From campaigns to capitols and everywhere in between - a podcast about the people whose lives are immersed in the political world, and how they got there. Politicians, lobbyists, pollsters, and business people. If they're on the show, they're living the political life.
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The non-partisan Digital Politics Podcast with Karen Jagoda explores political and advocacy campaign best practices, new technologies and innovative approaches to voter engagement, fundraising, ground game strategies, cross-media advertising, using social media to promote and persuade, and getting out the vote. Since 2007, this show has spotted trends and interviewed strategists on the campaign trail as well as candidates, elected officials, and solutions providers who are bringing new tools ...
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Meet Nneka Chiazor, New President at the Public Affairs Council
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30:33In today's episode, Maggie Mick is joined by Nneka Chiazor, the newly installed President for the Public Affairs Council. The two discuss Nneka's career, her vision for the Council moving forward, and she shares all the ways any professional in public or government affairs can get involved. More about upcoming Public Affairs Council events here.…
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Humanizing Political Impact with Stories about Real-Life Consequences with Jim Lardner Good Trouble Podcast
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21:18Jim Lardner, journalist, activist, and host of the podcast "Good Trouble," joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the "We Are Your Neighbor" Project, which aims to collect and promote personal stories of people impacted by the Trump administration's policies. The goal is to promote these types of stories in a non-ideological way t…
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A Tribute to Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman with Cristine Almeida
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26:30In the wake of the tragic political assassination of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, Maggie Mick sits down with Cristine Almeida of Almeida Public Affairs in St. Paul, Minnesota. The conversation explores Speaker Hortman's career and legacy in Minnesota as well as the impact of her death reverberating in the community of state…
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Power of Art and Visual Storytelling to Reframe Political Narratives with Bill Moyer Backbone Campaign
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32:09Bill Moyer, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Backbone Campaign, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to explore the value of creative activism and visual props in promoting causes and values. The metaphor of the backbone is a symbol of moral power and strength that voters are encouraged to draw on to protest, drive awareness, and m…
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How StoryMaps Humanize Data and Drive Action with Allen Carroll Esri
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25:54Allen Carroll, cartographer and lead of the Story Maps team at Esri, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the power of maps and the visualization of GIS data to tell a compelling story. The StoryMaps platform combines multimedia elements to create richer and more engaging maps to spark empathy, raise awareness, and potentially i…
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Reconciliation & Medicaid: What's at Stake for States with Barrett Thornhill and Brock Ingmire
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46:27Today, we are rebroadcasting a recent MultiState virtual client event hosted by Maggie Mick on the budget reconciliation bill which contains President Trump's domestic policy agenda currently moving in the U.S. Senate. In May, the House narrowly passed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" — which would cut taxes, increase border and military spending, …
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Reporting on Abby Hoffman to Military Action Against Iran with Lucian Truscott IV
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26:47Lucian K. Truscott IV, journalist, author, and screenwriter, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to shine a light on the challenges of writing about and reporting on current events, political voices, and cultural trends. Lucian started working for the Village Voice while still a cadet at West Point in the 1960s and comes from a long line …
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On today's episode, Maggie Mick hosts Fred Zeytoonjian, President of the State Government Affairs Council. This year, SGAC celebrates its 50th anniversary. Fred shares an 101 on SGAC and how the organization is marking this milestone year with a national campaign to celebrate the state government affairs profession and raising funds for Faces of Vo…
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Meet Machalagh Carr – who has held some incredible jobs on Capitol Hill; General Counsel on the Ways and Means Committee, General Counsel for the Speaker of the House and Ultimately Chief of Staff for ...
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41:49Machalagh Carr is a trusted and discreet counselor with decades of private sector and government experience. She has nimbly navigated the intersection of congressional investigations and oversight, law, geopolitics, international anticorruption measures, and policy, and served as the top staffer in Article I as Chief of Staff to Speaker of the Hous…
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Charley Chatbot Revolutionizing Access to Abortion Information and Services with Nicole Cushman
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17:30Nicole Cushman joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to talk about Charley. This private, secure abortion focused AI chatbot was created in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The goal of this project is to provide personalized, accurate, up-to-date information about abortion services while protecting the privacy of those looking fo…
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On the Front Lines – Representing X at State Capitols – Meet Jordan Rodell.
