Episode Synopsis "23: There’s a RYOT going on: CMO Molly Swenson’s company leads the way in VR and immersive storytelling"

Molly Swenson is CMO of RYOT, an immersive media company founded in Los Angeles in 2012 and recently acquired by AOL and The Huffington Post. She’s also a badass. Molly was a White House intern in the Obama administration, performed as a contestant on “American Idol” and designed philanthropic strategies for Kobe Bryant, Shakira and Ben Stiller. More recently, Adweek recognized her as one of 2016’s Young Influentials — game changers under the age of 40 in the worlds of media, marketing, technology and entertainment. Molly believes that VR’s impact as a medium for storytelling and the affect it has on people can’t be overestimated and calls it “the tip of the spear” for RYOT.   Highlights from this week’s “Marketing Today” podcast include: The “lightbulb” moment: How RYOT’s focus shifted to VR films. (3:19) How RYOT judges success: Moving the audience from passive observer to active participant. (5:30) Moving into the CMO role: From wearing many hats to choosing the one that fits. (8:46) What joining forces with AOL, Verizon and The Huffington Post means to RYOT. (17:00) Hacking the advertising ecosystem. (23:06) 360-degree video, VR and AR: A down-and-dirty tutorial. (26:35) Balancing unfaltering confidence with humility: From Steve Jobs to Kabbalah — and Charlie Chaplin, too. (38:50)

Listen "23: There’s a RYOT going on: CMO Molly Swenson’s company leads the way in VR and immersive storytelling"

More episodes of the podcast Marketing Today with Alan Hart on GigaDial Public

• 20: How Fast Growth B2B Firms Can Use Marketing to Drive Results
• 21: For modern American luxury brand Shinola, there’s no place like home
• 22: MikMak and Rachel Tipograph are shaking up the world of millennial marketing
• 23: There’s a RYOT going on: CMO Molly Swenson’s company leads the way in VR and immersive storytelling
• 24: Laurel Hodge and Imgur keep it real to connect with millennial men
• 25: For Peter Horst, it’s critical to recognize simple human truths
• 26: Marketers can’t afford to treat consumers like computers