Everyone's Their Own Publicist Now — Is That Killing the Industry or Saving It?

Everyone's Their Own Publicist Now — Is That Killing the Industry or Saving It?

Social media handed every founder a megaphone. The question is whether they know how to use it. In this episode of Call Your Publicist, Jenna Guarneri and Alexandra Anastasio dig into one of the most contested conversations in the industry right now: with LinkedIn thought leadership, TikTok brand storytelling, and Instagram carousels functioning as press releases, do founders still need a publicist? They get into what founders actually get right when they tell their own story, where the DIY PR approach quietly goes sideways, and why the blind spots that come with doing your own PR can do more damage than no PR at all. Jenna shares what she sees on the agency side when founders come to her after years of going it alone, and Alexandra breaks down what actually happens when a founder cold pitches a journalist directly. The answer isn't that founders should stop owning their story. It's about knowing which parts of PR to keep close and which parts to hand off. This episode is brought to you by Levitate. Get 35% off your first year by visiting levitate.ai/CYP. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

How to Build a Business That Never Stops Growing with Jesse Lipson

The best businesses aren't built on transactions. They're built on relationships, and the founders who figure that out early win. In this episode of Call Your Publicist, Jenna Guarneri and Alexandra Anastasio sit down with Jesse Lipson, serial entrepreneur and founder of Levitate, a platform that helps relationship-based businesses stay meaningfully connected to their clients at scale. Jesse breaks down how watching his wife's company burn money on CRM tools sparked the idea for Levitate, why he's treated entrepreneurship as a career calling since his early twenties, and what it really looks like to build technology that strengthens human connection rather than replaces it. He also gets into the parallels between PR and sales, how founders can protect client relationships while scaling fast, and what he's doing with Levitate's recent $16 million raise. If you're building a business where relationships are the product, this one is the roadmap. And before you listen: get 35% off your first year at Levitate by visiting levitate.ai/CYP. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Everything You See at the Met Gala Was Planned a Year Ago

The red carpet looks effortless. It is anything but. In this episode of Call Your Publicist, Jenna Guarneri and Alexandra Anastasio break down the layers of PR strategy behind Hollywood's biggest nights, from the Oscars to the Met Gala, and what founders and entrepreneurs can take from it. They get into how celebrities campaign for awards months before the show, why the carpet is the single biggest PR moment of the year for up and coming designers, how the rise of digital creators is reshaping who gets access, and what it really means to build a visual story around your brand. If you've ever wondered what's actually being orchestrated behind those red carpet moments, this one pulls back the curtain. 🎧 Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

She Left Home, Beat Bobby Flay, and Is Now Opening Her Own Restaurant with Chef Aarthi Sampath

Most chefs think their food is enough to sell their restaurant. But Chef Aarthi Sampath has been proving otherwise long before her restaurant opens its doors in NYC's East Village. In this episode of Call Your Publicist, Jenna Guarneri and Alexandra Anastasio sit down with Chef Aarthi to unpack the immigrant drive that brought her to New York, the scrappy pandemic hustle that taught her the real cost of running a business, and how beating Bobby Flay on national TV became the launchpad she never saw coming. Plus, why personal storytelling might matter just as much as the menu when it comes to building a restaurant brand from scratch. If you've ever wondered how to build an audience before you even open your doors, this one is for you. 🎧 Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

Stop Posting and Start Connecting: The Founder's Guide to Thought Leadership

In a world where everyone is selling something, the founders who win aren't the loudest. They're the most real. In this episode of Call Your Publicist, Jenna Guarneri and Alexandra Anastasio get into why authenticity isn't just a buzzword. It's a business strategy. They break down what thought leadership actually looks like for entrepreneurs, why your audience can tell when you're all over the place, and how staying consistent over time is what builds real authority. They also get into why founders are the new influencers, what the McDonald's CEO moment got wrong, and the one shift that turns followers into clients. If you're a founder trying to figure out how to show up online without losing yourself in the process, this one's for you. This episode is sponsored by Event Tickets Center. Use code CYP10 for 10% off any ticket order over $150 at eventticketscenter.com. 🎧 Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.