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Taking experience from larger media companies & start ups and now applying them to help a…
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How do you solve a problem like micro-boredom?
How do you solve a problem like micro-boredom?
She was blow drying her hair and the live viewer count was going up. If I wasn’t sitting next to our Social Video…
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Looking back on amazing memories while creating new ones
Looking back on amazing memories while creating new ones
How do you say goodbye to something that’s been a huge part of your life for years? How do you part ways with a place…
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Peter Szabo shared thisIn 2023, I went from leading global music and partnership teams at brands like Shazam and Spotify to returning to the company I had founded Idea Factory because of 1 question: does your artist actually like Coke? Thought I’d share the story behind it all. In high school, I was fascinated by what happened offstage. I got my fill by sitting in the tech booth at a theater instead of watching the play or pitching my own sports show while interning at my local community TV station (nobody wrote back; shocking, I know). In college, I did 2 internships in Budapest. The first was at Varga Studio, which animated the “Do the Bartman” music video. No one there knew what an “internship” was, so we built my role from the ground up. After that, I interned at Juventus Radio. On day 1, I told my boss I actually wanted to do TV. He looked at me, laughed, and said, “Cool, we’re going to show you radio.” Still grateful to this day that he didn’t laugh me out of the room. After college, I landed at KISS 108 FM in Boston, working under Bev Tilden. I went from producing live club broadcasts to becoming the internet content director and, eventually, marketing director by the time I was 24. Eventually, I moved into sales after realizing the salespeople were driving BMWs while I was driving a Nissan Maxima. Even though the sales guys pitched and landed the deals, the ideas they pitched came from me. That change took me to LA. I joined Pandora as an early digital radio salesperson, and then helped build Shazam’s West Coast ad sales team, which grew into running all of US ad sales and building their global music partnerships team. That combo of sales and artists/label relationships became my specialty. That’s how Idea Factory was born. I left Shazam in 2015 after my second son was born. Even though I’d left, artist managers I knew kept calling and asking, “Can you introduce us to Coke? You just did that deal.” I’d say yes, make the intro… only to check back weeks later and hear nothing ever progressed. It got to the point where I just asked, “Does your artist even like Coke?” They’d said no, but if they paid us, we would. That never sat well with me, so I started staying involved through the whole process to make sure it was a win-win for all sides. And it worked. That approach led to deals with Harley-Davidson, Hilton, and eventually a huge naming rights deal with Harley-Davidson to sponsor a big tour. From there, 2020 was set to be my best year in business yet. Then COVID happened. Within a month, business dried up. In a twist of fate, my friend, Ed Suwanjindar, called and asked me if I was interested in becoming the Head of Commercial Partnerships at Spotify. My time there was great, but the pull to build Idea Factory was too strong to ignore. Today, we’ve connected 36 artists with brands they truly love. I’m excited to share more about creating genuine music partnerships and building a company that puts artists first. Hope you’ll follow along.
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Peter Szabo shared thisFantastic piece just hit from Brett at Music Connection Magazine. It's the best write up I've seen that talks about Tamber from both a "what it can do for musicians" as well as a "how it's meant to be a force for good in this foggy AI tech-music landscape" perspective. Tamber is designed by musicians, for musicians, to help them be more efficient in the studio & beyond. A while back, "AI + music" became a dirty combo. Creative works potentially being mis-used. The term "stolen" kept popping up. Artists spoke out being skeptical of tech companies. Lawsuits. But thankfully, the pendulum seems to have shifted to "AI is an amplifier & accelerator of technology that can be used in really magical & powerful ways, if done right". And Tamber is at the forefront of that. What Zoe & the team have built is nothing short of magical. Tamber v2 just launched last week, and now includes a fully re-tooled "Gestures" product that looks like wizardry. But it's real. And works.... today. Check out the article if you have a minute. And then if you're curious about how AI can be used right in music tech to benefit artists & producers, download & use Tamber. Would love to hear what you think. https://lnkd.in/gMibSyVe
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Peter Szabo shared thisTamber is officially live today! Music tech designed by artists, for artists, filling gaps in production. As Zoe has said: "The speed of discovery has increased, but the speed of creation has not." Tamber is meant to help with that, without losing the soul of what music creation is meant to be. An Adobe Creative Suite for Musicians - Tamber can help you record with hand movements via Gestures, better organize your local samples via Librarian or get inspired by sample libraries from cities around the world via City Packs. Tamby becomes your creative sidekick, helping you throughout your creative process. Backed by Adobe Ventures, M13, Rackhouse and a number of artists - you can see a quick video intro here, and head over to https://tamber.music/ and try the magic of Tamber on your Mac today! (Currently integrates with Ableton, other DAWs to follow shortly.) https://lnkd.in/gmxAe43C
