The Business Communicators

Success doesn’t teach you much; failure does. On the latest episode of The Business Communicators, Austin, Hattie, and Thomas are joined by Daniel Méndez Aróstica as he shares his insights on how comms pros can navigate a shifting job market through strategic networking, personal branding, and community support.  Daniel discusses his journey of building an open, inclusive community through #CommsJ...

Understanding your audience, crafting a compelling narrative, and building relationship are the core tools everyone needs to be successful in public relations. However, since artificial intelligence (AI) has entered the chat, how do we evolve the field and adapt our careers? On the latest episode of The Business Communicators, Josh Kail joins Austin and Thomas for a discussion on the evolving medi...

Eleanor Hawkins , a communication strategist and writer at Axios, joins The Business Communicators to discuss the changing landscape of media and communication, including the impact of AI and digital strategies on the industry. The episode focuses on the challenges and opportunities faced by communicators in reaching their audience, especially in the context of political events like elections and...

Before we fully embrace the new year, The Business Communicators takes a look back at their “bold” comms predictions for 2023 while breaking down their hits and near misses. From AI and ChatGPT to fact-checking and propaganda, do Thomas and Austin have a future in forecasting models? Music Credit: Smoke (with Lostboycrow) – Feather  FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA  🎬 Facebook 🐦 Twitter 📸 Instagr...

Rutgers grad student Anna Tamke penned an op-ed in PR Week sharing her thoughts on why college has not prepared her for a career in public relations – a plea for higher education to teach real world skills in the classroom.   "It’s a rude awakening when you graduate with a PR degree and realize you’re unemployed in a post-pandemic world with an unreal expectation for what working in your field loo...

Meek John Havard, the creator of the kids-focused YouTube channel, Cowboy Jack. Launched during the pandemic, Havard created The Cowboy Jack Show as an educational and fun channel for kids that takes them on adventures to explore this amazing world.   Havard describes the channel as a “therapeutic hobby” that has now blown up with more than 8 million views per month. On this episode of The Busines...

What impact will college athletic realignment have on the future of academic institutions? Are schools of higher learning left chasing the highest dollar from TV networks like Fox Sports, ESPN, and streaming services like Apple TV? On the latest episode of The Business Communicators, data analyst Sam Bradshaw discusses the financial implications of college athletics and what it means from a commun...

The summer blockbuster season is in full swing amidst Hollywood's striking actors and writers. Now, studios are turning to influencers to hype up releases like Barbie, Mission Impossible, and Oppenheimer. Can content creators seize this opportunity and how will it shake up advertising for brands? To close the episode, Austin and Thomas discuss their influential mentors and share career-changing ad...

With nearly 100 million users signed on just days after launch, Meta’s Threads has quickly skyrocketed to the top-ranked app in Apple’s App Store directly placing Twitter on life support. However, is the growth sustainable or will Threads become the next Clubhouse or Google Plus? On the latest episode of The Business Communicators, Chris Ferris , VP of Digital Strategy at Pierpont Communications,...

Matt Lanza is a Houston-based forecast meteorologist in the energy sector and part of the team behind the wildly successful Space City Weather and The Eyewell – both dedicated to hype-free weather forecasts that see readers through the storm by providing timely and accurate information. Lanza, who previously worked as a broadcast meteorologist in Upstate New York, joins The Business Communicators...

More than a week after Apple’s WWDC, communications professionals across the globe are evaluating Apple’s latest “one more thing” – the Apple Vision Pro. With a hefty price tag of $3,499, will businesses embrace the headset and utilize augmented reality for their day-to-day operations? What are the implications for communications professionals as we shift toward a world that embraces VR and AR? Th...

It was a busy week in the business communications world: Former NBCUniversal advertising exec Linda Yaccarino was named the new CEO at Twitter, CNN faced backlash after hosting a town hall with Donald Trump, and YouTube sensation Mr. Beast could face potential legal claims for an Instagram giveaway. Austin, Thomas, and Kim break it all down – plus share insights on Tucker Carlson’s move to Twitter...

