VVK Podcast With Craig Fahle

Send us Fan Mail Detroit has always been a place that builds. What’s different now is the speed, the tools, and the stakes. We sit down with Mike Mattacola, CEO of Advaita Bio, and Patti Glaza, EVP for Venture and Managing Director of ID Ventures at Invest Detroit, to discuss what’s actually happening on the ground in Michigan’s startup ecosystem and what still needs to change for the innovation e...

Send us Fan Mail At a time when higher education is increasingly focused on job training, what are we losing? In this conversation, Craig Fahle sits down with Roosevelt Montas and Rishi Jaitly to explore the enduring value of a liberal education—and why it may matter more than ever in the age of AI. They discuss what it means to develop “full-stack humans,” the difference between learning for a ca...

Send us Fan Mail Local news fuels nearly every conversation we have, from politics to schools to the stories we share at work, yet the system that produces it is under real strain.  In this episode, we sit down with Katy Locker of Bridge Michigan and BridgeDetroit, Annalise Frank of Axios Detroit, and Zoe Clark of Michigan Public to talk plainly about what’s changing and what’s worth protecting as...

Send us Fan Mail We dig into what makes PR agencies grow without losing their edge , from acquisitions and integration to talent, culture, and the real role of AI. We share concrete ways to keep client trust, avoid burnout, and build teams that win. • relationships as the core of acquisitions and integration • communicating change to clients before headlines • independence versus integration and p...

Send us Fan Mail Detroit's Eastern Market is more than its famous Saturday crowds. CEO Katie Trudeau reveals how this 120-year-old food district serves as an economic engine for Southeast Michigan, transacting over $200,000 annually in SNAP benefits while pioneering food access programs like Double Up Food Bucks. Unlike tourist-focused markets elsewhere, Eastern Market maintains authenticity...

Send us Fan Mail Four directors from the Gilbert Family Foundation reveal how half a billion dollars is revitalizing Detroit through interconnected investments in parks, arts, small business, and housing. JJ Velez explains how community-designed public spaces become neighborhood anchors. Akua Hill shares how cultural initiatives preserve Detroit's authentic identity while creating economic op...

Send us Fan Mail Hosts: Jamie Kaye Walters, VVK CMO & Craig Fahle, Media Relations Director Guests: Peter Van Dyke, VVK CEO & Ned Ward, SVP National PR   What happens when a growing three-year-old Detroit PR agency acquires the PR division of a 40-year-old New Jersey firm? This VVK podcast episode uncovers the strategy behind VVK's acquisition of Stern Strategy Group's PR divisio...

Send us Fan Mail At a time when public trust in media continues its precipitous decline, what does it take to build a news organization that truly serves its community? In this revealing conversation, Craig Fahle sits down with Laurén Abdel-Razzaq, Executive Director of Bridge Detroit, to explore how hyperlocal journalism can reconnect citizens with the information they need most. The conversation...

Send us Fan Mail Host Craig Fahle speaks with Andrew Stein, President and CEO of The Children's Foundation about their innovative approach to philanthropy, and how they work to make sure their contributions in support of children's initiatives have maximum impact. Then, Craig is joined by fellow VVK team members Justin Skotarczyk and Kyle Fields about the newest ad VVK and it's lega...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the VVK Podcast, host Craig Fahle speaks with Rachel Alternative of the Alternative Foundation about her work in support of neighborhood improvement projects in Detroit.  Then, Devon O'Reilly of the Detroit Regional Chamber discusses the upcoming Mackinac Policy Conference, and his work as the director of the influential "Leadership Detroit" progr...

Send us Fan Mail Most of us don’t really think about our garbage, as long as it’s picked up on time at the curb each week…but the industry itself is actually pretty fascinating. Many cities used to have in house garbage service, but more an more communities have outsourced waste collection…and there are some very large companies that control a big slice of that business in metro Detroit and across...

Send us Fan Mail In this special Valentine’s Day episode, we’re talking all about love. Host Evann Webb sat down with VVK’s VP of Creative Production John Heiple and his wife Angie, VVK’s Senior Executive Consultant Annmarie Erickson and her husband Paul, VVK friends Marc and Sharon Berke, and her own boyfriend, Robert Thomas, to discuss dating, marriage, and all those warm & fuzzy feelings.

