Katie DeMatteis is a dynamic marketing professional renowned for her expertise in crafting engaging narratives and utilizing digital tactics to boost brand visibility across various sectors. With almost ten years of experience, she has collaborated with a range of clients, from emerging startups to well-established corporations. Her proficiency encompasses content creation, brand development, and strategic campaign planning. Throughout her career, Katie has made significant contributions to numerous organizations, showcasing her leadership in thought leadership, sales enablement, email campaigns, and B2B marketing, excelling in roles such as consultant, content marketing manager, and head of marketing.

• Creative content strategy approaches
• Overcoming fear of risk in creative content
• Memorable brand activations and campaigns

Episode Overview:

In this episode of the Pixel Retentive Podcast, Carl hosts Katie DeMatteis, an expert in content marketing with over 11 years of experience in gaming, cybersecurity, and B2B tech. Discussing creative content strategy, highlighting the importance of testing unconventional ideas through A/B experiments. Katie addresses the fear of risk in creative content, advocating for starting small and validating ideas before scaling

Mackenzie Jackson is the CEO & Co-Founder of Alliance Studio which was founded in 2019. She is also operating within Epic Games Support a Creator Partner program, contributing to the development and design featured on Fortnite's expanding Creative Platform. Collaborating with external marketing firms and brands, she spearhead campaigns tailored to enhance the Fortnite Creative landscape.

What You'll Learn:

• Personal challenges and community support
• Insights into the transformation of gaming culture and community dynamics
• Exploration of Fortnite's innovative methods for brand engagement and community building
• Potential collaborations with industry leaders

Episode Overview:

In this episode of Pixel Retentive Podcast, Ross and Carl invite Mackenzie Jackson. She talks about her own Fortnite experience in 2018 starting from becoming a member of the game to establishing her studio in 2019; she also shares her thoughts on how it changed over that time, as well as its difficulties. In the same vein, it reveals how gaming culture has been transformed into a breeding ground for gaming creators and how Fortnite brand collaborations have revolutionized marketing.

Ben Burns is a designer, entrepreneur, author, and leader who currently serves as COO at The Futur. Before joining The Futur, he founded Burnt Creative, a brand experience agency in Richmond, Virginia, and served as Vice President on the executive board of the Richmond AIGA chapter. With a BA in Media Arts from the University of South Carolina and a Masters Certificate in Cyber Security from Armstrong Atlantic University, Ben has collaborated with brands like DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures, AMC, TBS, Team USA, Laika, and Hyatt, along with several startups.

What You'll Learn:

• The role and impact of AI in the creative process.
• Strategies to unlock and nurture creativity.
• Insights on valuing and pricing creative work.
• Recommendations from Ben Burns for resources and creators to follow.

Episode Overview:

In the Pixel Retentive Podcast episode with Ben Burns, Carl and John discuss the impact of AI on creativity, emphasizing the importance of leveraging AI tools without replacing human creativity. Ben, Carl, and John share insights on nurturing creativity, removing performance pressure, and valuing creative work appropriately, noting the challenge of finding clients who appreciate the creator's value.