The Crisis Beat

Episode 31:  Trust and Grievance  Crisis Beat Podcast –  March 23, 2025 Hosts:  Brady Wood & Dr. Mark Crowther In this episode, PR strategist Brady Wood and Dr. Mark Crowther, Chair of Medicine at McMaster University, unpack the headline findings from the 2025  Edelman Trust Barometer —a report that reveals a deepening global “crisis of grievance.” Main Event: The 2025...

Episode 30: Hospital Crisis Communications Crisis Beat Podcast – February 9, 2025 Hosts: Brady Wood & Dr. Mark Crowther In this episode, Brady Wood—PR professional and former hospital leader—and Dr. Mark Crowther, Chair of Medicine at McMaster, take listeners inside the high-stakes world of hospital crisis communications. Drawing from Brady’s firsthand experiences, they break down how hospital...

Episode 29: LA Wildfires Crisis – Crisis Beat Podcast – January 26, 2025 Hosts:  Brady Wood (PR Pro and Business Owner) & Dr. Mark Crowther (Chair of Medicine, McMaster) News & Updates Here’s what’s new in the news! Rebranding Fossils from China Justin Baldoni/Blake Lively Sam Altman Drake's Defamation Lawsuit Roger Telecom Megan & Harry Main Event: Case Study – LA Wildfires Crisi...

Episode 28: 2024 in Review - Crisis Beat Podcast – January 6, 2025 Hosts: Brady Wood (PR Pro and Business Owner) & Dr. Mark Crowther (Chair of Medicine, McMaster) Here’s some of the topic we discussed throughout the 2024 Review! United States election  Possible provincial and federal election for Canada Elon Musk and his multiple crisis, involvement in US public affairs, SpaceX throu...

Episode 27: Jaguar’s Rebrand Crisis – Crisis Beat Podcast – December 15, 2024 Hosts : Brady Wood (PR Pro and Business Owner) & Dr. Mark Crowther (Chair of Medicine, McMaster) News & Updates Here’s what’s new in the news! Boeing : The company is slowly restarting production after a labor strike, with no major PR disasters in the last few weeks, but still facing challenges. Royal Family : Pr...

Episode 26: Boeing Nowhere Fast- Crisis Beat Podcast – November 17, 2024 Hosts:  Brady Wood (PR Pro and Business Owner) & Dr. Mark Crowther (Chair of Medicine, McMaster) News & Updates Here’s what’s new This episode opens with a quick update on ongoing stories: Donald Trump’s Teflon Nature:  A brief election update on Trump’s resilience in the face of scandals. Cool Study on Cris...

Episode 25: The Crisis Beat Podcast – October 20, 2024 Hosts Brady Wood (business owner and PR pro) and Dr. Mark Crowther (Chair of Medicine at McMaster) are back to tackle the hot topic of cybersecurity and privacy. This episode dives into recent cyberattacks and the lessons we can learn from them. News & Updates Here’s what’s buzzing: •Trump Assassination Attempt – An update on this shocking...

In this Episode, Brady and Mark we review the book All The Worst Humans by Phil Elwood, in which he tells the raunchy tales of his incredible journey doing PR for some very unsavoury characters. Other updates in this Episode include:  Wells Fargo employee who died at work and wasn’t found for several days  San Francisco hospital where a patient went missing in 2013 and was found dead in...

Mr Beast is a huge influencer with a multi-million person audience and a multi-hundred million dollar revenue stream. Some of his teammates have allegedly behaved very poorly. What should he do to preserve his reputation and the upward swing of his YouTube channel?   Also  An aerospace company stranded astronauts on the international space station  A giant meat recall A antiona...

Welcome to Crisis Beat, Episode 22, Hosts Brady Wood, a business owner and PR professional, and Dr. Mark Crowther, Chair of Medicine at McMaster University, are back together after Mark’s recent adventures. Main Topic: The Secret Service in the Spotlight The episode delves into the ongoing controversy surrounding the U.S. Secret Service, particularly focusing on the Senate hearings involving Secre...

In the latest episode of Crisis Beat , hosts Brady Wood and Dr. Mark Crowther dive into a fascinating thought experiment that explores the idea of rebranding the Tyrannosaurus Rex’s public image. The episode begins with the hosts introducing themselves and giving shout-outs to their loyal listeners, setting a casual and engaging tone. They then quickly move through some breaking news stories, touc...

Welcome to the latest compelling episode of Crisis Beat ! Join hosts Brady Wood and Dr. Mark Crowther as they delve into the most recent and intriguing stories in crisis communications and public relations. Hosts Introduction Brady Wood : Business owner and public relations professional. Dr. Mark Crowther : Chair of Medicine at McMaster University. Main Event: Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar Drake: A Glo...

