Episode #1: Welcome to Wondr
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Welcome to Level Up with Wondr! In this episode, President and CEO of Wondr Nation Anika Howard and VP Marketing Strategy & Operations Dyani Marvel introduce listeners to the podcast and give a preview of what’s to come.
Notes
Level Up with Wondr is your window into the exciting world of gaming, tech, and innovation. Join us as our hosts dive into captivating conversations with a diverse group of industry experts, learning about their paths to success and unique perspectives. Whether you're a gamer, tech enthusiast, or innovation seeker, subscribe today to elevate your knowledge and stay ahead of the curve.
Watch the first episode here.
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Dyani Marvel: Hello, welcome to Level Up with Wondr. This is our very first session, we're very excited to launch this podcast. I'm Dyani Marvel, Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Operations, and I am here with...
Anika Howard: Hello, I'm Anika Howard, President and CEO of Wondr -Nation. Dyani and I have been really looking forward to this, this has been our brainchild for some time and just really, really excited to kick this off Dyani.
Dyani Marvel: Absolutely. So for our listeners who may not know about Wondr Nation, I think it would be great Anika for you to start and tell them what is Wondr Nation?
Anika Howard: Right, so Wondr Nation, I like to say it started as an idea and the idea is really how can we better connect with players? What are some of the things that we can do to think differently and to connect with players that may have historically been overlooked? And so Wondr Nation is an online gaming entertainment company.
We are tribally owned, we're owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. And this was developed out of a lot of the challenges that hospitality experienced during Covid. And so after Covid and after the expansion of gaming and the legalization of gaming in Connecticut for online gaming and sports betting online casino, we created Wondr Nation as a way, one, to take advantage of that opportunity that the state and the tribes were able to come to agreement on, but more broadly to be able to create a path forward for innovation and forward thinking technology for the tribe. And as an opportunity to really expand the footprint of the tribe and create a path to help other tribes do the same thing.
Dyani Marvel: And one thing I love about working at Wondr Nation and about the company in general is our mission, which is to reimagine gaming entertainment, to kind of take a different lens in how we look at gaming and our core gaming verticals. So we're looking at, that would be maybe like online casino, social casino, sports betting, online sports betting, but also those adjacent verticals like eSports or iLottery or virtual sports, all those pieces.
But I think it may be great for our listeners, Anika, for you to explain what re-imagining gaming entertainment looks like for you or what that means to you.
Anika Howard: No, I mean, I would love to, I mean, this is something I'm really passionate about. I grew up in gaming, grew up in technology, and one of the things that always seems to happen is there's always this move to the center and I think we're seeing it now where there is a sea of sameness and there's always been a follow the leader mentality within gaming that kind of says once something is established as a best practice, then that is almost like that's the law and that's how everything needs to be done, and I just feel like in no other industry is that reality, and it shouldn't be in gaming as well.
I feel like we have an opportunity to see these things differently, and especially as technology is changing and shifting all around us, I want us to be able to step in, look at all of these different verticals, and look at adjacent industries and understand what are the things that we can do to really shift and, and think differently about how we provide entertainment to our players, how we create loyalty, how we create experiences because I think it can be so much broader than any of us have ever really imagined it to be.
So when I think about re-imagining gaming entertainment, I think about how do you look at things from a different lens and how do you take things that have been the standard and done the same way and turn them on their heads a little bit. And then also the bigger piece of it is that how do you talk to and reach a bigger and broader audience with that message. When you look at gaming, you look at entertainment, there is a lack of diversity there and so part of re-imagining gaming entertainment is also looking at it with a different lens and looking to how do you get more diverse and creative voices as part of that conversation to change and shift, you know, kind of what we're seeing today.
Dyani Marvel: And that leads us to Level Up with Wondr, which is our effort to bring in more of that diversity of thought, innovation, to talk to all these different types of people that are out in our industry that we've met along the way that we are going to meet in the future, kind of bring them into the conversation. So that's when I think of what we can do with Level Up with Wondr and where it plays. So what's your perspective on why we are doing Level Up with Wondr?
Anika Howard: I feel like we're entering into the podcast phase for gaming. I mean, we are seeing lots of podcasts, lots of interviews, lots of entertainment shifting the way content is presented in gaming as well.
But I also feel like you see the same voices and same communications over and over again, and so I see Wondr as an opportunity to be a little bit of a disruptor and create conversations that hopefully we're not hearing. I would love it to be where we have people on the podcast that, that, you know, you haven't seen in other places and other platforms kind of in a gaming podcast environment. I see this as an opportunity to talk to people outside of the gaming industry and get ideas. I see the, see this as an opportunity not only to that, but to bring in diverse voices.
