From Star Trek to Sports: Marketing Inside Modern Streaming

The entertainment industry is evolving in real time. Between streaming competition, audience fragmentation, AI disruption, and nonstop content cycles, marketing leaders are being asked to do more than drive growth, they’re being asked to lead through uncertainty.

For Katinka Soto Lucy, that challenge sits at the center of her role. Leading marketing campaigns within the streaming business means balancing fandoms, acquisitions, brand storytelling, performance marketing, and team morale all at once.

In this conversation, Katinka opens up about the realities of leading inside a constantly shifting media landscape, the pressure of managing multiple audience identities, and why great content still remains the strongest growth driver in streaming.

Q: What does your role at Paramount look like today?

I lead a team within the direct-to-consumer division at Paramount, and we’re essentially tasked with driving growth for the streaming service and the business overall, especially around subscriptions.

What’s interesting about streaming marketing is that you’re constantly shifting between different audience mindsets and fan communities. One day you’re speaking to Star Trek fans, the next day it’s sports audiences or another entertainment franchise entirely. There’s an element of constantly adapting your voice and perspective depending on the content and the fandom you’re serving.

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges facing entertainment marketers right now?

There’s a lot happening all at once. The industry is evolving quickly, and there are broader conversations around AI, the future of entertainment, and how technology changes the way audiences consume content.

At the same time, companies are going through constant shifts, restructures, and operational changes. That creates uncertainty internally while the business still expects growth externally. As leaders, we have to help teams navigate all of that in real time.

Q: Streaming platforms invest heavily in both content and acquisition. How do you balance the two?

In my experience, content is absolutely what drives acquisition.

People subscribe because they care deeply about specific content, whether that’s Star Trek, sports, UFC, or another franchise they’re passionate about. Fandom is incredibly powerful.

But at the same time, brand still matters because audiences need awareness first. They need to know something exists before they can become invested in it.

I’ve always believed there needs to be a balance between brand storytelling and performance marketing. Even when people talk about creating “cultural moments,” I still want measurable impact behind it.

Q: How do you personally think about modern marketing leadership?

For me, it starts with people and mindset. Leadership today is really about helping teams stay engaged and adaptable, building something meaningful and learning along the way, even as the environment changes around them.

Especially in entertainment and streaming, you can’t lead with a fixed mindset anymore, because the landscape shifts too quickly.

Q: What do you believe separates the marketing leaders who will thrive from the ones who will struggle to keep up?

What really separates leaders now is how they operate under constant change. To me, success is about managing constant evolution, keeping teams motivated through uncertainty, and understanding that fandom remains one of the most powerful forces in entertainment.

Streaming has always been a fast-moving business, but today’s media landscape demands an entirely different level of adaptability.

As the industry continues to shift, the marketers who succeed will be the ones who can balance performance, culture, leadership, and storytelling all at once.