From Local Gaps to Global Gains: Winnipeg’s International Talent Strategy
Release Date: 11/12/2024
Bonus Episode: 4 Shifts Redefining Talent Strategies in 2026
Talent Wars: A Podcast By DCI
Season 2 of Talent Wars: A Podcast by DCI took us from Maine to Michigan, Baton Rouge to Kansas City and beyond to Canada and Europe, uncovering how communities are tackling today’s complex talent challenges. In this bonus episode, host Patience Fairbrother steps back to highlight the biggest insights from the season and what they mean for talent strategies in 2026. From the rising importance of retention and inclusion to rethinking who qualifies as “talent,” these conversations reveal the fundamental shifts that will shape how communities...
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How KC Turned a Love Story into a Talent Strategy
Talent Wars: A Podcast By DCI
What happens when a viral pop-culture moment suddenly puts your region on the national stage? On this episode of Talent Wars, host sits down with managing director of , to unpack how her team moved at lightning speed to turn the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce love story into a full-fledged talent attraction strategy. From recognizing the moment to aligning stakeholders and crafting messaging on the fly, TeamKC managed national media pressure and translated fandom-driven buzz into long-term market awareness, and Danielle is here to...
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Smart Population Growth: Canada's Path to 100 Million
Talent Wars: A Podcast By DCI
Canada has long been recognized as a global leader in attracting top talent and building economic strength through immigration. With its population on track to reach 100 million by 2100, the country is now tackling an important question: how do you ensure that growth is not just rapid, but smart and sustainable? On this episode of Talent Wars, host sits down with , serial entrepreneur and board member of , which aims to grow Canada’s population responsibly to 100 million by the year 2100. Patience and Muraly explore how companies can leverage international perspectives to...
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The Forces Reshaping Talent and How Places Are Pivoting: Insights from Young Smart & Local 2025
Talent Wars: A Podcast By DCI
From “Peak 18” to AI transforming work itself, communities are realizing they need to pivot and rethink how they attract and retain talent. On this special episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother captures insights from some of the top workforce leaders and experts in the U.S. at the 2025 Young Smart & Local Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Through conversations with leaders on the frontlines of the talent wars, this episode uncovers how communities are pivoting to meet demographic challenges, embrace skills-based hiring, leverage real-time data and use AI as a strategic...
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How Storytelling Builds Tech Ecosystems
Talent Wars: A Podcast By DCI
Attracting tech talent takes more than spreadsheets and strategy. What really makes a place “sticky” is its social fabric, which is made up of connections, conversations and stories that make people feel part of something bigger. On this episode of Talent Wars, host sits down with CEO and Co-founder of , , to discuss what nearly two decades of reporting on local tech ecosystems have revealed about what truly drives growth. From the role of “ecosystem storytelling” in shaping reputation to why community events matter more than most realize, they unpack how authentic local stories...
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Cross-Border Relocation: A View from Europe
Talent Wars: A Podcast By DCI
What drives a professional to pack up their life and move to another country? On this episode, host sits down with , managing director of to discuss the latest “” study. Inspired by DCI’s “” research, the study explores what drives cross-border, international relocation in Europe. Patience and Steve discuss how career opportunities, lifestyle factors and family considerations shape talent decisions in Europe, why most professionals search for jobs by role and skill rather than industry and what cities can do to attract and retain internationally mobile talent. They also discuss...
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Live from DCI Marketing Summit 2025
Talent Wars: A Podcast By DCI
Live from the 2025 DCI Marketing Summit in New York, Talent Wars is coming to you with a special episode! Host sits down with three leaders shaping talent initiatives in different regions: , vice president of marketing at , , strategic marketing manager at and , marketing director for . The conversation explores the unique approaches behind each talent attraction and retention program. Haley discusses why Work in the Triangle, one of the longest-running talent attraction programs in the country, continues to invest in proactive strategies. Murphy shares the goals of Find Your JAX...
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Meet Rockford, IL's Talent Matchmaker
Talent Wars: A Podcast By DCI
What if talent attraction looked less like marketing and more like matchmaking? On this episode of Talent Wars, host sits down with , program director of campaign, a high-touch talent attraction program in Rockford, Illinois. From guided tours for job candidates to custom welcome gifts and personalized text invites to community mixers, Made for Rockford takes a refreshingly human approach to helping newcomers feel at home. Operating under the tourism bureau, this program leans into Rockford’s “five-to-nine” lifestyle, as much as its “nine-to-five” opportunities, by...
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Louisville's Ambitious Talent Growth Plan
Talent Wars: A Podcast By DCI
How is Louisville planning to add 41,000 working-age talent to its workforce pipeline in just five years? On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother sits down with Kelly Gold, vice president of marketing, talent attraction, and retention at Greater Louisville Inc., to delve into the inner workings of the ever-evolving talent campaign. Launched in 2016, Live in Lou has evolved into a comprehensive strategy that blends AI-powered job matching, employer partnerships, community ambassadors and even K-12 workforce development to create a true talent ecosystem. In...
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Hello West Michigan: A Blueprint for Employer-Led Talent Attraction
Talent Wars: A Podcast By DCI
What does it take to launch the first employer-led talent attraction organization in the country and keep it thriving for nearly two decades? On this episode of Talent Wars, host sits down with , executive director of , to explore how a group of forward-thinking CIOs turned a local hiring challenge into a national blueprint for attracting and retaining talent. Founded in 2007 - the same year the first iPhone hit the market - Hello West Michigan was born in the midst of talent shortages and economic uncertainty. Rather than waiting for the market to recover, the organization doubled...
info_outlineOn this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother meets with Economic Development Winnipeg’s (EDW) Director of Talent and Workforce Development, Ashley Dunlop, to uncover Winnipeg’s unique talent attraction strategies, from international recruitment missions to the award-winning Work in Manitoba job portal. Whether it’s selecting an international market for a mission or identifying the skills and candidates of greatest need to local employers, the EDW team uses a data- and technology-driven approach that goes beyond traditional talent services. Tune in to discover how this Canadian city successfully recruits international job seekers to Winnipeg and sets both the candidates and businesses up for success.