On Top of PR with Jason Mudd

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/593338/open_sms] In this episode, Mort Crim joins On Top of PR host Jason Mudd to discuss his career highlights, truth in journalism, and his newest memoir, “Anchored: A Journalist’s Search for Truth. Tune in to learn more! Our Guest: Our episode guest is Mort Crim, a retired journalist, author, lecturer, and motivational speaker. He inspired the Anchorman character Ron Burgundy. Five things you’ll learn from this episode: 1.  The inspiration behind Anchorman’s Ron Burgundy 2. Mort’s journalism career highlights and pivotal moments 3. Maintaining a trusted image in journalism and PR 4. How the media has changed and ways to adapt 5. Mort’s book, “Anchored: A Journalist’s Search for Truth” Quotables  “I have a philosophy that if you run fast enough, old age can’t catch you.” — @Mort Crim “Never have an ego or have arrogance about yourself because you never know when you're going to need help or the support of others in your community.” — @JasonMudd9 “It's all about the story. History is made up of stories. We call journalists the people who write the first draft of history. But that hasn't changed — for all of the technological change, for all the proliferation of media — it's still about content.” — @Mort Crim “Become a good writer, and if you're a good writer, I can teach you how to stand in front of a camera. I can teach you how to hold the microphone. I can teach you how to be a broadcaster. But I can't teach you how to think, and I can't teach you how to write.” — @Mort Crim “Journalism is a profession that requires, first of all, a commitment to honesty and truth. But secondly, you need training. You need to have some understanding and experience in how to recognize a story, how to organize a story, how to tell a story in a way that is meaningful to the audience.” — @Mort Crim “PR needs to be all about the audience of the news outlet when you're pitching media.” — @JasonMudd9  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others, buy me a coffee [http://buymeacoff.ee/OnTopofPR], or leave us a quick podcast review [https://ratethispodcast.com/ontopofpr]. About Mort Crim Mort Crim is a journalist, author, lecturer, and motivational speaker. He is the main inspiration for the character Ron Burgundy, a news anchor in the Anchorman movie series. His network and local broadcast experience in radio and TV includes five years as a correspondent for ABC in New York City and two decades as a senior editor and anchor for WDIV-TV, an NBC affiliate station in Detroit. He was backup for Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” radio program for five years. He is the author of eight books, including his most recent memoir, “Anchored: A Journalist's Search for Truth.” Guest’s contact info and resources: Mort Crim on X [https://x.com/TheRealMortCrim] Mort Crim on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mort-crim-a9b02738/] Mort Crim on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/mortcrimjournalist] Mort Crim’s website [http://www.mortcrimspeaks.com] Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR] * On Top of PR [http://www.ontopofpr.com] is produced by Axia Public Relations [http://www.axiapr.com], named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands. * On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer [https://www.reviewmaxer.com/pages/on-top-of-pr], the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/593338/open_sms] Disclaimer: We edited portions of this recording from its originally aired version at Citizens Property Insurance Corporation's request. In this episode, Doug Filaroski joins host Jason Mudd to discuss how a property insurance company manages crisis communications.  Tune in to learn more! Our Guest: Our episode guest is Doug Filaroski, senior communications representative at Citizens Property Insurance. He manages crisis communications projects, provides strategic consulting, and oversees the production of all types of content — from leadership messaging to digital communications and video. Five things you’ll learn from this episode: 1. Citizens Property Insurance’s communications strategies  2. How to respond to a crisis  3. The role of crisis response centers during catastrophic events 4. The importance of fraud prevention campaigns 5. Why companies need a crisis communication plan   Quotables “We feel a great responsibility — because we are the state or the people's insurance company — to provide them with good service.” — @Doug Filaroski “Florida was responsible for 79% of all the lawsuits in the United States against property insurance companies.” — @Doug Filaroski  “When I started with a company about 10 years ago, I don't think we had as good a plan as we have now. So one of the best tips is to have a plan. Frankly, a lot of people I talk to in crisis communications don't really have a formal plan.” — @Doug Filaroski “I'm personally a big fan of templates. If I have to send the same email twice, I'd sure like to have a template for it for the third time, and I always encourage my teammates to do the same thing.” — @JasonMudd9 “A lot of the comments you're making speak to the culture of your organization and that you obviously care and you're there to serve, as opposed to just being the solution that's the least desirable for your customers. I