S7:E6 Getting Ahead of Crisis with Anne Marie Aikins (she/her)
As the trusted spokesperson and industry leader you want during the good times and the really, really bad times, Anne Marie Aikins (she/her) joins The Pivot on this week’s episode. Leaning into her dedication for public service, we dive into her community engagement experiences and how to proactively foster thought-provoking goodwill, and partnership. We also weave through the do’s and don'ts of solid issues management and crisis communication, when to deploy an area expert versus a spokesperson and much more.
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Guest Bio
A trusted spokesperson and seasoned media industry leader, former Chief Spokesperson of Metrolinx, Anne Marie Aikins (she/her), brings more than two decades of experience in award-winning media relations and complex crisis communications. A published author, former journalist and creative storyteller, Anne Marie is also known for her great sense of humour, dedication to public service, and unlimited energy.
Follow Anne Marie on:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-marie-aikins-07809218/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMAwithAMA
S7:E5 Writing the Book on AI with Mohit Rajhans
Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be at the epicentre of many conversations. Even now, we see it changing how people work, and disruption often comes with questions. For instance - what could be the unintended consequences of AI? How can we effectively coalesce and harness real knowledge in our teams and organisations while leveraging intelligent evolving tools? What about untapped information, lessons and space, which still have yet to come down the pipeline?
Dive into Ken and Mohit’s thought-provoking conversation as they dissect all of this and much more, through an added lens of the good, the bad and the ugly.
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Guest Bio
Mohit Rajhans is a media professional with over 20 years of experience. His mix of corporate and media experience has led to success as a media consultant, helping companies, students, and associations prepare for the digital world accelerating around us.
Mohit is also a nationally syndicated columnist for CBC on technology and media, an avid film culture enthusiast, and also runs Dadspotting.com for the parenting market.
With his recent Amazon #1 book, "Rethinking Your Content," Mohit has spent the last two years appearing on TV and radio stations across North America, as well as podcasts from all over the world.
He's been recognized as a trailblazer by the ReelWorld Festival, is on the jury for the iEmmys, and has collaborated with The Walrus to release the podcast The Future of the Internet in 2022.
You can read his blog and see his latest media appearances at ThinkStart.ca or Google Mohit Rajhans for more places to connect.
S7:E4 Diving Deep into Media with Brett Chang
S7:E4 Diving Deep into Media with Brett Chang
Intentional media consumption and being informed are more relevant than ever as the landscape continues to evolve. But why? What does being informed truly mean in 2023 and beyond? What makes one type of media appear more ubiquitous than another? How can paid social be leveraged when building an online community? And where does legacy media fit in this space?
This week, we are joined by Co-Founder of The Peak and Host of the Peak Daily, Brett Chang to answer all of these questions, and much more. We also discuss Brett’s non-linear journey into the world of media and his passion and approaches for sustaining The Peak Daily and The Peak, Canada’s most daily read newsletter.
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Guest Bios
Brett Chang is CEO and Co-Founder of The Peak. The Peak helps Canada's modern business leaders get smarter and stay informed with news and content that's fast, entertaining, and digestible. Across newsletters, podcasts, events, and social media, The Peak reaches a daily audience of over 110,000 modern Canadian business and public policy leaders.
Greatest Hits: Exploring the mindset of younger generations with Sabaa Quao
The Pivot Greatest Hits: Exploring the Mindset of Younger Generations with Sabaa Quao
The Pivot Greatest Hits: As we launch into 2023, we bring to you a past Season 4 conversation with Sabaa Quao, Chief Creative Officer at Cossette and Co-Founder at Wealthie Works Daily. Tune in for relevant insights on the shifting consumer mindset, how the digitization of money presents risks to younger generations, and the need for persistent and consistent financial literacy.
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If we look to generation Z, and even generation alpha, there is some hope. Generation Z are confident creators and less burdened with self-conscious expression, but for this potential to blossom, they need the financial independence and liberty to truly unleash their creativity, business savviness and activism.
**The Pivot with Ken Evans will return in February 2023 with continued marketing-focused content. We are excited to be exploring new topics and developments with industry leaders. Wishing you and your families a Happy New Year!**
Episode originally aired October 2020.
S7:E3 Exploring Inclusive Cultures with Dr. Sofia B. Pertuz and Therese O’Higgins
Inclusive cultures are evolving and more and more organisations are taking note. But, what does it really mean to foster equal and equitable opportunity? Why are listening, soul-searching and actionable leadership so important in marketing and messaging?
