Bill Imada is chairman and chief connectivity officer at IW Group, but in reality he’s much more. He’s an agency founder and leader, a brilliant networker and mentor and a pioneer in diversity and other areas — not to mention a PRWeek Hall of Famer . He stops by The PR Week podcast to talk about his agency’s history and to offer his thoughts about the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, such as Lowe’s changing its DEI policy and big changes in UPS’ communications department . ...
Aug 29, 2024•42 min•Ep. 202
Former Edelman San Francisco GM Michael Kuczkowski, who founded his own shop Orangefiery in 2014, is the special guest on this week’s episode of The PR Week podcast. Kuczkowski reflects on what Orangefiery has been up to over the past 10 years, how it has branched out from healthcare into the corporate social impact space and he shares his advice for anyone looking to launch their own PR agency. Kuczkowski also talks with PRWeek’s Steve Barrett and Diana Bradley about the biggest PR and marketin...
Aug 22, 2024•38 min•Ep. 201
Jano Cabrera, chief communications officer at General Mills , is serving as the next jury chair for the PRWeek Awards U.S. — the standard deadline is September 27 — and he’s looking forward to another year of agencies and marketers putting their best work forward. He talks about that and other marketing trends on the latest edition of The PR Week podcast, including the biggest PR and communications news of the week. That includes interviews with Mark Read and Alex Geiser about KKR’s acquisition ...
Aug 15, 2024•48 min•Ep. 200
Ben Finzel is a veteran of Washington, DC, a wide range of agencies and most recently a coalition of multicultural and LGBTQ-owned firms focused on inclusive work. He currently does double duty as president of RenewPR and founder and managing partner of The Change Agencies . He joins the latest edition of The PR Week to talk about everything from hits and misses at the Olympic Games in Paris to the latest news from the presidential campaign trail, pulling from his experience in the nation’s capi...
Aug 08, 2024•49 min•Ep. 199
Barbara Hunter, founder and namesake of Hunter PR, was one of the true pioneers of the PR industry in the years after World War II — and even more remarkable, she did so while often being the only woman in the room. She talks about acquiring an agency, founding another — and the occasional three-martini lunch in the “Mad Men” era — on the latest edition of The PR Week podcast. Also on the agenda, the top marketing and communications news of the week: - Olympics week one, and medal-worthy campaig...
Aug 01, 2024•45 min•Ep. 198
Devika Bulchandani is the latest guest on The PR Week podcast and the most recent in a series of CEOs whose work won plaudits at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to be featured on the podcast. She also talks about the strengths of the overall Ogilvy brand and how its different parts, from creative to PR, work together to develop work for clients, such as the Michael CeraVe campaign for CeraVe. Plus, the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, such as Vice Pres...
Jul 25, 2024•46 min•Ep. 197
The latest guest on The PR Week podcast is Matt Neale, CEO of Golin . The Interpublic Group agency CEO is fresh off big wins at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity , including the first win by a PR agency in the PR Lions , for The Misheard Version for U.K.-based retailer Specsavers. Neale talks about his firm’s award-winning work and weighs in on the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, including corporate America’s response to the assassination attempt agains...
Jul 18, 2024•45 min•Ep. 196
The latest guest on The PR Week podcast is none other than Weber Shandwick Collective CEO Gail Heimann . Heimann made news of her own this week when Weber announced she will step down in November, to be replaced by agency president Susan Howe. Why is this fall the right time for a leadership transition? Heimann talks about that and much more, including the origin story of the Cannes Lions-winning Edible Mascot campaign and her thoughts on the presidential election on the latest edition of The PR...
Jul 11, 2024•44 min•Ep. 195
The latest guest on The PR Week podcast is Richard Edelman, global CEO of the largest agency in the world , who was eager to praise the performance of his firm , and that of rivals, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Edelman explains how his firm changed its strategy at Cannes and why he believes PR agencies are uniquely positioned to succeed at the annual festival. In non-Cannes news, he discusses his agency’s financial performance in its fiscal year, acquisition targets,...
Jul 03, 2024•40 min•Ep. 194
This episode explores the challenges and opportunities of scaling creativity within business. We’ll discuss the importance of learning and development for supporting creative ideas, investigate the idea of ‘continuous creative development’ and recap the inspiring creativity and insights coming out of Cannes. This podcast is for anyone interested in leveraging creativity in a business context. AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and p...
