On this episode of Inside the Media Minds, our hosts Christine Blake and Madison Farabaugh sit down with Tim Crino, Senior Editor at Inc., to discuss how he helps his team cover, inform and inspire the American entrepreneur.
Tim is a “pinch-hitting” editor at Inc., reviewing news cycles, editing drafts, working directly with writers, prospecting with freelancers and keeping tabs on the various projects in play that keep the editorial machine running. Tim’s personal focus of late, however, is on innovation.
Rebuilding Inc.’s Innovation Vertical
Innovation at Inc. is all about how businesses are solving big problems – from the innovative uses of mushrooms or kelp, to the new technologies coming out of CES 2025. Tim is a big fan of rubrics to make sure his team’s stories reflect that theme.
“The idea is to build sort of a blueprint for entrepreneurs that do want to use their position to change the world…almost like a weather report for what to be aware of. It’s a lot of trying to see around the corner a bit and trying to build out more in-depth storytelling,” he explains.
Tim gathers about 75% of his story ideas through investigating and “turning over the rocks” to find out what’s around the corner, especially because – in his own words – innovative companies don’t always get the news headlines as much as other companies since they tend to be new and a little unproven. That said, Tim considers it a privilege that he’s been able to discover companies, hear their stories and elevate their missions – even so far as to help previously struggling companies receive significant investments from the coverage they received in Inc.
To hear more from Tim on topics like “Brat marketing,” why he feels email is dead or his current interest in the splintering of legacy media, listen in to the full episode or read the transcript below.
Timestamps
0:40 – Tim’s Background & Current Role at Inc.
4:55 – “A Day in the Life…”
6:51 – Highlighting the American Entrepreneur
9:41 – Sourcing from the News vs. Pitches
13:03 – How Business/Execs Can Get Features in Inc.
15:23 – Media Trends Heading into 2025
19:34 – Process & Profiles for Inc. 5000
26:05 – Recent Book Reviews
31:23 – Future-Proofing the Media
Want more from Inside the Media Minds? Find all of our past episodes here!
Transcript
Christine Blake (CB): Welcome to Inside the Media Minds. This is your host, Christine Blake. This show features in-depth interviews with tech reporters who share everything from their biggest pet peeves to their favorite stories, from our studio at W2 Communications, let’s go Inside the Media Minds.
Hi everyone. Welcome to Inside the Media Minds. This is your co-host, Christine Blake and Madison Farabaugh. We are so excited to have Tim Crino, Senior Editor at Inc, joining us today for our first podcast of the year of 2025. Tim covers a variety of topics for Inc. Magazine, including cybersecurity and data privacy. He’s worn a lot of different hats at Inc. and done a lot of different types of things at Inc. that we’re excited to dive into a little bit more today. So Tim, to start off, can you give us a quick overview of your background and how you got to Inc. and what your role is today?
Tim Crino (TC): Sure, yeah, thanks for having me. So my background, I’ve been in the industry for like, about 10 years. I went to school for journalism, shout out Saint Bonaventure, and like, right out of college, starting in college, I started working at a local like newspaper. And so I did, you know, like the school board beat and some feature stories and stuff for them for a couple years, and then I transitioned. I moved after graduation, moved down to New York, worked some temp stuff in the publishing industry. And then did, like, a year in film and TV PR at Rubenstein. And then in like 2017, Trump had just gotten elected, I knew I wanted to go back into journalism, and a role opened up at Inc., and so I became the assistant managing editor (AME) over there. Worked in that capacity for several years and then moved into more strictly editorial work. The AME position is is like a blend of like operations and editorial.
But, yeah, so for the past, like, I don’t know, six years or so, I’ve been doing, I’ve been an editor on a variety of topics, like you said. I’ve covered cybersecurity and data privacy. I ran our sales and marketing vertical for the last year or so, and now I’m, I’ve transitioned out of that, and I’m rebuilding our innovation vertical. And basically innovation for Inc. is about, like, how are businesses solving big problems. So like, you know, climate change is a big problem, I’m told, and you know, there’s, there’s businesses out there, like, kind of tackling that market, building that industry out, so we’re covering them, or getting into, like, innovative uses of, of, like, it’s kind of like natural things that occur in nature that can be used for, for solving problems. Like, there’s certain times types of like mushrooms and fungus that can, like, break down plastic, for example. So that’s a story we’re pursuing. There’s, you know, first, I’ve been getting a lot of pitches about kelp recently.
