Sandra Lehner

Sandra is a multilingual Entertainment Executive with a global perspective and network, having worked across Europe and in the United States. With over 13 years of experience in entertainment and advertising, she is an expert in creating content and strategies that build bridges between traditional TV to Gen Z. Dubbed by industry press as the TV Futurist, she works with TV networks, production companies, and agencies on audience development, interactive storytelling, and brand integrations.

Prior to moving to Los Angeles on an extraordinary talent-visa, Sandra was Head of Branded Entertainment for Europe’s first Social TV channel as well as for some of the most prestigious advertising agencies in Switzerland, including TBWA and Jung von Matt. She oversaw developing, selling, and producing Branded Entertainment for global brands such as McDonald’s, Credit Suisse, and Lipton Iced Tea. For her achievements in the Branded Entertainment sector and her innovative thinking regarding content for Gen Z, she was awarded ‘Thought Leader of the Year’ in 2018 by the leading Swiss marketing & communications magazine.

Previously, Sandra was Social Media Producer on some of the UK’s biggest TV brands such as Downton Abbey (NBCU), Sherlock (BBC), Made in Chelsea (Channel 4), and Who wants to be a Millionaire? (Sony). In this role, she co-developed and produced interactive formats such as Twillionaire and Mad on Chelsea.

She started her career in drama development for Germany’s leading daily drama producer UFA Serial Drama after being discovered at a ‘Writing for Daily Drama’ course at the Film and TV University in Babelsberg (Germany).

Sandra is a frequent speaker at international conferences, such as MIPCOM and Rio2C, judges several web series and interactive TV festivals, including the Interactive Emmys and the Rose d’Or Awards, and writes every month for industry blogs MIPBLOG and Branded Entertainment Online about the Future of Entertainment. She also teaches Social Media Strategy and Interactive Storytelling at FH St. Pölten in Austria.

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