Changemaker Series: Building Brands Worthy of Fandom
Event Overview
AI didn’t create fatigue with technology. It created a fatigue with everything that feels manufactured, over-produced, and built for an algorithm instead of a person.
Audiences can tell the difference between something built for them and something that actually belongs to them.
That’s the whole game now, and the brands that understand it are the ones people feel invited into, not just sold to.
The most talked-about brand moment of the year didn’t come from a multimillion-dollar campaign. It came from a 20-year-old design student, a joke about nuns, and a basketball player nobody can guard. Nike didn’t make it, didn’t pay for it, and it still outperformed almost everything Nike’s own agencies shipped that quarter. Then the San Antonio Spurs backed it up with a historic run to the 2026 NBA Finals.
Hosted by Premium Blend and sponsored by Sprinklr, this invitation-only executive experience brings together some of the best brand, marketing, and customer experience leaders in the Central U.S. for an evening of candid, facilitated conversation, featuring direct perspective from Nike and the San Antonio Spurs on what it actually takes to earn that kind of fandom.
Why Attend
- Hear directly from Nike and the San Antonio Spurs on how real brand fandom gets built, and what can happen when a brand chooses to co-create with the people who love it most.
- Get the real story behind this year’s most talked-about uncommissioned brand moment, and what it means for how you brief creative work.
- Connect with peers near Austin who are innovating and pushing their brands forward.
- Leave with a sharper read on the difference between AI fatigue and authenticity fatigue.
- Spend unstructured time with a small group of peer leaders, not a room of 200.
- Create your own short-form video moment and receive a personalized look at the brand signal already surrounding you.
Event Host & Sponsor
Premium Blend hosts this conversation because building brands people actually want to be fans of is the work we do every day. Sprinklr sponsors the evening, and its technology makes it possible to detect real fan signal already in motion, catalyze audience creativity, and empower brands to create content that turns customers into fans.
Premium Blend is the team inside the Sprinklr ecosystem that puts that technology to work: building the systems that catch real-time brand moments early, automating content workflows, and looping insights back to you as proof it’s working.
Agenda
6:00pm – Arrival + Welcome
Check-in, cocktails and light bites, informal networking in the lounge, and a live activation where you create your own short-form video moment in the room.
6:30pm – Opening Frame: Why Fandom, Why Now
Welcome and introduction from Premium Blend on authenticity, AI, and what’s really behind the fatigue everyone’s talking about.
6:40pm – The Nike & Spurs Story
Nike’s and the San Antonio Spurs’ own marketing leaders speak directly to this year’s biggest uncommissioned brand moment, the Wembanyama ad, and the Spurs’ run to the 2026 NBA Finals. Facilitated by James Mathews.
7:15pm – Transition to Dinner
Attendees move to the private dining room.
7:30pm – Executive Dinner
A seated dinner with Premium Blend, Sprinklr, and the Nike and Spurs leaders at the table, continuing the conversation about building brands people choose to belong to, not just buy from.
Featured Leaders
Charlie Kurian
At Spurs Sports & Entertainment, Charlie leads AI strategy and adoption while developing new products, fan experiences, and growth opportunities. Grounded in human-centered design, he is a trusted voice on turning emerging tech and bold ideas into practical strategies, partnerships, and measurable business outcomes.
Vincent Lacsamana
Under his leadership, Premium Blend Consulting has helped drive social and digital transformation for more than 400 brands globally, using technology as a force for good in an increasingly digital-first world.
Jordan Rogers
During his time as a Nike Executive, Jordan developed iconic campaigns alongside world-class athletes and artists. Today, he brings that same energy to a fast-growing content platform and consults with brands to tell clear, compelling stories that get noticed.
Ryan Lazar
With more than eight years of customer experience technology leadership, Ryan has spent a career helping organizations align customer experience, AI, and go-to-market strategy into measurable business outcomes.
James Mathews
As a 3x Founder and executive leader at WebMD, James has also guided early-stage initiatives for iconic brands including the NBA, Nike, IDEO, and Health 2.0. Today, he helps brands, founders, athletes, and creators scale their impact without losing their soul, style, or instinct.
Location
Private Dining at Proper Hotel
Set in downtown Austin’s 2nd Street District, Austin Proper brings together refined hospitality, thoughtful design, and a distinctly modern Austin sensibility. The evening will take place in the hotel’s Morning Glory room, an intimate private space designed for focused conversation, connection, and a more personal dinner experience. Austin Proper Hotel, 600 W 2nd Street, Austin, TX 78701