Stories and Strategies with Curzon Public Relations

Farzana Baduel, David Gallagher, and Doug Downs tackle everything from President Trump’s militarized immigration crackdown to what brands can (and shouldn’t) learn from his relentless communication machine.  

The trio explore how symbolism, messaging velocity, and the "attention economy" are reshaping both politics and brand strategy. They dissect a compelling new report on navigating the “era of compounding crisis,” debat...

This week on The Week UnSpun, the trio of Farzana Baduel, Doug Downs, and David Gallagher dive headfirst into a whirlwind of global news through a comms lens, touching on everything from the chaos and opportunity of the UN General Assembly, to Keir Starmer’s image struggles within his own party, to the ethics of AI-generated media.  

Farzana shares her rookie experience navigating UNGA week in New York, revealing the sheer magnitude...

What do Tylenol, Jimmy Kimmel, and Disney all have in common? 

They’re all caught in the crosshairs of public opinion this week. 

On this episode hosts David Gallagher and Doug Downs are joined by B2B PR powerhouse Michelle Garrett to dissect a week of PR minefields. From President Trump’s dangerous misinformation about Tylenol and pregnancy, to the backlash and brand gymnastics following Jimmy Kimmel’s controversial monologue.  

The ...

Every Friday at 3pm UK and 10 am Eastern we scan the PR Mega Chat and pick the stories that actually shaped the week.  

This week’s episode is a fiery, globe-spanning dive into the uncomfortable truths of modern communication. From protests on the streets of London to censorship in North America, we break down what’s really going on behind the headlines.  

Farzana delivers a powerful personal reflection on racism and PR spin around f...

Every Friday we scan the PR Mega Chat and pick the stories that actually shaped the week. 

What happens when narrative control collides with tragedy, misinformation, and an unfiltered digital age?

In the second episode of The Week Unspun, hosts Farzana Baduel, David Gallagher, and Doug Downs dive into the breaking news of political commentator Charlie Kirk’s shocking shooting and the volatile aftermath, both online and off. 

From expl...

Every Friday at 5 pm UK and noon Eastern we scan the globe and pick the stories that actually shaped the week then apply a public relations lens. This first live edition explains the format, brings the chat into the room, and sets a simple goal: turn a firehose of posts into practical takeaways for communicators. 

We start with breaking UK politics and what a resignation and reshuffle signal about timing, narrative control, and publ...

In an age where opinions form faster than facts and headlines spark outrage before understanding, how do brands, leaders, and storytellers stay credible? 

Is your opinion truly yours? Or just an echo of your tribe?

In this episode, Suhel Seth unpacks the transformation of communication in the era of attention deficit — from the collapse of nuance to the rise of instant outrage, and why the art of thoughtful messaging might just be th...

You’re using LinkedIn wrong

Not because you’re not smart… you are. 

It’s because you’re using yesterday’s LinkedIn. 

The platform is changing fast. The feed has changed, and the rules for reach have changed with it. 

This episode shows you what’s different now, and how to adapt without turning into a “content person.”

Listen For

3:29 What happens when you hit publish on LinkedIn?
7:21 What makes a post perform well—and why does so m...

When the streets erupt, the headlines explode, and public pressure hits boiling point… can business leaders still afford to say nothing?  

In this episode tackle the growing tension between corporate responsibility and political risk. From a CEO letter in Minnesota addressing immigration-fueled violence to Keir Starmer’s high-stakes diplomacy in China, we ask: when the world demands clarity, is strategic ambiguity still a safe PR mo...

Personal branding is changing in real time. The first impression is no longer a handshake or a conversation. It is a clip you did not choose, a post someone else shared, a comment you left, or a quote that gets passed around without context.

What actually builds trust across today’s platforms? It’s the different channels and how they shape different versions of you. Consistency matters more than polish. Algorithms and AI search now ...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stood up in Davos and didn’t waste words. He gave a speech that cut through the noise. 

The room stood. The world noticed. 

He said, “If you're not at the table, you're on the menu.” 

People replayed that line like it was a lifeline.

 This episode of The Week Unspun comes straight from the snowy peaks of Davos, but the questions are sharp and wide-reaching. 

Can speeches still move people to...

PR teams are being asked to win attention in a world that barely gives it. The problem is not reach. The problem is what happens after the click, after the view, after the impression. If your audience does not stay, nothing sticks. Not the message, not the trust, not the reputation you are trying to build.

In this episode, we unpack why depth beats scale and why time spent is one of the most overlooked drivers of influence. You will...

In this week’s The Week UnSpun, the panel takes on three high-stakes stories where influence, identity, and global perception collide.  

First, the team unpacks the latest flashpoint over Greenland, where the U.S. talks security, Denmark talks sovereignty, and Greenland quietly navigates the space in between. But is this really about narrative control, or something deeper, as David suggests, like the importance of alliances over aut...

It doesn’t matter whether you’re 25 or 55. 

If you speak and people listen politely but not seriously, it hurts. 

Too young to be trusted.

Too old to be creative.

The message lands the same way. 

You are not seen. You are not heard. You are not valued.

Ageism cuts in both directions and it leaves a quiet bruise that people carry long after the moment passes.

How does this happen in Public Relations, a profession built on understanding peo...

A headline-grabbing raid, a revolution-in-the-making, and a “beige” prime minister walk into the attention economy… who wins the story?  

Farzana and Doug unpack three global flashpoints through a PR and narrative-control lens: the shock capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and the split-screen battle between “law enforcement” framing versus “illegal act of war” backlash; Iran’s surging unrest as the rial collapses alongside a frac...

This is a special audio time-jump episode. It’s an immersive journey ten years into the future to explore how public relations has managed three of the biggest challenges: the rapid rise of AI, the disappearing entry-level job, and the ongoing gender gap in leadership.

Doug and Farzana volunteer for a guided “time crossing” to see how the next generation of PR leaders navigated a decade of disruption. What they find isn’t just smart...

What happens when protests shake a regime built on control, not consent? 

We look at Iran’s largest wave of unrest since 2022. Fueled by economic collapse and skyrocketing inflation, the protests are no longer just about hardship, they’ve become openly anti-government, spreading even into rural areas. We break down Iran’s unprecedented tone shift in crisis comms, explore the influential role of the Iranian diaspora, and consider how...

Public relations shapes what people believe, how communities respond, and which ideas earn trust. It influences elections, corporate crises, government decisions, reputations, and public sentiment. 

Yet unlike medicine, law, or engineering, anyone can call themselves a PR professional. No license. No minimum standard. No consequences when things go wrong. What happens when a profession with this much power has almost no guardrails?

S...

What happens when war, resilience, and optimism collide on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean? 

In this special Boxing Day episode of The Week UnSpun, David Gallagher is off so Doug Downs and Farzana Baduel trade headlines for heart as Farzana shares her recent three-week journey through Sri Lanka, a country shaped by civil war, natural disasters, and powerful recovery. From her work with the Halo Trust, the world’s largest demining ...