Creating Inspiring Events that Move People

Sam Kolbert-Hyle is the President & CEO of Brandlive. Brandlive helps the world’s best brands create experiences that move people — from town hall-style internal meetings with soul to major marketing events that drive revenue.

Under Sam’s leadership, Brandlive has grown from a handful of employees to over 150. They’ve hosted marquee events for companies like Nike, Nintendo, Ark Invest, The Wall Street Journal, Square, Google, GoPro, and Adidas.

Brandlive was ranked #1 in Live Events on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list in 2021 and in the emerging video category in 2022.

During the 2020 election, Brandlive helped the Biden campaign to establish its virtual event presence. Brandlive powered 230 campaigns for Biden’s team, securing more than $30 million in donations.

As a child of two lesbian parents, Brandlive’s values of inclusion and equity are particularly important to Sam. He has intentionally built a culture that promotes and values creativity, flexibility, and inclusion.

Sam started his career in private equity at Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors in Los Angeles, a private equity firm focused on growth investments in profitable software-as-a-service and other enterprise software businesses.

Prior to Brandlive, Sam spent nine years on the executive team of Smarsh, the leading electronic archiving SaaS company valued at over $2 billion.

Sam lives in the Irvington neighbourhood of Portland, Oregon with Sarah, and their kids Ari and Sylvia.

What you will learn

  • How Sam got his start in the SaaS world
  • Sam shares about his early career working with Smarsh
  • Discover the little-known benefits of a SaaS model for both businesses and consumers
  • Find out more about the idea behind Sam’s company, Brandlive
  • Learn how Sam had to pivot Brandlive as a CEO
  • Discover Brandlive’s approach to creating remarkable digital events
  • Learn more about the evolution of the events industry
  • Discover why storytelling is so important in the creative process
  • Plus loads more!

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