This week, we are joined by key leaders from the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, Dr. Sofia B. Pertuz and Therese O’Higgins to dive into these topics. We also chat about the importance of trailblazers like Billie Jean King and specific steps organizations can take to address real issues, both internal and systemic, as we strive to create greater equitable opportunities, access, representation and inclusive cultures across the board.
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Guest Bios
Therese O’Higgins is a founding partner and the Executive Director of The Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, a Foundation founded in partnership with sports and social justice champion Billie Jean King to foster more equity and inclusion in the workplace. Using operational knowledge and prior consulting experience, Therese has also built a service line of Billie Jean King Enterprises that delivers consulting, counsel and strategic advisory on diversity, equity and inclusion to a number of clients across corporate and sporting entities.
Dr. Sofia B. Pertuz is a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professional and ICF certified executive coach with over 25 years of experience serving higher education, nonprofit and corporate organizations. has been an invited speaker for international audiences on topics in leadership, social justice, mental health, Latinx/Hispanic identity and LGBTQ+ advocacy, delivering keynotes in both English and Spanish. Prior to joining the Billie Jean King Leadership team, Sofia served as the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for young people. Sofia is also the Founder and Lead DEI Strategist for Mainstream Insight, LLC, consulting and providing training and workshops for organization aiming to achieve inclusive excellence.
S7:E2 Behind the Pixel of Digital Out-of-Home Advertising with Scott Mitchell and Debbie Benadiba
The ad-spend pie is evolving and digital is now capturing a large portion of marketing dollars. This week we’re joined by Vistar Managing Director, Scott Mitchell and NOVUS Media President, Debbie Benadiba, to talk about how they are moving the needle with digital out-of-home. From data to measurement to automation, we take a closer look at the evolution of these key pillars in out-of-home and discuss the steps marketers are taking as they leverage technology to generate omnichannel approaches that resonate with audiences.
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Guest Bios
Scott Mitchell is Managing Director for Canada at Vistar Media, the leading global provider of programmatic and software solutions for digital out-of-home. Since joining Vistar in 2017, Scott has launched the Canadian office and grown operations to a fully staffed team with strategic partnerships across the entire programmatic landscape. Prior to joining Vistar, Scott held positions at TubeMogul (now Adobe) opening Canadian operations and working with agencies, as well as in the Enterprise (SaaS) business working with brands directly. Scott also worked at Yahoo! Canada leading the CPG vertical.
Debbie Drutz is the President of Novus Canada, North America’s premiere Print and OOH Specialist agency. Novus leverages media services, geo-spatial planning and analytic capabilities to provide comprehensive media strategy programs to allow brands to reach their audiences where they are. Bringing over 22 years of extensive knowledge in the industry, Debbie joined Novus to shape the strategy and vision of the company, and to lend her expertise to driving growth for Novus and its partners.
S7:E1 True Sports Development with Matt Young and Paul Beirne
With Canadian sport continuing to be at the forefront of many recent headlines, some key questions are arising. How can we raise the standard in sports development to ensure the right balance between fun and competitiveness? How do we integrate EDI forward? And what does it—really—mean to foster community? How do we create greater accountability to ensure the betterment of our partners, team members, support systems and developmental pipeline?
Find out in our first episode of season 7, where Ken is joined by Matt Young and Paul Beirne to open the curtains on true sports development, what it means and how we can leverage it in 2022 and beyond.
Whether you’re heading an organization or looking for brilliant, salient ways to foster community in your every day sport, amateur and professional, you will want to tune in!
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Guest Bios
Matt Young is globally recognized as THE expert in turning Long-Term Athlete Development Framework theory into strategy that works for organizations ranging from grassroots to professional & Olympic levels of sport. Matt’s ability to distill complex constructs into bite-sized pieces that can be understood has made him a sought-after business consultant. Young is also a Guinness World record holder with $6,000,000.00+ raised for charity to date.
Paul Beirne is one of Canada’s leading soccer executives and one of the people who brought the Canadian Premier League to life. As a serial sports start-up and turnaround specialist he has been part of many tremendous sporting successes: Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and the Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club.
FOLLOW
Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-young-3a133310/
Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-beirne/
Ken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-evans-1484082/
Teaser: Introducing Season 7 of The Pivot with Ken Evans
#ThePivot with Ken Evans IS BACK and better than ever! Tune in now for a tip-top teaser of what you can expect in our seventh season, including a sneak peek at Episode 1: True Sports Development, with Matt Young, Partner, FSQ Sport, and Paul Beirne, Managing Director, Pacific Football Club.