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Peter Szabo shared thisVery happy to share details on the first Bon Jovi Keepsake Collection! This has been a spectacular team effort! Keepsake Collectibles was looking to apply their sports trading card model to music. And our thought was - game worn jerseys could roughly equate to stage worn band clothing. Plus, bands have rooms (sometimes warehouses) of cherished items from their touring career. Sports fans proved the demand for sports trading cards- shouldn't there be a similar collection of music trading cards & memorabilia? Enter Rick connecting me with Brad and his amazing team at Inveniem. The works they've done to catalog iconic band's physical goods is staggering. This Keepsake + Inveniem partnership is so special, and we're thrilled for everyone to see what has been created for Bon Jovi here. Special thanks to the band's amazing team for mining their archives with us and allowing us to create some spectacular items for fans. On a personal note, couldn't be happier to be working with Bon Jovi. As long time friends know, my all time top 3 musicians are Bon Jovi, Def Leppard & Bryan Adams. I'm now lucky enough to work with 2 of those 3, so Bryan... coming for you next! 😊 Official details from Keepsake: We are beyond excited to announce an unprecedented partnership with global rock icons Bon Jovi for the debut Bon Jovi Keepsake Tour Collection! This is a luxury, high-end experience for the ultimate fan. Each card is a tangible piece of rock history. Inside Every Case: -6 Premium Cards per case. Look for Gold /10 and Gold turn Engine 1/1’s -1 Guaranteed On-Card Autograph per case. Every single card is either a Relic, a Relic Autograph, or an Autograph. The Chase is On: -The Ultimate Grail: One lucky collector will find a redemption card for Jon Bon Jovi’s actual concert-used guitar! -Private Collection: Ultra-limited cards featuring pieces of Jon’s personal studio used 12-string black Takamine guitar. -Hard-Signed Hits: 100% On-Card autographs from the lineup: Jon Bon Jovi, Tico Torres, David Bryan, Phil X, Everett Bradley, Hugh McDonald, and John Shank. Official Release: July 2026 Secure Your Box: https://lnkd.in/gGzM_R6z #BonJovi #KeepsakeTradingCards #RockAndRoll #TradingCards
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Peter Szabo shared thisKnow anyone that wants to be part of the future of music creation? Tamber (a company you'll be hearing a lot more about in the next few months!) is looking for an ML Research Engineer, as well as a few other key roles in social and Product / Project Management. If anyone comes to mind, please ask them to apply!
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Peter Szabo shared thisThis was so much fun! Wayne & I chatting just like old times. I love having friends that you can just pick back up with whenever you speak with them. From Kiss 108 & Jamn 945 days... to Juventus Radio in Budapest... Pandora... Shazam... Spotify... Idea Factory and everything in between. We talked about the people who helped us along the way (Maryellen, Mary, Beverly, Joe) and how we've tried to pay it forward as our careers have progresses. How certain moments stand out years later, and you come to appreciate things even more. How doing what you love with great people around you is a wonderful foundation. Mistakes we've made, and how we've learned from them.
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Peter Szabo shared thisAmplifying this important message about farmers & agriculture from Heather Malenshek via Jeff Ragovin's great summary. Jeff's bullet points are helpful to quickly understand an important issue that effects us all through our food.Peter Szabo shared thisBeth Ford, CEO of Land O'Lakes, Inc. has a warning for all of us: America’s farmers are at risk, and the future of our food supply hangs in the balance. She warns that U.S. agriculture is facing a quiet crisis. Rising costs, shrinking profits, and policy uncertainty are threatening the backbone of our food system. What’s happening: Fewer farmers: Dairy farms may fall to 21,000 and grain growers to 300,000—just 28% of the farms we had 90 years ago. Profit squeeze: Net farm income fell 5.6% in 2024 after a 19% drop in 2023. In 2025, the median farm income is projected at –$328. Most farms are running at a loss. Rising costs: Next year will see the most expensive crop planted in U.S. history. Farmers face higher input, automation, and labor costs. Aging workforce: There are more farmers over 75 than under 35. Millions of acres are shifting to private equity, raising questions about generational continuity. Big pressures: Trade uncertainty, labor shortages, broadband gaps, and stalled Farm Bill negotiations are adding to the storm. Beth Ford’s call to action: Expand trade agreements Reform immigration to stabilize labor Pass a new Farm Bill to provide certainty Her warning: “We must pay attention to the gathering storm before it’s too late.” Thanks Heather Malenshek for bringing this to my attention.