I mean, one of the great things that I love that we have been able to do, you, you and I, Dyani and a lot of the other members of the Wondr Nation team, is to be able to expand our reach and go to conferences like South by Southwest and meet just some amazing game changer thought leaders. And so bringing them in and getting their perspectives are things that I love. We've kind of gone and through some agency partners, we've been able to really connect with really smart people and so I want to be able to show through our podcast that, you know, here are the diversity of ideas that can come when you, when we get out of our own gaming bubble.
Dyani Marvel: Absolutely. And we do have some amazing guests lined up. We are so excited to be able to have those conversations with them, to learn about what they're doing, to share them with our listeners in gaming and outside of gaming, and it is just really this great opportunity to bring to life one of our core values, which is diversity.
And we would like to, and we've talked about it before, really amplifying diverse voices. And I really feel like Level Up with Wondr is our platform to be able to do that, to take these individuals that maybe people in gaming haven't heard about before, or maybe even in their own industries and to give them a platform to be able to talk about some of the exciting and great work they're doing, whether that is working with different types of audiences, new technologies, but just something to open up our minds and to have a different type of conversation about where everything is going in the gaming entertainment, and just entertainment industry in, in general.
So I am super excited about that.
Anika Howard: Me too and I think the other thing too is just I feel like I am naturally curious I think our team is as well and I'm hopeful that we'll find an audience that feels the same way, and I think that it's gonna be a learning process together. I am hopeful through, meeting all of these new people that, you and the team are lining up to be part of this podcast that I learn something new, that I get a new idea, that it sparks something that helps us, you know, down the line or helps somebody that's listening say, oh wow, this is something that I didn't think of and give you that kernel that can grow into kind of idea that you can take and run with.
So, I feel like there's the idea of, you know, amplifying diverse voices and, and doing this, but the ultimate goal is to do that so that people are inspired and people can take that information and start thinking differently in their day-to-day lives and in their organizations.
Dyani Marvel: Absolutely. So let's talk about some of the topics that we hope to cover as we go throughout our podcast schedule, and let's talk about what we think or what we hope to accomplish with each one of these topics. So the first one is, just broadly, innovation. So when we think about innovation, innovation within gaming, online gaming, innovation in technology in general, I think there's so much that we can touch upon in that pocket there.
My goal is that, like you said, we bring in a lot of bits and pieces that can inspire people to kind of push the envelope there. I'm hoping that we have the opportunity to talk with folks who are working with new technologies, maybe some augmented reality, maybe some folks working in Web3, maybe some folks working in the metaverse, but really people who are big thinkers. So what is your thought in terms of innovation?
Anika Howard: Yeah I mean, I, I think so, and I think one of the things too is that when we think about innovation and gaming, I think in, in many cases, it's something that, is scary because there are all of these regulations and all these different things that you have to think about.
And whenever you think about innovation, you think about, okay, like what is the regulatory landscape? What about cybersecurity? How do you really scale that? What about, you know how is this relevant to Indian country? All these types of things that kind of put together. And so I want to be able to kind of be able to step outside of that a little bit and just give this a space.
Like you said, I love the idea of, you know, being this is space so that you can have those free open standing conversations. And then even, I think part of that is like, how do we weave some of those other pieces into it so that it's not just about the technology, but it's like, how can you actively and realistically take advantage of the technology in the confines that we currently have?
And so I'm really excited about this because I feel like the reasons why we've been a little slow as an industry to adopt a lot of the things is because of this concern about innovation and then how do you contain it and how do you control it? But the reality is that it's here, it's here, and it's an expected experience that people have in other verticals.
Like if you can do some of the things that are still we're challenging to do with a Starbucks or with an Apple or with your bank, then why not gaming? And so part of it are, you know, helping to kind of identify where those key friction points are for players and then maybe sparking the next technologist in this gaming company to say, oh, wow, that is a challenge, but I know how to fix it.
So for me, I see this as, you know, opening that conversation up and hopefully it falling on welcome ears to someone that can say, Hey, I understand it, I get it, I wanna be part of the forward momentum to push it forward or even better we have the, the pleasure of working with so many great startups and kind of getting introduced to them.
Hopefully it sparks an idea that helps someone say, this is how I can solve that for gaming.
Dyani Marvel: Absolutely, and that leads us into, it's related under the same umbrella, which is gaming tech and general tech as well. So we'll have people who can come on the show, and talk about real life technologies that they've brought to the marketplace, and products that they're working on.
