Dea Lawrence is the CMO of Variety, where she oversees public relations, media partnerships, creative communications, live media, virtual events, video development, and custom content.
In this episode, Dea and I discuss her role as CMO, her previous acting career, and how it helped shape her approach to marketing. Dea says, “we always have to think of what we are going to do next and what’s new and different to meet the competition and keep our brands going.”
Later in the conversation, we talk about how Variety kept customer interest during the pandemic and virtual events and how film and the TV industry integrate with marketing.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How acting prepares you for business
- Keeping customers interested during virtual events
- How film integrates with marketing
Key Highlights:
- [01:24] Dea’s acting career
- [04:44] From actor to CMO
- [09:55] How acting prepared her for business
- [13:11] Who is Variety
- [15:00] Transitioning from in-person to virtual events
- [21:30] Why being CMO at Variety is different than most CMO positions
- [23:17] Variety’s content studio
- [29:52] Achieving growth in publishing
- [31:20] An experience that defines Dea, makes her who she is today
- [33:32] Dea’s advice for her younger self
- [34:50] What marketers should learn more about
- [36:03] The brands and organizations Dea follows
- [37:58] The biggest threat for marketers today
Resources Mentioned:
- Variety
- Dea Lawrence (IMDb Profile | LinkedIn)
- Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, play by Charles Busch
- iFilm and former CEO Kevin Wendell and now owner of Hotel Esencia
- Variety Virtual Events & Streams
- Variety Content Studio
- Steven Gaydos
- Alex Castro, VP of video
- The Take (Video Show)
- Variety Podcasts
- Smartless podcast (Alan References)
- NFTs
- Scott Galloway
- Scott on NFTs
- Trinny London – cosmetics brand and founder, Trinny Woodall
Follow the podcast:
- Listen in iTunes (link: http://apple.co/2dbdAhV)
- Listen in Google Podcasts (link: http://bit.ly/2Rc2kVa)
- Listen in Spotify (link: http://spoti.fi/2mCUGnC)
Connect with the Guest:
- Dea’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dealawrence/
- Dea’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeaLawrence1
- Variety on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Variety
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Alan B. Hart is the creator and host of “Marketing Today with Alan Hart,” a weekly podcast where he interviews leading global marketing professionals and business leaders. Alan advises leading executives and marketing teams on brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth opportunities. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies, but he is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine companies.