Future Proof with Jen Leitman, CMO of OverDrive (Libby, Kanopy, Sora)
OverDrive sits at the intersection of reading, learning, and streaming—powering beloved brands like Libby (public libraries), Kanopy (streaming for libraries and universities), and Sora (K–12). We caught up with Chief Marketing Officer Jen Leitman on what’s changed, what’s overhyped, and how she builds teams that take smart creative risks in a hyper-competitive attention economy. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: For those unfamiliar, give us the quick lay of the land. What are Libby, Kanopy, and Sora—and who do they serve?
A: Libby is the app you’ll find at most public libraries in North America for ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines. Kanopy is our streaming platform available through many public and academic libraries—think high-quality films and series you’d expect on a premium service. And Sora is our K–12 reading solution used by schools in North America and around the world to help students read at grade level with content aligned to curricula.
Q: How does OverDrive generate revenue across those brands?
A: We sell digital content to our partners—public libraries, schools, universities, and even corporate libraries. We work with publishers and studios to license content, curate collections for each community’s needs, and offer different lending models inside our marketplace. Partners purchase what fits their patrons and students.
Q: What’s new on the product side that you’re excited about?
A: In Libby, we’ve been piloting Inspire Me, which uses light AI with a library’s own catalog to solve a real patron pain: holds. It can suggest “available now” titles by category—and even match to a user’s smart tags like “to be read”—so people discover great books without waiting.
Q: What are a few things your team is doing now that would’ve felt unthinkable five years ago?
A: Like a lot of marketers, we use AI as a brainstorming partner—to pressure-test segments, gather angles, and get to sharper concepts faster (then we customize heavily). We also de-prioritized Twitter/X and shifted focus to platforms that better fit our audiences. And we simplified our brand architecture so the consumer brands—Libby, Kanopy, Sora—lead, rather than the corporate OverDrive brand. That clarity matters.
Q: What broad trends are shaping your decisions for 2025?
A: We’re all competing in a hyper-competitive attention economy. Brands that win know how to dominate moments and channels with bold but relevant creative. At the same time, there’s a shift to niche audience targeting—great news for challenger brands that can move quickly and take smart risks, though scaling those wins remains the challenge.
Q: You mentioned platform focus. Where are you leaning now?
A: Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are still important, and we’re experimenting on Bluesky and Threads. YouTube isn’t “social” in the classic sense, but it’s increasingly central to our storytelling and will grow for us.
Q: What’s under-hyped right now?
A: Content strategy—real, structured, credible content. It’s foundational not only for traditional SEO but for how AI systems surface and shape information. Flashy tech gets attention, but the long game is authoritative content that feeds search and generative engines.
Q: And what’s over-hyped?
A: Heavy AR/immersive experiences. There’s too much friction—downloads, hardware, gimmicks. Most people want simple, clear content that respects their time.
Q: If you could triple one budget line tomorrow, what would it be—and why?
A: People. More writers, producers, designers—creators who make the content that drives everything. I’d also invest in partner marketing and in analysts/researchers to turn the data we have into sharper decisions.
Q: How do you create space for creative risk on your team?
A: I invite debate—seriously. The higher you go, the more people tiptoe. If you want risk-taking, you have to make it safe to push back. We balance data with intuition—data tells you what is happening; it can’t be the only thing or you’ll stifle originality. We work iteratively: ship, learn, refine. And I’m not a fan of consensus in creative decisions; it tends to water down the edge that makes work memorable. Someone accountable needs to make the call.
Q: An example of a recent creative risk?
A: Our partnership with Tyler Childers. We’d never worked with a musical artist before, and music can be polarizing—libraries are for everyone. But it’s been a terrific fit: he’s a genuine reader and library supporter. We built a Hickman Holler Book Club with recommendations, look-alike lists in Libby, and on-the-ground activations at shows with local libraries—card sign-ups, swag, giveaways. The audience overlap was real, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
Q: You also had a big media moment recently.
A: We launched a partnership with Jenna Bush around her monthly book picks, which included visibility on the Today show plus cross-promotion in Libby and on social/newsletters. It took a year of conversations, but it opens doors and, more importantly, helps more readers discover library access.
Q: Quick pulse check: what’s the state of reading?
A: The data shows reading is down, especially sustained, long-form reading among college-age audiences. Competing options—gaming, social, streaming—eat the time. It’s concerning because reading builds the cognitive muscles for everything from civic decisions to career moves. That’s why making discovery easier—and access free—matters.
Q: Leadership in this moment—how do you define it?
A: Adaptability to tech, political, and economic shifts. Clear, trust-based leadership of remote/hybrid teams. And being a filter for truth in an age of misinformation—demonstrating media and digital literacy so your team and customers can trust what you put into the world.