think that really matters and goes a long way.” — @JasonMudd9 If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others or leave us a quick podcast review [https://ratethispodcast.com/ontopofpr]. About Doug Filaroski  Doug is a former journalist who's covered presidential campaigns, government corruption, and growth. He now works as a corporate storyteller. After stints at a Fortune 500 company and the JAX Chamber, he moved on to internal, external, and crisis communications for Citizens Property Insurance in Florida. Doug is also the vice president of communications for the Florida Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Guest’s contact info and resources: Doug Filaroski on X [https://x.com/dfilaroski] Doug Filaroski on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-filaroski-cmp-5b1873a/] Citizens Property Insurance website [https://www.citizensfla.com/] International Association of Business Communicators [https://www.iabc.com/] International Association of Bu [https://iabcflorida.com/] Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR] * On Top of PR [http://www.ontopofpr.com] is produced by Axia Public Relations [http://www.axiapr.com], named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands. * On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer [https://www.reviewmaxer.com/pages/on-top-of-pr], the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/593338/open_sms] Our Guest: Linda Beltran is vice president of corporate communications at Holiday Inn Club Vacations, a leading vacation ownership company with more than 30 resorts across the U.S. She oversees a team of communications professionals who manage internal and external communications, executive visibility, corporate social responsibility, media relations, crisis communications, community relations, and thought leadership.  Five things you’ll learn from this episode: 1. How internal communication management can prevent external crisis 2. Executive media training and thought leadership 3. The evolution of internal communications 4. The future of internal communications 5. Internal communications best practices    Quotables “Your team members are really your first and most important audience.” — @Linda Beltran “We have to be nimble and pivot. And I tell people all the time, improvising and pivoting are one of the undersold skills that you have to have in this line of work.” — @JasonMudd9 “If you have a company and leadership that really puts their faith in their comms team, you're already ahead of the curve, and then the rest is just making sure that they're being received.” — @Linda Beltran “Pre-pandemic, people weren't necessarily paying attention to their internal audience.” — @Linda Beltran “I love the idea of trying something new. I love the idea of failing forward. And as I tell my team quite a bit, as long as you're working on something that won't be shown externally, take some risk internally.” — @JasonMudd9 If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others or leave us a quick podcast review [https://ratethispodcast.com/ontopofpr]. About Linda Beltran As a seasoned communications leader with over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Linda brings strategic, creative, and impactful solutions to diverse audiences and stakeholders. Her mission is to enhance the reputation, visibility, and engagement of the organizations she works with, aligning communications with their values, culture, and goals. Guest’s contact info and resources: * Linda Beltran on X [http://@chattygirlpr] * Linda Beltran on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-beltran/] * Holiday Inn Club Vacations website [https://hicv.com/] Additional Resources: * The value of being honest in internal communications [https://www.axiapr.com/blog/the-value-of-being-honest-in-internal-communications] * 4 ways to present your corporation as grateful to its shareholders [https://www.axiapr.com/blog/4-ways-to-present-your-corporation-as-grateful-to-its-shareholders] Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR] * On Top of PR [http://www.ontopofpr.com] is produced by Axia Public Relations [http://www.axiapr.com], named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands. * On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer [https://www.reviewmaxer.com/pages/on-top-of-pr], the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/593338/open_sms] In this solocast episode, host Jason Mudd discusses how to improve your media pitches and craft news releases journalists will notice. Tune in to learn more! Five things you’ll learn from this episode: 1. How to improve four media pitch examples 2. Keep your pitch short and visually appealing. 3. Tailor your pitch to match the journalist's beat. 4. Offer value — why should the journalist care? 5. Have a copy editor review the release.   Quotables “About half of the news stories they write come from media pitches. So media pitching works when it's done right. Media pitching works when you have a relationship or attempt to build a relationship; you don't need a relationship to get media coverage.” — @JasonMudd9 “You just want to send a teaser and have them say, ‘You know what, I would like to hear more’ or ‘This isn't a good fit for me.’ But instead of doing it in 10 paragraphs, what if you just did it in three sentences?” — @JasonMudd9 “That's why we believe in having copy editors on our team who are grammarians. They're experts at what they do — the red-pen police or the people who correct your grammar in public that you don't like.” — @JasonMudd9 “If you can't tell me who said it, then I'm probably not going to quote you on it.” — @JasonMudd9 “You should not send a news release, or even a media pitch, through blast … think 1-to-1 with each media pitch that you send out.” — @JasonMudd9 “More targeted, more selective pitches are going to help you be more successful.” — @JasonMudd9  “Just like in dating, just like in sales, in media pitching, the intent of the first meeting is to get a second meeting.” — @JasonMudd9  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others or leave us a quick podcast review [https://ratethispodcast.com/ontopofpr]. About Jason Mudd, Axia PR Jason Mudd is a trusted adviser and dynamic strategist for some of America’s most admired brands. Since 1994, he’s worked with American Airlines, Budweiser, Dave & Buster’s, H&R Block, Hilton, HP, Miller Lite, New York Life, Pizza Hut, Southern Comfort, and Verizon. He founded Axia in July 2002. Forbes named Axia one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Guest’s contact info and resources: * Jason Mudd on X [https://x.com/jasonmudd9] * Jason Mudd on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmudd/] * Axia Public Relations  [https://www.axiapr.com/] * 10 elements of news [https://www.axiapr.com/blog/elements-of-news] * 10 elements of news with Jason Mudd | On Top of PR Podcast [https://www.axiapr.com/blog/podcast-episode-ten-elements-of-news-with-jason-mudd] * 1:1 consultations and training with Axia  [https://www.axiapr.com/axia-workshops#meetings] Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR] * On Top of PR [http://www.ontopofpr.com] is produced by Axia Public Relations [http://www.axiapr.com], named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands. * On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer [https://www.reviewmaxer.com/pages/on-top-of-pr], the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/593338/open_sms] In this episode, Alfredo Garcia joins On Top of PR host Jason Mudd to discuss best practices for producing PR events.  Tune in to learn more! Our guest: Our episode guest is Alfredo Garcia, vice president of sales for Sight & Sound and Mugwump Productions. He started his journey with Sight & Sound as a marketing intern, where he discovered his passion for the audio-visual production side of events. Now an executive leader, he’s played a pivotal role in the company’s growth from 15 employees to more than 50 today.  Five things you’ll learn from this episode: 1. Questions event producers will ask  2. Technical media accommodations  3. How much notice event production teams need  4. What organizations should consider before planning an event  5. Logistics and budget planning Quotables: “My first question is always the same, no matter what type of media event it is. And that is, “Why are we doing this event? Why are we spending your money? Why are we pulling in resources and what is the purpose and outcome we are trying to get out of this event?” — @Alfredo Garcia “If you’re depending on media to be there, how embarrassed might you be if they just can’t come or don’t come for whatever reason?” — @JasonMudd9 “If you’re depending on media to fill the room, you better have a pretty good announcement.” — @JasonMudd9 “Whenever I see a whole bunch of microphones, I think of crisis communication.” — @Alfredo Garcia “Why would you not want to engage with an expert company to have them bring their experience, know-how, and ideas that might save you time, money, and ultimately drive home that better first impression for the attendees at your event?” — @JasonMudd9 “We try to become an extension of what our clients are trying to do. We are thinking of things people don't think about.” — @Alfredo Garcia If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others or leave us a quick podcast review [https://ratethispodcast.com/ontopofpr]. About Alfredo Garcia As Sight & Sound’s vice president of sales, Alfredo manages daily sales operations, develops sales strategies, and forecasts company revenue. He focuses on client retention and expanding the client base locally and nationally.  Alfredo earned a communication degree from Jacksonville University, which laid the foundation for his career in the hospitality industry. He’s drawn to the industry’s opportunities for travel, bringing creative solutions to events, and building long-lasting relationships. His journey with Sight & Sound began in 2005 when he joined as a marketing intern and discovered his passion for the audio-visual production side of events. After progressing through roles as a marketing coordinator and project manager, he found his niche in sales.  Outside of work, Alfredo enjoys gardening with his wife, traveling with his family, and supporting all his local sports teams.  Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OnTopofPR] * On Top of PR [http://www.ontopofpr.com] is produced by Axia Public Relations [http://www.axiapr.com], named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands. * On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer [https://www.reviewmaxer.com/pages/on-top-of-pr], the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.