Interviews

FIR Interviews

Monday, July 21, 2008

FIR Interview - Maggie Fox and Geoff Livingston

The Social Media Group and Livingston Communications announced today that Geoff Livingston’s Washington, D.C.-based company will be acquired by Dundas, Ontario, Canada-based Social Media Group. In this interview, the pair discuss the acquisition and the social media consulting field in general.

Listen to this podcast now:

Get this podcast:

Download the MP3 file (10.5Mb, 22:52)
Get the show on iTunes
Subscribe to the FIR Interviews RSS feed

About our Conversation Partners

Maggie Fox is the founder of Social Media Group, the world’s largest independent agency helping business navigate the new socially engaged Web.

Pioneers in their field, Social Media Group has developed social media strategies for some of the best-known brands in Europe and North America, including Ford Motor Company, SAP Global Marketing, Yamaha Motor, Corbis and Harlequin Publishing. Maggie has also been interviewed about social media by The Washington Post, CBC Radio, The Globe and Mail, CTV News, The Toronto Star and Marketing Magazine, among others. She was recently included in Women Who Risk, a listing of influential women who head up Internet-based firms, and is a member of both The Social Media Collective, an invite-only group of “the web’s best thinkers on media, marketing and web 2.0” and the Enterprise Irregulars.

Maggie is frequently asked to speak to business groups across North America about Web 2.0, and sits on the Advisory Board for SMToday Media, which operates the Social Media Collective and MyVenturePad sites.

Geoff Livingston has worked as a public relations strategist in the Washington, D.C. region for 15 years. Dubbed a “local blogging guru” by the Washington Post, Geoff’s Buzz Bin blog is nationally recognized, and is the top ranked independent PR blog in the Washington, D.C. region. Geoff’s award-winning book on new media “Now is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs” was released in the Fall of 2007 by Bartleby, the Publisher. The book has been cited by the Wall Street Journal as a resource.

He creates marketing strategy, media relations, branding and Internet marketing campaigns for public and private organizations. Some of his public relations experiences include work for AT&T, the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bartleby Books, BEA Systems, Hughes Network Systems, ManTech, the Washington Nationals, Intelsat, Verizon Wireless and many others.

FIR on Friendfeed
Share your comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at fircomments@gmail.com; call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Podsafe music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Posted by shel on 07/21 at 09:15 AM
Show Notes • Interviews • (0) Comments • Permalink

Friday, July 11, 2008

FIR Interview - Peter Shankman of Help A Reporter Out

Help A Reporter Out (HARO) began as a group of Facebook and is now a dedicated website with rapidly growing momentum. People sign up to receive queries from reporters looking to interview experts or people with experience for their articles. HARO was created by Peter Shankman, who still manages the site and mailing list in his spare time, while he’s not working with clients, speaking, or is otherwise engaged in PR and social media activities.

Listen to this podcast now:

Get this podcast:

Download the MP3 file (9.28Mb, 20:10)
Get the show on iTunes
Subscribe to the FIR Interviews RSS feed

About our Conversation Partner

An entrepreneur, author, speaker, and ingenious worldwide connector, Peter Shankman is recognized nationally and globally for radically new ways of thinking about Social Media, PR, Marketing, Advertising, creativity, and just about everything else, as well.

Peter is the founder and CEO of The Geek Factory, Inc., a boutique Marketing and PR Strategy firm located in New York City, with clients worldwide. His blog, which he launched in 2002, (www.shankman.com) both comments on and generates news and conversation.

Peter founded AirTroductions, the world’s first social network for business travelers after a particularly brutal inter-continental flight. Launched in 2005 to instant media attention, AirTroductions was acquired in mid 2007 and relaunched in January of 2008 as TripLife, the largest social networking and connections website for all travelers.

Peter is the author of Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work and Why Your Company Needs Them (Wiley and Sons 2006) and a frequent keynote speaker and workshop presenter at conferences, trade shows, and private companies, including The U.S. Department of Defense, Edelman Public Relations, The Public Relations Society of America, Saatchi and Saatchi, , CTIA, CTAM, CES, PMA, Mobile Marketing Asia, Advertising Week, and the Direct Marketing Association.