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38:19Jordan Rodell is a seasoned public policy professional specializing in technology and free speech advocacy. She currently serves as Public Policy Manager at X (formerly Twitter), where she leads legislative and executive engagement efforts across the U.S. Prior to this, she was the State Policy Manager at the Computer & Communications Industry Asso…
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How Constituent Pressure Can Influence Congressional Budget Decisions with Catherine Rowland Congressional Progressive Caucus Center
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37:38Catherine Rowland, Legislative Affairs Director at the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to explore the current budget reconciliation process in the US Congress. Regardless of the method, Catherine emphasizes that the voice of constituents can make a difference in the outcome and influence budget…
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How the Working Class Story Can Lead to Social Change with Gwenn Fulton Addition Project
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34:00Gwenn Fulton from the Addition Project joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to explore how storytelling is a powerful way to translate personal experiences into public dialogue, building shared understanding and action around common challenges. Stories of the working class are particularly needed so that their concerns and aspirations are …
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Connecting Nonprofit Organizations with Lawyers for Pro Bono Legal Services with Anna Chu We the Action
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24:37Anna Chu, Executive Director of We the Action, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the critical role lawyers play in defending the rule of law and supporting nonprofits during these challenging times. The We the Action platform connects lawyers with organizations addressing the challenges both sides face in finding specific exp…
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During The Political Life podcast's legislative session recess, we bring you another rebroadcast of a recent MultiState virtual event. To gain insights on trends and a better understanding of the state of play with attorneys general, MultiState's Maggie Mick and Kelley Drye & Warren's Paul Singer, AG Practice Chair, hosted a conversation on March 2…
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Using Stories and Music to Explore the American Dream and Drive Activism with Jennifer Appel
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23:46Jennifer Appel, filmmaker, teacher, and activist, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the American Dream and the need to provide a more complete and accurate portrayal of the American experience. Jennifer uses storytelling, music, and visuals to give voice to diverse perspectives, including those of Indigenous people and vetera…
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The Power of Protests with Shasti Conrad Washington State Democratic Party
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24:55Shasti Conrad is the Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party and Associate Chair of the Democratic National Committee. Her involvement in political organizing and activism taught her that campaigns must focus on economic messages to build coalitions that cut across partisan lines. This year, before the 2026 mid-terms, there is an opportunity…
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Building and Maintaining Relationships with Voters with Zach Adams VDX.tv
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26:04Zach Adams, Senior Specialist in Client Partnerships for Politics and Public Affairs at VDX.tv, discusses the evolving landscape of political campaigns and the importance of ongoing engagement with voters beyond election day. Candidates and campaigns often fail to maintain relationships with voters, except for requests for contributions. Data analy…
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How AI and Data are Reshaping Political Campaigns with Michael Cohen the Cohen Research Group
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25:30Michael D. Cohen is the CEO of the Cohen Research Group, a political public affairs and corporate research firm, and the author of Modern Political Campaigns: How Professionalism, Technology, and Speed Have Revolutionized Elections. He has written a new chapter for this well-received book that focuses on the power of AI and opportunities to apply i…
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How a Healthcare Advocate is Changing Access to Clinical Trials Robert Maxwell ClinConnect
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24:50Robert Maxwell, Founder of ClinConnect, focuses on improving access to information about clinical trials and simplifying the path patients, doctors, and caregivers need to go through to find potentially life-saving trials. This clinical trial data is drawn directly from the clinicaltrials.gov database. The ClinConnect solution is updated more accur…
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AI-Powered Programmatic Advertising Platform Optimizes Voter Targeting with Mark Positano StackAdapt
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22:22Mark Positano is the Head of Political at StackAdapt, a programmatic digital advertising buying platform. With a focus on advertising outside the "walled gardens" like Facebook and Google, StackAdapt uses AI and data analytics to optimize ad buying and targeting for political campaigns across a wide range of media properties and streaming platforms…
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Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response with Desiree Matel-Anderson Field Innovation Team
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28:55Desiree Matel-Anderson, Founder and Chief Wrangler of the Field Innovation Team joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss emergency preparation in an age of natural and man-made disasters, climate uncertainty, and overwhelmed government resources. The key is to be prepared with a plan to respond with a critical thinking mindset to av…
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Meet Jacque Robinson-Baisley, currently the Director of External Affairs for Cordoba Corp. in their Education and Facilities Sector.
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30:32Meet Jacque Robinson-Baisley, currently the Director of External Affairs for Cordoba Corp. in their Education and Facilities Sector. Jacque also served as Vice Mayor and Councilmember for the City of Pasadena – that was recently devastated by the wildfires. Jacque is a tenured leader with over two decades of experience in stakeholder engagement and…
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Protecting Data from Increasing Sophistication of Cyberattacks with Ben Katz ISPolitical
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22:42Ben Katz, Chief Architect of ISPolitical, is concerned about the inadequate data and systems security measures political and advocacy organizations, political campaigns, and government organizations have in place. The first step is to audit current security practices and all the people who have access to the organization's databases, financial syst…
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Meet Will Melofchik- the new CEO of National Conference of Insurance Legislators – NCOIL.
