Chief Marketing Officer

About Starlings

Starlings is a multi-platform entertainment company on a mission to change culture and make climate action irresistibly fun. We’re launching with a first, boundary-pushing immersive experience in San Francisco—think Sleep No More meets escape room meets dance party—wrapped in a mystery-filled story that extends into the real world through gamified calls to action.

This is the front door to a larger world: a global movement powered by storytelling, community, and play. We see the opportunity to build the next great entertainment universe—one that inspires millions to reconnect with the planet and each other.

Our founding team includes industry veterans and partners from across entertainment and tech, from leading organizations like Netflix, Meow Wolf, HBO, the Smithsonian, Universal Studios, Six Flags, Lucasfilm, Discovery Channel, Google, IDEO, and beyond. We’re backed by prominent investors, environmental leaders, and over 60 cultural ambassadors—entertainment leaders with household names who believe the world is ready for a new kind of fun.

Starlings is building a world where protecting the environment feels like an epic adventure. We’re looking for a strategic marketing leader to help us shape how we go to market and create the next big consumer brand to drive a cultural movement.

Role Overview

We’re seeking a visionary strategic marketer to shape how Starlings enters the world—and the world we build from there. This is a rare opportunity to help launch an iconic brand at the intersection of immersive entertainment, climate action, and creative community.

You’ll work closely with the founders and creative team to build the foundations of our marketing function, from go-to-market planning to core systems to early-stage campaigns that bring our universe to life. You’ll help set the narrative, choose our first channels and partners, and build the scaffolding for a movement that starts in San Francisco—and eventually spans the globe.

This is a contract-to-hire or fractional role, with the potential to grow into a full-time leadership position as we scale.

Key Responsibilities

• Work in close collaboration with founders to align marketing with brand narrative
  

• Design our go-to-market strategy. Collaborate with creative and development leads to build the narrative and marketing strategy for our SF launch—spanning immersive venue, mobile ARG, and real-world activations–utilizing the existing Starlings IP, story, and public interface structure.
  

The candidate will define the following:

• Business to Partner Strategy
• Business to Consumer Strategy
• Target demographic
• Consumer communication platforms including gorilla art and performance, official and non-official social platforms, fictional characters, traditional and non-traditional influencers, creative-based FOMO events, ghost publications of comics, music, artwork, etc.
• Use of public relations and press
• Roll-out schedule
• Branded design and unified campaign esthetic
  

• Architect our marketing systems. Build the foundational stack—CRM, social, analytics, email flows, audience segmentation—and recommend tools to support automation and AI-assisted growth.
  

• Launch and amplify. Shape and oversee initial campaigns including events, influencer outreach, paid/earned/owned media, PR, partnerships, and brand activations.
  

• Forge high-leverage partnerships. Identify strategic allies in climate, tech, media, and culture who can boost reach and credibility.
  

• Lead our community engagement strategy, especially among creatives and early adopters.
  

• Support fundraising. Advise on investor-facing marketing and help shape launch events that attract high profile supporters and media attention.
  

• Build our future team. Help to define and hire future marketing talent and agency collaborators.

Who You Are

• Highly creative storyteller with experience in successful non-traditional marketing.
  

• Has 5–10+ years experience in marketing leadership roles at consumer-facing entertainment brands and startups
  

• A storyteller at heart who understands how to emotionally engage audiences and activate communities.
  

• Deep experience across brand marketing, growth, PR, events, partnerships, and content.
  

• Has launched or grown brands with limited budget creative tactics
  

• Has experience with event marketing, partnerships, PR, influencers and community
  

• Tech-forward and excited by using AI tools and emerging media.
  

• Understands tech, gaming, and media ecosystems
  

• Is curious, adaptive, hands-on, strategic and scrappy and excited to join an ambitious, mission-driven team
  

• Is leaning into using AI for cutting edge marketing best practices

Nice to Have:

• Experience in climate, wellness, or social impact brands
  

• Familiarity with ARGs, fandoms, or immersive entertainment
  

• Connections to media, influencers, or creatives