Peter started his career in Vienna, VA, with America Online as a Senior News Editor, helping found the AOL Newsroom and spearheading coverage of the Democratic and Republican 1996 conventions, which marked the first time an online news service covered any major political event. Peter is also a frequent runner, with 13 completed marathons and three Olympic distance triathlons to his credit, an amateur boxer, and an “B” licensed skydiver, specializing in free-flying.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Podsafe music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Posted by shel on 07/11 at 10:20 AM
Show Notes • Interviews • (0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

FIR Interview: Al Comeaux, Sr. VP, Corporate Communications, Sabre Holdings

When it began its life as an independent company, employees of Sabre Holdings—the company that (among other things) provides flight information to consumers and travel agents—mostly worked in the same physical location, making it easy to connect and share information. Today, with 9,000-plus employees, 55% of whom work outside the United States, it has grown much more difficult for employees to connect with one another and transfer knowledge and information from those who have it to those who need it. To address the problem, Sabre—under an initiative launched by the Corporate Communications function—introduced a proprietary social network called SabreTown, designed to address the issues unique to an organization with a geographically dispersed workforce.

The platform has proven so successful that Sabre Holdings has decided to make it available as a software product for other companies under the name Cubeless. In this interview, FIR co-host Shel Holtz talks with Sabre’s Corporate Communications Senior Vice President Al Comeaux about the evolution of SabreTown, the impact it has had on the organization, and its efforts to sell the software to other companies seeking to obtain similar results and address similar issues.

Listen to this podcast now:

Get this podcast:

Download the MP3 file (17.4Mb, 38:00)
Get the show on iTunes
Subscribe to the FIR Interviews RSS feed

About our Conversation Partner

Al Comeaux is senior vice president of Corporate Communications for Sabre Holdings, where he directs media relations, employee communications, and corporate social responsibility. In this role, he has helped Sabre through rapid workforce globalization and major large acquisitions, including the purchase of Sabre by private equity firms Silver Lake Partners and TPG.

In Comeaux’s previous role as vice president of public relations at Travelocity, he directed all public relations activity for the online travel agency. In that role, he repositioned Travelocity’s public relations from technology-based messaging to travel-related messaging, including building an extensive program to merchandise the brand’s travel expertise.

Prior to Travelocity, Comeaux worked for American Airlines, where his various positions included leading the airline’s public relations initiatives in Europe and managing its labor public relations activity. Before joining American, Comeaux worked for Conway & Company Public Relations in Washington, D.C., and as press secretary for U.S. Rep. F.I. Sunia.

Comeaux has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Manship School of Journalism at Louisiana State University.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Podsafe music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Posted by shel on 07/09 at 06:46 AM
Show Notes • Interviews • (2) Comments • Permalink

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

FIR Interview: Robert Cox, president, Media Bloggers Association

When the Associated Press issued a takedown notice to a blogger for citing AP material, a firestorm ensued. In the middle of the controversy was Robert Cox and the Media Bloggers Association. Cox met with AP’s Jim Kennedy in an effort to prevent legal proceedings against blogger Rogers Cadenhead, which led to a flurry of articles and blog posts containing exaggerations and misinformation.

In this FIR Interview, Shel Holtz joined in conversation with Robert Cox, to discuss the AP situation and the Media Bloggers Association’s role, the formation of the Association, and its current status. Cox also shared his views on the future of journalism in the era of citizen journalism.

Listen to this podcast now:

Get this podcast:

Download the MP3 file (15.4Mb, 33:32)
Get the show on iTunes
Subscribe to the FIR Interviews RSS feed

About our Conversation Partner

Robert Cox, who first began blogging in 2002, gained notoriety as a blogger in 2004 when the New York Times sought to shut down his blog, The National Debate, over his parody of The Times’ columnist correction policy. In what was one of the earliest “free speech” cases involving a blog, Cox prevailed and applied his experience to what later became the Media Bloggers Association.

Prior to attending business school at the University of Chicago, Cox worked on Wall Street. Since graduating from the Chicago GSB, Cox has provided strategy-consulting services to leading companies in North America, Europe and Asia. Cox spent three years creating and running a venture-financed startup Internet business and continues to consult to technology start-ups and serve on their corporate boards.

Cox has written numerous Op-Eds and articles for publications including Newsweek, The San Francisco Chronicle, Congressional Quarterly, The Washington Examiner, and The Fort Worth Star-Telegram where his article “The best test of truth” for the paper’s “American Voices Series” which was nominated for the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award in 2006.