I mean, hopefully we'll get some sneak peeks into what's into the future... yeah, but I'm hoping that it will allow our listeners to understand that, like you say, there is a sea of sameness, especially in gaming and some of the technologies that we experience that we have available. But there's some really cool stuff out there, so I'm looking forward to having people come and talk about how they've built the products that they have created and what they see lies in the future.
So whether, again, like we see some integration of sports betting and augmented or virtual reality, some of those pieces, that's what I'm excited about hearing about how they are going to improve that player experience, make it very immersive and exciting.
Anika Howard: No, I agree I mean, in game tech, I keep on thinking about a number of parallels. I look at kind of the millennial, gen Z, kind of these new generations that are coming up that have a very different concept of what gaming and that experience needs to be, and I'm always curious to see, you know, as the game technology and game mechanics are evolving, you know, how are you gonna meet that need?
I know a lot of manufacturers and suppliers have been working very hard to come up with these different game formats. And so it'd be interesting to see like what is the plan and how that happens.
You always hear, and I haven't seen it now, like probably cause there's so many other things that are overtaking it, where we've heard a lot about like, what is the casino floor of the future? What are all these things that are happening?
And now that we are kind of entering this online phase, I actually feel like a lot of the concepts, a lot of the things that they were trying to make work for the casino floor, may find a second life and a more welcome home online. And so I'm very interested to see how some of these things evolve and what the future holds because this is one of the areas where I don't have a clue. I really would love to see how people are thinking about it.
Dyani Marvel: Absolutely, and under that, we also are planning on inviting folks to the podcast who are just in general tech. We know that that technology will make its way over to gaming and just allow a lot more opportunities for what we offer to be more immersive and more enjoyable for players.
That leads me into a little bit switching gears here, which is tribal. We are a very proudly tribally owned organization and we hope to have some great conversations with other professionals in the tribal gaming space, and this is in, you know, native American tribal space in general.
What are kind of, Anika, your thoughts on where we can go or what conversations you're excited about us having in that area?
Anika Howard: I'm just really excited to talk to other tribe and tribal leaders specifically about their vision and kinda how they see their communities really embracing and taking advantage of technology. I've been so impressed as I've met with the leaders and of their vision and forethought for what they want. I want to use this as an opportunity to dispel a lot of rumors too, or a lot of misconceptions, I should say, about tribes and kind of their vision on technology because everyone that I've talked to has had a very clear idea of the importance and the why, but also, understanding that it needs to be in a framework and it needs to be relevant specifically for them.
A lot of tribes have seen that there has not been technology or enough focus on things that are really specifically in line with what the unique needs of tribes are, and so part of it is wanting to talk about that idea. I always feel this kind of idea of like, what are the opportunities for tribes to be more collaborative with each other, and I want to use this as a way to talk about those conversations, to talk about, you know, what is possible, because I do feel like when you look at tribal gaming, it's a billion dollar industry and it's equivalent to commercial gaming.
In many ways because a lot of the tribal casinos are newer, they do have kind of a stronger foundational piece in terms of the technology that they're built on. They do have a little bit, in some cases I think opportunity that they're not as saddled with legacy systems, and so what does this do and what does this create? And then also really understanding what are the unique challenges of tribes and what are the things that we can start having that open dialogue to help move forward collectively as an industry.
Dyani Marvel: Yeah, I think those are gonna be lots of very rich conversations and yeah, I could say being able to have a platform to have those discussions and hit on those topics, I think is gonna be super exciting.
Another area that we plan to go into is leadership. Anika, you are an amazing leader, you're leading this amazing organization, you've been a leader throughout your career, so I think there's this great opportunity for you to talk to some of your peers in and outside of gaming, and just share like what makes a good leader. What is the leader of today and the future, and how do you motivate and get the best work and the most dedication out of teams to deliver greatness for your organizations.
Anika Howard: I think leadership and vision is very, very important. We talk a lot about this Dyani, you and I about developing this pipeline of talent, but also what are things that we need to do, cause I consider you from, from the moment I met you to be an amazing leader as well, like what do we need to do collectively to mentor and develop and really set a path forward for people to follow in our footsteps, because I think that's what it's about. If we come and we're successful and then it ends with us, then we haven't done what we're supposed to do.
A big part of the leadership conversation is really just preparing kind of for succession who, who are the people that we want to be able to kind of take the reins once we're ready to step aside? That's really what should be, in my opinion, the goal of any leader, it should be, how am I making my team ready so that they don't need me?
