Comms and Coffee

TMZ of Texas Politics

Tony Ortiz's journey to journalism is one of the most unique stories you will ever hear. Driven by a daily desire to speak truth to power, Tony pulled back the curtain on Current Revolt—evolving a quiet, anonymous blog into one of the most disruptive forces in the state.Often describing his outlet as the "TMZ of Texas Politics," Tony explains how breaking massive legislative scandals put him on the map, why he refuses to pull punches for either political party, and how he uses hard receipts to expose online scams. In this episode, we dive deep into: The Sales Foundation: How cold-calling tech sales builds the ultimate thick skin for political blowback. The Blueprint of Disruption: Why a hyper-lean, subscriber-funded model allows independent media to outrun legacy newsrooms. The War on Propaganda: Navigating fake news, paid influencers, and the rising impact of AI in the digital age 00:00 - The Early Days: Cellular Sales & The iPhone Disruptor 01:55 - Welcome to the Show: Introducing Tony Ortiz (Current Revolt) 03:10 - The Ultimate Foundation: Why Sales is a Life Superpower 06:06 - The 2016 Trajectory: Shifting Focus from Sales to Politics 09:12 - Groundwork: Learning the Mechanics at Empower Texans 11:25 - The COVID Pivot: How Remote Software Sales Launched a Blog 16:02 - The Birth of Current Revolt: From Anonymous Op-Eds to Being Doxxed 19:45 - Putting CR on the Map: Navigating High-Profile Legislative Scandals 23:16 - Guarding Against Propaganda: Resisting Narrative Manipulation 28:13 - The "TMZ of Texas Politics": Defining the Gossip Rag Blueprint 34:32 - Media Accountability: Uncovering Scams and Fake News Influencers 44:44 - The Power of Receipts: Tracking Proof and Future Expansion#politics #mediarelations #publicrelations #communications #strategiccommunications

From Small Town DJ to Leading Texas #1 Politics News Outlet: Scott Braddock Marks 30 Years in Media

Even he can't believe it, but it's now been 30 years since my friend Scott Braddock dropped out of high school to start a full time career in media. He started as a small town Texas disc jockey in Brenham and worked his way up to prominent positions in some of the state's top newsrooms in Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth. Now, in Austin, he runs the essential news outlet for Texas political professionals. This past year he also launched the state's new #1 politics podcast: Quorum Report Radio, available on all podcast apps.

16 Years in the Anchor Chair: Karina Kling on the Future of Texas Media

Is local journalism dying, or just evolving? Former Spectrum News anchor Karina Kling joins us to discuss the 'age of rage' in media and her transition from the anchor chair to the world of political communications.0:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U] Intro & Coffee Order3:12 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=192s] Meet Karina Kling: Communications Director at Hillco Partners5:06 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=306s] The "Why" Behind Journalism: From Kansas to Graduate School7:14 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=434s] Early Career: Reporting from a Bureau in Nebraska10:46 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=646s] Moving to Austin: Joining Spectrum News (News 8 Austin)13:13 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=793s] Why Politics? Holding Power Accountable15:44 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=944s] Life as an Anchor: Much More Than Reading a Teleprompter17:35 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=1055s] The Evolution of Media: From MySpace to Instant News21:32 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=1292s] Launching and Anchoring "Capitol Tonight"25:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=1500s] Maintaining Non-Partisanship in a Polarized World29:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=1740s] Navigating AI and Disinformation in the Modern Newsroom32:05 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=1925s] Pro-Tips for PR & Comms: Building Relationships with Journalists36:06 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=2166s] Healthy News Consumption: Advice for the "Age of Rage"41:05 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=2465s] The Pivot: Transitioning from Media to Hillco Partners43:29 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=2609s] Affecting Change: The Power of Strategy and Storytelling in Policy46:10 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1aYwraYZ8U&t=2770s] Closing Thoughts and Cheers#publicrelations [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/publicrelations] #communications [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/communications] #mediarelations [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/mediarelations] #politics [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/politics] #politicalreporting [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/politicalreporting] #media [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/media]

Political Reporter breaks down the good, the bad, and the ugly of reporting on #politics .

Political reporter Patrick Sviteck talks politics, media relations, and the future of the media. He recently worked for The Washington Post, covering campaigns and breaking political news. Before that, he covered Texas politics for nearly a decade. You do not want to miss this conversation!#publicrelations #newsmedia #communications #podcast #mediarelations #journalism #strategiccommunication #strategiccommunications #politics #politicstoday

Emmy Award Winner talks about communications after a natural disaster.

Emmy award winner, Brittany Eck, joins us on the show to discuss communications after a natural disaster. Additionally, we discuss how her team at the GLO, under Commissioner Bush, received an Emmy Award for its public service announcement regarding flood insurance purchases. This achievement marks only the second time a state agency has earned this award.Brittany Eck is the Director of Communications for the Disaster Recovery at the Texas General Land Office. If a natural disaster strikes, then she is on the ground helping get the message out to Texans on how they can recover.#communications [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/communications] #podcast [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/podcast] #publicrelations [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/publicrelations] #disaster [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/disaster] #mediarelations [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/mediarelations] #crisiscommunication [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/crisiscommunication] #publicpolicy [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/publicpolicy]Ask