UNIVERSITY PARK - The latest episode of Invent Penn State’s "Dare to Disrupt" podcast features Mike Karns, founder and CEO of Marathon Digital, Broadway’s premier social media agency. Marathon Digital creates content and cultivates communities for some of Broadway’s biggest shows, including "Hamilton," "Hadestown," "The Outsiders" and more.
In 2024, Karns co-founded a new producing and marketing company called the Season alongside Broadway marketing executive Steven Tartick. Prior to the Season, Karns has been represented on Broadway in shows including "Hadestown" (co-producer, Tony Award), "Ain't Too Proud" (co-producer, Tony nomination), "Frankie and Johnny..." (co-producer, Tony nomination) "The Great Comet" (co-producer, Tony nomination) and "Allegiance" (co-producer).
In this episode, Karns shares his path into Broadway production, his early work across a variety of theater-related roles, and how — through networking, timing and persistence — he landed the opportunity to manage social media for "Hamilton." He explains how that experience sparked the creation and growth of Marathon Digital. He also reflects on building two innovative companies, producing award-winning theater, and what the future holds for Broadway marketing and emerging artists.
“The role of the marketing team is to understand and digest what the artists on stage and behind the scenes are creating, and then figure out how to go about conveying that story, the story of the show itself, and the story around the creation of the show to audiences to get them to want to buy a ticket. I have continued to find great fulfillment in, not being in the performances, but helping to build around them,” Karns said during the podcast interview.
Listen to Karns’ story on “Dare to Disrupt.”
Karns graduated from the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in stage management and lighting design. In 2017, he received the prestigious Alumni Achievement Award from Penn State. He continues to support the School of Theatre as an adjunct lecturer and volunteer in a variety of capacities.
“Every meeting is an opportunity," Karns said. "Every connection that you make is a conduit to another connection that you'll be able to capitalize on. [...] I was a stage management and lighting design major. There's no marketing in that. But what I have now come to realize is that I learned so many skills at Penn State and in that program. Stage managers are great at time management, organizational management, and people management. My ability to interact with people, my networking ability, those were skills that I grew and developed at Penn State.”
Later in the episode, current Penn State student Teagan Jai Boyd joins the conversation. Boyd is a third-year bachelor of fine arts acting student who recently appeared in the Centre Stage production of "Rhinoceros" and was in rehearsal for "The Glass Menagerie" at the time of the episode recording. A member of the Presidential Leadership Academy, she and Karns discuss the importance of community when building a startup, making difficult decisions, handling burnout, and how Penn State provides hands-on experiences that prepare students for careers in the arts.
Students interested in being featured on the show can apply or be nominated.
About "Dare to Disrupt"
"Dare to Disrupt" is a podcast from Invent Penn State about Penn State alumni who are innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders, and the stories behind their success. The podcast is hosted by alumnus Ryan Newman, a graduate of the Smeal College of Business and a Schreyer Scholar alumnus who is now a managing director at Goldman Sachs.
Past episodes include interviews with Garry Gilliam, David Rusenko and Jess Weiner. New episodes are released monthly. Subscribe on YouTube Music, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Invent Penn State is a commonwealth-wide initiative to spur economic development, job creation and student career success.
The "Dare to Disrupt" podcast is made possible by the support of the Penn State Smeal College of Business.