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32:02For this week's episode, we are rebroadcasting a webinar hosted by Maggie Mick and Brock Ingmire and features new National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL), Will Melofchik. Will was installed as CEO on January 1. He was formerly NCOIL's General Counsel. Previously, Will was a Regulatory Officer in the Legislative and Regulatory Affairs U…
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This week We Sit Down with Speaker Brian Evans of Arkansas!!
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37:16Rep. Brian S. Evans serves as Speaker of the House for the 95th General Assembly. He is serving his fourth term in the Arkansas House. He represents District 68 which includes the city of Cabot, as well as portions of Lonoke County. For the 94th General Assembly, he served as Chair of the House Education Committee. Speaker Evans is in logistics whe…
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Re-evaluating Field Operations with Scott Goodstein Catalyst Campaigns
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28:39Scott Goodstein is the Founder and CEO of Catalyst Campaigns and a digital pioneer. The results from the 2024 election indicate that the ground game needs a fresh review of how volunteers can be better deployed and how to find trusted messengers for a political campaign. The traditional ward and precinct system built relationships with voters over …
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David Avella is the Chairman of GOPAC, the Republican Party's premier organization dedicated to educating and electing Republican leaders. The GOPAC network invested nearly $33 million in the 2023-2024 election cycle. A seasoned communications professional and political leader, Avella has spent his career working to advance free enterprise, job cre…
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Patient Advocacy and Healthcare Disparities John Hoffman Advocate for Access
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25:16John Hoffman, principal of Advocate for Access, has 20+ years of experience working with big pharma companies to promote advocating for patients and driving the move to provide access to drugs and therapies to a broader audience. Public/private health policy trends highlight the need to raise awareness about the science of medicine and the inequiti…
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Meet Mat Lapinski – the CEO of Crossroads Strategies
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26:21Mathew Lapinski is CEO of Crossroads Strategies, LLC. Mat represents a broad spectrum of clients across multiple practice areas. With two decades of advocacy experience, he is an expert in navigating Washington’s federal legislative and regulatory institutions. Beginning as a lobbyist for health care and insurance interests, Mat now covers a broad …
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Meet Bill Kramer – the Election Expert with MultiState
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30:33Bill Kramer has been with MultiState since 2011. Recognized for his wide breadth of state legislative and policy knowledge, Bill oversees the firm's research services, advises clients on strategic government affairs initiatives, develops and manages coalitions and associations, and pens the weekly Morning MultiState newsletter, among other problem-…
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This Week Meet the Dynamic and Intelligent Leigh Walton.
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26:48Leigh Walton is Vice President of Global Government and Regulatory Affairs for Pitney Bowes. As Vice President of the Global Government and Regulatory Affairs team, Leigh leads the company’s work in influencing public policy to increase opportunities for its shipping, mailing, and financial services businesses as well as to mitigate risks to those …
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Power of the Influencer in Election 2024 with Ryan Davis PeopleFirst
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23:32Ryan Davis, the Co-Founder and COO of PeopleFirst, shares insights and analysis about the activities of influencers and content creators in the campaign leading up to the 2024 election. While celebrity influencers have large followings, the voices of local people sharing authentic content about all kinds of interests broke through the noise to reac…
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What’s Going On in Missouri? Well, to find out we talk to Sarah Schlemeier Henke.
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28:45Sarah Schlemeier Henke attended the University of Missouri from 2010-2014, where she graduated Cum Laude with her Bachelor of Health Sciences and minors in Psychology and Service Learning. After working in the nonprofit sector in grant-funded positions, Sarah was hired by a lobbying firm before transitioning to the Gamble & Schlemeier team. Seeing …
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Meet Kellie Rittershausen - Executive Director for the National Lieutenant Governors Association.
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24:47*Recorded on October 1, 2024.* This is a rebroadcast of a MultiState webinar 'Meet the Exec' with Kellie Rittershausen, new executive director of the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA). Kellie Rittershausen serves as the Executive Director of the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA), overseeing all functions and services o…
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Meet Ches McDowell – Managing the GR team at Checkmate Government Relations.
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32:30**This episode was recorded prior to the 2024 election** Ches McDowell leads the Checkmate Government Relations team and focuses primarily on the North Carolina General Assembly and the North Carolina Congressional Delegation. He has delivered victories for clients in health care, financial services, entertainment, technology, outdoor sports, aviat…
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Simon Wlodarski has served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now he is working for Bank of America. Tune in to hear his story.
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22:49SIMON WLODARSKI, is a Senior Vice President at Bank of America and is a member of the U.S. State and Local Government Relations Team, overseeing State/Local Government Relations for the company in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Colorado. In this regional role with the company, Simon works on public…
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Voter Behavior in a Time of Political and Economic Uncertainty with Andrew Einhorn LevelFields
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24:47Andrew Einhorn, the Co-Founder and CEO of LevelFields, is an expert on fintech and AI. He highlights how political uncertainty and tight elections create market volatility and can impact voting behavior. Using their event intelligence platform, LevelFields connects the dots using AI to spot trends and predict future behavior. We talk about: How the…
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Meet Tre Hargett – the Secretary of State from the Greatest State in the Union!
