Entertainment
Stagwell Revs Up for SXSW 2023 to Explore Brand Fandom, Generative AI, Immersive Experiences and More
Roving Video Content Studio Will Capture On-the-Ground Perspectives to be Shared via Stagwell’s Digital Channels
NEW YORK and AUSTIN, Texas, March 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW), the challenger network built to transform marketing, is gearing up for its biggest South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) presence to date with programming ranging from official panels to side-stage conversations to special events. Stagwell network leaders from Assembly, Brand Performance Network, Code and Theory, GALE, KWT Global, MMI Agency, National Research Group (NRG), Stagwell Marketing Cloud, and YML will explore artificial intelligence, advertising, marketing, emerging tech, fandom, public relations and communications, sports innovation, sustainability, and other buzzing topics.
“SXSW sets the tone for the creative and cultural trends that define the year ahead,” said Stagwell Chairman and CEO Mark Penn. “From the unifying power of sports and brand fandom to the next frontiers of AR and AI, Stagwell is headed to Austin to help drive – and learn from – the conversations that are top-of-mind right now for marketers, technologists, entrepreneurs and business leaders alike.”
Press or brand leaders interested in attending any of the below and/or connecting with Stagwell on the ground should contact sxsw2023@stagwellglobal.com.
Where Stagwell is Showing Up
Saturday, March 11
- 11:30AM: The Power of Fandom in the Metaverse: This session will explore how fandom is the forum for new immersive ways, spaces, and types of connection, and how the metaverse is changing the way audiences connect and interact with sports, entertainment, music, and gaming; featuring Infinite Reality CMO Hope Frank, NRG CMO Grady Miller, Lenovo CMO, North America Gerald Youngblood, and Brand Performance Network, Global Chief Content & Partnership Innovation Officer Shannon Pruitt.
- 11:50AM: Women in Marketing Leadership Forum: YML’s SVP of Growth Stephanie Wiseman will join Danone’s Head of Marketing Linda Bethea, Hyatt VP, Global Marketing Laurie Blair, MetLife SVP, Global Brand & Marketing Michelle Froah, and Visa Head of Corporate Marketing Alison Herzog in conversation at the Brand Innovators Leadership Summit.
- 4PM: Stagwell, in partnership with Sportico, will host cocktails to commemorate the kickoff of SXSW at the Four Seasons Hotel.
Sunday, March 12
- 11:15AM: Women in Marketing Leadership Forum: While an increasing number of female leadership appointments make headlines, progress still feels slow. Wells Enterprises Chief Commercial Officer Santhi Ramesh, Nature’s Sunshine VP, Marketing Stephanie O’Farrell, former P&G Beauty, Grooming & Health Chief Communications Officer Kelly Vanasse, and MMI Agency CEO Maggie Malek join Brand Innovators Leadership Summit to share lessons learned.
- 11:30AM-12:30PM: Anatomy of a Fan: Harnessing Loyalty, Insights, and Emerging Technology: Join ARound Founder and CEO Josh Beatty, NRG EVP, Strategy & Innovation Fotoulla Damaskos, Minnesota Twins Sr. Director, Innovation and Growth Chris Iles, and Sportico Sports Business Reporter Eben Novy-Williams in conversation on the power of sports, and creating and nurturing brand fandom.
- 2:20PM: Sustainability & Purpose-Driven Marketing: This Brand Innovators Leadership Summit session will feature YML CCO Stephen Clements in conversation with PepsiCo Senior Director, Creative & Digital Christian Hoyle, YETI Director, Creative Ginny Golden, Kickstarter VP, Brand Marketing Elyse Mallouk, and OkCupid Global Head of Communications Michael Kaye, moderated by Everfi VP, Enterprise Marketing Paula Cobb.
Monday, March 13
- 11AM-5PM: Driving the Transformation of Marketing: Stagwell at Circuit of the Americas: Brand leaders and Stagwell agencies will come together for a day at the Formula 1 racetrack, where they will learn how to drive like a pro from the Skip Barber Racing School. The day will include lunch, tactical driving, speed drills, time behind the wheel of an F4 car, and cocktails to wrap the day.
