Catalyst

As you know by now, Rich and Paul were itching to get back to the office. They craved those IRL moments that spark conversation, build relationships, and foster innovation. This week, Senior Director and Head of Product Management, Vicky Volvovski, argues that all of that can be done remotely (and done well!). After working from home for a decade, Vicky shares her favorite tools to set up a delibe...

The MTA is one of the largest transit systems in the world, and recently, Postlight helped take it digital. This week Joshua Gee, Director of Digital Customer Experience at the MTA, joins Paul and Rich to get into the nitty-gritty of updating massive government systems. From legacy platforms to procurement to getting different parts of government to talk to each other, they chat about implementing...

This week Chris and Gina sit down with Nathan Henry and Vicky Volvovski of Postlight’s PM leadership to talk all things product management at a client services firm. Nathan and Vicky share ideas on building lasting client relationships and break down how to structure client workshops to get at the root of the problems you’re trying to solve. Then, they discuss what questions you should be asking t...

Since the 1950s, Fender has been one of the leading names in music. Six years ago, Ethan Kaplan pitched Fender to build out a digital take on a traditionally analog experience — guitar lessons. This week, Paul and Rich sit down with Ethan to discuss how he pitched the idea to the team and why Fender needed a digital strategy. He also shares valuable project management advice and REM album recommen...

Deadlines might be the best productivity tool invented to date. But what are other ways to motivate your team? This week Paul and Rich grapple with how to operationalize work processes without exerting too much power. They also give cheeky tips for employees to navigate deadlines with their bosses. Links: Paul Ford - Wired See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Noti...

Exciting things are happening at Postlight! This week Paul and Rich introduce the new President and the new CEO of Postlight. Paul and Rich explain why they are stepping back into their roles as Co-Founders and share what they’ll be doing next. Also, Gina Trapani and Chris LoSacco talk about their new roles and what they envision for the future of the firm. Don’t worry — the Postlight Podcast isn’...

Billionaires live in a different reality — but that’s no reason why you can’t connect, communicate, and collaborate. This week Paul and Rich share tips for successfully communicating with the wealthiest leaders. They explain the importance of keeping it simple and why billionaires often respond with gusto when you tell them what they  shouldn’t  do. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy...

Agendas are important, but can you stick to them too much? This week Paul and Rich break down how to transform your meeting from a rigid list of bullet points to a more creative and collaborative environment. They discuss how remote work has changed meeting dynamics and share what they've missed about the spontaneous, quick-fire meetings brought on by working in person. See Privacy Policy at https...

When Lauren Lockwood and Emily Wright-Moore worked for the government, a digital services agency to serve their industry didn’t exist — so, they created one! This week Paul and Gina sit down with Lauren and Emily of Bloom Works to discuss the unique challenges of providing digital services within the government. Then, they share how Bloom Works aims to help people working on software in government...

As the Co-Founders of Postlight, Paul and Rich don’t often hack away and engineer anymore. This week though, Rich shares a little side project he’s been working on. He breaks down why he’s programming in Python and shares his realization that although the languages may change, the problems stay the same. Links:  Flask  Frozen Flask  Flutter What is Code? - Paul Ford See Privacy Policy at https://a...

Throughout his engineering career, Andrew Childs used his fair share of project management tools. None of them felt quite right, so he quit his job and built his own — Clubhouse.io. Andrew joins Paul and Rich to discuss why the tool has become so popular at Postlight, and how it’s managed to survive in such a crowded project management marketplace. Links: Clubhouse.io  Whimsical  Mural  Don’t Let...

Michael Shane began his career as a classical musician, and now he’s Director of Digital Strategy at Postlight. This week, Michael takes Paul and Rich on his journey from the orchestra to the land of tech. He shares what he's learned along the way from what makes a great digital strategist to why strategy isn’t the same as sales — and gives tips on how to write a proposal that will win over any au...

