In the wake of large-scale cyber attacks on corporations like Sony and Internet hives like Ashley Madison, there’s no shortage of brand scandals caused by hackers.

“The hacker community is a real threat—it’s not something you ignore,” Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail told us as we chatted just outside the Coney Island arcade turned hacker bunker where the rebel group “fsociety” takes shelter in his breakout show.

We asked Esmail why he thinks brands are targeted and how they can prevent attacks—as well as where he drew the inspiration for the Sega-esque branding on his show’s logo treatment.

Take a look at our video above—and then check out Esmail’s profile along with the rest of this year’s crop of Adweek’s Young Influentials.

Photos by Alfred Maskeroni; Video Shot & Edited by John Tejada