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The Business of Fandom

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Explore how fandom drives identity, loyalty, and economic value – and how brands, creators, and platforms can design and grow fan-powered ecosystems while building transferable skills applicable across marketing, media, and brand strategy roles.

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Duration
As few as 1 day
Units
0.0
Current Formats
In Person
Cost
$0

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About This Course

Fandom is one of the most powerful cultural and economic forces shaping modern entertainment, sports, gaming, and brands. This course examines fandom as a structured system and how fan communities form, grow, organize, commercialize, fracture, and endure, drawing from cultural anthropology, sociology, psychology, media studies, and business. The curriculum integrates foundational frameworks from leading scholars and practitioners including Susan Kresnicka (Founder, Kresnicka Research & Insights), Robert Kozinets (netnography and community behavior), and Henry Jenkins (participatory culture), alongside applied business strategy through relevant case studies. Students will learn to translate fan behavior into actionable insights that strengthen brand building, audience strategy, and career readiness across industries.
Guest Speakers

Robert V. Kozinets - Professor of Journalism, University of Southern California

Robert is an innovator whose methods and theories are widely used by researchers and organizations around the world. He has taught digital research methods combined with marketing and branding theories, practices, and ethics to academics as well as to companies, such as American Express, L’Oréal, Sony, Merck, Nissan, TD Bank, Campbell Soup, and many others.

Susan Kresnicka - Founder and President, Kresnicka Research & Insights

Founder and President of Kresnicka Research & Insights (KR&I), Susan is a cultural anthropologist. Over the last fifteen years, Susan has developed expertise in fandom and fan studies, conducting fan-centered research for iconic entertainment IP brands, sports teams, and brands built around passionate hobbyists.

Bimma Williams - Principal, Bimma Collab Consultancy

Bimma is the Founder and Chief Collab Officer of Bimma Collab Consultancy, where he advises brands on high-stakes collaboration decisions with material impact on brand equity and growth. As the Voice of Collabs, he has driven over $1.5 billion in revenue through strategic partnerships at Nike, adidas, Yeezy, and Saucony.

Winter 2026 Schedule

Date
Details
Format
 
Thursday 4:00PM - 6:00PM PT
Instructor:
Brett Schneider
REG#
408210
In Personformat icon
UCLA Extension Gayley Center in Westwood
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Schedule
Type
Date
Time
Location
Lecture
Thu Mar 26, 2026
4:00PM PT - 6:00PM PT
UCLA Extension Gayley Center in Westwood
UCLA Extension Gayley Center 121ABC
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