The AvA Connection

🏙️ AvA IRL’s Chicago Panelists Are Here:

What is AvA IRL? Free panels and events curated for the next generation of Entertainment.

Our Chicago panelists:

Armon Vakili - Oversees partnerships for a major Cannabis company while also produces a music festival
Brent Heyl - Programs iconic venues like Salt Shed (our panel is on the roof) & launched a festival
Dana Meyerson - Publicist for the likes of Chappell Roan, Victoria Monét, RAYE & many more
Jelani Wright - Had 2 first round picks in the '24 NBA draft and reps multiple stars
Marianna Ruiz -  First Chief Creative Officer of Creative Growth at one of the largest Global PR & Marketing agencies
Matt Yasecko - COO of the newly formed independent agency that represents more than 800 artists including The Lumineers, Mac Demarco and Royel Otis.
Scott Cramer - Head of Brand Experience at DoStuff, operating in 22 cities driving 60M event-goers a year.

Limited Free RSVPs for Chicago below. Boston announced later today. Virtual panels announced soon..

🐝 The Weekly Buzz

1) Creator-led Media Brands continue to move towards in-house control.

Alex Cooper’s Unwell launched an Ad Agency. Why does that matter?

• Unwell can now co-create campaigns, control the narrative around Alex (and her roster), and plug brands straight into the culture of Gen Z women through her content, live activations, and in-house production.

• The bigger trend: celebrity-led brands are moving away from Madison Ave. A$AP Rocky, Kristen Bell, Ryan Reynolds, a bunch of others, and now Cooper, are building creative shops where creators aren’t the talent; they’re the agency.

• The model keeps evolving:
  👉 Phase 1: flat-fee influencer deals
  👉 Phase 2: royalty & equity plays
  👉 Phase 3: creators own the strategy, media, and distribution, and keep the upside.

My take: people are numb to 99% of influencer marketing. This shift toward creator-owned media is the reset the industry needed.

Just PLEASE god no more celebrity tequila brands.

Underscore Talent launched a new comedy division “to bridge traditional stand-up with digital-first era.” Their roster includes Kareem Rahma from Subway Takes, Zachariah Porter and more.

2) Spotify doubles down on AI integration with new ChatGPT partnership. 

Spotify users can now link their accounts to ChatGPT and receive personalized personalized podcast and music recommendations. There have been a lot worse headlines about AI so far. (I’m looking at you Tilly)

3) Philly legends Mt. Joy raised $500k for charity. Love it.  

4) I never ever thought I’d be typing the words ‘Dancing With The Stars’ but..

They posted their highest viewership numbers in 5 years. How? Creators.

• Creators like Alix Earle and Robert Irwin have ushered in new eyes, while MomTok personality Whitney Leavitt has amassed 146 million views on her show related TikTok’s.

• As a result, fan voting is up 58% from last year, and fan voting has increased by 163%.

• The crossover between legacy platforms (studios, IP etc.) & creators is here to stay. Go subscribe to the Publish Press newsletter also. They rock.

🏃 Industry Moves

1. TikTok’s Global Head of Partnerships Development is parting ways with the company after 4.5 years. Michael Kümmerle confirmed that he’s not retiring, he just “decided to move on.”

2. UTA brings on Zoe Fairbourn as part of their Entertainment Marketing expansion. Fairbourn will be focused mainly on brand clients and content partnerships, and is coming from Hello Sunshine where she was the head of Strategic Partnerships and Branded Entertainment.

3. Paramount poaches Netflix and NBCU alumni, Shannon Buck. She clearly brings an abundance of experience, and will be the new VP of of PR and Communications.

4. Gus Canazio Joins Rock In Rio Producer Rock World As SVP of Booking. We worked together at Live Nation. Great guy and love seeing him continue to thrive.

💼 AvA Job Board

Our new job board features 115+ early career roles in Entertainment:

Some standouts:

💼 Communications Assistant - UTA - Apply Here

💼 Temporary Publicity Coordinator - A24 - Apply Here

💼 Associate Marketing Manager (Global Marketing) - 2K - Apply Here

💼 Series Marketing Strategy Coordinator - Apple - Apply Here

💼 Creative Production Assistant - Warner Music - Apply Here

💼 Coordinator Partner Management - MSG - Apply Here

💼 Content Distribution & Partnerships Coordinator - Hallmark - Apply Here

💼 Digital Marketing & Artist Development Coordinator - Sony Music - Apply Here

💼 Business Operations Coordinator - Warner Bros. Discovery - Apply Here

💼 Social Media Manager (The New Yorker) - Condé Nast - Apply Here

💼 Accommodations Associate - LA28 - Apply Here

💼 Gaming Creator Growth- TikTok LIVE - Apply Here

💼 Music Central Assistant - WME - Apply Here

💼 Audiobook Catalog Strategy - Spotify - Apply Here

🎒 ESPN Visual Storytelling Intern (Spring 2026) - Disney - Apply Here

🎒 2026 Summer Internship - UTA - Apply Here

👋 See you back here on Friday

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This newsletter is written by Warner Bailey and edited by Riley Furey and Dominik Sansevere.

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