Jun 27, 2024•25 min
With the European Championship and Copa America underway and the Olympic torch traveling to Paris, it’s very much the summer of sports. Who better to join The PR Week podcast than Bret Werner, president of MikeWorldWide and a veteran of activations at sporting events from soccer tournaments to the Super Bowl? Werner also discusses lessons learned from starting and selling an agency and his favorite work from Cannes — and much more. AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.J...
Jun 27, 2024•35 min•Ep. 193
Everyone has to be an influencer these days. It’s not enough to have a good idea. A good product. To write a good book. To start a company. To be a journalist. You have to be more than that. To cut through the noise, to make an impact, to be noticed, you have to have ‘influence.’ Relevance. You have to know how to be social, to craft social content that people engage with. AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a futur...
Jun 26, 2024•29 min
Join us to explore current trends impacting healthcare public relations, focusing on how these are shaping health equity initiatives, as well as traditional and digital media landscapes. Featuring expert insights from Real Chemistry thought leaders, you’ll hear share actionable advice and innovative strategies to more effectively reach audiences and achieve communications milestones. AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms ...
Jun 26, 2024•29 min
Discover how to transform everyday moments into powerful brand activations, from local book bans to a viral news interview and innovative date night experiences. We’ll explore the strategies behind leveraging organic content and consumer behaviors to drive engagement and brand loyalty. AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a future-focused conversation on how AI is transforming media, marketing, and the retail experie...
Jun 25, 2024•20 min
Kat Thomas, founder and chief creative officer of One Green Bean, has a front-row seat to some of the best earned media work in the world as PR jury president of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity . She sits down with PRWeek’s Steve Barrett at the festival to talk about standout work and other trends from this year’s Cannes Lions in the latest edition of The PR Week podcast. AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and ...
Jun 20, 2024•20 min•Ep. 192
In this special Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity edition of The PR Week, Steve Barrett sits down with Burson CEO Corey duBrowa . They talk about bringing together two blue chip agencies to form the second-largest agency in the world by revenue, as well as new assignments from major consumer and technology clients. AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a future-focused conversation on how AI is transfo...
Jun 19, 2024•10 min•Ep. 189
PRWeek VP and editorial director Steve Barrett caught up with WPP CEO Mark Read at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this week for a wide-ranging discussion. They cover topics from WPP’s share price to where Burson fits in the rankings of global PR agencies by revenue. Plus, AI and the main points of the festival itself on this special edition of The PR Week. AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a...
Jun 18, 2024•21 min•Ep. 188
Cristal Downing has been a member of PRWeek’s Health Influencer 30 list and an honoree of PRWeek’s Women of Distinction program. And as of this week, she’s now a guest on The PR Week podcast . Downing talks about her organization’s commitment to purpose and diversity, as well as how communications at Merck has changed since she joined the company. Plus the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, such as the start of the UEFA European Championship, Nathan’s Famous freezing out Joey...
Jun 13, 2024•44 min•Ep. 187
It’s going to be a big summer for soccer in the U.S. with the American men's and women’s teams participating in the Summer Olympic Games in Paris and the Copa America kicking off this month. And that’s just a warm-up for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Heidi Burgett, VP of corporate communications for U.S. Soccer, talks about those events, as well as her career at Nike and the explosion of women’s sports on the latest edition of The PR Week podcast. Als...
Jun 06, 2024•44 min•Ep. 186
The latest guest on The PR Week podcast is Nicole Dye-Anderson, SVP, MD and head of corporate communications for cards and merchant services at Wells Fargo. She talks about the company’s initiatives and how it’s worked to refurbish its image after scandal. Dye-Anderson also adds her point of view to the biggest PR and communications news of the week, including: - The “brutal” job market for PR pros over age 50; - Pride 2024; - Melinda French Gates’ contributions to organizations helping women. A...
May 30, 2024•39 min•Ep. 185
There is a new proven process of pairing compelling stories with data-driven analytics to drive your business goals with media relations. Lisa Arledge Powell, CEO and founder of MediaSource , and Kena Lewis, AVP, public affairs & media relations at Orlando Health , share their vast wisdom on this topic from which all communicators can greatly benefit. They introduce new methods and tactics to drive business using media relations. They underscore the why and how of being truly strategic in yo...
