Variety Entertainment Marketing Summit Announces New Speakers

Variety has announced additional speakers for 2026. Entertainment Marketing SummitDeloitte made the announcement April 22 in Los Angeles. Speakers include Ariana Madix, actress, ‘Love Island USA’ host and co-founder of Something About Her; Dalia Ganz, EVP of Marketing and Artist Development at Warner Records; LA28 CMO Alex Merchan; Qualcomm CMO Don McGuire with celebrity makeup artist and founder of Patrick Ta Beauty, Patrick Ta.

Madix and Ta break down how they built their brand from scratch, expanded their platform, and activated their existing following to create new creative business opportunities.

Ganz, EVP of Marketing and Artist Development at Warner Records, Carter Gregory, content creator, music executive and media expert, Todd Lichten, Head of Entertainment and Lifestyle Partnerships at Roblox, and Brent Mitchell, VP of Social Media and Influencer Marketing at Sephora, will join the conversation about how creators and social platforms can leverage social platforms as marketing tools for entertainment and consumer brands to succeed in today’s creator economy.

Merchan, CMO of LA28, will speak with Michelle McGuire, Chief Data and AI Officer at Deloitte US, about how technology is shaping the way the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games are delivered to fans locally and around the world.

McGuire, CMO at Qualcomm, speaks with Jasmine Jacks, principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP, about how AI can accelerate brands to move at the pace of culture, showing up at the right moment with consistency and intent.

In other new highlights, Variety’s senior TV business and gaming reporter Jennifer Maas will moderate a “Where Fandoms Collide and Cultures Are Rewritten” conversation with Havas Play’s Andrea Isaac, North America Managing Partner, and Juliet Tierney, SVP of North American Partnerships and Cultural Strategy. We explain what it takes to move from a one-off activation to a connected cultural ecosystem and how to design for engagement across diverse fandoms.

Marianna Hewitt, co-founder of Summer Fridays, and Nic Paul, co-founder and president of Spotter, will join the previously announced “Director’s Chair: Masters of Brand Storytelling” panel to discuss how the growth of media platforms can help brands creatively reach diverse demographics. The panel also included Margaret Walker, EVP of Entertainment Marketing at NBCUniversal, Nicole Parlapiano, CMO, Tubi and Claudine Cheever, CMO at Pinterest, and Jasmine Taylor, VP of Brand Marketing at Instacart.

Innovative Artist Creators’ Jack Harris shares insights on the current state and future of the creator economy, as well as how he is leading Innovative’s creator representation business with a model that is setting a new standard for the space.

The speaker was Warner Bros. It joins a previously announced program that includes keynote addresses featuring Motion Picture Group co-chairman and CEO Pam Abdy and businesswoman, fashion designer, art collector, philanthropist and activist Tina Knowles.

Deloitte is a presenting partner for this summit. For a detailed explanation of the legal structure, see the Deloitte website. NBCUniversal is a Premier Partner of the event, along with Official Partners Havas Play and Innovative Artists, and Supporting Partners Discord, NVE Experience Agency, Spotter, StackAdapt, and Vizio. Purchase tickets now at diversity.com/entmar.