Medieval Media Begins Building a Community-First Home for Fantasy Fans and Creators
Founder & CEO Michael Gemmati assembles a complementary founding team across brand and storytelling, product design,
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Founder & CEO Michael Gemmati assembles a complementary founding team across brand and storytelling, product design, platform engineering and media operations.
ORLANDO, FL, UNITED STATES, August 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Medieval Media (MedievalMedia.com), a fantasy-first media and community company, announced that development has begun on its immersive platform for fantasy fans, creators and newcomers. Shawn Johnson has joined as Founding Director of Product Experience, JC Murray as Founding Director of Platform Engineering and Rishi Shah as Founding Director of Media Operations, forming the team that will bring Founder and CEO Michael Gemmati’s ambitious vision to life.
Medieval Media is being built to solve a problem that spans entertainment but is especially acute in fantasy: fragmentation. Fans move among disconnected platforms to discover stories across books, film, games, music, art, events and more, while creators struggle to find dedicated audiences and collaborators for their work.
Medieval Media will unite those experiences into one fantasy-dedicated destination built around discovery, creativity and belonging. Its community, The Gilded Hearth, will serve as the platform’s beating heart, bringing together editorial coverage, experiences, discussions and future creative tools within an immersive Stronghold.
“Fantasy has never lacked passionate fans or extraordinary creators. What it has lacked is one true home that brings them together,” said Michael Gemmati, Founder and CEO of Medieval Media. “Discovery is the vehicle that leads them here, but belonging is the destination. Shawn, JC, Rishi and I bring different strengths, but we share that conviction. I couldn’t ask for a stronger leadership team to join me on this quest. Together, we are creating a place where fans discover what they love, creators find champions and the community helps shape what comes next. Medieval Media isn’t trying to build the best fantasy website. We’re building the best home for fantasy.”
Johnson is an award-winning global product and design leader, speaker, author and entrepreneur whose work has reached millions over 25 years. A former executive leader at Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal and Microsoft, he has shaped products, brands and audience experiences across media and technology. He is also Founder and President of SocioPunk, uniting brand, product, creativity and marketing.
As Founding Director of Product Experience, Johnson will lead product strategy, experience architecture, UX/UI and design, translating the vision into what he calls a “Most Lovable Product”: scalable, memorable and emotionally resonant.
“Medieval Media brings brand, product, story, community and technology together as one connected experience,” said Johnson. “The vision is bold and deeply human: create a place where people belong and help shape what it becomes. Media and creativity have defined my career, and I’m excited to help build something truly epic.”
Murray is an accomplished engineering leader and platform architect who turns early-stage ideas into scalable products. At fintech startup Treasure, he led an engineering reboot and four years of product development while scaling his team from three to 30. At XWP, he built high-traffic media platforms for News Corp Australia and Rogers Communications. His expertise also includes AI-enabled applications.
As Founding Director of Platform Engineering, Murray will establish Medieval Media’s architecture and development standards while ensuring the platform can evolve. He will also develop intelligent automation to improve the operational speed, quality and scale of human-led editorial production. A tabletop game master and serialized-fiction writer, Murray is personally connected to the mission.
“Medieval Media occupies a space fantasy fans and creators genuinely need: broader than a single medium, but more focused and immersive than platforms serving every type of fandom,” said Murray. “As both an engineer and storyteller, I’m excited to build the technical foundation for a platform where discovery inspires conversation, conversation fuels creativity and communities grow around the stories they love.”
Shah brings a decade of experience helping innovative digital-health organizations scale implementation, operations and member experience, including Spring Health, Genoa Telepsychiatry and Parsley Health. He holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Columbia University. A devoted fan of Tolkien and fantasy across media, Shah understands how shared passion can forge lifelong bonds.
As Founding Director of Media Operations, Shah will build Medieval Media’s editorial network, establishing systems to uphold exceptional quality, sustain consistent production and scale journalism, reviews, interviews, newsletters, podcasts, video and future media initiatives. He will also create opportunities for fans and creators to contribute their voices, turning their passion for fantasy into work that informs, entertains and connects.
“What excites me is not only what Medieval Media will publish, but the people who will help us create it,” said Shah. “Great fantasy brings people together and creates relationships that can last a lifetime. My goal is to protect the quality and authenticity of our work while giving passionate contributors the structure and support to share what they love with a growing community.”
Gemmati is a visionary storyteller and strategist with more than 18 years of experience bringing complex products to market and leading brand and go-to-market strategy across healthcare, AI and digital entertainment. His work includes Philips, Health Recovery Solutions, Ascend.AI and BollyRhythm. A lifelong fantasy fan, writer and community builder, he created and led World of Caenyr, a fantasy community spanning roleplaying, gaming and collaborative worldbuilding, for over a decade. Its members created stories, held conventions worldwide and formed relationships that endure today.
As Founder and CEO, Gemmati will guide the company’s vision and strategic direction while personally leading brand narrative, marketing, community management, partnerships and recruitment.
Medieval Media is slated to launch in late 2026.
Fantasy fans can Heed the Call now at MedievalMedia.com for development updates plus Firstmarked subscriber perks and opportunities.
Creators, media companies and prospective partners interested in early collaboration can email contact@medievalmedia.com.
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About Medieval Media
Medieval Media is a fantasy-first media and community company building a living stronghold of stories for fans, creators and newcomers. Its mission is to unite fantasy across books, film, television, animation, games, tabletop, music, art, events and more through authentic community, trusted discovery, meaningful conversation and creator collaboration. Medieval Media’s vision is to become the premier global nexus for fantasy storytelling and discovery: a home where audiences find their next quest, creators find their champions and new legends take shape. Your Quest for Stories Begins Here.
Medieval Media Communications
Medieval Media
contact@medievalmedia.com
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