CB: Really? Interesting.
TC: Yeah, apparently kelp is, like, a is, like, quite a versatile and sustainable organism. So, like, it can be used for, like bio stimulants, and I think like textile weaving. So I’ll like, I’ll let you know when I see the draft. But,
CB: Kelp PR is really booming in 2025.
TC: Kelp PR. Get into kelp PR, everyone. So, yeah, I’ve bounced around a lot. I’ve not bounced around a lot Inc., but I’ve kind of been, like, sort of, I kind of call myself, like, the pitch pinch hitter editor where, like, I kind of go where I’m needed. So I’ve done a lot of different things. I’ve worked on our video team for a while, kind of rebuilding some series and some editorial objectives there. And I’ve, yeah, I don’t know. I’m kind of bouncing around a little bit. Do you want to,
CB: No, that’s great, and you do, do you oversee the book reviews as well? Is that part of your role? We read that.
TC: It has been, I do. I don’t. It’s like, I do it from time to time. Basically, if there’s a really good book, yeah.
Madison Farabaugh (MF): Well, that’s awesome. Thanks so much for all of that background and just a little preview into what you’ve been doing at Inc. lately. So, if we could dive a little deeper into what your day to day looks like. So, with as the pinch hitting editor, how do you, how do you balance all of those responsibilities, like, what does your day to day at Inc. usually look like, between all of those things?
TC: Yeah, I think what’s, I think what’s kind of nice is I’m like now more just shifting into just focusing on, like, innovation. But I think, I think during the periods where I am sort of doing a lot of different things, you know, we, like, start each day with an editor meeting where we kind of just talk about, like, what’s what’s going on, like, what’s everyone working on, what’s going up today. So, that’s kind of like the start of, kind of the start of the business day.
But then before that, I’m up, you know, like reading, reading the news, talking to any writers that I am working with at the moment about, you know, what they’re working on, what they’re setting their priorities for the day. Then I bring that to the news meeting, and then from there, it’s kind of like every day is different. You know, some days I need to edit like, three or four drafts, and I just do that all day. Some days I need to, like, focus on one and, like, really work with a writer, like one to one through something. Some days it’s just like a lot of prospecting, like answering emails from freelancers, assigning stories, you know, getting things in Airtable. We use Airtable for our to organize our operations. And, yeah, it’s, it’s a lot of just like, whatever needs to be done that day is done.
CB: Yeah, no, it sounds, sounds interesting, and every day is a little bit different, which is always fun.
TC: Yeah, exactly
CB: Yeah. And obviously Inc., covers a lot of different topics like you said, innovation, mainstream business, entrepreneurship. You know, as you kind of dove into the Inc. world several years ago. What, how did you ensure that all of the stories take that approach and take that mainstream business innovation lens?
TC: That’s a good, that’s a good question. So, like, well, like you said, Inc. is a very specific angle. Like, it’s, it’s, our goal is to be of service to the American entrepreneur. So everything, like, I’m a big fan of using rubrics and like templates for sort of sorting. Like, basically think of them as like, like buckets for for unsorted data. So like, if a story comes in, or if a pitch comes in and or something happens in the news, for example, like, you know Jimmy, when Jimmy Carter died, we had an obituary ready to go. But if it had been like a normal day and like Jimmy Carter died, we would probably have spent some time trying to figure out, like, okay, which, which bucket does this go into? Like, how is this an Inc. story and the guiding light really is like, is is there an actionable takeaway? Like, is this informing inspiring, or, you know, in some way helpful to our readers, and specifically to, you know, small business owners, or small, medium sized business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs.
