Stacy La Cotera

She Transformed a Legacy Marketing Organization Into a Modern Powerhouse

When Stacy La Cotera took over at Promax in 2022, the legacy group was a trade organization for broadcast TV marketers. But La Cotera, who had worked for Promax for nearly 14 years, knew it could be so much more. There wasn’t really an organization exclusively dedicated to marketers in music, video games, film, and sports, La Cotera told Variety. So in 2024, under her leadership, Promax became The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (GEMA), an academy for entertainment marketers of all stripes. The group began offering a tiered membership structure, more recognition programs, and The Video Game Marketing Awards. (Music, sports, and film marketing awards are launching later this year). The organization also expanded its board to include execs from Netflix, Meta, and more. A woman CEO in an industry historically dominated by men, La Cotera’s deft rebrand has helped GEMA drive revenue, increase industry engagement, and position the group as the definitive home for creative excellence in marketing.

By Audrey Goodson Kingo