special issue

Author

Interview Hub
March 24, 2026

Morning

We have a special issue today - the super talented marketing strategist and brand builder, Dani Calogera (What/If Co), takes us behind-the-scenes at SXSW —from moderating a conversation with the Lyrical Lemonade team (who had the biggest creator news of the week), the “death of passive entertainment” and some great insights about the future of media. If you don’t know Dani, you should reach out - contact below!

Tracey Raftery
Founder of Interview Hub
[email protected]

WELLNESS
Marisa Tomei, Founder of Terra Mare
Beloved actress, producer, and activist Marisa Tomei is launching her new wellness brand, Terra Mare, which supports health and vitality from the inside out. She will be available for virtual interviews.
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From Dani Calogera
SXSW Dispatch: Entertainment Is Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
Dani Calogera, Founder & CEO of What/If Co., shares what stood out on the ground at SXSW.
Dani Calogera, Founder & CEO of What/If Co., builds modern media brands and IP for clients including Paramount+, Apple TV, Capitol Records, and CHIEF.
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This year marked my seventh time at SXSW, but dare I say one of my favorites (and not just because the meal at Odd Duck continues to hit).
As someone who has spent years operating in the “messy middle” where content, creators, and commerce intersect building media brands, I often arrive in Austin not feeling fully like a marketer or a producer, but somewhere in between.
For the first time in a new way, the convergence I’ve been talking about in smaller rooms for years felt undeniable on the ground. Brands are becoming producers. Producers are becoming brands. Creators are scaling into full media businesses. Entertainment is no longer defined by the screen; it’s defined by the ecosystem built around it. This was the shift I was most excited to explore on stage, at events, and across organic conversations with fellow operators who are also navigating and shaping the space between categories.
On stage for “The Death of Passive Entertainment,” moderated by Eventbrite’s Co-Founder Julia Hartz, and alongside Fast Company’s David Salazar and Kate Wolff of Lupine Creative, we discussed how audiences are going increasingly analog again - expecting real-world ways to experience and interact with the communities and content they love. The marketers and entertainment leaders who understand this are designing ways to extend IP far beyond the screen.
Photo courtesy of The Whalar Group and Lyrical Lemonade
In partnership with Whalar Group and Lighthouse Studios, I interviewed the team behind Lyrical Lemonade, founded by Cole Bennett. What began as a passion blog has evolved into a platform-native media business spanning YouTube, live festivals, and new ambition in television never wavering from Cole’s original creative vision. The trajectory is a powerful example of how the next generation of entertainment brands are being built community-first and format-fluid.
Beyond the panels, SXSW delivered a reminder that never gets old: watching something with a packed audience, like the premiere of Apple TV’s Margo’s Got Money Trouble, just hits.
The definition of entertainment is widening. Operators willing to build in new directions will define what comes next.
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