So, yeah, I mean rubrics. Rubrics, I think, is the answer is, like that that’s how you kind of, you know, take what doesn’t necessarily look like an Inc. story and, like, find the specific parts of it to pull out that are. So it’s like, I think our headline on the obit, for example, is like, Jimmy Carter, like, president and peanut farmer, because it’s like, oh yeah, he’s also a business owner. Like, what was, what was that like? What was his legacy? You know, what did, what did he do for small businesses while he was in office? So it’s, it’s, it’s actually like, like, the rubrics are like, kind of overcome. That might be over complicating your the answer a little bit. The answer is, really, like, the guiding light is, is this, is this useful to our reader? And I think that’s pretty standard across any publication.
CB: No, I like that. I think that makes a lot of sense. And then as you know you’re, as people, I’m sure are pitching you, you’d like them to think that too. Like, how would this help Inc., get across to its key audience?
TC: Yeah, exactly. Like, what’s, what is, why is this need to be said now to this audience?
MF: Yeah, that makes sense. And when you’re kind of deciding between, you know, pursuing some of these PR pitches that you’re getting, I’m assuming there’s millions between that and then between when you’re monitoring the news cycle, how do you kind of balance which ones you pull from for your stories? Is there kind of a ratio that you find yourself typically following between stories that are inspired from the news or stories that are inspired from the pitches that you’re getting?
TC: I wouldn’t say there’s, like a calculated ratio. I think it kind of depends on the verdical, like the subject matter. So like, when I was doing sales and marketing, that was more of a news cycle type thing because you’re often commenting, or like deriving, or like extrapolating lessons from some sort of marketing event that’s like happening right now. Like, like, Brat marketing, right something that we followed pretty closely. So that was, that was kind of like watching the news cycle, like, what’s what’s new in Bratland? Like, how do we, like, tell our readers, like, here’s how to inject Brat and do your marketing, and here’s why, here’s here’s why you should, or here’s why you shouldn’t. Or, like, here’s who it’s for.
With innovation, I found we have a morning news team that’s been very helpful in just like, capturing any stuff that’s, like, being announced, like, early in the morning. So like, CES is happening right now. So our news team has been great, and like, grabbing any stories coming out of CES that would be good, you know, that are a fit for innovation. So, like new, new technologies that will, like, again, solve a problem, any kind of like emerging markets or emerging trends, and then I find myself then working on more, like, longer lead stuff. So, like I said, there’s a lot going on in kelp farming.
And, you know, I that, I guess, I guess, to actually answer your question, there is, I would say it’s probably a 50/50 ratio where like, or maybe it’s like 25% news for innovation, and then like 75% like doing more exploratory investigative, like turning over rocks and figuring out, like, okay, what is like, what is coming down the pipeline? What do we need to pay attention to?
Because I don’t, I don’t think like innovative, I don’t think like innovative companies necessarily get the news headlines as much as other companies because they tend to be new, which means they they often can be, like, a little unproven. They might still be in the seed stage, or even just not even there yet. But the idea is to kind of build sort of a blueprint for entrepreneurs that do want to use their position to, like, change the world, slash, kind of almost like a weather report for, like, what to be aware of, you know, what’s, like there’s, there’s always something new in battery technology. But, like, what are the downstream effects of that? For an entrepreneur working in, say, logistics, you know, like, will, do you need to invest in this new kind of battery technology for your trucks to make them more efficient? Or, you know, will there be a shortage because we’re switching to this type of, like Lithium ion battery versus this kind, and so, you know, your cost might go up. So, it’s a lot of kind of, just like trying to see around the corner a bit and trying to build out more in-depth storytelling.
CB: Yeah, that’s a fun, fun challenge, for sure. And I know, like many vendors and execs I’m sure would love to be featured in Inc. What advice would you have for companies trying to cut through the noise and be included in something that you’re writing?
TC: I mean, if you pay me, like, $1,000. No, just kidding.
CB: You heard it here first.
TC: Yeah, no, please. No pay for play. I think, like being like, follow the proper channels to get the attention. You know what I mean? Like, emails dead. You heard that here first, but
CB: Email’s dead everyone.
TC: Yeah, and I think, like, if you have a really good story, you should be able to boil that idea down into a paragraph that will fit in, like a LinkedIn DM, like something just to, like, tell me exactly what it is you’re doing, why it’s important, and like, if there’s a story here, and you should be able to do that in like, a few sentences.
CB: So, email’s dead, and LinkedIn DMS are alive.