TikTok crime sleuth Ken Waks finds himself in hot water as Texas Monthly opines that “what began as a baseless theory has turned into a social media frenzy—one with the power to frighten the public and hamper police investigations.” Waks has also been accused of leveraging his viral content to promote his FinTech start-up company, Foresyte, which he currently serves as co-founder and chief marketi...

Taylor Swift fans made their way to Houston in droves over the weekend but neither Austin nor Thomas attended the sold-out shows. The duo did, however, breakdown Swift’s marketing and business acumen – and how artificial intelligence is impacting the music industry. Then, the podcast focuses on the $787.5 million Fox Corp. settlement with Dominion, media ethics, and why it’s paramount for communic...

It’s not often that Democrats and Republicans find themselves aligned on policy. However, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew unified Congress as he was grilled by a bipartisan committee who argued that the popular short-video app should be banned in the United States. While TikTok claims it offers a powerful tool to bring people together, momentum appears to be gaining as governments across the globe raise c...

Axios reported last week that “Starbucks committed ‘egregious and widespread misconduct’ while trying to stop labor union campaigns.” How did one of the most-admired corporations in the world get to this point? Austin and Thomas dive into the ramifications of what this means for employee communications, and how Starbucks can learn lessons from Walmart and Texas BBQ joints.   The show closes with a...

Business leaders have historically played a significant role in using their platform and influence to speak out on pressing issues such as social justice, equality, and sustainability. However, in recent months, companies and organizations that had previously pledged to “create more inclusive cultures” have recently provided a "no comment” when asked to speak on hot-button issues. Why are leaders...

Communication provides a myriad of opportunities to connect with our audience. However, without the ability to cut through the noise with transparency and clarity, much of the messaging continues to be a struggle. And if you were to ask Kim Davis , President and Chief Strategist of The KD Company, we have a communication problem, and it stems from a lack of trust.  Kim joins Austin and Hattie to s...

Depending on who we ask or what we consume in the media, the psychology of wealth for many individuals can be viewed as a more subjective term. As a culture that mostly views ‘chasing paper’ to accumulate visible assets, are we doing all that we can to ensure that our abundance is creating a legacy for our families, and impacting in our communities? Author, CPA, and attorney David York has worked...

Diane Primo is on a mission to help businesses find their purpose and live it out every day. As the CEO of Chicago-based Purpose Brand Agency, she joins The Business Communicators to share her thoughts on why brands must be relevant, purpose-driven, and committed to consumers to be successful – and why representation matters.   To close the show, Thomas and Austin discuss the upstart LIV Golf Tour...

Kate DiLeo is an “accidental brand strategist” who has worked with more than 200 brands across 20 sectors. As a sought-after branding expert, Kate joins The Business Communicators to discuss the power of branding, how businesses have the potential for growth within their own organizations, and why it’s important to stop telling stories and start having conversations.   Music Credit: Smoke (with Lo...

Houston-based rapper Michael Burton, aka Keybeaux , lives and breathes music. A graduate of the University of Houston, Burton leverages his communications degree and works with major brands and small businesses offering his rapping services on Fiverr where his bars and rhymes have generated more than $400,000 in revenue. He joins The Business Communicators to share insights on entrepreneurship, hi...

Internal Communications expert Mike Klein joins The Business Communicators in his second appearance for a follow-up discussion on the evolution of internal communications following the COVID-19 pandemic, how the comms landscape has simultaneously changed while remaining the same, and his #WeLeadComms platform that is taking LinkedIn by storm by celebrating leadership, initiative, and courage acros...

It was a tumultuous week for shareholders of Netflix as the company’s stock price fell 35% following its latest earnings report – the biggest one-day drop since 2004. Then, CNN, which had planned to spend more than $1 billion on CNN+ over four years announced its collapse just two days following the Netflix saga as executives at Discovery suggested fewer than 10,000 people were watching the servic...

Whether its residual impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic or the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the cost of goods and commodities has led to a record rate of inflation that hasn’t been seen since in nearly 40 years. But how can impacted brands get ahead of the story? Austin Staton and Thomas Baen discuss global inflation and open communications in a bonus episode of The Business Communicators.   Music C...