Podcast
The Speakeasy
Hosted by SEG3 · EN
The Speakeasy is a podcast that takes you behind-the-scenes at your favourite sports, entertainment and gaming brands - giving you a glimpse into the deals, strategies & innovations that are helping to keep you entertained.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan, part of the industry, or just curious about how the biggest brands in sport, entertainment and gaming do what they do, The Speakeasy is your all-access pass to the stories behind the moments that are defining pop culture.
15episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How Ubisoft turns Video Games into Transmedia Franchises
5d ago00:49:20Tap to summarizeEPISODE NOTES 0:00 – Introduction 0:40 – 28 years at Ubisoft: from assistant brand manager to running Film & Television 2:55 – Why there's never really been a "playbook", and why one would be obsolete within six months anyway 6:00 – What The Last of Us as can teach about timing that you just can't manufacture 7:55 – Why Assassin's Creed on Netflix and Five Nights at Freddy's require completely different playbooks 10:20 – What really makes a game IP "cinematic" 13:25 – 4 Million views on TikTok: how the Rabbids clips overtook the game as the entry point to the IP 19:45 – Why sometimes ignoring fan backlash is the right move. 20:36 – Why creator passion for the IP matters more than industry pedigree 23:11 – The current gold rush of game adaptations, and why "movie number two" is where the real franchise test happens 26:49 – Fandom over format: why book, game and creator-economy audiences are all the same asset 27:56 – How Ubisoft keeps its own creative talent, and audiences, from franchise fatigue 34:26 – How a local-first strategy can help beat over-saturation 35:15 – What actually separates a franchise from a one-hit wonder 37:40 – Managing fan expectations (and leaks) on IP that's always "in development" 42:00 – Where games and entertainment convergence goes next 44:52 – Why turning fans into co-creators is the key to keeping them for life --🎧 Subscribe to The Speakeasy🌐 Visit our website: www.seg3.com📩 Join our newsletter for weekly deep dives into culture & technology: https://seg3.beehiiv.com/📱 Follow us on LinkedIn: @SEG3💬 Got a question or guest idea? Email us at: info@seg3.com
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Storytelling as Strategy: Inside Banijay Branded Entertainment
2w ago00:48:36Tap to summarizeEPISODE NOTES 00:00 – Introduction 02:45 – What did it take to build Banijay Branded Entertainment from scratch? 03:50 – Just how big is Banijay, and where does branded content sit within that scale? 05:35 – How does sport fit into Banijay's storytelling strategy? 07:15 – What's the real difference between branded entertainment and advertising? 09:45 – How branded entertainment plays the long game when younger audiences are choosing brands based on values. 11:55 – How do you find the right genre match for a brand? 12:35 – Why telling a values-led story always trumps selling a product. 15:40 – How do you actually measure success in branded entertainment? 17:00 – What did Changing Rooms x Dulux prove about branded content driving real sales? 19:40 – Are more brands building branded entertainment into their strategy from day one? 23:40 – Why does timing matter so much, and why is coming in early the key to a natural, non-invasive integration? 26:00 – Why is branded entertainment becoming more important as commissioning budgets shrink? 32:55 – How do you extend content into live experiences without losing the heart of your IP? 43:30 – What are the two biggest misconceptions brands have about branded entertainment? 45:00 – Where is branded entertainment heading next, and will it become a standard line in every brand's marketing mix? 47:55 – Closing thoughts --🎧 Subscribe to The Speakeasy🌐 Visit our website: www.seg3.com📩 Join our newsletter for weekly deep dives into culture & technology: https://seg3.beehiiv.com/📱 Follow us on LinkedIn: @SEG3💬 Got a question or guest idea? Email us at: info@seg3.com
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Behind the Scenes of the World’s Largest Marathon
3w ago00:56:22Tap to summarize0:00 – Introduction 0:15 – The numbers behind the ballot: 1.3 million entries and counting 2:00 – Why "inspiring activity" is the mission, not just running a race 3:15 – The enduring power of broadcast in a declining-audience world 7:40 – What London Marathon Events actually does for the other days of the year 8:45 – Inside the year-round product and tech cycle behind race day 12:45 – How LME approached building its app: from blank page to tracking thousands of runners 15:00 – How to choose vendors, and the red flag that ends a pitch 16:50 – How to turn ballot rejections into on-ramps for engagement 20:00 – Why it’s key to build products for every kind of runner 24:55 – Where AI actually will disrupt the most 32:35 – What happens when organisations bet everything on AI 37:25 – How LME builds a roadmap in a fast-moving world 45:35 – What dwell-time data really proves 47:00 – What's next: fusion events and expanding LME's reach --🎧 Subscribe to The Speakeasy🌐 Visit our website: www.seg3.com📩 Join our newsletter for weekly deep dives into culture & technology: https://seg3.beehiiv.com/📱 Follow us on LinkedIn: @SEG3💬 Got a question or guest idea? Email us at: info@seg3.com