TC: Absolutely, that makes sense. I don’t want to, like, say that, because everybody’s gonna like, rush LinkedIn and be like, why is Tim not answering my DM? I mean, like, anytime everyone’s, like, rushing to one channel, like, it’s just, it’s gonna get flooded, and you’re, you’re gonna, like decrease in response time.
But I guess what I’m saying is, like, be, be creative and be, like, thoughtful and strategic about how you’re trying to get a hold of people. I mean, if you’re a CEO or an executive, there’s a pretty good chance you have, like, a Comms team, or you’re working with PR folks, and I’m the sort of editor who I’m, you know, like, I like working with PR folks. I think a lot of smart journalists like working with PR folks because you can kind of cut through the noise for us. And like, if you’re developing, or, you know, if you’re, if you’re a PR person, like, develop relationships with with media professionals because it’s really one of the best ways to actually, like, get someone’s attention and, like, get that story told on behalf of clients.
MF: Yeah. So between, you know, kelp PR, email is dead, all of these great trends that we’re learning about today, are there any trends, you know, just based on, you know, broader, broader speaking, that you’ve been observing in the industry over the last few months that have really stood out to you and or are there trends that you’re looking to cover in the next, you know, six months?
TC: Well, I guess, like, speaking about the media industry specifically, I don’t think any of us know what’s gonna happen. I mean, I think what I’ve been paying attention to is what I would call like the, like, the splintering of legacy media. And by that I mean, like, the profit model doesn’t really work, or like, it’s not working. It’s definitely in transition. Ad, ad dollars are not as plentiful as they used to be. And it’s, it was a particularly tough year in 2024 going into 2025. I think we’ve seen perhaps ad spending will increase again.
But I don’t think like advertising is actually, I mean, I speak on behalf of myself here, not my employer, but I think ad revenue is kind of a weird model for for a media business because it can, it can interfere with objectivity. I think in the, in good shops it doesn’t, but it’s still, it’s still kind of tough to, like, tell the stories that need to be told if you’re thinking about like, you know, like, Discover card, for example, pretty sure they’re not an Inc. sponsor. I have a Discover card. This is just an example. But, like, if I’m writing a story about just this, the acquisition by of Discover by, like, Capital One, and I, and I and Discover’s, like my client, is like a sponsor of ours. Like, can I actually be like, objective? Yes, in many cases, but I just think it creates, like, more murkiness there, and I don’t like it.
So, like, one of the things I’ve been paying attention is the rise of, like, nonprofit newsrooms and independent journalists. And I think, like, substack is really something to pay attention to. I like that they had seemed to have figured out, like a paywall that you can’t break. And so that’s really interesting. I’m keeping an eye on that, and I’m hoping that, like ultimately it becomes a virtuous, virtuous cycle. And like independent media and nonprofit media can, kind of, like reinvigorate legacy media, and maybe we can move forward with kind of more of a hybrid model. I don’t know. I think there’s a lot of different ways to go out there, but I think overall, the headline is like the profit structure is shifting and we need, or the the, yeah, the the revenue structure is shifting, and that’s like, something to pay attention to. The other big one is, like, AI, honestly.
CB: I was just gonna ask about that. Yeah.
TC: Yeah. I mean, how can you not, like, have that conversation in 2025. But like, I’ve been noticing recently that Chat GPT, for example, will like, return result. It’ll give you an answer, and then it will cite certain news publications and, like, actually give you the link to the article. So I think that’s potentially, I don’t, I haven’t investigated, like, the math around that yet, so don’t quote me, but I do think that’s an interesting potential way for media to get more ad dollars and also to kind of like, fix what’s broken about like search and SEO, or at least circumnavigate what’s broken about it. So yeah, nonprofit media, changing profit structure, AI as search, I think, yeah, interesting. And then there’s one more thing I can’t remember. It slipped my mind, but I’ll let you know if I think of it.
CB: Yeah definitely. We also noticed that you’ve done a good amount of work covering the Inc. 5000 I know that that just opened, like this week even. How do you approach that as an organization? And what is one of the more interesting profiles that you’ve done personally?
