real.

  Ethan Braden, Chief Marketing Officer, Texas A&M University

  Jeff Lefkovits, Marketing Director, Good Good Golf

  Danny Saeva, Head of Licensing, Dude Perfect

  Moderated by: Patrick Werksma, Chief Executive Officer & Founder of Trickplay Sports

• 12:00 PM From Brackets to Breakthroughs: AI, Creators & the New Fan Playbook

  The future of sports marketing is being rewritten at the intersection of live moments, creator culture, and AI-powered creativity. In this session, we will unpack how brands are activating around tentpole events and bringing athletes and creators together to drive engagement, relevance, and cultural impact. We’ll also explore how AI is transforming the creative process, enabling faster, smarter, and more personalized content at scale. Expect a forward-looking conversation on how brands can turn real-time moments into lasting fan connections.

  AJ Mazza, Senior Director Brand Strategy and Communications, BetMGM

  Moderated by: Liz Griffin, Senior Brand Manager, Linqia

• 12:45 PM Lunch
• 1:45 PM Where Craft Meets the Course: Elevating Partnerships Through Experience

  Great partnerships today go beyond logos—they create immersive, memorable experiences that resonate with consumers. This fireside explores the collaboration between Elijah Craig and the PGA of America, and how craftsmanship, heritage, and storytelling come together on and off the course. We’ll dive into how premium brands activate within sports in authentic ways, engage fans through elevated experiences, and build lasting brand affinity. Expect insights on turning shared values into powerful, culturally relevant moments.

  Max Stefka, Associate Vice President, Global Whiskey Brands, Heaven Hills Brands

  Moderated by: Kevin Hyland, Director, Digital Content, PGA of America

• 2:15 PM Beyond the Logo: Building Real Value in Sports Partnerships

  Most sports partnerships look good on paper (logos on jerseys, signage in stadiums, impressions at scale). But the real value isn’t in visibility, it’s in what those moments actually do for the business. In a world where fans expect more than passive brand presence, the question becomes: how do partnerships move beyond exposure to create real connection, measurable impact, and lasting brand equity?

  This session explores how leading brands are rethinking sports partnerships as full-funnel growth engines—where media, storytelling, and experience come together to drive engagement, loyalty, and revenue. From turning fandom into action to building integrations that actually convert, we’ll unpack how to create partnerships that don’t just show up but deliver results.

  Sara Fang, Portfolio and Sports Marketing Senior Director, PepsiCo

  Charlotte Roach, Senior Director of Brand Experience, Pizza Hut

  Moderated By: Lance Wolder, Head of Strategy and Marketing, PadSquad

• 2:45 PM Culture as Currency: Turning Relevance into Growth

  Culture moves faster than any media plan, and brands can’t manufacture relevance; they have to earn it. In a landscape shaped by real-time conversation, shifting values, and constant influence, growth doesn’t come from simply showing up; it comes from showing up in a way that resonates. The question is: how are brands turning cultural awareness into something that actually drives the business forward?

  This session looks at how leading marketers use culture as a growth lever, turning trends, moments, and communities into strategies that build connection, relevance, and measurable impact. From instinct to execution, we’ll look at how brands move beyond participation to create meaning in cultureand turn that meaning into momentum.

  Foram Katariwala, CPG Brand & Innovation Leader, Formerly Tree Hut

  Rachel Lambo, Senior Influencer Marketing Manager, US. Cetaphil & Differin, Galderma

  Moderated by: Liz Griffin, Senior Brand Partner, Linqia

• 3:15 PM Networking + Brand Collab Workshop
• 4:00 PM The Next Frontier of Experience: When Innovation Becomes Culture

  In a world where innovation is moving faster than consumer behavior can keep up, the challenge for brands isn’t just building what’s next, it’s helping people believe in it. Breakthrough ideas don’t succeed on technology alone; they succeed when they feel relevant, desirable, and grounded in real human experience. The question is: how do brands create demand for something people haven’t yet imagined?

This session explores how marketers turn bold innovation into cultural momentum and shift perception from future concept to lived experience. From building trust and emotional connection to embedding brands into meaningful moments, we’ll look at how the most forward-thinking companies make the unfamiliar feel intuitive and transform possibility into adoption and growth.

  Kris Hart, Senior Director, Growth & Ventures, PGA of America

  Oliver Walker-Jones, Head of Marketing, Communications & Brand, Joby Aviation

  Moderated by: Josh Belkin, Executive Marketing Leader – former Topgolf, Omni Hotels, Expedia

• 5:00 PM Wrap