When you’re a small but growing company, sometimes the best people to learn from are the big fish in your industry pond — the friendly ones that don’t eat you. This week Paul and Rich speak with Tracey Zimmerman, President and CEO of Robots & Pencils, a digital innovation firm working on similar projects as Postlight but at double the size. They compare notes with Tracey on what makes a succes...

This week Paul and Rich are joined by a new Postlight team member, Director of Product Management Vicky Volvovski. Vicky talks all things product management and breaks down the differences between agency work and product org work. She also shares the six things she looks for when hiring product managers and gives Paul and Rich some solicited feedback.   Links: Postlight Careers See Privacy Policy...

This week Paul and Rich respond to a mailbag question! A listener reached out seeking advice on how best to deliver a project pitch to higher-ups at a company. From keeping your presentation short to showing up with deliverables, Paul and Rich break down the best ways to make your idea land with the C-suite. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://a...

What does Facebook’s Oversight Board actually do? This week Paul and Rich discuss the immense power that the Oversight Board holds. They talk about what type of oversight should exist and whether the current measures are enough. Also, Rich gets to flex his law degree breaking down the difficulties of translating policy into product.   Links:  Drudge Report  Techmeme  Facebook’s Oversight Board  Se...

Hindsight is 20/20. This week Paul and Rich look back at Postlight’s beginnings. Knowing what they know now, they share insights on what they wish they’d done when founding the company. From embracing marketing to betting more chips on design, they reflect on some of the things they missed. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#d...

After over a year away, Paul and Rich are vaccinated and back in the office. From the Postlight recording studio, they discuss their experience of returning to the office — overwhelming at first, but ultimately a refreshing reset. They also reflect on the importance of in-person work for effective communication, connection, and planning for the future. Links: Postlight - Digital Transformation for...

It feels like every week there’s a new tech trend that’s being touted as the next big thing: from the Internet of Things to augmented reality to machine learning. This week Paul and Rich break down some of these trends and tell you if and when you should worry about adopting them. Links:  Ghost See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/priva...

In the past year the world saw the development and distribution of the COVID vaccine. This week Paul and Rich share what they observed in watching this process. We talk about how, like the vaccine, with software, you need to be able to take something very complex and make it available to the masses.  Links:  Plex Server  Django CMS   Digital Transformation for the MTA - Postlight  See Privacy Poli...

Why discuss only one topic when you can discuss three! This week Paul and Rich dig into three unrelated but important topics that they’ve had top of mind. They share musings on going back to the office and break down Natural Language Processing (NLP). Then Paul reveals what he learned from watching a two-hour presentation by Salesforce. Links:  Salesforce Einstein  Postlight - Work See Privacy Pol...

Ever wonder how (or why) certain emoji get made? Look no further than Jennifer Daniel, Google’s Chair of the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee — the team that brings new emoji to life. Jennifer gives a brief emoji history lesson and explains how her work creating emoji is surprisingly akin to journalism. She also breaks down the emoji creation and selection process and gives a sneak peek into next year’s...

When’s the right time to adapt? This week Paul and Rich discuss how companies adjust to changing times and risks. They consider whether you need a culture of fear in a company to force change, or if innovation can come from a positive and aspirational place. Links: Postlight Case Studies   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do...

Tim Meaney returns to the Postlight Podcast, and he’s ready to talk DeFi. This week Paul, Rich, and Tim have a heated discussion about new trends in blockchain and cryptocurrencies. They draw parallels between crypto and conspiracy theories, and Tim explains why the protocols around DeFi are something we should be looking at beyond its current financial applications. Links:  Tim Meaney - Twitter ...

In this second live Catalyst event, Paul and Rich discuss how to pitch your project to all types of stakeholders. They also delve into the tools and methods you can use to gain consensus in the room and talk about the persuasive power of good design. Links: Catalyst Whitepaper Catalyst Live! Part 1: Turning Chaos Into Your North Star See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California P...