TC: Um, I did a pretty interesting one actually this past summer on Aaron Frost, who, and the name of the company is escaping me right now, but he basically is, he founded this company that supports, I’m actually just going to google it, HeroDevs. Sorry, the name of his company is HeroDevs. So basically they, um, support open-source software that’s been discontinued. Um, so there’s a lot of company, like, a a large amount of like, Fortune 500 companies, world governments like, use particular like, software that is aging, but it’s so widespread in their systems. Like, it’s like, it’s like, almost like the brick at the bottom of the Lego tower kind of thing, where it’s like supporting so many other things, but it’s aged to that, like, it’s 10 years old. So, it’s aged to the point that it’s like, Google, you know, can’t support it anymore. So Aaron built a company, basically, that steps in and, like, supports those, those unsupported, those like legacy software. Yeah, legacy software. So, that was pretty interesting.
I think, like you were also sort of just asking about, more broadly, about the Inc. 5000. For like, Inc.5000?
CB: Yeah. How does Inc. really approach, approach that whole process? Yeah.
TC: Yeah, it’s a very like intense process. It’s like people, companies who are at least three years old, are eligible to apply. They send in with their application their tax returns, like from the IRS, so we can verify their revenue because that whole list is based on purely off of revenue growth. So, we get a list of, like, I don’t know it’s, it’s more than 5000 that we call down from, but we get everyone in who’s, like, eligible, just from, like, a math perspective. And then our, our data, sorry, not our data team, our research team., so our like, our fact checkers will go in and basically vet every single company that ends up on the list. So they’ll look for everything from like, was the CEO arrested for drunk driving to like, do you have any Better Business Bureau complaints? Like, are there any like, we look through court filings, basically like, as much data that we can possibly get our hands on to make sure that this is like, not just a legit company, but that it’s like, run by like, people who aren’t, you know, murders or like that so, and then obviously it’s like, we do 5000, so it’s just the top 5000 by revenue growth, who have also been like, vetted.
And then the top 500 get a call from a reporter or an editor to basically do our due diligence there, and source, like, kind of like, look for stories, but also just, you know, put a face to a name, kind of like, kick the tires, make sure they are who they say they are, to the degree that we can. And then, yeah, and then we spend about, like, a month or so, like, quickly putting all those stories together, getting them, you know, getting the print magazine put together, planning out our digital launch. Yeah, it’s a, it’s a long, it’s a, it really takes up a lot of summer, but
CB: Sounds like it.
TC: It can be a lot of fun. Honestly, like I’ve discovered some really cool companies just in the process that have gone on to do really cool things. So I think it’s like, it’s a privilege, in some ways, to be able to, kind of, like, get to discover and, like, talk to these companies and like, elevate, you know, the ones that are, like, doing really cool stuff.
CB: Yeah. Yeah, that’s super cool. You’re at the forefront of discovering these companies and talking to them, and then, you know, getting, getting to talk to them. So that’s awesome.
TC: Yeah, it’s awesome. It’s like, Inc., Inc. has a long history of, like, discovering companies. Like we were the first to put, like, Steve Jobs on a cover. A million years ago, I think we may have been the first to put Bill Gates on, but don’t quote me. But like, Microsoft was an Inc. 5000 company back in the day, I just wrote something on that. So if you want to take a look. Timberland, Yeti, so it’s, it’s, it is, it’s cool. It’s cool to be able to, kind of like be at the at the forefront of the discovery process.
MF: I’m sure that’s also very cool, just to look back over the years and see who all you’ve interviewed and kind of where they’re at now versus when you might have first interviewed them or written a story. So that’s very cool.
TC: It is. It’s super cool, just even, like, on a human level, like, that’s one of the things that I love about being a journalist, is like, you’re just telling someone’s story, but that can have, like, huge impacts on their life, you know, positive and negative. I mean, hopefully I haven’t negatively impacted anyone’s life. But I know I have, I have positively, like, we’ve done stories before where, like, someone’s just, like, struggling to make it. Um, and we did a story, and then next thing you know, because of that story, they were able to get the investment they needed from, like, Y Combinator, like, yeah, and it, like, launched their company. So, it’s a it’s a privilege. It’s not when I take lightly and I hope, yeah.
