Get to know Livewire's New Recruit!

To solidify its position as the leading gaming ecosystem expert and trusted partner to brands and agencies across the globe, Livewire has a strong focus on building an empowering and supportive workplace to attract and retain the best talent in the industry.

This week, Livewire welcomed Gareth Leeding to the executive bench as Chief Innovation Officer.

Most recently APAC Head of Creative Strategy for Snap Inc. Gareth is a celebrated global creative who's unique approach of 'culture-first creativity' has delivered over 60 award wins for campaigns across digital, social, gaming and mixed reality for the likes of Activision, adidas, Google, Guinness, Lego, Pepsi, Snapchat, Uber and more.

With 15 years' experience working with global brands on their strategic and creative directions, Gareth's appointment marks an exciting new frontier for Livewire's creative offering.

Connect with Gareth on LinkedIn:

Tell us about your career background and how you ended up at Livewire.

I've built my career around driving innovation. The role at Livewire offered me the opportunity to combine my years of creative agency and tech platform experience to bring global brands to life in the world of gaming.

I was fortunate to have been introduced to Brad and Indy by two contacts in the space of an hour. It was a real moment of WOW these guys are clearly up to something special. There was a real energy about the business opportunity and we immediately had this spark. Ideas for the future were flowing. It actually felt a bit like a dream to be honest.

Describe your role as Chief Innovation Officer at Livewire.

I'm really excited about collaborating with the leading game studios and publishers to unlock authentic, innovative and effective in-game experiences for brands. It's my role to show brands the path to long-term success in gaming by enabling them to build end-to-end strategies that go beyond a one-off Fortnite world or a limited edition digital fashion drop.

What is your strategic focus over the next 12 months?

I want to connect the dots in a fragmented industry. The dream to establish Livewire as the go-to end-to-end global gaming marketing expert. I will be responsible for leading that charge.

There's also a need to break down stereotypes in the industry around gamers. When I say the word gamer there's often a picture in people's mind. When I say there's 3 billion gamers in the world, it challenges that picture. Especially when I then say that 48% of gamers are female… I want to use this as an opportunity to open minds and doors.

What makes Livewire different from its competitors?

I like to think of Livewire as a brand's cheat code to the world of gaming. Livewire's secret sauce is that we combine best in class gaming strategy and execution with the largest inventory of in-game media to deliver impact and value for brands.

What excites you most about gaming as an industry?

As the technology evolves we're going to see the numerous different elements of IP converge and blur the lines between media forms. What's exciting is that gaming provides a platform for this cultural convergence to happen at speed without real world limitations. Want to play as John Cena in Fortnite? Easy. Want to meet Idris Elba in Cyber Punk 2077? Cool. Want to listen to Dr Dre's next drop? Great, do it in GTA.

How does your experience in social media startups translate into opportunities for the gaming industry and Livewire?

The best brands consider their consumers as a community, which is a key contributing factor to the success of social media. Brands that endeavor to understand their audiences' cultures and contribute positively to their lives through product and experience are always going to win and gaming provides a platform to do this in a deeper, more immersive way.