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35:52Tre Hargett was elected by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2009 to serve as Tennessee’s 37th Secretary of State. He was reelected to four-year terms in 2013, 2017, and 2021. Secretary Hargett is the chief executive officer of the Department of State with oversight of approximately 300 employees. With his role on fifteen boards and commissions; ov…
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Rachael Eckles – Policy and Public Affairs Expert, lawyer, bioethicist and Author of Trading Secrets and its sequel, Risky Assets. Rachael is currently working on the third book in the series.
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26:31Rachael Eckles has worked in the health care industry for over twenty years. A lawyer and bioethicist by training, she began her career in clinical research, ran a hospital medical ethics committee, and began a bioethics program at a pharmaceutical company. Her love of shaping the environment evolved into a career in policy and government affairs. …
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How AI-Generated Podcasts Provide Immediate Analysis and Audio Content with Deepak Puri The Democracy Labs
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19:16Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, experimented with an AI engine that can digest, summarize, and verbalize dense content like the Harris Walz Plan to lower costs and create an opportunity economy. The result is this 10-minute podcast, a conversation between a male and female voice highlighting the plan's key issues. The first part of this pod…
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“You have to Learn to Lobby on behalf of Yourself”. Meet Suzanne Swink.
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34:29Suzanne Swink is Vice President of Government Relations for KORE Power, the leading U.S.-based developer and manufacturer of battery cell technology for the clean energy industry. In this role, she is responsible for the company’s legislative and regulatory strategy for federal and state affairs, community engagement, and sustainability. Ms. Swink …
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Editorial Cartoons in the Age of Trump with Daryl Cagle Cagle Cartoons
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22:27Daryl Cagle of Cagle Cartoons Syndicate has a keen eye for detail and brings a strong sense of humor to the world of editorial and political cartoons. He is also the host of the video podcast Caglecast, available on YouTube, where he talks with the cartoonists. Political humor is an increasingly challenging topic, and Daryl confirms that there is n…
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Reflecting on 9/11 with Garrett Graff the author of "The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11.
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58:06Today we are joined by bestselling historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist Garrett M. Graff who has spent two decades covering politics, technology, and national security, and is now recognized as one of the nation’s most prolific and wide-ranging journalists and historians. His award-winning work—including nine books on topics ranging from president…
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Targeting Multicultural Voters with Sean Duggan SD Media
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23:54Sean Duggan owner SD Media, a media and entertainment consulting firm, has seen the media landscape for targeting voters shift dramatically, requiring a broader view of where and when to reach voters. Attending the DNC Convention in Chicago, Sean was struck by the mix of entertainment and content and the range of speakers and talent under 40 in the…
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Power of Video Commerce in Political and Advocacy Campaigns with Eitan Koter Vimmi
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19:40Eitan Koter is the Co-founder and Co-CEO of Vimmi, which brings next-generation e-commerce functionality to digital video content. With its video commerce platform, audiences can engage with video, make purchases, and contribute within the context of the video. Applications can include digital feeds of live events and social media posts. We talk ab…
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How do you get a job on Capitol Hill? Take a sabbatical and move to Washington, DC - meet Amy Efantis who did just that and has never looked back.
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34:49Amy is currently SVP of Corporate Affairs and Public Relations at Ascension. Amy is an experienced leader who has guided successful teams in the U.S. and abroad & believes strongly in servant-leadership; over two decades of experience in Washington, D.C. leading organizations, managing budgets, imaging strategy and developing people; 10+ years of l…
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Using Content Creators on YouTube to Reach Voters with Lauren Benedict Spotter
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19:52Lauren Benedict is Spotter's Chief Revenue Officer and a media ecosystem professional. She has been at the forefront of the consumer shift to streaming services and CTV and understands the value of content to attract a diverse audience. Spotter invests in content creators to help create a robust landscape of long-form videos on YouTube and provides…
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Power of the DNC Convention with Deepak Puri The Democracy Labs
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21:40Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, attended the DNC Convention in Chicago and came away with a strong sense of the energy that will be applied to Democratic campaigns moving into election season. Deepak was struck by the crowd's diversity, particularly the younger multi-cultural attendees. He also points out the historical views that were driv…
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This week we sit down with Steve Yeager, Speaker of the Nevada Assembly, one of the key political leaders in a battleground state.
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41:13Description: Steve Yeager has been serving as the speaker of the Nevada Assembly since 2022. Yeager graduated from the University of Michigan in 2001 and then attended Cornell Law School, graduating in 2004. After law school, Yeager practiced law and later worked as a chief deputy public defender of Clark County until his election to the Nevada Ass…
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