Today we're thrilled to welcome Max Albert, CEO and co-founder of Adrenaline Interactive, an Ann Arbor-based startup revolutionizing in-game advertising.

Max went from software engineer at Ford to creating a top 10 mobile game with tens of thousands of daily players—then discovered the massive opportunity to help brands like FIFA, Dr. Squatch, and Chipotle reach Gen Z gamers through seamless product placement in Fortnite, Roblox, and Discord.

In this episode, Max shares how he's building the future of advertising in gaming's $250 billion industry.

Key Topics Covered:
• How Max quit Ford to build Deep Pass Jam, a top 10 NFL mobile game
• Why interstitial ads ruin the gaming experience (and what works instead)
• The Sydney Sweeney Dr. Squatch campaign that reached 500K+ Fortnite players
• How brands can reach Gen Z where they actually spend their time—in games
• Brand safety considerations for gaming advertising
• The "platformification" of gaming: Roblox, Fortnite, Genshin Impact, and what's next
• Why gaming is now bigger than movies and music combined
• Building Adrenaline Interactive from manual service to automated platform
• Real-time bidding coming to in-game ads in 2026
• Michigan's growing gaming and startup ecosystem
• Practical advice for brands considering gaming advertising

Links:
Adrenaline Interactive: https://www.adrenalineinteractive.ai
Game Jam Podcast: https://www.gamejampodcast.com
Max Albert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-albert-4b0b02a9/
Deep Pass Jam: Available on iOS and Android