Kaaren Whitney-Vernon: Building Global Franchises with Brand Funding (Season 2.2)
This episode is a journey into the incredibly exciting possibilities of brand-funded storytelling with Kaaren Whitney-Vernon, Senior Vice President of Branded Entertainment at Shaftesbury. Kaaren is the brains behind one of the most successful branded projects of all time the lesbian-vampire story CARMILLA. Beginning life as a brand-funded web show the story has grown into an award-winning global franchise with a fanbase of millions that has spawned a crowd funded movie as well as a freshly signed book deal! In this conversation, Kaaren explains the exact process of how she partnered with Kotex, the north american feminine hygiene brand, to create a global franchise that not only was 100% brand (and fan!) funded but also that is owned owned exclusively by Shatfesbury. In a masterclass in not just brand funding but also audience strategy, Kaaren explains how she combines the “three Cs” to make compelling original stories that audiences love: Content, Conversation and Commerce.