The Digest: Fairfield County Marketing & Media Pros

Two connected themes stood out as I planned this week’s newsletter.

1. AI is rapidly reshaping content creation, discovery, and consumption, making compelling storytelling more critical than ever.

2. Every company is a media company.

When I was running digital for a private-equity-backed media company, we spent most of the last 2+ years evaluating AI solutions to improve productivity and generate new copyright-protected IP. Understanding the potential impact of AI was so crucial that a board member organized a task force to review progress and support investments in new ideas.

On the productivity front, the seemingly incremental changes often made the most significant impact. The content library had 2.6 million video assets. AI solutions that recommend exact time codes of clips based on topical relevance, rather than requiring the entire clip to undergo human review, could save hours of editing costs. The savings add up quickly when you make thousands of hours of content annually.

When it came to generative video and new content creation, the early returns weren’t great. Clipping, or the practice of cutting longer videos into shorter segments, was available on various platforms and through agencies. Creating new, ownable, copyright-protected IP was another story. The costs were high. The timeline was long. The quality was low. The lawyers were against it. There was no guarantee it would outperform our existing content in terms of reach or revenue.

As you might expect, getting approvals for investment in AI productivity solutions was easier than getting approvals for content creation tools. That’s not to say we didn’t try. We made YouTube channels for testing new ideas and the latest tools. I spoke with AI leaders from OpenAI, Meta, Shutterstock, Troveo, and nearly everyone who wanted to build from scratch or license data for training models. It was fascinating, and the process is ongoing.

Sharing all of this because it leads to my second theme. Every company is now a media company. Or, more accurately, every company can become a media company.

Advances in AI content creation tools over the past few months have far exceeded what was possible only a year ago. Maybe even last quarter.

Now, if I’m a brand or creator, my AI production process using only off-the-shelf tools might look like this:

• Brainstorm in ChatGPT

• Storyboards in Google’s Nano Banana

• Scripting in Claude

• Avatars with HeyGen

• Voice Over with Elevan Labs

• Video creation with Gemini or Midjourney

• Editing with Opus Clips

• Publishing with Buffer

That’s a simplistic approach that still includes human review and implementation. New AI tools and platforms, such as OpenAI’s Sora (story below), blend content creation with social distribution. Every creator, brand, athlete, or agency can now become a media company. The barrier to entry has never been lower.

But can everyone become a great storyteller? My guess is no; AI can help, but it doesn’t inherently provide two critical elements of storytelling - taste and timing. You still need humans behind the wheel who know what they want and how to use the tools properly.

With that in mind, check out the story below about Microdramas. This interview with my friend, Scott Brown, highlights the creative elements that he pours into storytelling in new formats and genres. Microdramas are typically 90-minute stories distributed as 90-second episodes across vertical short-form platforms. Scott applies lessons from creating shows for traditional TV and working with creators like MrBeast to develop emotionally engaging, visually appealing Microdramas.

We’re all media companies now. What stories will you tell?

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Local Jobs

Chief Commercial Officer | Reed's, Inc. | Norwalk, CT 

Sr. Director, Brand Strategy | Spectrum Reach | Stamford, CT

Brand Manager, New to World Brand | Next Century Spirits | Remote

Senior Brand Manager, Bear Fight Whiskey & Nue Vodka | Next Century Spirits | Remote

Director, Portfolio Commercialization - Cuisanart | Conair | Stamford, CT

Director, Sponsorship Consulting | MKTG S&E | Norwalk, CT

Director of Programmatic Media | ICON International, Inc. | Stamford, CT

Head of CRM | Philip Morris International | Stamford, CT

Assistant Vice President, Marketing Operations Strategy & PMO | iCapital | Greenwich, CT

Sr. Creative Director | NBCUniversal | Stamford, CT

Brand Manager-Splash | Primo Brands | Stamford, CT

Director, Experiential Marketing | OpenTable | Norwalk, CT

Vice President, Institutional Consulting Solutions Marketing | Morgan Stanley | Purchase, NY

Vice President, Digital Marketing Creative | SPECTRUM | Stamford, CT

What’s Next?

This digest is a starting point. The goal is to build a community of senior marketing and media professionals in Fairfield County. If you have news to share, a campaign to highlight, job opportunities, or an event to promote, please email me at [email protected] 

Best,

Shawn