- 5:30-7:30PM: Axios and PRophet: The New Communications Engineer: Aaron Kwittken, founder and CEO of PRophet, the AI-driven predictive pitch platform for PR professionals, will join the Axios editorial team in conversation spotlighting how AI can revolutionize the way communicators work, create content and exchange ideas.
Tuesday, March 14
- 4-4:30PM: How Trust Impacts Fandom in Immersive Experiences: The immersive fan experience isn’t just a hype-cycle XR, VR, or the metaverse. It’s how sports, media, and entertainment companies are connecting with their audiences in ways we never imagined. The session will feature Infinite Reality President of Metaverse Operations Helix Wolfson, OpenWeb CMO Tiffany Xingyu Wang, COTY SVP, U.S. Marketing Kevin Shapiro, and Brand Performance Network, Global Chief Content & Partnership Innovation Officer Shannon Pruitt.
Wednesday, March 15
- Tune into the SXSW official podcast channel throughout the day for Stagwell and Infinite Reality’s 4-part series on trends in the metaverse. Guests will include executives from Napster, Afropunk, Obsesh, Animal Concerts and Let’s Get FR.EE, among others.
About Stagwell
Stagwell is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.
SOURCE Stagwell Inc.
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anime
Bible Anime Series in Development at Texas Studio With Global Faith-Based Ambitions
A Texas animation studio is developing a TV-MA Bible anime series, blending faith-based storytelling with cinematic anime for global streaming audiences.
A Fort Worth animation company is betting that faith-based storytelling and anime can meet in a way that feels cinematic, serious, and built for modern streaming audiences.
History In Motion Studios has announced Shinjitsu Ugoki (Truth Movement), a TV-MA Bible anime series now in development. The Texas-based studio says the project is designed for mature audiences and will present biblical narratives through serialized storytelling, theological research, and character-driven drama.
The announcement places the studio at the intersection of two growing markets: faith-based entertainmentand the global anime industry. Rather than aiming for a traditional family format, the series is being positioned as a more intense, long-form production shaped by conflict, consequence, and spiritual tension.
History In Motion Studios is also using Unreal Engine as part of its production pipeline to support cinematic world-building and high-fidelity environments. Script development, early character design, and broader production planning are underway through 2026.
Founder Edith Alvarado said the studio sees a major opportunity in bringing biblical storytelling into anime.
“As audiences continue to seek meaningful, story-driven content, we believe there is significant opportunity within the anime format to engage biblical narratives with depth and seriousness,” Alvarado said. “The question isn’t whether biblical stories belong in anime, it’s why it took this long. We’re here to change that; Anime will know the story of Jesus.”
The women-led Christian studio operates out of Fort Worth, adding to the growing list of independent creative companies building outside traditional entertainment hubs. As of Q1 2026, the series remains in active development, with more partnership and expansion announcements expected later this year.
Related Links
Source: History In Motion Studios
STM Daily News’ Entertainment section delivers the latest on movies, television, music, pop culture, events, and industry buzz. From breaking news and trending stories to feature coverage and community-centered entertainment reporting, it keeps readers connected to what’s happening on screen, on stage, and beyond.
Community
Viewpoint Hosted by Dennis Quaid Brings Attention to a Little-Understood Condition Affecting Families Nationwide
A new Viewpoint hosted by Dennis Quaid segment with APFED raises awareness of eosinophilic esophagitis, its subtle symptoms, and its impact on families.
For more information, readers can visit viewpointproject.com and apfed.org.
For many families, health conditions do not always begin with a dramatic diagnosis. Sometimes they show up in small, everyday habits that seem easy to explain away. Cutting food into tiny bites. Drinking extra water with every meal. Quietly avoiding certain foods altogether. A new educational segment from Viewpoint hosted by Dennis Quaid is shining a light on those subtle warning signs through a collaboration with the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders, helping more people recognize the realities of living with eosinophilic esophagitis, or EoE.
Viewpoint hosted by Dennis Quaid
The segment, distributed to Public Television stations across the country, focuses on making this chronic inflammatory condition easier for the public to understand. For viewers, that matters because EoE is often misunderstood or overlooked, even as it affects daily routines, family meals, and quality of life. By connecting medical information to real-life experiences, the program gives audiences a more human picture of what people with the condition may be facing.
