The Architect of Belonging: How a UWG Alumnus Helps Shape Sony’s Intersectional Marketing StrategyShare this page
When global audiences press play on a new film, album or game, they bring unique perspectives and experiences that shape how stories resonate.
Few people understand this complexity better than Jonathan Gist ’07, a University of West Georgia alumnus who now helps guide Sony Pictures Entertainment’s intersectional marketing strategy. From concept to campaign, he works behind the scenes to ensure that the company’s biggest releases reach – and reflect – a variety of audiences.
“I define global marketing as developing strategies that consider audience perspectives and help shape how people experience and connect with stories on the big screen,” he explained. “It’s really about understanding audiences and ensuring that our campaigns are authentic and resonate with them.”
As vice president of global intersectional marketing with a background in publicity, Gist has worked across many different areas within the Sony ecosystem – from digital and social media to working with influencers and partners in media.
“There’s a big 360-degree approach to how we look at a campaign through a big-picture lens in a sense of intersectionality and what the audience can bring to the table,” he said. “It’s important that brands understand their voices and their intentions. Based on that, you need to know who you're speaking to. I’m a firm believer that audiences can spot inauthenticity instantly. They’re very savvy, so we must be intentional about the message.”
With most of his career focused on global audience engagement, Gist – who also hosts Blk on the Scene, a podcast exploring trends in entertainment – said he wants his legacy to be about creating campaigns that connect with audiences worldwide and highlight the creativity behind the scenes.
But it wasn’t so long ago that Gist was on the other side of the coin, which made his work on global sensations, like “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” even more meaningful.
“I was a big comic book boss, so with Sony’s animated ‘Spider-Man,’ it was a dream come true for me to work on something I read as a child and then touch it from a marketing perspective,” he reflected. “That was a huge honor for me to give that little kid in me the opportunity to really involve his creativity in working on a big screen animated version.”
Gist, who majored in business administration and marketing, chose UWG due to its proximity to Atlanta and the ability to still have his full college experience – attending athletic events, serving on the Student Government Association, joining the Richards College of Business Marketing Club and harmonizing with the United Voices Gospel Choir – while being close to home.
With aspirations of being a film director, Gist’s plans flipped the script after a public relations course during his sophomore year.
“I found it fascinating, and I was obsessed from that day forward,” he shared. “After that class, my professional path was pretty much laid out, and I’m so thankful. I could now marry my love of film and communications and marketing and form a career. That’s solely because I went to UWG. The university, professors and mentors I found helped me navigate life, have a job and learn how to save money, which was imperative at the time.”