4: RTU: Content Marketing - Guest, David Beebe, Marriott

The notion of having a large-scale content studio in-house would be radical for many brands but that's just the opening scene for David Beebe who "set out to establish [Marriott] as the largest producer of travel lifestyle content." A veteran of Hollywood, Beebe has turned Marriott into a content powerhouse by "not asking for permission all the time" and by focusing initially on "really premium storytelling." Noting that successful content needs to be scalable, built around a community and have a commerce component, Beebe advises, "You're not making a commercial, you're not talking about yourself and your features anymore."

David Beebe leads Global Creative and Content Marketing for Marriott International's portfolio of 19 brands, which includes Marriott Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Bulgari, EDITION, Renaissance, Gaylord Hotels, Autograph Collection, AC Hotels by Marriott, Moxy Hotels, Delta Hotels, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Spring Hill Suites, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Protea Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments, Marriott Vacation Club with over 4,200 hotels in 82 countries.

Beebe leads a global creative + content marketing group responsible for the strategic and creative development of consumer facing creative, content marketing, influencer marketing, and real-time marketing with teams in Bethesda, MD, Hong Kong, London, and Dubai across four divisions, including Marriott Creative Agency (MCA), and in-house agency and Marriott Content Studio (MCS) an in-house studio that develops, produces, distributes, and monetizes original content including webisodes, documentaries, short films, television shows, magazines, books, animated series, and live programming. In short, when it comes to content, he's a king.