He sits on a number of citizen media advisory boards including NewAssignment.net, Newstrust, Center for Media and Public Policy at The Heritage Foundation and others. In 2006, he helped develop the Poynter Institute’s Guide to Ethics in Online Journalism and served on the sub-committee for User-Generated Content which issued its final report in 2007.

Cox received his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business. He currently resides in New Rochelle, NY with his wife, an Associate Professor at Columbia University, and their four children.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Podsafe music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Posted by shel on 07/08 at 08:27 AM
Show Notes • Interviews • (0) Comments • Permalink

Sunday, June 22, 2008

FIR Interview: PR Junction Podcast—Jon Hoel interviews Shel Holtz

Jon Hoel recently interviewed Shel Holtz for his PR Junction podcast, but technical difficulties have prevented him from presenting the interview—or any other episodes of PR Junction. Jon asked if FIR could distribute the interview through the FIR interviews feed and we’re happy to help.

Listen to this podcast now:

Get this podcast:

Download the MP3 file (7.1Mb, 15:32)
Get the show on iTunes
Subscribe to the FIR Interviews RSS feed

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Podsafe music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Posted by shel on 06/22 at 12:02 PM
Show Notes • Interviews • (0) Comments • Permalink

FIR Interview: Susanne Dirks, IBM, on the 2008 Global CEO Study

In May 2008, IBM published the 2008 Global CEO Study, the largest study of chief executives ever conducted. Based on face-to-face interviews with over 1,100 CEOs from 40 countries across 32 industries, the study is designed to capture insights on how the challenges CEOs face today will impact the future of business.

The study, titled “The Enterprise of the Future,” was conducted by IBM Global Business Services in conjunction with the Economist Intelligence Unit. It is the third biennial CEO study that IBM has carried out.

In this FIR Interview, Neville Hobson joined in conversation with Susanne Dirks, Manager, Centre for Economic Development Research at IBM’s Institute for Business Value in Ireland, to discuss the Global CEO Study in the broad context of what the study means for communicators, in particular relating to two of the core findings: Organizations are bombarded by change, and many are struggling to keep up; and CEOs regard more demanding customers not as a threat, but as an opportunity to differentiate.

Listen to this podcast now:

Get this podcast:

Download the MP3 file (7.1Mb, 15:32)
Get the show on iTunes
Subscribe to the FIR Interviews RSS feed

About our Conversation Partner

Susanne Dirks is manager of the newly-established Global Centre for Economic Development of the IBM Institute for Business Value. This centre, which she established in Ireland in early 2007, acts as global centre of competence for economic development and questions and publishes Thought Leadership on its research into economic development and the relationship between economic development and information communications technology.

In addition to defining and executing the strategy and research agenda of the centre, Susanne is actively involved in the research work done by the centre and presents and discusses its Thought Leadership work at large conferences, panel meetings, executive client meetings, and in interviews with the international press. Publications of the centre that Susanne has led include the annual e-readiness Rankings, completed in conjunction with the Economist Intelligence Unit, and the centre’s recent study titled Economic development in a Rubik’s Cube world: How to turn global trends into local prosperity.

During her thirteen years at IBM, Susanne, who is a senior managing consultant, has held several management and consulting roles in Software Group, Sales & Distribution, and Global Business Services, some at national level, others working across EMEA or internationally.

Prior to IBM, Susanne worked for a Siemens subsidiary in Ireland. Prior to that, Susanne spent some years working for herself and running her own business in the United Kingdom.

Susanne, who is also a certified translator/interpreter (Universitaet Erlangen, Germany), holds a First Class B.Sc. Honours Degree in Information Technology and Science, Technology and Society Studies and a Master of Science in Knowledge Based Systems from Edinburgh University.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Podsafe music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

Posted by neville on 06/22 at 09:30 AM
Show Notes • Interviews • (0) Comments • Permalink

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

FIR Interview: Chris Preuss, GM Europe, on ‘Driving Conversations’ - May 20, 2008

One of the earliest adopters of social media for a strategic business communication purpose is General Motors, whose FastLane blog began in January 2005.

FastLane has been said by Bob Lutz, founding blogger and the company’s Vice Chairman, to be an indispensible communication channel, an unfiltered voice for the company, its customers and auto enthusiasts.