In the coming months, expect salient content and industry insight from key senior marketing experts around a number of provocative topics. We will look at how marketing continues to evolve in the modern world!
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ABOUT KEN
Ken Evans is the Host of The Pivot and a 23-year senior corporate communications strategist and communications trainer to some of the globe’s top brands.
When not devouring news from the world politics and global business to the intrigues of celebrity chefs, Ken acts as the in-house communications and media trainer, as well as the agency’s corporate lead. Ken has worked with a diverse range of communicators — from Canada’s top corporate executives to TV and film artists.
Roku: The Next Frontier of Advertising
Have you found yourself streaming content more in the past few years? Since the start of the pandemic, Canadians have been leaning into streaming and away from traditional cable. On our TVs, our laptops, and even on our phones, we can stream almost anything anywhere.
But what does streaming have to do with marketing? Today, as marketers continue to find ways to reach audiences where they are, how do we tap into moments where many are already paying attention? Streaming platforms like Roku are now offering new ways for advertisers to reach audiences, and as marketers it’s time for us to lean into this opportunity.
In this episode Ken is joined by two experts from Roku, an APEX PR client, to discuss the state of streaming in Canada, including the rapid decline of traditional linear TV, and the streaming opportunities that are available to advertisers, marketers, publishers, and content producers.
Listen in and hear from Mary-Anne Taylor, Head of Content Distribution – Canada, Roku Inc. and Christina Summers, Regional Sales Manager, Roku Canada.
Since recording this episode, Roku is now the #1 Streaming Platform in Canada and has well over 100 FAST channels in TRC.
Guest Bio:
Mary-Anne Taylor, Head of Content Distribution – Canada, Roku Inc.
A seasoned entertainment executive with 20+ years of industry experience, Mary-Anne’s work has spanned broadcast, subscription, video on demand, and OTT platforms. She began her career as a production technician and project manager. Her passion for broadening Canadian content then led her to content acquisitions for Shaw Direct, chairing cross-functional teams responsible for launching channels at Rogers Cable, leading Affiliate sales for TELETOON and Cartoon Network, and most recently as Director of Content Distribution Canada for Sony Pictures Entertainment. Mary-Anne has received scholarships to the Media Executive Management Program at Harvard Business School and Schulich School of Business and holds a degree in Radio & Television Broadcasting from Algonquin College, and a Theatre Arts degree from Sheridan College.
Christina Summers, Regional Sales Manager, Roku Canada
Christina helps drive successful strategies and measurable results for brand campaigns and content partners on the Roku platform. An accomplished and results-driven sales leader within Canada’s digital advertising industry, Christina has a successful track record of building relationships, designing winning sales strategies and driving teams to reach challenging revenue goals in highly competitive markets. She brings 15+ years of combined technology and telecom industry experience across digital, advertising, and sales. Christina holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Guelph, Canada.
From grass roots movement to social enterprise
Have you ever felt left out of discussions about important issues when you listened to the news? You’re not alone.
Samanta Krishnapilai was finishing a master’s degree in public health and working part time at Starbucks when the pandemic hit; working with the public every day she got the sense that there was no collective understanding of what was happening and what it might mean for different communities. This was the catalyst that drove her to found the On Covid Project, which would later become the On Canada Project.
In this episode of the Pivot, Samanta explains the issues she saw with communications from Canadian leaders throughout the Covid 19 pandemic – primarily a lack of compassion and accessibility. Armed with a formal education in public health and propelled by the desire to reach those who felt ignored, Samanta grew her project from a grassroots movement to a social enterprise, and a thriving online community with over 130 thousand members.
Together Samanta and The Pivot host Ken Evans explore what it means to truly reach people, and the difference transparency and a sense of connection can make when dealing with sensitive issues.
Guest Bio:
Samanta is a creative problem solver who actively challenges the status quo. She founded The On Canada Project while nearing the completion of a Master's degree in Health Information Science from Western University (London, Ontario) and serves as the executive director and editor-in-chief.
Her passions stem from her lived experience as a first-generation Tamil-Canadian and as someone who intentionally took time to focus on her mental wellbeing in her early 20s which fundamentally changed her perspective of the world. Samanta pairs this with her education in health equity, trauma and violence