Variety and TikTok have announced a partnership to host two industry events this fall, focusing on gaming and entertainment marketing. 

The “Variety Presents: Gaming on TikTok Leadership Summit” is scheduled for September 18. This inaugural event will feature conversations with executives and creatives at the intersection of video games, entertainment, and content creation. 

Highlights include a live recording of Variety’s “Strictly Business” podcast, where co-editor-in-chief Cynthia Littleton will interview Neil Druckmann, CEO of Naughty Dog and co-creator of “The Last of Us” HBO series.

Tim Natividad, TikTok’s general manager and U.S. head of enterprise sales, will engage in a discussion with Cameron Curtis, EVP of worldwide digital marketing at Warner Bros. 

Other sessions will involve Blake Chandlee, TikTok’s president of global business solutions, and Assaf Sagy, TikTok’s head of global gaming. 

The summit also includes an interactive roundtable featuring gaming creators Sheila Moore, Jessica Pabon, Grant Cunningham, and Nicholas Maldonado.

On October 15, the partners will host the third annual Variety Culture Catalysts Dinner. 

This event celebrates top marketers in the film and TV industries and will feature discussions with executives behind the year’s most notable titles. Attendees at both events will include honorees from Variety’s 2024 Culture Catalysts Impact List, set to be announced on September 25.

“Our third annual Cultural Catalysts Dinner will drive the conversation forward on entertainment marketing while the inaugural Gaming on TikTok Summit will provide invaluable thought leadership for those at the crossroads of video games, entertainment, and content,” Dea Lawrence, Variety’s chief operating and marketing officer, said in a statement.

“As fandoms of gaming, film, and TV continue to converge at the center of culture on TikTok, we can think of no better partner than Variety to bring these two marquee events to life,” added Rema Vasan, TikTok’s North America head of business marketing and global head of gaming marketing.

Variety plans to cover these events across digital, print, and social media platforms.

TikTok recently debuted its first-ever TikTok Rising concert at the Singapore Night Festival 2024. The concert, supported by Samsung Electronics Singapore, lasted 3.5 hours and showcased six home-grown talents in a hybrid online-offline event.