May 29, 2024•21 min
One of the best-known healthcare influencers, Dr. Mike Varshavski , is the special guest on the latest edition of The PR Week podcast, recorded live on Tuesday at the PRWeek Healthcare Conference+Awards. He talks about dealing with disinformation , which social media platforms he prefers and how medical professionals should keep the public informed. That’s not all on this special edition of The PR Week. Reporter Brandon Doerrer chats with conference panelists and guests, and there’s a celebratio...
May 23, 2024•43 min•Ep. 184
London calling! PRWeek U.S. editorial director Steve Barrett checks in from the PRWeek Global Awards in this latest edition of the PR Week Podcast. The special guest is the chair of judges for the event : Sabina Ellahi , who is joining Sephora U.K. as head of PR and communications. PRWeek executive editor Frank Washkuch and associate news editor Diana Bradley also discuss the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, including 5W Public Relations’ new CEO, the Boy Scouts’ latest reb...
May 16, 2024•35 min•Ep. 183
BRG Communications has had a wildly successful run at the last two PRWeek Awards U.S., taking home Outstanding Boutique Agency at both events. The firm’s president and CEO, Jane Barwis, talks about her firm’s culture on the latest edition of The PR Week and how it services a national client roster from its headquarters near Washington, DC. Also on the show: the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, including the PRWeek Agency Business Report 2024 , the Drake-Kendrick Lamar beef ...
May 09, 2024•42 min•Ep. 182
Leah Chandler has served as chief marketing officer of Discover Puerto Rico since 2018, and in that time, she’s been busy. Chandler has reworked the island’s agency relationships into a collective of firms and developed a wide-ranging crisis-response plan for everything from hurricanes to shark bites. She joins the latest edition of The PR Week podcast to talk about that, as well as the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, such as major people moves at Kenvue and Generate:Biome...
May 02, 2024•45 min•Ep. 181
This week’s special guest on The PR Week podcast is none other than the CEO of Phaedon, Kris Tremaine . Tremaine talks about the evolution of her firm — as well as what its name means in Greek — from part of ICF Next . She also chats about the biggest PR and communications news of the week, such as changes to the Burson agency network and staff , holding company results from Next 15 , Omnicom Group and Interpublic Group and Shake Shack’s clever influencer decision . AI Deciphered is back—live in...
Apr 25, 2024•35 min•Ep. 180
Airline crises. Labor relations. Working through the opening moments of a crisis on social media. All of these events require specific skills to protect brands, and each was discussed on Thursday at PRWeek’s sold out Crisis Comms Conference in Washington, DC . This podcast includes insights from top communications executives at UPS, Southwest Airlines and Miller Coors as they discuss how their brands navigate tricky situations. AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join ...
Apr 19, 2024•43 min•Ep. 179
Meet the guest on the latest edition of The PR Week podcast: John Box, CEO of Meltwater . He talks about how his company has evolved from a news monitoring platform to one that keeps an eye on social media activity across many platforms for agencies, clients, the government sector — and even the Vatican. Plus, the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, including Omnicom Group’s Q1 results , John Deere’s campaign to become a cultural brand for young consumers and the best and most...
Apr 18, 2024•33 min•Ep. 178
The special guest on this week’s episode of The PR Week podcast is Myles Worthington, CEO and founder of Worthi , a Black-owned marketing, communications and content agency. Worthington discusses being named to The Lagrant Foundation’s inaugural Alumni Advisory Council , his background as a marketing executive at Netflix and how he has grown his firm from one to 30 staffers since launching in 2022 . Worthington also discusses the week’s news with PRWeek’s Steve Barrett and Diana Bradley, such as...
Apr 11, 2024•38 min•Ep. 177
The latest guest on The PR Week Podcast is Sara Garibaldi , president of Boden, which just won Outstanding Small Agency at the PRWeek Awards U.S . last month. She discusses the complicated nature of marketing to Hispanic audiences in the U.S. and much more. Also on the agenda: the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, including PRWeek’s Salary Survey 2024 , Golin’s AutonomyWorks partnership and GE splitting into three companies. AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this N...
Apr 04, 2024•41 min•Ep. 176