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Peter Szabo shared thisSo fun to watch the Taylor Swift + New Heights collab this week. As a fan of both, a few things struck me, in no particular order... 1. Hearing Taylor say "I adore what I do", along with using the phrase "I get to" write/sing/perform as well as sharing that she was "so grateful for the ability to create" was super cool. It's fun to see people who love what they do, be able to keep doing it at the highest level and appreciate it. 2. After watching the full episode, the positivity from all 3 of them is intoxicating & contagious. I left in such a good mood and cheering more for all 3 of them. 3. Fantastic the episode ended up being 2+ hours. (New Heights episodes are normally 1 - 1.5 hours.) Reminiscent of the Eras tour being 3 hours, when easily she could have done a more normal 90 min concert, but instead super sized the whole thing to over deliver for her fans. 4. The way they built anticipation for the full episode drop + album announce in today's rapid fire world was impressive. Monday morning teaser pushing to Wednesday's full episode... good lesson to not just drop content, but tease it first, even if it's just for a day or two. 5. 11 mil views in 21 hours on YouTube - wow. I wish there was an easy way to know just how many total people watched or listened across all platforms. (I'm sure we're about to hear about how many records this broke, but it will be piecemeal by platform.) 6. This is brought up quite a bit as a positive in the new world of long form podcasts, but it's clear she was In safe hands the entire time. What a welcome environment for her to share the stories she wanted to share. 7. Further to that point, Jason's curiosity in his questions was fantastic. He was able to tap into a bit of fan boy-ness with loads of enthusiasm, but rooted in curiosity as he brought up new topics & asked various questions. (And his guest intro is the new standard for guest intros.) 8. Taylor's curiosity about the NFL was fun to see. Her admitted her lack of knowledge at first, but then diving in to learn was cool. 9. As they compared the live concert vs sports worlds, their realizations about how similar their jobs were was impressive. I liked when they realized it was the same concepts, but different names - ie rehearsal vs practice, show vs game, on stage vs on field, etc. 10. Will Taylor & Travis being so candid about their origin story (which started with Travis shooting his shot and saying "hey I wanna meet you" on his podcast) going to lead to more podcasters shooting their shot? 11. If it does, I hope those other people shooting their shots have as much of a backup squad as Travis did springing into action vouching for him & talking him up to the desired datee.
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Peter Szabo shared thisSo cool to see 2 articles in the past day praising being a successful parent while having a successful career. First, Dani Russin praised 4 music manager moms (Michelle Jubelirer, Alex DePersia, Janelle Lopez Genzink and Amanda Hill) for "navigating the incredibly challenging balancing act of being a mom and a manager". https://lnkd.in/eq-YA2Ce Second, Joel Madden talking about Good Charlotte's new album said: “Some people will sacrifice everything for art. I’m not sacrificing my relationship with my kids for art. I’m gonna make the best record I can make right now, and I’m still gonna make bedtime.” "I’m gonna make the best record I can make right now, and I’m still gonna make bedtime.” That line in particular stood out to me. In the tech, media, startup "grind" culture, how do we know when enough is enough? Doing the best you can, stopping and being ok with that is hard. Especially if you're a perfectionist or a tinkerer (I certainly am!) But seeing parenting being highlighted along with professional accomplishments is great to see! https://lnkd.in/eE-C-wPSSurvey Says: Good World's Russin, Monotone's CrossSurvey Says: Good World's Russin, Monotone's Cross
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Matt Lawler Really appreciate that Matt
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That is the goal we saw with the artists!
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Peter Szabo liked thisPeter Szabo liked thisTwo weeks ago, nearly 500 songwriters, producers, publishers and artists filled our Spotify LA office for the second annual Created by Women Summit. In the room: St. Vincent, Julia Michaels, Leona Lewis, Diane Warren, Jessie Reyez, Ali Tamposi, Nija Charles, Lori McKenna, Autumn Rowe, and so many more! We went where the conversation usually doesn't: being a working parent in music, Black women in songwriting, collaborating across borders, and what it takes to lead the song business. GRAMMY winner and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Liz Rose sat down with Spotify's Chief Public Affairs Officer, Dustee Jenkins, for a keynote full of the stories only Liz can tell. Fans want to know who made the songs they love. We spent the day celebrating the women who did, and long after the last session, the room was still swapping numbers and making plans to write the next ones! Thank you to every songwriter, producer and publishing executive who showed up for each other, to our partners at Backline for creating space to recharge, and to the many many teams across Spotify who brought this summit to life. I can't wait for year three!
