Politely Pushy with Eric Chemi

Jacob Robbins, known as “Captain Wetblanket” by his colleagues, often covers the AI industry and VC landscape through a skeptical lens. Jacob uses his carefully trained eye to weed through the industry’s flashy headlines to share stories of action and anxiety bubbling just below the surface. For those unfamiliar with PitchBook, it isn’t just a data company; it also produces VC and private equity d...

How does one navigate a career that began with a law degree and settled in B2B medical marketing and media? For Larry Dobrow, editorial director at MM+M, it was all in mastering the art of the pivot.  After the pandemic, more companies, including big brands like Apple and Lululemon, became health companies. Even if these companies didn’t realize it then, Larry saw a similar pattern of pivoting. Bu...

So, you want to be a tech startup founder. Now what? Walter Thompson knows a thing or two about the journeys of successful–and not-so-successful– founders. As many know, securing investment is only part of the role. In this episode, Walter chats with Eric about his experience curating and creating content for digital publications and leading interviews with founders and investors. Walter’s latest...

On this episode of Politely Pushy, Eric takes the dive with host of Tech Talks Daily, Neil C. Hughes. At 16 years old, Hughes imagined an exciting career as a radio host or a writer before leading into a career in IT. Finding a balance between technology and business, he sought to clarify the complexity of the evolution of technology for the masses. Neil eventually began his own path in writing, w...

AI is the moment, and Michael Nuñez, editorial director at VentureBeat, unravels the tension between journalism and the business of technology in this episode of Politely Pushy. Inspired by the early development of large language models (LLM) and AI, Michael sought a way to break into the space. Enter VentureBeat. Michael’s regular conversations with engineers, builders, and doers who know this em...

In the age of tech disruption, who is responsible for leading a company through digital transformation? Isaac Sacolick, founder and president of StarCIO, identifies these leaders as “digital trailblazers.” In this Politely Pushy episode, Isaac quiets the buzz around generative AI advancement by comparing its hype cycle to the expansion of mobile technologies. Digital transformation paved the way f...

Sustainability is arguably one of the largest threats facing humanity today. You may have heard the terms CSR and ESG thrown around increasingly in the past few years. CSR refers to “corporate social responsibility,” and ESG refers to “environmental, social, and corporate governance.” Both are critical to brands striving to capture consumer loyalty and set industry standards. Mega corporations, in...

Imagine this: You’re at a physician appointment. In the background, innovative technology documents your conversation and creates accurate notes for your physician to reference later. Need a prescription? Ambient clinical intelligence (ACI) works alongside a generative AI program to deliver appropriate and available prescription treatments that match your insurance requirements, all without pullin...

The 2024 awards season is right around the corner, and winning is on the brain.  If you’re preparing to submit for upcoming industry awards, there’s no one better to consult than PR industry veteran and awards secret weapon Betsy Quinn.  Betsy has dedicated her career to zeroing in on the “why” behind the work. Her expertise in informing and directing brand strategy and messaging led her to establ...

And with that, the 2023 season comes to an end. But what’s the benefit of jumping into the new year without proper reflection of the past 365 days? Ken Jacobs returns to the Politely Pushy podcast to give a masterclass in leadership. In his conversation with Eric, Ken discusses the steps to lead through a downturn expertly – something many leaders have faced this year. The PR, communications, and...

When Jonathan Evans, Founder of KinectAir, isn’t building software that charters Pilatus PC-12 aircraft on a KinectAir flight, he’s chatting with Eric on a new Politely Pushy episode. Jonathan dives into the novelty of regional air mobility and the niche KinectAir occupies in on-demand private charter: accessibility and decreased environmental impact. He also explains how a strong team behind the...

Data privacy, ESG, AI? Laurence Evans of Reputation Leaders and Eric cover it all and more on today’s Politely Pushy episode! AI has veered its head once more, this time as a major ESG issue - I know, we’re as surprised as you are. According to Laurence, AI has proven to be more of an opportunity than a threat with limitless possibilities, but the question on everyone’s mind really is: What is AI...

Dan Head is the brand new CEO of Phrasee, the AI-based digital marketing company. One of the first things on his to-do list: a sit down with Politely Pushy.   Dan tells Eric why he took the job, what his role as CEO will be, and the priorities he’ll be focusing on. He also explains where he thinks the future is for brands and AI companies alike, along with some of the obstacles that still exist de...