MF: Yeah. I think that’s something that can be kind of overlooked in the day-to-day of our jobs, but yeah, at the end of the day things like that, like that is the power of storytelling. So, that’s very cool. Thank you for sharing.
TC: Yeah.
MF: And I think that covers most of our, you know, general questions about Inc. and your role at Inc. So, we also had some listener questions we wanted to ask you that kind of just ask more about you personally, some of your you know, goals, interests, things like that. So, our first one is that, as someone who has overseen multiple book reviews, do you have a top three favorite books that could be, you know, what you’ve done for Inc., or maybe that’s in your own time, if you’re an avid reader in your personal life?
TC: That’s a tough, that’s a tough question. I just did one with Cody Sanchez. I don’t know if you know of her, but she’s, she’s big right now, I think in like, the entrepreneurial space on social media. Her whole thing is like, like, the boring like buying boring businesses, so like laundromats and car washes, like things that people tend to overlook, but are are deeply critical to, like, our day to day lives and infrastructure like, you can’t function as a society without a laundromat, like, at least not, not New York, you know what I mean? Like, not everyone has a washing machine. And they tend to be, because they’re overlooked, and, like, they tend to need a little bit of, like, basically, they could benefit from a little bit of, like, investment and updating and, in turn, like regurgitate, like, huge profits. So, I really enjoyed what she had to say about that, and we put that article up. That is what comes to mind most recently.
I also really enjoyed, this is a while back, but, and I forget the name of the book. It was a couple years ago, but the he was the founder of Brooks Running, or he was the CEO of Brooks Running. He wrote a book about how he, like, turned the company around. And I thought he did a great job of, like, surfacing, like, really actionable insights. Like he like the details he mentioned were, like, we did this because of this, and then this happened. So like, I think anytime you can like, like a book can actually like, or or anything like a book or a story can can provide you actual insight into how something works that you could then maybe turn around and apply in some way to your own business or your own life, like those are always my favorites.
I’m also, just like personally, speaking, an avid reader of like science fiction. Looking for a book on kelp, if anyone wants to pitch that. But so I’m trying to finish the last book of The Expanse series, which is like, quite long I started during the pandemic. They’re like, they’re very big books, but easy to get through when you’re in the mood. And I just have not been in the mood to finish this last one because it is a little like, A) it’s the last one, so I think I’m kind of just like holding on to it because I’m sad that it’s over, but also it’s just kind of like it gets a little dark, honestly, and I just have not been in the mood for like, dark things.
So the, is, as a palette cleanser right now I’m reading The Psalm of the Wild-Built. Let me make sure I got that title right, because I took the jacket off. But it’s basically like, yeah, Psalm of the Wild-Built or Psalm for the Wild-Built. Sorry, I picked it up at my local bookstore on Windsor Terrace. Please support Windsor Terrace Books. And it’s basically like, far future fiction where AI has, like, already become like, super intelligent. And then like robots, we basically like, made robots do everything right as humans. And then they kind of just decided, like, actually, we don’t want to, you guys kind of need to get back to the earth. And so like the robots just kind of like, like, effed off, like, went into the like, just disappeared. Essentially, I’m still getting into it, so I don’t know everything that happened, but it’s, like, super interesting. So, like, humans kind of like, return to a more humanistic way of living.
And the reason I’m really fascinated by it right now is because I it’s what I kind of hope will happen on some scale over the next couple years with AI. Like, right now, because I think everyone sees AI as, like, either a threat, like, it’s going to take all our jobs. It’s going to like, you know, make movies, and we’re not going to have like, writers and creatives anymore. And it’s, I don’t know it’s going to, some people even think it could replace CEOs, but I think that, I hope that, basic economics play out, which is that if AI makes everything like cheap, like, like, if, if things become cheaper and easier to make and do, then hopefully it will increase the value of human-made things. Because if anyone can get, like, an AI-made movie script, then what becomes valuable, right? Like the human-made AI script, hopefully. I mean, I don’t know, but I could see that playing out. And so I’m, that’s why this book is, like, really interesting to me right now.
CB: That is interesting, definitely. I think we have one more listener question, then we’ll let you go. I feel like we could keep talking all day.
TC: I’m having fun.
