"On Crisis" Podcast
Joanna Doven, our trailblazing CEO, has launched the new “On Crisis” podcast covering all things crisis communications.
THE “ON CRISIS” PODCAST
Hosted by Joanna Doven, Premo CEO and one of the youngest big city mayoral press secretaries in the United States, On Crisis is a podcast that delves into a daunting challenge that all sectors inevitably face: how to skillfully navigate a crisis. Joined by guest speakers of all industries, Doven takes you “inside the crisis,” discussing real-time decision-making and providing helpful takeaways that can be applied to any business plan.
New episodes airing regularly. Check back soon!
Tune In To On Crisis On:
NEW EPISODE
Customer Service, Meet Crisis
December 22, 2020
In this episode of On Crisis, Joanna Doven is joined by Hemp Synergistics executive and former Head of Women’s Fasion for powerhouse online retailer Zappos, Allison Bentley, and they discuss how Bentley is deploying lessons-learned at Zappos to differentiate Hemp Synergistics from competitors, why Bentley made the shift from shoes to CBD, and how the lack of federal regulation of the burgeoning product represents an opportunity for those who are focusing on substance, science and solutions first.
Episode 4: Allison Bentley - Hemp Synergistics
ALL EPISODES
Episode 1: Rich Lord
Episode 2: Mike Shebak
Episode 3: Ira Weiss
Episode 4: Allison Bentley
A NEW LISTENING EXPERIENCE FOR EXECUTIVES & PR PROFESSIONALS
OUR HOST
On Crisis is a podcast created and hosted by Joanna Doven, one of the U.S.’s youngest big city mayoral press secretaries, having served with Mayor Luke Ravenstahl from 2007-2013. Doven led communications for the 2009 G-20 Economic Summit and 2013 founded a public relations firm, Premo Consultants. She has since helped some of the world’s largest companies, educational institutions and regional nonprofits navigate employee scandals, reinvent their brands, and glide through turbulent partisan backlash. Doven guest lectures at her alma mater, Carnegie Mellon, serves as a guest talk show host on KDKA Radio, the world’s first radio station, and received Pittsburgh “40 Under 40” honors in 2017.
ABOUT ON CRISIS
From real estate to retail, education to energy and of course, politics, there’s one ubiquitous challenge all sectors face: how to skillfully navigate a crisis. In the age of ‘fake news,’ political discord, lightning-fast news cycles and social media shaming, it’s essential that all businesses understand crisis communications and have a plan in place.
On Crisis features Doven talking with leaders whose experiences with crisis management run the gamut from skillful leadership that led to better brand recognition to those whose mistakes resulted in dire consequences for the brands they serve.
Doven unearths behind-the-scenes stories of real-time decision-making to take listeners inside the crisis, providing helpful takeaways that can be applied to any business plan. On Crisis also explores executives’ ‘aha’ moments, when personal crises helped spawn new perspectives and led to meaningful reinvention.
AN ALL-STAR CAST
- Episode 1 w/ Veteran Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Rich Lord
- News will always flow to a crisis, but what happens when there’s less seasoned reporters to discern real news from fake news? Joanna Doven sits down with Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Rich Lord (formerly of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and currently of PublicSource) about the changing media landscape and what that means for managing news media during crises. From falsehoods that catch fire, to why reporting is a lot like baseball, the two go back to 2006 when Luke Ravenstahl became the youngest big city mayor. It was a time of tumult, as Lord explains, “you had a mayor get sick, a mayor pass away, and a young mayor emerge… and at that time there were about a dozen reporters focused on the city beat at one time, a different atmosphere than you have today. Now, the two talk about the ruptuous change in information flow. Before, there was one set of facts from which everyone was debating and that came from the daily newspapers. Now, as newspapers dissipate and social media has emerged, it seems that when Americans are debating something they’re no longer debating from the same collection of facts.” In this inaugural episode, you’ll learn top strategies on how to adapt to this new reality during crises by being more aggressive in telling your side of the story.
- Episode 2 w/ Clearstead Senior Managing Director Mike Shebak
- Since the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, financial markets have been in a “crisis of clarity” and financial advisory firms have been thrust into an uncomfortable dual role: becoming both financial and crisis communication experts. We talk with Mike Shebak, senior managing director of Clearstead, one of the largest independent financial advisory firms in the Midwest, on how they pivoted their firm from not just managing nearly $25 billion in client assets, but setting daily steadfast client communications that quelled fears and created opportunities to foment even stronger client relationships.
- Episode 3 w/ Ira Weiss, Partner with Weiss Burkhardt Kramer
- As cyber-charter school enrollment hits an all time high, public school districts competing against private schools and nearby districts for students [and their tax dollars] face the toughest challenge in controlling their respective futures: keeping children educated at all costs while also appeasing parents. Ira Weiss, partner with Weiss Burkhardt Kramer, is one of the nation’s foremost legal minds in dealing with school district-related legal issues. Right now, his firm is representing over a dozen school districts. We discuss the importance of having a robust school district communications plan, especially right now — “You can’t build a plane and fly it at the same time,” says Weiss — and how school administrators should focus on serving special needs populations, or else face future lawsuits.
- Episode 4 w/ Allison Bentley, Former Zappos Director of Women’s Fashion and Current VP of Sales, Marketing & Merchandising with Hemp Synergistics
- As head of women’s fashion for Zappos, one of the most revolutionary online shopping companies of all time, Allison Bentley of Hemp Synergistics learned alongside the renowned and brilliant — the late Tony Hsieh. Before online shoes and online shopping were a thing, Hsieh believed that online shopping powered by transparent, real-deal customer service (even executives, like Bentley, answered customer calls) could engage early adopters and create an online shopping industry. Now, Bentley turns her focus onto CBD, as one of the only female leaders in the growing, yet unpredictable hemp industry. We talk about how Bentley is deploying lessons-learned at Zappos to differentiate Hemp Synergistics from competitors, why Bentley made the shift from shoes to CBD, and much more.
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