On May 20, 2008, GM Europe launched Driving Conversations, the latest step in the company’s close embrace of social media to support its broad business and communication objectives.

‘Driving Conversations’ is a new executive blog designed to be a place where GM leadership, led by GM Europe President Carl-Peter Forster, can discuss products, issues and corporate performance from a personal perspective.

In this exclusive FIR Interview, Neville Hobson joined in conversation with Chris Preuss, Vice President Communications at GM Europe, to talk about ‘Driving Conversations’ in the broad context of the rapidly-changing auto market across Europe and into Russia, the company’s goals for the new blog, cultural issues in Europe, and some tips for FIR listeners who may be considering a business blog for their own organizations.

Listen to this podcast now:

Get this podcast:

Download the MP3 file (9Mb, 19:39)
Get the show on iTunes
Subscribe to the FIR Interviews RSS feed

About our Conversation Partner

Chrispreuss J. Christopher (Chris) Preuss was named Vice President, Communications, for GM Europe on February 1, 2008. In this capacity, he is responsible for all external and internal communications activities for GM’s European operations, including the Saab, Opel, Vauxhall and Chevrolet brands. He also serves as a member of the Europe Strategy Board. Chris is based at GM Europe’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. He also continues to direct communications activities for GM’s Global Product Development organization.

Chris is a member of the Environment Strategy Board as well as GM’s Communications Strategy Board. He also works as a Communications advisor for GM Group Vice President and President GM Europe, Carl-Peter Forster, as well as GM’s Vice Chairman, Robert A. Lutz.

Preuss began his career at the Campbell and Company agency in 1989 with a focus on motor sports marketing and PR. From there, he joined DMB&B Advertising as an account supervisor on GM Corporate and Cadillac Division public relations accounts in 1990. Having worked on a variety of product and promotional programs at DMB&B, Preuss then moved to Golin Harris Communications of Chicago as an Account Director on Chrysler Corporation business in 1992. He was hired directly by Chrysler in 1993 and worked in several jobs within Chrysler’s Communications department, including the Washington office, until being hired by GM in 1998 as Director of Cadillac Division Communications. From 2001, Preuss served as the Director of Product Development Communications, before being named Director of Government Policy and Washington Communications in 2002. In May 2006, he was appointed GM Executive Director of Global Product and Brand Communications.

Chris Preuss holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Political Science from Michigan State University, Michigan, USA.

If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or suggestions for future interviews, email us at fircomments@gmail.com; or call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America) or +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe); or Skype: fircomments; or comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR; or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.

To receive all For Immediate Release podcasts including the twice-weekly Hobson & Holtz Report, subscribe to the full RSS feed.

This FIR Interview is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Podsafe music - On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox

Posted by neville on 05/20 at 10:56 PM
Show Notes • Interviews • (3) Comments • Permalink

Page 27 of 33 pages ‹ First < 25 26 27 28 29 > Last ›

Navigation

Search This Site

We want your feedback

Email comments with or without audio attachments (5 MB/3 minute limit) to fircomments at gmail dot com.

North America Comment Line:
+1.415.895.2971

Europe Comment Line:
+44.20.3239.9082

Skype: fircomments

FIR Shows

Podroll: Other PR Podcasts

Jaffe Juice(Joseph Jaffe)
Voices of Public Relations (from PRSA)
Online PR Podcast
PR and Other Deadly Sins
Cafe2Go from IABC
Steve Lubetkin's Podcasts
Jay Baer's Social Pros Podcast
Donna Papacosta's Trafcom News Podcast
On the Record Online (Eric Schwartzman)
Six Pixels of Separation with Mitch Joel
Inside PR with Gini Dietrich, Joe Thornley and Martin Waxman
PRWeek Podcasts
Marketing Edge from Provident Partners
Marketing Over Coffee with John Wall and Christopher S. Penn
Media Bullseye Roundtable

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Email Policy

Our email policy is simple. We send no email, so you'll never receive any from us. Not spam, not a personal note, nothing. We receive listener comments at this domain, but we both use our personal email accounts when we reply. The only thing to subscribe to here is the RSS feed. Visit our site without worry. We're email free.

Special Thanks

The FIR logo image shown at the top of this page was specially designed for us in October 2005 by Effective Edge Communications, Inc., Elmira, Ontario, Canada. Check out their podcast.