Send us Fan Mail Today's guest on the program is New York Times bestselling author Dan Charnas, author of  Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm.  Detroit native J Dilla was a record producer, drummer, rapper and songwriter who died of a rare blood disease at the age of 32.  Despite his short life, his impact on hip hop and popular music in...

Send us Fan Mail Today's episode includes two more interviews conducted at this year's Detroit Policy Conference.  Guests today include Matt Elliott, president of Bank of American - Michigan, and the chair of this year's upcoming Mackinac Policy Conference.  Craig and Matt discuss BofA's philanthropic efforts in Detroit, and also what Matt hopes will come from this year's...

Send us Fan Mail Our guests this week on the VVK Podcast are Bud Denker, President at Penske, and the Chair of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix sponsored by Lear, and Melanie Markowicz, Executive Director of the Greektown Neighborhood Partnership.  The Grand Prix moves to downtown Detroit this year, and Greektown is getting ready for some major upgrades, including new park space, and new infrastru...

Send us Fan Mail Today's VVK podcast guests are the leaders of VVK PR+Creative.  Founders Jamie Kaye Walters, Mike Sherman and Peter Van Dyke talk about the company's founding, the challenges and rewards of starting a new business, and what it takes to make a partnership work.   We also welcome new VVK Podcast co-host Evann Webb to the program!  

Send us Fan Mail In honor of Veterans day, we invited two distinguished vets to join us to discuss the importance of the holiday, and what we should consider as we try to ensure veterans get the opportunities they need to ensure success after the military.  Today's guests are Ryan Friedrichs, who served in the U.S. Army, and State Representative Joe Tate, who served in the Marines.   

Send us Fan Mail Don Tuski, President of The College of Creative Studies recently appeared on WDET's "Culture Shift" program to discuss the recent "Cumulus Detroit: Design for Adaptation" conference that CCS hosted recently.  The conversation focused on the important international conference, why CCS and Detroit were chosen to host, and what role design will play in how we...

Send us Fan Mail Our guests for the VVK podcast this week are Chanell Scott Contreras, executive director of ProsperUs, and Racheal Allen, COO of the Marygrove Conservancy.  Both women are working to improve the climate for entrepreneurship in Detroit, especially among women of color.  Chanell helps them get the capital they need to get started, while Rachel helps them take next steps to grow thei...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we get a bit introspective on what it takes to make a good talk show segment.  More specifically, what makes for a "good" guest for a program?  Is it polish?  Expertise?  Bombast?  Perhaps a little of all of the above?  Our guests today have a lot to say about it, and they should know.   Jamie Kaye Walters is the COO / Head of Marketing and Talent for VVK PR + Cre...

Send us Fan Mail Our guest today is Barb McQuade, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.  She is currently a law professor at the University of Michigan Law School, the host of the popular "Sisters in Law" podcast, and a regular contributor to MSNBC.   We talk about her career trajectory, her work in media, and her rising influence and popularity.  We also talk about...

Send us Fan Mail Craig's guest this week is Chris Moyer, Senior Director of Communications for Visit Detroit, aka the Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau.  He also worked at the Detroit Regional Chamber, and has some experience in helping to create the annual Mackinac Policy Conference.  The two discuss the challenges of juggling multiple events crammed into a busy summer in Detroit, and w...

Send us Fan Mail Craig's guests for the latest VVK Podcast are New Detroit CEO Mike Rafferty, and Rebecca Irby, New Detroit's Director of Programs and Services.  New Detroit was formed in response to civil unrest in 1967 that uncovered a host of entrenched social and community ills. At the request of then Michigan Governor George Romney and Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanagh, business executi...

Send us Fan Mail Craig's guest is Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter.  The longtime County Commissioner and former Mayor of Ferndale took over as County Executive in August of 2019, just two weeks after the death of longtime Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.  Coulter is the first Democrat to hold the position, to which he was reelected handily in 2020.   

Send us Fan Mail Craig's guest is Ambassador Žygimantas Pavilionis, a member of the Lithuanian Parliament, and the former Lithuanian Ambassador to the U.S. and Mexico.  We caught up with the Ambassador at the Detroit Regional Chamber's annual Mackinac Policy Conference, where he was raising funds for the defense of Ukraine, and trying to raise awareness of the importance of stopping Vlad...