Our Expert Contributors

Justin O'Heir

Founder

Ether • 17+ years experience

Justin O’Heir is a creative technologist and founder focused on building experiences that blend storytelling, data, and emerging technology. As CEO of Ether, he helps brands and agencies turn interactive moments like AR, games, and live activations into measurable business impact. His work sits at the intersection of creativity and analytics, with a strong belief that the best experiences do not just look good, they prove ROI.

Miriam Arbus

Integrated Producer

Ether • 10+ years experience

Miriam Arbus is an Integrated Producer and creative strategist focused on building experiences that blend storytelling, data, and emerging technology. At Ether, she leads complex experiential projects from concept through delivery, ensuring creative ambition is matched with strong project management, technical coordination, and measurable outcomes. Her work sits at the intersection of creativity and operations, translating interactive moments such as live activations, digital layers, and immersive experiences into reliable execution and actionable insight. She believes the strongest experiences are not only well-designed, but well-run, proving impact through clarity, intention, and results.

Jordan Chen

VP of Data Science

Ether • 15+ years experience

Jordan Chen leads Ether's data science initiatives, bringing 15 years of experience in predictive analytics and machine learning to experiential marketing. Previously a Principal Data Scientist at Salesforce and research lead at MIT Media Lab, Jordan specializes in translating complex emotional signals into actionable business intelligence. His work on sentiment analysis algorithms has been published in the Journal of Marketing Research and presented at NeurIPS. Jordan holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from MIT and an MBA from Stanford GSB.

Nova Kim

Head of Experience Intelligence

Ether • 12+ years experience

Nova Kim is a pioneering voice in experiential marketing analytics, with over 12 years of experience helping brands transform live experiences into measurable business outcomes. As Head of Experience Intelligence at Ether, Nova leads research initiatives that bridge the gap between emotional engagement and ROI measurement. Her work has been featured in AdAge, Marketing Week, and the Journal of Brand Strategy. Nova holds an M.S. in Marketing Analytics from Northwestern University and has consulted for Fortune 500 brands including Kraft Heinz, Budweiser, and RBC.

Marcus Rivera

Head of Product Innovation

Ether • 12+ years experience

Marcus Rivera is a product visionary with 12 years of experience building technology that bridges physical and digital experiences. Before joining Ether, Marcus led product teams at Snap Inc. and Magic Leap, where he pioneered AR experiences that reached millions of users. At Ether, he oversees the development of next-generation experience measurement tools. Marcus is a frequent speaker at SXSW and CES, and his work has been featured in Wired, Fast Company, and TechCrunch. He holds an M.S. in Human-Computer Interaction from Carnegie Mellon.

Mara Kael

Director of Content Strategy

Ether • 10+ years experience

Mara Kael brings a unique blend of journalism and marketing expertise to Ether's content strategy. With a background in tech journalism at Wired and The Verge, Mara now focuses on translating complex experience data concepts into actionable insights for marketing leaders. She specializes in thought leadership content that establishes brand authority while driving measurable engagement. Mara holds a B.A. in Journalism from Columbia University and an MBA from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.

Samira Okonkwo

Director of Brand Partnerships

Ether • 10+ years experience

Samira Okonkwo brings a decade of brand strategy experience from agencies including Wieden+Kennedy and R/GA. As Director of Brand Partnerships at Ether, she helps Fortune 500 companies design experiential campaigns that create lasting emotional connections. Samira has led award-winning activations for Nike, Google, and American Express, earning recognition at Cannes Lions and the Effie Awards. She holds a B.A. in Communications from Howard University and completed the Executive Education program at Harvard Business School.

Elena Vasquez

Senior Research Analyst

Ether • 8+ years experience

Elena Vasquez is a consumer behavior researcher with expertise in emotional psychology and decision science. With 8 years of experience spanning academic research and applied marketing analytics, Elena leads Ether's research initiatives on how emotional experiences translate to brand loyalty and purchase behavior. Her research has been published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology and Harvard Business Review. Elena holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from UCLA and completed postdoctoral research at the Wharton School.