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Peter Szabo liked thisPeter Szabo liked thisI’m thrilled to share that I've joined Tropicana Brands Group to lead the Tropicana marketing team! I’m grateful for the opportunity to help grow and evolve such an iconic brand & category leader, especially one that uses the power of real fruit to ‘give life some juice.’ 🍊 Massive thanks to my GetYourGuide colleagues who taught me what it takes to build a brand people trust with their precious vacation days. I'm so proud of what we built and I'll be cheering you on (and continuing to book many experiences). Looking forward to this next chapter -- returning to my beverage & midwest roots!
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Peter Szabo liked thisEvery great golfer changes their swing somewhere along the way. Not because the old one stopped working, but because they believe there’s still a better version ahead. It’s hard to leave something you love. It’s also pretty special to finds something you can’t wait to run toward. Thank you Los Angeles Rams and excited for everything PGA of America!!Peter Szabo liked thisThe PGA of America is pleased to welcome Marissa Daly as its new Chief Marketing Officer, effective October 5. Daly brings nearly two decades of sports, media and marketing experience and joins the Association from the Los Angeles Rams, where she most recently served as Senior Vice President, Studios & Marketing. As Chief Marketing Officer, she will lead the PGA of America’s brand, marketing, social and content functions. Her experience building major sports brands and creating engaging game-day experiences will help us tell the stories of PGA of America Golf Professionals, connect with more golfers and audiences, and bring our championships to life in new ways. Read More >> https://lnkd.in/grnu-8_n
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Peter Szabo liked thisPeter Szabo liked thisThere’s A LOT happening inside GEICO Marketing right now. This Fortune feature with our CMO, Arianna Orpello Lewko, is a little glimpse. What I get to see every day is the ambition, creativity, and momentum behind pieces like this — and a group of really interesting, talented marketers thinking big and making things happen. I feel very lucky to work alongside this team, with Arianna at the helm. I’m biased, of course… but I’d keep an eye on us! https://lnkd.in/gBWRZ-cBGeico has one of advertising’s most famous mascots. Its CMO says that’s no longer enough | FortuneGeico has one of advertising’s most famous mascots. Its CMO says that’s no longer enough | Fortune
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Peter Szabo reacted on thisPeter Szabo reacted on thisThe best way to win on LinkedIn? Celebrate other amazing humans. One of those humans is Monica Khan. Earlier, this year I went to Vegas. To attend a conference knowing no one. I left Vegas with two new best friends. All because of Monica Khan. She saw me wandering around like a lost puppy. Took me under her wing. Invited me to every event. Every dinner party. Introduced me to Val Guerrera. Val then introduced me to Dan Page. Now two of my closest friends. All because Monica decided to be generous with a stranger. Look at what Monica actually builds. Founder and CEO of Creator Revolution. Senior Advisor to McKinsey on the creator economy. Helped build the creator ecosystem at YouTube, Meta, and Spotter. Now she's one of Dhar Mann's Chief Creator Officer Ambassadors for Advertising Week alongside myself, Justin Johnson, Matt Kerbel, Tyler Chou, Gigi Robinson ®, Nolan Ashton, Nii Lartey, Ahmed Faid, April Little, Daniel Robbins, Gigi Robinson ®, Tameka Bazile 🟢, and Jayde I. Powell. I couldn't be more honored. She's truly one of the creator economy's best minds. Make sure to follow Monica Khan. Trust me, Dan Page, and Val Guerrera on this one.
