With TLCC 2026 just around the corner, we revisit a conversation with Tessitura President and CEO Andrew Recinos about what makes a professional community meaningful. Andrew reflects on the forums, affinity groups, and relationships that help arts and culture professionals support one another, not just during a conference, but long after everyone heads home.

Hear the full conversation with Andrew:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449648/episodes/17200606

Summer travel season is here, but the trips we remember most are often less about where we go than who we experience them with.

In this ICYMI episode, Sixthman CEO Jeff Cuellar explains why passionate fans will rearrange their calendars, cross traditional demographic lines, and travel wherever it takes when an experience is built around something they love and a community that loves it with them.

Hear the full conversation with Jeff: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449648/episodes/16876082

Oncologists prescribing beaches, Broadway, and ballgames sounds unbelievable until you hear the why. We sit down with Jon Albert, founder of the Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation, to talk about what families actually need when late-stage cancer enters the picture: time, relief, and a chance to feel like a family again.

Jon shares the story behind the foundation, rooted in the loss of his wife Jill to breast cancer when their kids were still young. He puts words to the emotions so many families quietly carry: fear that children will forget a parent, dread of missing every milestone ahead, and guilt about leaving a spouse and kids behind. From that pain came a clear mission and a powerful framework he calls family-centric care: treating the families, not the cancer, and using joy as real support for children’s long-term coping and grief.

We get specific about what the “power of wow” looks like in practice: curated travel, live entertainment, sports, museums, and simple moments like sunsets, all delivered with a concierge-level approach that handles logistics driveway to driveway. We also unpack how the program works through partnerships with leading cancer centers, with families being prescribed to the foundation as part of care. If you work in hospitality, travel, sports, or live events, this conversation will change how you think about the experiences business and the lasting impact of a well-timed memory.

If this moved you, subscribe, share the episode with someone in the experiences world, and leave a review to help more listeners find it.

Recorded Tuesday, June 9th, 2026
Host: Damian Bazadona, CEO & Founder, Situation
Guest: Jon Albert, Founder, Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation
Producer: Peter Yagecic, Founder, A Mind at Work Consulting

https://www.jajf.org
https://situationinteractive.com
https://amindatworkconsulting.com

As soccer supporters from around the world transform cities across North America with songs, traditions, and unforgettable displays of fandom, we're revisiting a conversation that helps explain how many of those lifelong passions begin.

In this ICYMI episode, Mike Lorenc (Clinical Assistant Professor of Sport Management at the University of Michigan and co-owner of AFC Ann Arbor) shares why the next generation of sports fans often discovers the game in unexpected places—from video games to entertainment partnerships and digital experiences that build fandom long before a first match. As global supporters bring their cultures to life far from home, it's a timely reminder that the path to fandom is changing and that technology can turn a screen into a lifelong connection.

Hear the full conversation with Mike: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449648/episodes/17985477-fandom-on-the-field-how-sports-move-the-masses

Monopoly has a reputation for turning friendly game nights into grudge matches, and Saw has a reputation for making people squirm. So what does it look like to build live, immersive experiences from those worlds and still leave guests feeling satisfied, included, and eager to come back?

We sit down with David Hutchinson, CEO of The Path Entertainment Group, to unpack how modern fandom changes when the audience gets real agency. We talk through the creative and operational decisions behind location-based entertainment and interactive theater, from Monopoly Life-Sized to The Paddington Bear™ Experience. David explains why “value added” is the north star, how a “game inside the game” keeps familiar IP fresh, and why clarity matters more than mystery when you’re asking people to participate.

We also get practical about what outsiders underestimate: the sheer complexity of running a building-scale show, the lack of shared infrastructure across the immersive space, and the need for better language so audiences know what they’re signing up for. If you’ve ever wondered how to honor the iconic moments fans came for while still pushing an IP onto a new canvas, this conversation lays out a clear playbook.

Subscribe to Fandom Unpacked, share this episode with someone building live experiences, and leave a rating and review so more creators can find the show.

Recorded Monday, June 8th, 2026
Host: Damian Bazadona, CEO & Founder, Situation
Guest: David Hutchinson, CEO, The Path Entertainment Group
Producer: Peter Yagecic, Founder, A Mind at Work Consulting

https://situationinteractive.com
https://amindatworkconsulting.com

Game 4 of the NBA Finals is tonight. If you live even remotely close to New York, you're feeling the fandom.

It sent us back to a conversation with Bronwen O'Keefe, Head of Brand Marketing and Content at the Harlem Globetrotters — an organization that's been filling basketball arenas in this city for 100 years — on what it actually means to give every person in a room something to feel. This episode covers:

• what it looks like when 20,000 people are all feeling the same thing at the same time
• why the Harlem Globetrotters have been filling arenas for 100 years
• what fandom looks like when it has something for everyone in the room

Listen to the full conversation with Bronwen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449648/episodes/19275852

And GO KNICKS!

Everybody recognizes the Harlem Globetrotters. The more interesting question is why people keep coming back, and why first-timers leave feeling like they just joined something. We talk with Bronwen O’Keefe, Head of Brand Marketing and Content, about the simplest strategy that is also the hardest to execute at scale: building fandom by making joy a two-way exchange between the team and the crowd.

Bronwen breaks down what “modern fandom” looks like for a 100-year brand, from the earliest barnstorming days to today’s packed arenas and always-on screens. We get into the Globetrotters’ hybrid identity as sports entertainment and live family entertainment, and why that mix creates a rare shared experience across generations. You will also hear how innovation is baked into the brand, not bolted on, and how signature moments evolved from necessity into an expectation fans now love.

Then we go practical: what content works on social and YouTube, why you have to “go where your fans are,” and how community programming and goodwill ambassador work strengthen the story behind the trick shots. Bronwen shares the thinking behind player nicknames, how recruiting looks beyond basketball skill to what is “in your heart,” and the fan-favorite “fifth quarter” that turns a great show into an unforgettable personal memory.

If you care about fan engagement, brand marketing, sports entertainment, or live event strategy, hit subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a rating and review so more people can find the show.

Recorded Monday, June 1st, 2026
Host: Damian Bazadona, CEO & Founder, Situation
Guest: Bronwen O'Keefe, Head of Brand Marketing and Content, The Harlem Globetrotters
Producer: Peter Yagecic, Founder, A Mind at Work Consulting

https://situationinteractive.com
https://amindatworkconsulting.com

We break down how the Savannah Bananas build a fan experience by doing the exact opposite of “normal” and keeping everything anchored to entertainment. We hear from co-owner Emily Cole on the behind-the-scenes planning that turns a baseball stop into a fan-first trip people schedule a year in advance.

• The Savannah Bananas’ philosophy of rejecting normal to create standout sports entertainment
• What “holistic fandom” looks like in real life through merch, lotteries, and travel planning
• Touring new communities weekly and learning fast through real operations constraints
• Why communication across security, food and bev, groundskeepers, and entertainment makes or breaks the show
• How site visits and years-ahead planning reduce friction and win trust in someone else’s venue

Listen to the full episode with Emily Cole: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449648/episodes/18327072