The Digest: Fairfield County Marketing & Media Pros

Local insights, global trends, new opportunities.

Author

Shawn Kallet
October 20, 2025

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Digest for Fairfield County Marketing & Media Pros.

Before we get to the news, I want to congratulate two Fairfield County Marketing & Media Pros, Stacey Gersten and Courtney Worthman, on the launch of their new agency, Main Character. I’ve known Stacey for a long time, and she’s always been an innovator who connects brands with talent for partnerships that drive cultural conversations.

As Stacey shared, “Main Character is built for brands that want more than attention — they want impact. We fuel big ideas with bold partnerships, sharp cultural instincts, and insider access that turns wild ideas into real-world moments.”

Congrats, Stacey & Courtney!

If you have a campaign launch, company news, or job opening to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Reminder - Our next Happy Hour is on Wednesday, 10/29, at Third Place by Half Full Brewery in Stamford. Thanks to Stratford Steel and Davinci Windows for support to make the event Free with RSVP: https://luma.com/jzjnkkzd

Top Stories

Amazon DNS outage breaks much of the internet

The outage affected websites like Coinbase and Fortnite, and disrupted services like Signal, Zoom and Amazon's own products, including Ring.

techcrunch.com/2025/10/20/amazon-dns-outage-breaks-much-of-the-internet

Brand valuations swing wildly amid AI, market-driven disruption

Nvidia saw the fastest rise in value ever tracked by Interbrand while digital-first services like Netflix, Uber and Instagram also gained ground.

www.marketingdive.com/news/brand-valuations-swing-wildly-ai-market-driven-disruption/802821

YouTubers aren’t relying on ad revenue anymore — here's how some are diversifying

YouTubers are no longer just creators, and in some cases, their side businesses are growing faster than their channels.

techcrunch.com/2025/10/18/youtubers-arent-relying-on-ad-revenue-anymore-heres-how-some-are-diversifying

Local Spotlight

‘6-7!’ How Connecticut teachers are handling the viral TikTok meme

A harmless but loud TikTok meme, “6-7!” has taken over Connecticut classrooms. Here’s how teachers are turning a potential disruption into lessons.

www.ctinsider.com/news/education/article/6-7-meme-tiktok-ct-schools-teachers-21105727.php

An Opinionated Guide to Using AI Right Now

What AI to use in late 2025

www.oneusefulthing.org/p/an-opinionated-guide-to-using-ai

YouTube Dominates AI Search, Cited 200x More Than Any Other Platform

YouTube is cited in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI search results 200x more than any other video platform, according to data released Wednesday.

www.mediapost.com/publications/article/409545/youtube-dominates-ai-search-cited-200x-more-than.html?edition=140069

Upcoming Events

October Happy Hour - Fairfield Marketing & Media Pros · Luma

When: 5:30p - 8:30p, Wednesday, 10/29
Where: Third Place by Half Full Brewery (Barrel Room)
Who: Fairfield County Marketing & Media Pros
Thanks to Stratford Steel, Davinci Windows, and Third Place by Half Full Brewery for supporting our event.
Free with RSVP: luma.com/jzjnkkzd

luma.com/jzjnkkzd

Shaping CT's Future: Drive To ‘35

If you were to look 10 years into the future, what does the state of Connecticut look like?

November 19, 2025 | 2:00 – 6:00 PM Location: CoCreate 47 John St, Stamford, CT 06902

shapingctsfuture.com/upcoming-event

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

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

Brand Manager-Splash | Primo Brands | Stamford, CT

Director, Experiential Marketing | OpenTable | Norwalk, CT

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

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