We’re joined today by Adriel Sanchez from WalkMe. Adriel is ready to talk shop…and how we should view the hype around AI. He shares the concerns of many about what all-automated-everything might mean for our future. Adriel explains that we’re not that far off from a very transformative experience. That’s where WalkMe comes in. The company has been in the change management business for a while, hel...

If you’ve ever been a victim of data hacking or a privacy leak, this one’s for you! Today we’re talking about data privacy with Ryan Lasmaili, CEO of Vaultree. Ryan is driven to solve major cybersecurity problems with his biggest undertaking to date: solving today’s and tomorrow’s data encryption and protection challenges. With a background in financial mathematics, how did he come to be the perso...

After years of working in the real estate industry, Thomas Ma saw the shift toward large proptech and decided to develop a new way for agents to showcase their listings. REAL Messenger (REAL) is the No. 1 social app for real estate, and Thomas’ goal, he says, is to make agents’ lives easier. One way that REAL is shaking up the space is adding a video feature to listings that give buyers more than...

Our conversation with Sheena Iyengar is a lesson in creativity and power. Sheena is an author, professor and “expert on choice and decision-making.” Her book "Think Bigger: How to innovate" has just been released, after her breakthrough award-winner "The Art of Choosing". Today she speaks with Eric about how to maximize your potential, the importance of finding out what happens...

Bospar’s Curtis Sparrer and Cannes’ most famous drag queen Michael Sanchez AKA  Holly White are both joining us on today’s episode of Politely Pushy. When Curtis attended Cannes Lions last year, he noticed there wasn’t any LGBTQIA+ nightclubs for attendees. This year, he took a page from Bospar’s tech clients (who are always looking to meet a need) and launched a pop-up LGTBQIA+ bar for anyone int...

Today we’re tackling a new subject for Politely Pushy: fertility and family planning. “It’s a human experience,” says Tamar Knoller when speaking about infertility. It’s not just for the LGBTQIA+ community, or for 40-year old women, and that’s a myth that HRC Fertility is fighting to debunk. Other myths: IVF is expensive and inaccessible, and infertility is just a female issue. In fact, 30% of inf...

We’re joined this week by Brendon Craigie, founder of Tyto PR. Tyto is an international PR agency, and much like Bospar, has operated as a remote agency even before COVID. So what made Brendon decide to build a fully remote company? He knew he could create a better way of running a business. He also found that the best way to make his employees care is to give them power, or a pride of ownership....

Wondering what’s going on with the banking crisis? Thankfully, Simon Grunfeld is here to shed some light on the situation, including some of the differences between the various bank closures. In this episode of Politely Pushy, he talks about Web3 and what it means for our money. According to Simon, Web3 is the “digital version of sticking it in the vault” (or under your mattress, in the cookie jar...

Elena Davidson, CEO of UK-based Liberty Comms and long-time Bospar friend, joins us this week in a long-overdue conversation about tech PR and how she’s preparing to face the upcoming economic crisis. The key to withstanding challenges, Elena says, is equal parts sticking to what you do best, but always being willing to adjust to changes. And while there are some noted differences in PR practices...

Aloha from Hawaii, with this week’s guest John Merrifield. Hailed as the “Don Draper of Asia,” John’s journey to working with brands like Adidas and Singapore Airlines actually started on the waves of the California coast. Though he’s done a lot of world-famous work in the ad world, he’ll tell you that he’s a surfer with an advertising problem, not the other way around. He loved to write from his...

What motivates people to do good work?   That’s the question on Jamie Aitken and Doug Dennerline’s mind as they tackle some of the American workforce’s most challenging problems. The answer, they discovered, is quickly changing due in large part to the pandemic. Luckily for us, they compiled their research in their new book “Make Work Better,” chronicling among other things: how great bosses lead,...

We’re joined today by Israel's “top marketer” Hillel Fuld, here to talk about working with tech startups and giants alike. Hillel says there’s only one thing he looks for before he embarks on a new journey with a company: good people. How quickly can he tell if people are good?, our host asks. “Within 30 seconds.” That, plus injecting humor into his work and life, are what keep Hillel on the...