Event Marketer Spring 2023 - 53

SPONSORED CONTENT
GREAT PLACES TO WORK
IN EXPERIENTIAL
FEATURED LEADER
MATT FASANO
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
MATT.FASANO@TEAMWASS.COM
TEAMWASS.COM
What's different about your company in 2023 versus 2022?
We've grown the business in several key areas this past year - new
team members, new clients, new capabilities, and new partners.
In the past 12 months, we've added 499 new team members.
We've welcomed 29 new clients including Molson Coors, Red Bull,
Sonic, adidas, Dunkin, and more. We've launched new consumer
experiences and enlisted the support of several new vendor
partners. Momentum is strong and our clients and team are bullish
on an exciting year in experiential!
Finally, Riddle & Bloom - who joined Wasserman in April 2021 -
officially rebranded as Wasserman Next Gen. This rebrand and
deeper integration into the Wasserman family elevates our focus
on driving value for brands through meaningful engagements with
the next generation of consumers. To break through with teens,
college students, and young professionals, cultural relevance is key.
Wasserman Next Gen will continue to achieve this for our clients by
leveraging exclusive access, multi-year partnerships, and a robust
network of students and alumni while integrating Wasserman's
20+ years of experience driving consumer engagement across
music, sports, and entertainment.
Describe what makes your agency unique-how are you different
from the competition?
We're an insights-driven, audience-focused agency that brings
strategic and executional excellence to our work. But what will always
differentiate us from competitors is our culture. More on that soon.
How is the industry evolving for the better?
Consumers expect more out of their interactions with brands,
and the bar for impactful consumer experiences continues to
be raised. Connectivity across platforms and consumer values is
the standard, DE&I and sustainability are key pillars in consumer
experience design, and new innovations that emerged from the
pandemic are enhancing traditional physical experiences. There are
a lot of exciting things happening in the industry with consumer
expectations serving as a driving force.
What new skillsets or roles is your company focusing on now,
and why?
We're excited to be hiring for roles across multiple departments,
including Accounts, Production, Creative & Design, and more.
We're of course focused on functional skillsets and commensurate
experience relative to each position, however, cultural fit is always
critical for us.
eventmarketer.com
As a leader, what's different about you?
I love the challenge, the hustle, and, most importantly, the people.
I've been fortunate to work with a few brands and agencies
throughout my career, but the key pieces I always come back to
are 1) Each day brings something new. Whether it's tackling a
unique business challenge for a client, troubleshooting something
on the fly out in the field, or charting a new growth area for the
business, there is always an opportunity to push our thinking. 2)
We are better when we're in motion (which is pretty much all the
time). The hustle is real, and it builds an energy that keeps me
inspired for the work we do and the value we create. 3) The people
and culture make Wasserman the special place it is. Over the
years, I have found that whatever the challenge, we've succeeded
because of our team's unwavering commitment to each other and
to our clients.
What is the key to a great culture?
I don't think there is any one thing that creates or defines a great
culture. For us, a strong culture is grounded in a couple of key areas.
It starts with the people - competent team members passionate
about the work they do and the service they provide who believe
in a mutual respect. Layer on an environment people enjoy - both
physically and socially for lack of a better term - and people tend
to be more productive and fulfilled when they're engaged. If the
physical environment and ways of working aren't engaging, you
can see it in productivity and morale. Finally, ensuring the team
feels recognized and appreciated both at the group and individual
levels. It comes to life in the traditional acknowledgements within a
company but needs to have the " connective tissue " throughout all
connection points and at every level of the team.
Given your agency's successes, what approach and philosophy do
you take to business?
We are driven by an unrelenting pursuit of better, of pushing
the bounds of what's possible for our clients. Our purpose
is to transform and advance brands, businesses and careers,
empowering clients to create culture and impact audiences.
Your No. 1 piece of advice for those joining the industry?
There's so much to learn in the agency world - take it all in! It's
a unique environment where we build and bring new ideas to
life, solve real business challenges, learn different categories and
verticals, and establish relationships with people from all different
geographies and walks of life.
SPRING 2023 EVENT MARKETER
53
https://www.TEAMWASS.COM http://www.eventmarketer.com
Event Marketer Spring 2023

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