Episode 45 - Steven Puri
Why I Social
In this episode of the Why I Social podcast, host Chris Barrows sits down with Steven Puri, CEO and Founder of . Steven's career bridges engineering and storytelling. Drawing on his computer engineering background and creative communication skills, he moved into the film industry through digital visual effects, contributing to films like Independence Day, before taking on studio executive roles at Sony, DreamWorks, and Fox. Today, he leads The Sukha Company, building a tool that helps people reduce distraction and do their most focused, productive work. The conversation includes: How...
info_outline
Episode 44 - Nicole Rodriguez
Why I Social
In this episode of the Why I Social podcast, host Chris Barrows sits down with Nicole Rodriquez, Senior Manager (Marketing and Communications) at The American Epilepsy Society. At the American Epilepsy Society, Nicole leads as a strategic marketing and communications leader responsible for advancing the organization's mission, elevating brand visibility, and driving stakeholder engagement through integrated, data-informed strategies. She previously served as a Communications Strategist and Marketing Manager prior to her current role. Hot Topic for This Week's Episode: Non-Profit...
info_outline
Episode 43 - Jenn Pedde
Why I Social
In this episode of the Why I Social podcast, host Chris Barrows sits down with Jenn, Vice President of Customer Advocacy at PeoplePath, to explore how an unconventional career path through entertainment, international education, and community management shaped a unique approach to customer advocacy and social media strategy. Jenn's journey reveals how diverse professional experiences compound into sophisticated communication skills. After starting as a publicity intern at Island Def Jam managing campaigns for major artists, she transitioned through high-profile talent booking at William Morris...
info_outline
Episode 42 - Blake Mischley
Why I Social
In this episode of the Why I Social podcast, host Chris Barrows sits down with Blake Mischley (co-founder of Meet Your Class) to break down the creation of Meet Your Class to serve the Higher Education industry, including the launch of a new social media platform, Reach - designed with the unique aspects of the industry in mind. Blake breaks down his transition from student community manager to education tech founder, revealing how the landscape of university recruitment has undergone a fundamental shift. Today's incoming students research institutions through social media with the same...
info_outline
Episode 41 - Joshua Altman (beltway.media)
Why I Social
In this episode of the Why I Social podcast, host Chris Barrows sits down with Joshua Altman, Managing Director of beltway.media, to unpack what "social first" really means for small and medium-sized businesses. Joshua breaks down what it means to operate as a fractional Chief Communications Officer, taking the day-to-day communications burden off founders and technical teams. Also, find out why "Social-First" means treating social as a core distribution channel from the start, with content workflows designed so bigger projects automatically feed smaller pieces. In addition, the...
info_outline
Episode 40 - Derek Hales
Why I Social
On this episode of Why I Social, Chris is joined by Derek Hales, founder and editor-in-chief of NapLab.com, who brings a background in SEO, social strategy, and content marketing, shaped early on by agency experience working with Fortune 100 clients. Derek shares the origin story of NapLab, born out of a frustrating and expensive in-store mattress shopping trip with his wife back in 2014, and how that experience pushed him to start reviewing and comparing mattresses online. He also discusses how NapLab built its reputation on highly objective, data-driven testing, including why he waited two...
info_outline
Episode 39 - Eric Carlson
Why I Social
On this episode of Why I Social, Chris is joined by Eric Carlson, founder of Loon's Eye Digital, who has spent his career in the world of digital marketing, building digital strategies that have included SEO, conversion rate optimization, email campaign strategy, and social strategy. His recent webinar with the National Institute for Social Media covered the topic of how marketers can create tech stacks to improve their workflow, which he further discusses as part of this week's Hot Topic. Hot Topic for This Week's Episode: Building a Tech Stack for Social Media Marketers And...
info_outline
Episode 38 - Dex Polizzi
Why I Social
On this week's episode, Chris is joined by Dex Polizzi (Owner of Sidewalk Savers) who began his career in the agency world, specializing in public relations and digital marketing. His professional history includes working with technical industries, such as cybersecurity and tech infrastructure, as well as organizations close to the federal government. He has since started his own business locally in Verona, NJ serves residential, commercial, and municipal markets at a hyper-local level. Hot Topic for This Week's Episode: Marketing Local Business through Social Media And of...
info_outline
Episode 37 - Eli Igra Serfaty
Why I Social
On this week's episode, Chris is joined by Eli Igra Serfaty (Co-Founder and CEO, MAIA Digital), whose career winds from military service through venture capital before landing in the world of LinkedIn strategy. Founded in 2019, MAIA Digital specializes in LinkedIn profile optimization, company page management, and immersive workshops that pull back the curtain on the platform. Fun fact: The name carries meaning too, inspired by MAIA, the Greek goddess of growth, which reflects the company's mission to set individuals and businesses up for LinkedIn success. Hot Topic for This Week's Episode:...
info_outline
Episode 36 - Marley Molkentin
Why I Social
On this week's episode, Chris is joined by Marley Molkentin (Communications Specialist at Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative), who helps tell stories that makes an impact. She has her Master of Arts from Columbia College Chicago, which made an incredible impact on her career and where she is today. Hot Topic for This Week's Episode: Creating Media and Content That Makes A Difference And of course, learn why Marley socials! Marley's Links: to the latest Why I Social Newsletter [LinkedIn] About our sponsor: The National Institute for Social Media (NISM) empowers...
info_outlineOn this week's episode, our hosts discover Ikea's new line of products - pregnancy tests. Also, GoPro is more like "oh no".
This week's Five Favorites:
1. Kodak announces its own cryptocurrency and watches stock price skyrocket [Verge - story by Shannon Liao]
2. Viacom snaps up influencer platform Whosay as it looks to bulk up branded content offering [The Drum - story by Rebecca Stewart]
3. Ikea Releases Ad That Doubles As A Pregnancy Test and Reveals Crib Discount [Independent - Story by Chelsea Ritschel]
4. GoPro cuts 200-300 jobs, largely impacting its drone division [Techcrunch - story by Matt Burns & Brian Heater]
5. Hot Topic: Hot Topic: News Feed FYI: Bringing People Together [Facebook Blog - Post by Adam Mosseri]
Honorable Mention
-
Stranger Things' David Harbour just made these yearbook pictures [Twitter Moments]
DISHonorable Mention
- False Alarm in Hawaii [The Verge]
Five Favorites' Tweet(s) of The Week
Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).