CAA has hired Joanna Popper, an executive who oversaw extended and virtual reality initiatives at HP, to become the agency’s first chief metaverse officer.
At CAA, Popper will be responsible for overseeing a team of executives focused on the agency’s metaverse strategy, both internally and for clients. She will work closely with Alexandra Shannon, CAA’s head of strategic development, and Adam Friedman, an executive guiding agents across departments who work with NFTs.
“CAA has always been at the forefront of charting new and emerging business opportunities for our clients. At this pivotal time in our industry, the metaverse will be impactful to shifts in content creation, distribution, and community engagement that drive significant opportunity for our clients,” CAA president Jim Burtson said on Thursday. “We are thrilled to welcome Joanna to CAA, as her knowledge, insights, relationships, and business building skills will be critical to driving significant impact across the industry.”
Popper joins CAA from HP, where she oversaw the launch of VR headsets under the HP Reverb brand and collaborated with studios like DreamWorks, NBCUniversal, Sony, Disney and Paramount. The executive, who started her career in investment banking, also spent eight years at NBCU, where she served as vp marketing.
“I am so excited to work closely with CAA’s leadership and our visionary clients to create and build for the future,” Popper said. “I couldn’t be in a better place than CAA to help guide the future of entertainment, helping build on CAA’s growing leadership in an area as important and impactful as the metaverse.”