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The AI Innovation Bringing Hasbro's Characters to Life
Jul 900:45:48Tap to summarize0:00 – Introduction 1:35 – Why Trivial Pursuit Infinite was the experiment that changed everything 3:00 – Inside the moment that led to an AI Ouija board with 250,000 interactions in 72 hours 4:20 – Why iconic IP lands completely differently with AI voices 5:00 – Why traditional licensing isn't built for characters that speak in real time 5:40 – What is the character operating system — and what is the golden record? 8:20 – How Behavioural licensing came to be, and why it didn't exist before Sixth Wall 8:45 – Why infringement at scale is actually a signal, not just a problem 9:40 – What happens when you ask an LLM "Peppa, do you like bacon?" 15:15 – What happens when your characters run their own 24-hour station, and how it informs character deployment 18:50 – Why Hasbro got talent compensation right before going to market 23:35 – 12 characters live now, vaults full of IP to come — what's the roadmap? 28:40 – How inbound and outbound moderation keeps characters in canon and safe 31:30 – Why CEO buy-in and a culture of experimentation are so important 38:01 – Sixth Wall is open for business: character-as-a-service, and what that actually means 40:40 – What is the vision for the future of Hasbro's AI characters? --🎧 Subscribe to The Speakeasy🌐 Visit our website: www.seg3.com📩 Join our newsletter for weekly deep dives into culture & technology: https://seg3.beehiiv.com/📱 Follow us on LinkedIn: @SEG3💬 Got a question or guest idea? Email us at: info@seg3.com
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How Wimbledon Balances Heritage and Innovation
Jul 201:02:31Tap to summarize00:00 – Introduction 02:20 – How Wimbledon is serving their 750 million global fanbase 05:30 – The shifting media landscape, and Wimbledon's distribution strategy 08:15 – Wimbledon's 35-year partnership with IBM, and how its helping them drive innovation 11:10 – Wimbledon's AI journey 12:10 – Match Chat, Live Likelihood to Win, and the AI features redefining the on-court experience 17:35 – Why a multi-year delivery cycle is key to fan retention 21:00 – How Wimbledon is leveraging data, fan research and pilot programs to decide on where to place their bets 28:00 – Why ticket accessibility is so fundamental to the Wimbledon Brand 32:30 – The 100+ year partnership with the BBC, and their new launches for the 2026 Championships 43:10 – Wimbledon's gaming strategy, and their new launches on Roblox for the 2026 Championships. 44:00 – Wimbledon's approach to storytelling and entertainment 52:10 – The KPI's that Wimbledon are judging success in gaming around 58:00 – The vision for the next 5 years, and how they plan to serve every type fan a relevant, curated experience at scale -- --🎧 Subscribe to The Speakeasy🌐 Visit our website: www.seg3.com📩 Join our newsletter for weekly deep dives into culture & technology: https://seg3.beehiiv.com/📱 Follow us on LinkedIn: @SEG3💬 Got a question or guest idea? Email us at: info@seg3.com
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The Era of Immersive Marketing
Apr 1600:35:57Tap to summarize00:00 – Introduction 03:00 – Nic's journey from indie filmmaking to Fortnite builds 06:00 – Why meeting players inside the experience itself matters most. 08:30 – The real benefit that today's biggest platforms offer to brands. 10:00 – Why certain brands should opt for owned, always-on experiences vs integrations 13:00 – Inside Sawhorse’s biggest brand partnerships. 15:45 – What made the How to Train Your Dragon activation a success? 18:45 – What can gaming learn from music when it comes to fan relationships? 24:00 – The pitfalls of building for your brand, not your audience. 28:40 – What does the future of in-game advertising look like? 33:00 – Why the gamification of entertainment matters for brands trying to reach younger generations. 35:00 — Closing thoughts. --🎧 Subscribe to The Speakeasy🌐 Visit our website: www.seg3.com📩 Join our newsletter for weekly deep dives into culture & technology: https://seg3.beehiiv.com/📱 Follow us on LinkedIn: @SEG3💬 Got a question or guest idea? Email us at: info@seg3.com
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Investment, Innovation & Growing Bandai Namco’s Franchises
