Under Embargo Podcast

di Under Embargo Team

Stagione 2

AI-For-Comms: Trading Grunt Work for Real Strategy with AI w/Jessen Gibbs, CEO & Co-Founder at Shadow, Inc and Dalyan Parker , Co-Founder at Shadow, Inc

We burn 40% of our time on research that AI can finish in 10 minutes, and that gap is where strategy dies. Jessen Gibbs, CEO and Co-Founder of Shadow, and Dalyan Parker, Co-Founder, join us to break down how AI-native narrative intelligence replaces the research grind that eats nearly half of every comms professional's working hours. We talk about compounding narrative graphs, why metered pricing beats another SaaS subscription, and what happens when narrative cycles compress from 18 months to nine. We cover: - Why 40% of comms work never shows up on a client invoice - How one platform compresses a week of analysis into 10 minutes - What a compounding narrative graph actually builds that static reports cannot - How mid-market agencies multiply force without adding a single headcount - Why metered pricing starting at fifty dollars beats another SaaS subscription Key Moments: 00:02:11 Track Daily Narrative Shifts in Real Time 00:05:00 Cut Week-Long Analysis Down to 10 Minutes 00:08:16 Build Your Thesis on Film School Origins 00:11:19 Multiply Force Without Adding Headcount 00:15:00 Turn Compounding Graphs Into Your Moat 00:18:26 Replace Morning News Tab Grinding Forever 00:22:00 Shrink Narrative Cycles to Nine Months 00:25:05 Send Relevant Pitches, Skip AI Spam 00:28:30 Navigate the Early SEO Era Smart 00:31:00 Fight SaaS Fatigue and Holding Companies 00:36:14 Start Small at Fifty Bucks Monthly 00:47:42 Pick: Lose Pinky or Six Month Hiccups

S2 · E12

10 giu 2026

52:32

Build the Infrastructure Now: How to Win LLM Visibility with Sarah Evans

Sarah Evans joins the show to break down how communicators and CMOs can earn real visibility inside LLMs—not by chasing dashboards, but by building machine-readable authority through owned media and what her team calls "AI notices." The conversation covers the shift from keywords to prompt clusters, why owned content outranks earned media as a primary LLM source, the 28-day recency cycle that keeps citations alive, and why human writers remain the non-negotiable layer in an AI-optimized content system. Evans also gets into the operational reality of scaling beyond a founder-led agency, the limitations of current measurement tools, and what CMOs need to understand about a landscape where no one can see actual user prompts—but you can still prove impact.

S2 · E11

27 mag 2026

51:23

You Are Not Running a Daycare: Meg Scheding on Treating Professionals Like Adults and Pricing Like It Matters w/ Meg Scheding

Meg Scheding joins the show to break down what it actually takes to build a fractional consulting practice—and why most people who say they want out of corporate life end up crawling back. We cover the psychology of corporate domestication, why the ability to sell is the single gate to independent work, how to structure engagements around outcomes instead of hours, the human moat that AI still cannot replicate, and why fractional doesn't have to be forever. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

S2 · E10

13 mag 2026

47:10

Nobody Builds Tools for Us: Michelle Masek on Why Comms Deserved Its Own AI Platform w/ Michelle Masek, Founder & CEO at Honeyjar

AI is coming for the mechanics of comms—media lists, briefing docs, visibility calendars—but it cannot replace strategy, judgment, or relationships. Michelle Masek, founder and CEO of Honeyjar, built an AI-powered operating system specifically for comms teams after watching the industry get ignored by tech for years. We cover how 60% of comms work is automatable mechanics, not the strategic value agencies actually get hired for; why the billable-hour agency model is already dead; what vibe coding unlocked for a comms pro turned founder; the looming junior-talent pipeline crisis as entry-level mechanics work disappears; and how EDU access and "robot wrangling" skills are the bridge for early-career pros. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Just enter the code UNDEREMBARGO at checkout to get your first month free ($0 today, then $250/month after that, with no obligation to continue after the free trial). The code expires May 25. As an Early Access partner, you’ll receive HoneyJar at a locked-in rate of $250 per user/month, guaranteed for a full year (even as pricing increases).

S2 · E9

29 apr 2026

56:04

The R in PR Still Wins: Why Relationship-Led Media Matters More in an AI-Saturated World w/ Joseph Gallo, Director of Communications at PayPal

Joseph Gallo, Director of Communications at PayPal, breaks down how he makes regulated crypto and stable coin products understandable to everyday audiences, navigates multi-stakeholder approval grids that can stretch a single press release across months, and why relationship-driven earned media remains the most durable advantage in an AI-saturated landscape. In this episode, we explore: • Consumerizing stable coins by leading with fees, settlement speed, and access instead of blockchain jargon [09:53] • The real approval workflow behind a global crypto announcement, from legal and government relations to IR and regional teams [14:38] • Why GEO hype without volume, freshness, and format changes is overpromising on earned media's role [34:00] Joseph Gallo is a nine-year PayPal communications veteran who has led comms across B2B, consumer credit, crypto, and ads, and hosts the podcast Comms Confidential. Listen now to discover how to ship clearer messaging in regulated industries without compliance blowups, and why human relationships still outperform automation in media work.