CB: Last one is, what should we, as PR people, be doing or thinking about differently, besides not emailing all the time?
TC: What’d you say?
CB: Besides not emailing all the time, right?
TC: Oh, I mean, yeah. I mean, like, I said, like, building, building relationships, is definitely something to do. But I think, like, hopefully PR people are doing that anyway. I’ve, I’ve thought that, like, I’ve, there’s, I’ve seen more and more PR people putting on, like, sort of like mixers, or like dinner, like small, sort of like roundtables with like other members of the media, slash, you know, their clients or people in business. And it’s just sort of like a non, it’s just like a good way of, kind of, like, getting to know, for like, the journalists, like, a good way of, like, getting to know, like, what’s happening on the ground, talking to people doing it like, for us, right? Like, I, you know, if I’m having dinner with three or four CEOs, that’s a great way to, like, get a sense of, like, what’s what’s really happening in business right now, not just, not just what you’re trying to portray to me in an interview when there’s, like, you know, cameras rolling, basically, right? But like, like, genuinely, like, what’s going on, you know? So I think, you know, I don’t know if I would advise, like, go out and do that, but I do think, like, people are craving, people crave events. People crave in person, stuff. People crave, like, a humanistic connection. So, whatever, whatever way you can build relationships and build more like human to human interaction, I think is a good thing to do.
I would say like, if there’s anything that you’re not doing, that you should be doing, I don’t know. Think about how to future-proof your business. Think about how to future-proof our business, the media business. Like, you know what happens in the next couple years if, like AI, becomes more prevalent, if it starts writing things? What does that mean for PR? I don’t know. I don’t have an answer. I, but I think everyone should start thinking about it.
CB: Yeah, no that’s great insight.
MF: Yeah, that’s an interesting perspective on kind of future-proofing the media because I know that relates to all of our jobs here.
TC: It’s a big industry and like, what happens to society when they’re if, if, if something happens to media, you know. So.
MF: That’s very true.
TC: That’s the other thing, the other trend that I was, meant to bring up, which is, I don’t, I think it’s, this is a cyclical thing that happens where brands kind of, like, build their own newsrooms, or, like, build their own news. Like, like, so Robinhood, for example. Um, I think it’s called Sherwood News that they um, buill, yeah, Sherwood News. Um, so, like, brands are building their own newsrooms. They’re, like, purporting to, like, you know, like they’re hiring, hiring journalists and and, like, writing stories. But, I think, I saw a comment on on LinkedIn that was something along the lines of, like, but like, who watches the watchers? Which I, which I took to mean, like, if, if brands are, if a brand is just saying, like, “Oh, yeah. Like, we built our own newsroom, and this is, this is like, what’s happening.” It’s like, who’s verifying that? Like, who’s verifying that Robinhood is not just, like, basically creating propaganda or, like, fake news.
So again, like it’s happening, like more and more brands are doing it. But I think this is also something that’s happened before, cyclically, where like brands are like, we need our we need content, we need our own content farms. And then it, like dies down again, and then it picks up again. And I think, I think like ethics questions aside, it is an interesting, interesting thing to look at over the next year.
MF: Yeah, and we appreciate hearing your perspective on all of that too. So thank you for sharing and just thank you for taking the time to be on our podcast today, Tim.
TC: I mean, thanks for letting me just run my mouth for,
CB: No, it was great to hear from you. We learned a lot.
MF: Yeah.
TC: Yeah. What about you guys? How are you feeling about the future?
MF: Hopeful? I try to stay hopeful. There’s a lot going on, though, every day is different. So some days it’s looking great, and other days looks like we need to future-proof a little bit more.
TC: Yeah, well, stay stay vigilant, I guess, right?
MF: Yeah, stay vigilant. That’s a great way to wrap up today. Thank you again, Tim for your time, and thank you to all of our listeners at Inside the Media Minds. We will catch you next time.
TC: Catch you next time. Thanks, guys.
CB: Thank you for joining us in today’s episode of Inside the Media Minds. To learn more about our podcast and hear all of our episodes, please visit us at w2comm.com/podcast, and follow us on Twitter @MediaMindsShow, and you can subscribe anywhere podcasts are found.