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Peter Szabo liked thisPeter Szabo liked this125 bottles. One made the cut. That’s what it took our Sam's Club Member’s Mark team to find a Napa Valley Cabernet they were proud to put on the shelf for around $10. Six days of blind tastings. 125 wines. A whole lot of “not quite.” I love stories like this because most of the work behind a great item is invisible. Members see the bottle on the shelf. They don’t see the 124 bottles the team passed on to get there. And increasingly, our members are part of that process too. More than 200,000 people are now part of our Member’s Mark Community, helping us taste, test and shape the products we make. That’s pretty cool. We’re not sitting in a conference room guessing what members want. We’re asking them. Great value isn’t just finding a lower price. It’s being a little obsessive about what earns a spot in the club in the first place. Huge credit to Elliott Schaum and the Member’s Mark team. #retail #wine #food #CX #leadership #loyalty
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Peter Szabo liked thisPeter Szabo liked thisOur team is hiring a Product Manager, Sports Experience at Netflix. 🏈⚾🥊 You'll own the end-to-end product experience for Sports, from discovery to playback, across TV, mobile, and web. After record-breaking NFL, boxing, and World Baseball Classic events, and with the Women's World Cup ahead, this is a big moment to join. If this sounds like you or someone you know, apply here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gaTNPdZj cc Hugh LoveProduct Manager, Sports Experience | Remote, United States | NetflixProduct Manager, Sports Experience | Remote, United States | Netflix
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Peter Szabo liked thisPeter Szabo liked thisOK, Meta Connect was very, very impressive. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to represent VaynerX their big event. The Meta Councils team planned the PERFECT day (right down to the amazing weather), with private chats with brilliant heavy hitters like Alan Dye and Naomi Gleit, +38 different demo stations, and a Mark keynote that really felt like a step change. Optimism was the theme of the day. Mark opened and closed on the idea that “the future is for everyone,” which is notable at a time when much of the conversation around AI is divided. As an early adopter type, I've been playing with wearables since the Google Glass days, so seeing the new VR headset (and getting a very chic pair of Kylies 👓) made me feel like the tech gods finally starting to deliver on a promise that's been around for a LONG time. But Muse really stole the show. For such a newly launched product, it is VERY clearly central to Meta's new mission around personal superintelligence. From its viral product lead Alexandr Wang presenting to the Muse mascot literally dancing around campus, you could feel the company and MetaMates getting behind it. My brain immediately went to: so what does this mean for ads?! It will mean a lot, in due time. There is much to still be developed, from agentic buying and shopping, but the punchline is that relevance is about to get a whole lot more relevant. In the short term though, Mark shared their vision for a new monetization model, built on a percentage of transcations versus ads, and also noted that Muse's goal is to save you money. Hard to hate that! Amidst ALL of this AI and Innovation, I was taking pages and pages of handwritten notes because that's still the only way I remember things... because I am still human ;) And getting to share this experience with a slew of marketing leaders made it all the more valuable - biggest thanks for the Client Council teams for fostering industry community. PS: If you want to try Muse yourself, Code 3K5303 gets you 1 Billion tokens... DYOR always.
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Ben Keen
As in other areas of #AI, investors have been rushing to back the ‘picks & shovels’ of AI-native #MediaTech start-ups - some of which will be exhibiting at this week's IBC - International Broadcasting Convention. My research has identified $5.73bn of disclosed funding and IPO capital in 2026 to date, which is already 3.6x the 2025 total! Interestingly, over 80% of the cumulative investment to date has been directed towards vendors specialising in generative creation & production automation, with another 17% backing those focused on content enhancement (e.g. #editing, #localisation, #metadata & analysis). Less than 2% has been allocated to AI applications addressing workflow, trust & governance, just 1% on improving experience & monetisation, while AI in distribution & delivery has been almost completely passed over. The biggest cheques have gone to companies like Kling AI, Luma Labs, ElevenLabs, Suno, Higgsfield AI, and Runway. That concentration creates a widening divide between well-capitalised AI platforms and the long tail of specialist MediaTech start-ups — where commercial traction, defensible IP and workflow integration will matter more than an AI label. Disclosure: I am a Limited Partner in Hallstone Ventures, a venture capital fund set up by Seth Hallen to invest in the AI infrastructure for #media & #entertainment.
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Jerry Inman
Everyone assumes content distribution is automated. It’s not. If you work across #TVOD, #FAST, #AVOD, or #SVOD and haven’t seen how avails are actually distributed, you’d be shocked at how manual the process still is. Excel files flying back and forth. Partner templates. Constant updates. Human error everywhere. Matthew Carter and Vincent Muscarella break down why this legacy workflow slows licensing and delays revenue for the entertainment industry. The industry deserves better. #Helix #WhipMedia
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Jennifer Prince
Excited for our BZZR Los Angeles Rams preseason games streaming distribution, alongside Amy Elkins’ new post! Feeling gratitude for our teams that pulled this off - big thanks to Michael O'Keefe Jory Hirsh and the entire BZZR squad. New distribution and commercial opportunities given to us by the league…& we acted fast… “The Rams have always believed in moving quickly when innovation creates a better experience for our fans. When the league opened the door this offseason for teams to stream preseason games, we saw an opportunity to move fast and be among the first to bring all three Rams preseason games directly to fans in a new way," said Rams Chief Commercial Officer Jennifer Prince. "Partnering with BZZR allows us to combine their streaming technology and social-first platform with the strength of the Rams brand to expand access, meet fans where they are and continue pushing the boundaries of how sports content is distributed and experienced." And to Amy, you are a force. Here’s to this next chapter! 💫
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