S2 · E8

15 apr 2026

58:10

Your Humanity Is the Strategy: Why AI Averages Everything Out and Communicators Are the Differentiator w/ Keith Berman, Director Internal Comms @ Vertafore

Keith Berman joins the show to talk about why internal comms is fighting its way back to the strategic table—and why that fight matters more now than ever. The conversation covers the global change-management moment created by AI and external chaos, the trust erosion happening when audiences assume everything is machine-generated, and the double standard that lets every other function own its expertise while comms gets redlined by committee. Keith makes the case that communicators already have the skills the C-suite says it wants—strategy, persuasion, narrative, emotional intelligence—and that the path from internal comms to CEO is shorter than most orgs realize. We also get into why LinkedIn still works as a trust-building platform, the human moat against AI-generated sameness, and why the first and last draft of anything that matters has to come from a person.

S2 · E7

1 apr 2026

51:44

Fragmented Influence: Why PR Now Means Podcasts, Substacks, and Eight Revenue Streams Per Journalist w Brett Farmiloe, Founder at Featured.com

Brett Farlow, founder and CEO of Featured.com and the person who brought Help A Reporter Out back from the dead, breaks down how his team rebuilt trust in journalist-source matching after AI-generated pitches and spam eroded the platform's quality. The conversation covers AI detection as a signal for journalists, the fragmentation of media influence toward creators and newsletters, and why email-based Harrow works precisely because it offers a rare, direct human channel in an overwhelmed landscape. In this episode, we explore: • How Featured.com restored quality and trust after acquiring Harrow, including AI detection and source verification [00:03] • The two camps of journalists on AI-generated pitches and what that means for PR practitioners [00:08] • Why media influence is shifting from outlets to individuals, and what that means for earned media strategy [00:11] • Using AI as a thinking partner, not the pitch author, and the case for human-in-the-loop workflows [00:14] • The 2026 AI disillusionment thesis and how PR teams can do more with smaller teams [00:17] Brett Farlow is the founder and CEO of Featured.com, the company behind the resurrection of Help A Reporter Out. He writes for Inc and Fast Company on AI in the workplace and previously ran a 500-client marketing agency for a decade.

S2 · E6

18 mar 2026

43:57

Meredith in the Media: What Happens When a PR Veteran Flips the Model and Interviews the Journalists w/ Meredith Klein, Head of Consumer & Product Communications at Pinterest

Former Walmart and Pinterest comms leader Meredith Klein joins Perry Hedrick and Becca Chambers to break down how PR professionals can adapt to a fragmented media landscape where Substacks, podcasts, and independent journalists carry real influence. Klein shares how she built "Meredith & The Media" into a 3,500-subscriber resource by interviewing journalists directly, why visual brand consistency drives recognition, and how shareability and findability now matter more than legacy masthead placements. In this episode, we explore: • Why a recognizable personal brand, down to a signature hat, separates you from a sea of sameness [00:02] • How journalists actually source stories through LinkedIn comments, social posts, and independent media [00:29] • The integrated media mix: treating newsletters and podcasts as core channels, not extras [00:15] • What PR professionals need to tell executives who still measure success by Wall Street Journal hits alone [00:20] • Building a distribution flywheel by repurposing even small media appearances across every channel [00:30] Meredith Klein is a 20-year PR veteran, founder of the Meredith in the Media Substack, and a contributor to Inc. Magazine, focused on spotlighting journalists and helping comms professionals navigate the new media ecosystem. Listen now to discover how to modernize your media strategy by pitching with precision, building durable visibility, and meeting your audience where they actually consume content. Check out her Substack "Meredith & The Media" here: https://meredithandthemedia.substack.com/

S2 · E5

4 mar 2026

57:39

Pushing Past Bureaucracy: Fast-Tracking Comms Strategy and AI in Public Affairs w/ Ian Bain, Communications Expert at ianbain.org

Struggling with adapting fast-paced communications strategies to public sector realities? Ian Bain, executive director of strategy and communications, reveals the mindset shifts and tactical approaches that helped bridge his transition from corporate comms to education governance with real community impact. In this episode, we explore: • Building effective communications in government environments and navigating bureaucratic hurdles • Leveraging AI tools in public education and communications while managing ethics and workforce changes • Strengthening agency-media relationships and crisis preparedness for public trust Ian Bain is a leader, storyteller, and communications expert, drawing on decades in corporate, political, and public education roles to inform strategy and mentor teams on ethical, impactful messaging. Listen now to discover how to balance innovation with accountability in your public sector communications work.

S2 · E4

18 feb 2026

47:17

Integrating AI Into PESO: Shattering Silos and Building the Future of Comms Talent w/ Gini Dietrich, Founder and CEO at Spin Sucks

Struggling with integrating AI into your communications strategy? Gini Dietrich, creator of the PESO Model and communications leader, reveals actionable ways to align paid, earned, shared, and owned media workflows with modern AI tools for better results. In this episode, we explore: • How the PESO Model evolved to bridge traditional silos and deliver message consistency [00:00] • Real-world examples of embedding AI for media monitoring and crisis readiness [15:30] • Organizational shifts needed for continuous AI learning and cross-team collaboration [28:45] Gini Dietrich is a globally recognized communications and PR expert, founder of Spin Sucks, and architect of the PESO Model, specializing in integrated strategy and professional development. Listen now to discover how to break down silos and leverage AI for communications that drive measurable impact.

S2 · E3

4 feb 2026

47:31

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