Barret Wertz, the New York Post Group's Senior Editorial Director of Commerce, is a lifestyle media veteran with over 15 years of experience in editorial, branded content, and celebrity collaborations. In this episode, he shares insights on building a personal style, the role of gift guides in commerce, and the challenges of navigating Google’s algorithm. He also provides a perspective on current economic trends and consumer behavior, with a focus on value-driven purchasing.

Key Takeaways:

- How a sense of style can help you with personal branding

- The current state of the retail economy

- Navigating Google's tricky algorithms

Episode Timeline:

0:00Introduction to Barrett Wertz

2:30How can the average guy develop a sense of style?

4:00 How creating a personal style helps your brand

5:30 Creating commerce content at the New York Post

9:00Choosing which products the Post highlights

11:30 Comparing and contrasting different products

12:30 What's the secret to a great gift guide

16:30How to manage a writing team

20:45How to understand Google from an Editorial perspective

23:55 Content used to be based on merit

24:30What does Barret's work tell him about today's economy?

This episode’s guest:

• Barret Wertz on LinkedIn

• The New York Post on Instagram

• The New York Post on X

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review:

https://pod.link/1496390646

Contact Us!

•Join the conversation by leaving a comment!

•Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn!

Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aaron Berger is the Co-Founder and Principal of A/M Partners, a boutique communications consultancy helping companies tell stories that move markets. In this episode, Aaron discusses the evolving landscape for startups in the AI era. He also emphasizes the importance of cohesive messaging, the role of PR in building brand awareness, and the challenges startups face in navigating the media landscape.

Key Takeaways:

- Why PR is essential for startups

- The key pivot startups need to make

- Why personal relationships are important in the AI era

Episode Timeline:

0:00Introduction to A/M Partners

3:00Communicating PR for startups

5:30The importance of cohesive messaging

7:25 How to find the story

9:55Navigating AI's impact on communications

11:00The role of relationships in PR

16:45Why early-stage companies need PR

18:13Challenges in PR and advertising

24:30Thought leadership in PR

This episode’s guest:

• Aaron Berger on LinkedIn

• A/M Partners on LinkedIn

• A/M Partners website

• Email: Aaron@AM.Partners

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review:

https://pod.link/1496390646

Contact Us!

•Join the conversation by leaving a comment!

•Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn!

Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brooke Kruger, the founder of KC Partners, a leading communications search firm, has a deep grasp on what’s happening in the job market, what skills are in demand, how hiring is evolving, and what both companies and job seekers need to succeed. On this episode, she discusses current communications hiring trends, the impact of AI on the job market, the importance of emotional intelligence, and common interview mistakes.

Key Takeaways:

- Why comms hiring is back post-COVID

- How AI is affecting the comms job market

- How to kill it in your next job interview

Episode Timeline:

0:00Introduction to communications hiring trends

3:00The impact of AI on communications hiring

6:10Current trends in communications hiring

8:40How to know if someone is a good fit

10:40 The candidates everyone is looking for

12:15Navigating the job market Post-COVID

15:20Preparing the next generation for the workforce

18:10The importance of emotional intelligence

21:15Thought leadership in communications

This episode’s guest:

• Brooke Kruger on LinkedIn

• KC-Partners.com

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review:

https://pod.link/1496390646

Contact Us!

•Join the conversation by leaving a comment!

•Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn!

Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Harris, COO & Partner, UPRoar PR by Moburst, has helped hundreds of brands—from early-stage startups to global enterprises—launch products, build credibility, and navigate today’s fast-moving media landscape. In this episode, Mike shares how he helped grow UPRoar PR from a boutique startup into a nationally recognized, award-winning agency now partnered with Moburst. He also discusses how he helped Hyperice grow from a Kickstarter campaign to a $2 billion company and how AI is changing brand management.

Key Takeaways:

- Mike's past work as an NFL field producer

- The importance of keeping your great employees

- How AEO is changing brand management

Episode Timeline:

2:15 What is the NFL's streaming strategy?

4:45 The NFL's most intense fans

7:00 How did Mike help UPRoar scale to a national agency?

10:30 How does your culture change after 20 employees?

14:00 Mike's four-year strategy to scale his company for sale

17:00 Why AI can only do so much

19:15 How HyperIce grew to a $2 billion company

24:40 How is AI changing brand management

29:00 Does AEO change messaging?

30:30 Mike's thought leadership philosophy

This episode’s guest:

• Mike Harris on LinkedIn

• Uproarpr.com

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review:

https://pod.link/1496390646

Contact Us!

•Join the conversation by leaving a comment!

•Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn!

Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Gray is the Strategic Communications Advisor at Intelligent Relations, an AI-powered PR agency that helps brands earn meaningful media coverage. Before moving into PR, Tim spent more than two decades as a business and technology journalist, writing for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, VentureBeat, and CNN. In this episode, he shares insights into how Intelligent Relations’ Preston AI platform enhances PR workflows and simplifies pitch creation—while emphasizing the importance of balancing AI with human intelligence. Tim also explores the art of storytelling in PR and outlines his approach to thought leadership.

