PR Talk Podcast

Why did Jeff Graubard name his PR firm The Other Agency? For starters, the name served a practical purpose, in that it was the other agency he started after spending more than 25 years running the Manhattan-based Graubard Group. The name was also a nod to the unique business niche Jeff had carved out working with major corporations like Wal-Mart, Verizon and the four major professional sports leagues. As we come to find out in ...

Imagine a boutique that sells high-end women’s clothing on one end of the store and high-end men’s clothing on the other. As a marketer, you wouldn’t send the same message to both those groups because they have different needs and values and respond to very different trigger points. Instead, you’d craft messaging that resonates with each group individually. This, in a...

America is in the midst of a cultural reckoning over the systemic inequities BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities face every day. While many of the ongoing public protests focus on policing, corporate practices are also coming under heavy scrutiny as consumers and employees pr...

Marvin Stockwell comes back to PR Talk to give us an update on COVID-19 PR. We spoke with him way back in March, which feels like ages ago because it was before we even knew how big of an impact COVID-19 was going to make.

Marvin’s update on what he and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have been doing since March further dee...

It’s been a tumultuous few weeks in the United States. The deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of the police unleashed weeks of street protests and have caused many Americans to reflect on the role they play in perpetuating racism and inequality. This unrest and collective soul-searching have also reached the business world. Major brands across the country are now taking a hard look at their internal practices an...

You may not think that now is the best time for a small PR agency to change direction, but that is exactly what Reed Public Relations had to do. As stay home orders were given, so were requests to pause or cancel campaigns at Lauren’s firm. So in response, Lauren set up ...

You may remember Dan Lee with PR Talent from past PR talk episodes. In fact, I enjoy talking with him so much that I’ve actually had him on the podcast multiple times before the Coronavirus storm hit the world. So, of course, I immediately thought of him when I decided to pivot the podcast and talk about the things that ...

You may have noticed that we took a short pause in the typical PR Talk programming. Even though we kept busy with the side-project of Fika Talk — a video series featuring myself and my daughter providing quick self-employment tips — the “break” al...

Hi friends, so we have been really busy with new clients and trying to serve our existing clients really well (doing more than just media relations if they are uncomfortable tying into COVID right now which many of them are)-so I am not sure how much longer Audrey & I can do this fun Fika Talk project. Audrey has also really been taking her online school work really seriously. Kind of working like a crazy lady like her mom so i...

We had a special talk with Parvaneh (Parv) Kalantari, owner of Vitality Home Realty and her 9 year old son, TK. First we got to celebrate their family’s afternoon tradition of homemade Arabic coffee as she told us about how her family gathered to drink it every Friday afternoon as the kids ran around crazy at Parv’s grandma’s house. Parv’s mom is from Syria and her dad is from Iran, so Parv weaved in more about the food and culture...

**DISCLAIMER: I realize that being able to grow your business (or work) with the age of your kids is coming from a very privileged position. I normally start this story out by saying that. These were filmed over the course of just a few days and many things were said. I know I talked about privilege but it wasn’t in this piece. But it is a huge part of my story. I am coming from a position of privilege--education, upbringing, skin ...

Fika Talk #4: Interview with Diane and Maya Sykes

On Friday we did a late Fika Talk so we could celebrate another culture's tradition by lighting the Shabbat candles with our Jewish neighbors Diane and Maya Sykes. After hearing their prayer we learned about how Diane set up her law practice, Diane S Sykes Attorney at Law, after her husband nudged her to do so (interesting the similarities we might find).

Diane handles mostly em...

You may have heard recent notions from leaders in the small business community nudging people who have lost their jobs towards volunteer work. When I first heard this idea I was taken aback because I thought maybe that was an insensitive comment for those that were likely scrambling to find...

Announcing a new series my daughter, Audrey, and I are putting together called Fika Talk, inspired by our time in Sweden where the Fika state-of-mind reigns. Highly regarded as an essential part of life and business within the Swedish culture, the Fika break occurs in the afternoon. It is a revered time to recharge and connect with colleagues and friends over coffee and cake. 

Our Fika breaks will hopefully offer inspiration and ti...

Only another PR person would drop what they are doing to help other PR people during what must be a very busy time. That’s why I love our community of giving, helpful PR friends around the globe. Today I got on the phone with Marvin Stockwell, Director of Media Relations at St. Jude Children’s Rese...