Dyani Marvel: Yeah, I think there's gonna be a lot of great nuggets of insights that will come out of those discussions with other leaders throughout the industry, so I'm excited about that.
One of the last topical areas we're gonna talk about is diversity. And we are going to make a very conscious effort to bring in individuals from different areas of diversity, whether that's gender diversity, racial diversity, gender identity, really kind of bring those individuals in. We're gonna attack it a different ways so it may be that there's someone talking about a topic who is diverse and maybe you haven't heard that voice, or maybe someone hasn't heard that voice, or maybe we address it directly, are products targeting this segment effective or needed?
I'm excited about those conversations and about bringing those people to this podcast. In researching, we have uncovered so many amazing individuals who are doing really exciting things, whether, again, that is to make sure that an underrepresented demographic is served properly, or just being an amazing person who's been able to reach very big heights in their own accomplishments.
I'm super excited about that piece and I really think that our listeners are going to also get a lot from these conversations that we're having with these people.
Anika Howard: I agree, and when you think about it, I love the idea of diversity and really diversity of thought, because that's really what at the core, when you're bringing in adverse minds together, that's what you get. You get diversity of thought, you get new ideas, you get everything that we've talked about, you get innovation, you get, you know, different ideas for gaming tech, you get different ideas for core tech.
The idea for me and that I love why we're leaning into this, is that in many cases it's still a difficult or taboo conversation to have, you know, after a lot of the legalities of affirmative action were pulled back, you're starting to feel slowly but surely this backlash of, oh, DEI, oh, you know, kind of feeling like it's had its day and it's event.
But what we've seen and what I want us to be able to show, through the great people that we'll be able to highlight in this is that diversity is a superpower. It's a superpower for organizations. It's one of those things that are core and central, that it's proven in study after study after study. If you create an environment where people feel seen and included and heard and can bring their best version of themselves, they'll give you their best version.
You could look at companies like Nike and Apple that have, you know, leaned into that diversity and been able to create multiple new business lines because they have people at the table that are being heard and being empowered to say, you know, this is what people that look like me and think like me need, and we are many, and there is an opportunity. I really do feel, and I know, it's a central part of the core value for Wondr Nation, but I feel very strongly that this is something that more people should lean into and it's something that is not a fad or is not something that you have to do in terms of just checking a box so that people leave you alone. It's really something that if you embrace it can be a driving force for revenue and for innovation and for growth.
Dyani Marvel: Absolutely. So those are kind of the topical areas that we are going to focus on, we are gonna have a host of hosts.
Anika Howard: Yes.
Dyani Marvel: So we have a variety of people within our organization who are gonna have these conversations. It's actually one of the things that I'm most excited about for the podcast is that there's gonna be a variety of people who get a chance to have conversations within our organization.
So, lots of conversations with you, Anika, with some other leaders. I'll do a few, but we'll also hear from other people that may be other leaders in our organization, some of our more junior members, but I think it's a great opportunity for everyone to have conversations, everyone to be part of that learning and sharing that we're gonna be doing with our podcast as we roll them out.
Anika Howard: That's the one of things too that I feel is the most exciting. I'm gonna be less interested in the podcasts that I'm doing and I'm gonna be really looking at all the ones that the team are doing.
And I love this because when we start thinking once again leaning into this diversity of thought and ideas, I think we all are gonna approach this a little bit different and understanding the perspective and lens that different people view. It's gonna be very interesting for me to watch and to see and experience, and I just love seeing our team, I love seeing our team shine.
Dyani Marvel: Yeah, we have such a fabulous team, so it'd be great to see everybody shining in a new way, stretching themselves.
For our listeners, in terms of what to expect for timing, our plan is to release two episodes a month, that is our plan don't hold us to it, but we will try to stay as close as we can to that schedule, covering a variety of topics.
We do encourage you to subscribe on your favorite podcast provider, but you will be able to find all of our episodes on our website, wondrnation.com/levelup. You'll be able to sign up for updates so you don't miss an episode, and you'll be the first to know when we are releasing new episodes as well as what is to come.
So, lots of exciting things coming. We hope to grow our audience super fast, so please share with anyone you know who is interested in technology, innovation, and just hearing from a lot of amazing people, because that is what we have planned.
Anika Howard: Yeah, I couldn't have said it better, Dyani. We're onward and upward. We're excited to roll this out and excited to share and looking forward to feedback and ideas as we continue to grow and move forward. You know how to find us and we're looking forward to hearing from you and enjoying conversation with you soon.
