ETC hosts Film Marketing Panel in Pavilions

On Wednesday, Sept. 20, Cal State Fullerton’s Entertainment & Tourism Club (ETC) hosted its first panel of the fall semester: the Film Marketing Panel. The meeting was held in Titan Student Union’s (TSU) Pavilion B and welcomed approximately 100 students eager to learn film industry insights from ETC’s invited professionals. The panelists included Aslin Osmara Paxtor, a department assistant at Netflix; Noah Levine, a digital marketing coordinator at Lionsgate; and Ryan Rodarte, a direct-to-consumer and international marketing strategist at Disney+. 

Maya Serrano, the 2023-2024 ETC president, wanted to execute this event to provide all students with access to film marketing insight while additionally supplying ETC’s paid members the opportunity to network with the professionals after the panel.

 
Between three employees of globally dominating movie industry companies, the panelists had significant knowledge to share with the panel attendees. Divulging into all things film, the panelists discussed a wide range of topics, including everything from talking about their favorite movies to the importance of analyzing key target audiences for a film they are releasing. 

With Serrano moderating the panel, she inquired about specific film marketing techniques that the panelists determined to be the most effective in their company experience. Across the board, Osmara Paxtor, Levine and Rodarte all attributed a significant amount of marketing success to audience engagement and the trend of viral content. 

Osmara Paxtor provided that Netflix firmly believes in experiential marketing, which markets content to an audience through an experience rather than traditional means. Prioritizing audience engagement through an experience has proved effective for Netflix since it allows fans to feel a part of the content community. 
Levine shared that Lionsgate’s social media strategy for fan engagement is notoriously ‘unhinged,’ with the company commenting back to fans on TikTok with outlandish and humorous replies that have been known to go viral. Adding personality to their social media accounts excites fans, and when content goes viral, it adds an additional element of spontaneity to their marketing.

Companies meticulously creating more viral content to boost their brand is a future marketing trend that Rodarte hypothesizes. Already, there is heavy intent on creating ‘candid’ viral moments by companies, and this intent will grow exponentially as virality proves successful for marketing again and again.
As the panel wrapped up, advice for students was shared. 

Osmara Paxtor stated, “You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable.” 

Ask questions, and do not be afraid of not knowing something. Osmara Paxtor also stressed the importance of asking for feedback and being brave that you may not like what you want to hear. 

Levine advised students to keep up with their passions and be clear about what makes them unique since those skills can help you feel like a valuable employee in a big industry. 

Rodarte vocalized that in your career, you need to speak up; if you never ask, the answer is always ‘no.’

“Getting out of your nervous bubble is what will set you apart,” said Rodarte.

Rodarte brought with him a few different movie posters to give away to attendees, such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania , The Marvels and Thor: Love and Thunder . Along with the movie posters, students also enjoyed free Raising Canes provided by ETC.