When everyday habits tell a bigger story
Eosinophilic esophagitis occurs when eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, build up in the esophagus, causing inflammation that can lead to tissue damage and narrowing. But what stands out most in this story is not just the science. It is the way people often adapt without realizing it. Behaviors like chewing excessively, avoiding certain textures, or relying on liquids to help swallow can become so routine that they no longer feel unusual.
That is one reason the segment carries real community value. It encourages people to look more closely at symptoms that may have been normalized for years and to seek evaluation from specialists such as gastroenterologists or allergists. It also raises awareness among parents, caregivers, and primary care providers who may be the first to notice that something is not quite right.
More than awareness
The program also explores the emotional and social side of the condition, especially for people navigating dietary restrictions and the uncertainty of delayed diagnosis. In that sense, this is not only a story about medicine. It is also a story about advocacy, support, and the importance of helping people feel seen.
APFED Executive Director Mary Jo Strobel noted that many people with EoE do not realize they have adapted their lives around a medical condition. That message gives the segment its strongest human element: awareness can change lives, not only by leading to diagnosis, but by helping families better understand experiences that may have felt isolating or confusing.
Originally distributed in January 2025, the documentary will continue to be made available to stations through March 2027, extending its reach to more households nationwide.
Related Coverage
Read more from STM Daily News on community issues, public television, health awareness, and stories that connect national topics to everyday life.
For More Information
- Visit the official Viewpoint hosted by Dennis Quaid website
- Learn more about the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders
STM Daily News is a vibrant news blog dedicated to sharing the brighter side of human experiences. Emphasizing positive, uplifting stories, the site focuses on delivering inspiring, informative, and well-researched content. With a commitment to accurate, fair, and responsible journalism, STM Daily News aims to foster a community of readers passionate about positive change and engaged in meaningful conversations. Join the movement and explore stories that celebrate the positive impacts shaping our world.
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Jay Mohr’s long-running podcast is expanding to FAST television through an exclusive LG Channels launch in the U.S. and Canada.
Cineverse has announced the launch of Mohr Stories, a new free ad-supported streaming television channel built around comedian Jay Mohr’s long-running podcast. Unveiled during LG Electronics and LG Ad Solutions’ 2026 IAB NewFronts presentation, the channel will be available exclusively through LG Channels on LG TVs in the United States and Canada.
The new channel will feature weekly episodes alongside more than 100 hours of library content, giving the show a larger footprint in the growing FAST market. Hosted by Mohr, the series includes conversations with guests from comedy, film, sports, music, and television, including Ron Funches, Jay Leno, Joe Mantegna, Patton Oswalt, Kevin Pollak, Andy Richter, George Wallace, Flavor Flav, Michael Eric Dyson, Seth Rollins, Gene Simmons, Billy Gibbons, Byron Scott, and Jeanie Buss.
The launch is notable not only because of the talent involved, but because it reflects a broader shift in how podcast brands are being distributed. What once lived primarily as an audio product is now being packaged as a 24/7 streaming destination, built for connected TV audiences and ad-supported discovery.
Cineverse said Mohr Stories will continue to be available as a podcast through the WITZ Podcast Network, a partnership between Cineverse and The Stand Group. The company also pointed to strong audience momentum after the show expanded into video, saying consumption hours on Spotify rose 50% month over month and downloads increased 34% quarter over quarter.
That growth aligns with wider audience behavior. In the U.S., more than 150 million people listen to podcasts every month, and an increasing share of those consumers are also watching podcast content on video platforms. As those habits continue to evolve, media companies are looking for ways to extend proven shows beyond their original format.
For LG Channels, the addition of Mohr Stories strengthens a FAST lineup built around free, accessible programming across a wide range of genres. For Cineverse, it underscores a strategy centered on expanding the reach and value of entertainment properties across multiple platforms.
The result is more than a new celebrity-led channel. It is another example of how streaming, podcasting, and digital video are converging into a more flexible content ecosystem—one where recognizable brands can move fluidly from audio feeds to connected television.