Key Takeaways:

- Balancing human and artificial intelligence in PR

- Creating new workflows with AI

- Where AI writing comes short

Episode Timeline:

0:00Introduction to Intelligent Relations and Tim Gray

2:48The Role of AI in PR at Intelligent Relations

4:45 How we've rapidly changed our views of ChatGPT

5:59Creating a new workflow around AI

6:45The client experience at Intelligent Relations

7:45How Preston creates AI pitches

10:30How AI affects junior-level PR people

11:30How has Intelligent Relations changed over 7 months?

12:22Balancing human and artificial intelligence

14:00Where AI writing falls short

16:00How to make a story stick

17:45How to get Tod to read your pitch

17:41Tim's thought leadership philosophy

This episode’s guest:

• Tim Gray on LinkedIn

• Intelligentrelations.com

Your host: Tod Perry

• Follow Tod Perry on LinkedIn

• Follow Tod Perry on X

• Learn more about Tod

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review:

https://pod.link/1496390646

Contact Us!

•Join the conversation by leaving a comment!

•Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn!

Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

G.C. Murray II, Esq., is an acclaimed attorney, executive coach, and the author of A Greater Change: A Nonprofit Guidebook. Honored by the American Bar Association and the National Bar Association for his integrity and leadership, he offers a unique blend of legal insight and communication strategy. In this conversation, G.C. shares how his background in law gives him unique insights into PR, how to manage your reputation in the AI era, and the loneliness problem in the C-suite.

Key Takeaways:

- How law and PR are related

- The problem of C-suite loneliness

- Reputation management in the AI era

Episode Timeline:

1:20 The challenges of running a company out of Indonesia

2:50 What's happening at Association GC?

3:50 How does his law experience help with PR communications?

6:15 Why emotion matters in court

7:15 Lawyers who have really impressed G.C.

9:35 G.C.'s relationship with his father, a judge

10:05 How can brands manage their reputation in the AI era?

11:30 How to fix your problems before they start

13:30 How AI is muddying our perception of reality

15:00 Why C-suite loneliness is a big problem

17:00 How to move off the plateau

19:30 The art of listening

22:00 Being likable

23:45 G.C.'s thought leadership philosophy

This episode’s guest:

• G.C. Murray II, Esq. on LinkedIn

• Association.Law

• G.C. Murray II, Esq. on Facebook

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review:

https://pod.link/1496390646

Contact Us!

•Join the conversation by leaving a comment!

•Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn!

Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lilly Cortes Wyatt is the visionary founder of SociosPR, an innovative integrated communications firm renowned for its cultural competence expertise. With a diverse team, SociosPR collaborates with private enterprises and public agencies, forging meaningful connections with varied communities. On this episode, Lilly shares why cultural competence is so important in 2025 and the dead giveaways that PR agencies are missing the mark. Also, a look at the competitive world of voice-over acting and Lilly's thought-leadership philosophy.

Key Takeaways:

- Keys to cultural competence

- A look inside the world of voice-over acting

- The inspiration for SociosPR

Episode Timeline:

1:45 Why voice acting is harder than most people think

4:20 AI is taking voice acting jobs

7:00 What's happening at SociosPR these days

8:20 The inspiration for SociosPR

10:50 The importance of cultural competence in 2025

13:10 What is cultural competence?

14:20 Should PR people use the term Latinx?

17:05 Dead giveaways that some PR isn't culturally competent

19:45 Is ChatGPT good at translations?

22:50 Understanding the diversity within the Hispanic community

24:20 Lilly's thought leadership philosophy

This episode’s guest:

• Lilly Cortes Wyatt on LinkedIn

• SociosPRAgency.Com

• SociosPR on LinkedIn

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review:

https://pod.link/1496390646

Contact Us!

•Join the conversation by leaving a comment!

•Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn!

Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kylie McMullan, principal of Finch Media, has a strong background in public relations and marketing, stemming from her experience both client side with Johnson & Johnson, Doctors of BC, and Nature’s Path Organic Foods, and in agency, working on accounts such as Celestial Seasonings, Happy Planet Juice, and BC Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Kylie is also the co-author of the first Canadian-based public relations textbook, “Canadian PR for the Real World.” Kylie has a PhD in Industrial Economics and Management from KTH Royal Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. In this episode, Kylie shares her thoughts on building successful influencer campaigns and why earned media has become so important.

Key Takeaways:

- Why earned media is becoming more important than ever

- Keys to successful influencer campaigns

- AI is making PR ethics more important than ever

Episode Timeline:

1:45 Tod and Kylie are both getting over colds

3:00 What's happening at Finch Media?

4:00 The importance of earned media in 2025

6:00 How does the need for earned media benefit media outlets?

7:30 The importance of brand consistency in the AI era

9:25 The 3 tensions between influencers and organizations

13:30 Spokespeople can be a surprise

16:00 What are the qualities of an effective influencer

17:15 Do AI influencers matter?

20:00 PR practitioners are always adapting to technology

21:30 What are Kylie's students' ethical concerns

26:04 How Kylie helped her sibling, Chelsea, promote their short film

28:00 What's Kylie's thought leadership philosophy?

This episode’s guest:

• Kylie McMullan on LinkedIn

• Finchmedia.ca

• Finch Media on LinkedIn

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review:

https://pod.link/1496390646

Contact Us!

•Join the conversation by leaving a comment!

•Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn!

Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.