Welcome to the latest grrrrrreat episode of Crisis Beat ! Join hosts Brady Wood and Dr. Mark Crowther as they tackle the most recent and riveting stories in crisis communications and public relations. Hosts Introduction Brady Wood : Business owner and public relations professional. Dr. Mark Crowther : Chair of Medicine at McMaster University. Episode Focus Examining the "Stick the Landing" theory...

Welcome to the latest electrifying episode of Crisis Beat ! This week, hosts Brady Wood and Dr. Mark Crowther dive deep into two of the most compelling stories in the world of public relations and business. Featuring: Dr. Andrew Huberman: The Neuroscientist Under Fire Discover the story of Dr. Andrew Huberman, a renowned Stanford neuroscientist and wellness influencer. Unpack the allegations of di...

Hey Now! In this Episode of The Crisis Beat, Brady and Mark again explore who can defy communications gravity. Kate Middleton 's seeming disappearance caused a great deal of upset and speculation metastasizing into conspiracy theory, briefly dominating the news and social media sphere cycles. Tempest in a teapot? Kate recently cleared up all the fuss quite effectively by releasing a 'cover all' vi...

Episode 16 - Get the Lead Out  Heavy metal episode: Stanley Mugs and Baby Food contain concerning contamination We thought we were well past lead poisoning in the North American food supply, but there are still holes in our quality controls. Baby food and Stanley mugs are the culprits. In this episode we explore what offending organizations could do to recover trust.   Other news and top...

Meta - the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp - led by Mark Zuckerberg, is in the news for the wrong reasons, specifically the alleged exploitation of children.  Mark Zuckerberg recently presented at a US Senate hearing and was forced into an awkward apology by leaders of the the committee, following testimony on harms caused by social media. A New York Times Article also hi...

Crisis Beat Podcast Episode 14: "Year In Review - Career Killing Flubs" Date: January 7, 2023 Hosts: Brady Wood and Dr. Mark Crowther Main Topic: Celebrity Downfalls - Case Studies in Apologetics: Our main topic revolves around a detailed discussion inspired by a New York Post article highlighting celebrities whose careers took significant hits in 2023. https://nypost.com/2023/12/27/entertainment/...

In this Episode, Mark and Brady explore the recent events concerning University Presidents appearing before Congress and failing to say clearly that calling for the genocide of Jewish people would be harassment on campus. A few weeks ago, Presidents of esteemed universities Harvard, Penn State, and MIT appeared before a committee of US Congress to answer to lawmakers about a rise in antisemitic ev...

Hey now, Happy Holidays, dear listeners! Here's a quick summary of Episode 12: In this episode, Mark and Brady explore the recent crisis involving Elon Musk, a well-known figure due to his leadership in companies like SpaceX, Tesla, and others. The backdrop of this crisis is the global tension following the events of October 7 between Hamas and Israel. Inciting Incident: The controversy began with...

In this Episode, Brady and Mark examine the consequences of public missteps by important leaders. President Biden made a potentially major diplomatic flub by answering a journalist's question in the affirmative when asked if China's President Xi Jinping was a dictator. Elon Musk also made a controversial move on X.com where what he wrote was perceived as antisemitic, Substantial fallout ensued in...

In this Episode, recorded early August, Brady and Mark take up the interesting case of the (predictable?) backlash Bud Light faced following a campaign involving a controversial influencer who identifies as transgender. Also discussed: Mark's trip to Reykjavik Iceland during a volcanic event. The impact of banning Incandescent lightbulbs. The fashion brand Shein's terribly transparent exploitation...

EPISODE 9: RETRACTION ACTION Join hosts Mark and Brady in Episode 9 of our podcast as they delve into the intriguing world of scientific retraction and academic fraud. The discussion begins with a recent incident involving a reprint of a Lancet article on 'long Covid,' which serves as a launchpad to explore famous cases of academic reprinting and fraud. The team also addresses the potential threat...

In this episode, Brady and Mark explore the unique challenges and opportunities that COVID-19 has presented for public health communications following the World Health Organization's May 5th 2023 announcement that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency. As the pandemic continues to impact communities around the world, effective situational crisis communications have never been more imp...

In this Episode, Mark and Brady try to make sense of the relative indifference shown by the Royal Family to the allegations and hubbub caused by Prince Harry and Megan Markle's Oprah interview, Netflix special, and Harry's book 'Spare.' What can we garner in terms of best practices in general from what almost appears to be the Royal Family giving the silent treatment and letting the complainants s...