Apr 200:45:02Tap to summarize00:00 – How connecting with fans leads to monetisation. 03:00 – What does a winning IP strategy look like with legacy franchises? 10:30 – What does a typical day look like across partnerships, licensing, and venture investing? 13:50 – How the Zero to One Fund helps Bandai Namco to keep ahead of the industry. 16:40 – Should gaming companies invest in content or technology? 19:50 – Where does the best deal flow come from in gaming? 21:40 – How to decide whether to build, buy, invest, or partner? 25:00 – What gives a company a competitive edge in gaming in 2026? 27:30 – Where is the next generation of gamers playing? 30:45 – The strategy to generating long-term success in a hit-driven entertainment and games business. 35:00 – How is the industry adapting to UGC and shifting platform models? 39:00 – Why fandom and community engagement more important than ever. 42:30 – How do legacy IPs like Pac-Man and Gundam stay relevant for decades? 44:30 – Closing thoughts. --🎧 Subscribe to The Speakeasy🌐 Visit our website: www.seg3.com📩 Join our newsletter for weekly deep dives into culture & technology: https://seg3.beehiiv.com/📱 Follow us on LinkedIn: @SEG3💬 Got a question or guest idea? Email us at: info@seg3.com
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Star Wars, Emerging Technology, and Immersive Storytelling
Mar 1900:41:25Tap to summarize0:00: Introduction 01:00 Why being okay with failure is the key to innovation. 4:00: What does it actually take to build a franchise? 6:00: How do you grow an iconic franchise without losing its core fans? 8:50: The secret to keeping your IP cohesive across films, series, games, and merchandise. 12:00: The steps to avoiding franchise fatigue. 14:00: The challenges translating IP into immersive experiences 19:30: How do you measure success on emerging platforms? 27:00: Why knowing what platform to choose is as important as the story itself. 35:15: What does it take to build and sustain a franchise for generations? --🎧 Subscribe to The Speakeasy🌐 Visit our website: www.seg3.com📩 Join our newsletter for weekly deep dives into culture & technology: https://seg3.beehiiv.com/📱 Follow us on LinkedIn: @SEG3💬 Got a question or guest idea? Email us at: info@seg3.com
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Building at the Frontier: How AI Is Reshaping Games, Creativity and the Future of Play
Mar 500:44:01Tap to summarize00:00 – Introduction 04:00 – How mobile gaming and traditional gaming really differ. 06:00 – What it takes to make a 'mega hit game' and the commercial opportunities with mobile-first companies. 11:10 – Fitting AI into gaming and its impact on content, production, and development. 14:45 – How AI addresses the biggest bottleneck: the ability to produce high-quality content. 17:30 – What an "AI-native game" looks like, providing a failed prototype example. 23:00 - Finding the balance between IP Protection & use of AI. 25:50 – How AI can accelerate designing of games? 30:40 – Where the divergence of "games as art" and "games as a business" comes in. 35:00 – What are the capabilities in AI beyond LLMs? 40:00 – Managing investment downturns and negative consumer sentiment around AI adoption in games. 43:30 – Final thoughts. --🎧 Subscribe to The Speakeasy🌐 Visit our website: www.seg3.com📩 Join our newsletter for weekly deep dives into culture & technology: https://seg3.beehiiv.com/📱 Follow us on LinkedIn: @SEG3💬 Got a question or guest idea? Email us at: info@seg3.com
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The Economics of Fandom: Sports Loyalty Programs Explained
Feb 1900:41:07Tap to summarize00:00 – Intro02:30 – From selling attention to building relationshipsSports has always monetised eyeballs. But what happens when attention alone isn’t enough?06:00 – Why loyalty in sport feels underdevelopedHow a category built on fandom often lacks a proper, year-round engagement layer.09:00 – What modern loyalty could look likeMoving beyond one-off promotions to something that runs 24/7, 365.12:00 – Making it simple for fansWhy any new technology or system has to feel easy for consumers to use - and where blockchain failed to start with15:00 – Why “cool” ideas using blockchain aren't enough anymoreHow teams are getting more strategic in their use of blockchain to drive revenue, efficiency and engagement.18:30 – How Starbucks & airlines do loyaltyWhat sport can learn from preloaded value, points and rewards models that already work in consumer & travel22:00 – The Cleveland Cavaliers case studyHow the Cavs approached loyalty — and what the physical and digital experience looks like for fans.26:00 – From passive watching to active participationHow predictions, rewards, and experiences are giving fans a reason to engage beyond game day.30:00 – Why sponsors care about this shiftThe move from impressions to measurable participation and attribution, and the commercial value of those metrics.34:00 – Owning the fan relationshipWhy long-term value comes from having a direct connection — and how to rebuild that relationship.37:30 – What's the commercial potential of loyalty programs?The timeline towards loyalty becoming a core revenue line for most sports properties40:00 – Final thoughts & wrap up---- --🎧 Subscribe to The Speakeasy🌐 Visit our website: www.seg3.com📩 Join our newsletter for weekly deep dives into culture & technology: https://seg3.beehiiv.com/📱 Follow us on LinkedIn: @SEG3💬 Got a question or guest idea? Email us at: info@seg3.com
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