The PRovoke Media Podcast
- Episodes
- 549
- Released
- weekly
- Latest episode
- Nov 11, 2026
About the podcast
Formerly known as the Holmes Report‘s Echo Chamber, the PRovoke podcast brings insight and intelligence from the global PR industry. Featuring interviews, analysis and conversation, the weekly show is hosted by PRovoke Media editors Arun Sudhaman, Maja Pawinska Sims & Paul Holmes.
Episodes 549
PRovoke Podcast: Andrew Bleeker on Lessons to be Learned From the Midterms
Bully Pulpit Andrew Bleeker founder looks at the backlash against incumbents and says that has lessons for corporations who want to avoid political danger. The conversation ranged across what the electorate was …
Show notes
Bully Pulpit Andrew Bleeker founder looks at the backlash against incumbents and says that has lessons for corporations who want to avoid political danger.
The conversation ranged across what the electorate was telling campaigns and companies; how the media landscape has changed; why paid media was largely ineffective; what comes next in terms of state-level action and federal oversight; and what companies need to do next.PRovoke Podcast: Increased Oversight + Affordability = Turbulence Ahead
Tucker Warren, a senior partner at Penta who previously served as communications director for the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, sat down with me to discuss the upcoming US midterms, the chances that …
Show notes
Tucker Warren, a senior partner at Penta who previously served as communications director for the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, sat down with me to discuss the upcoming US midterms, the chances that Democrats will take at least the House, and what an oversight agenda might mean for corporate America.
Young Changemakers: Valiant Freeman in Conversation with Diana Marszalek
Valiant Freeman discusses the family storytelling that inspired him to go into a career in communications.
Young Changemakers: Valiant Freeman 2
Valiant Freeman discusses how family stories inspired him to go into communications.
Young Changemakers 2026: Madi Vanstone In Conversation with Paul Holmes
By the age of 14, Madi Vanstone had already accomplished something that would be the crowning achievement for many healthcare public relations professionals: she had led a campaign that culminated in a change …
Show notes
By the age of 14, Madi Vanstone had already accomplished something that would be the crowning achievement for many healthcare public relations professionals: she had led a campaign that culminated in a change to Canada’s healthcare policy, giving patients across the country access to life-changing medication.
Now she is one of our 2026 Young Changemakers, and talks with Paul Holmes about her inspiring journey.Young Changemakers 2026: Jesslyn Laiyenes In Conversation with Camillia Dass
Ogilvy's APAC influence manager discusses her journey from Indonesia to Singapore, the changing role of creators in communications, and why the industry needs to create more opportunities for emerging talent.
Young Changemakers Podcast: Amira Williams In Conversation with Paul Holmes
FleishmanHillard’s Amira Williams discusses why she sees corporate affairs as critical for brands, and the industry’s progress—and shortcomings—on DEI.
SABRE Showcase Podcast: In the Age of AI, Icelandair Keeps It Real
Gísli Brynjólfsson, director of global marketing for Icelandair, and Philippa Solway, head of travel and tourism, consumer and brand marketing at FleishmanHilard, joined Paul Holmes to discuss their “Iceland …
Show notes
Gísli Brynjólfsson, director of global marketing for Icelandair, and Philippa Solway, head of travel and tourism, consumer and brand marketing at FleishmanHilard, joined Paul Holmes to discuss their “Iceland: The Real Unreal” campaign, which took top honors at this year’s EMEA region SABRE Awards.
Provoke Podcast: Patrice Lavoie
Patrice Lavoie, Director of Public Affairs and Communications at Héma-Québec, discusses the challenges of rallying consumers around providing a service, blood donation, not a product.
PRovoke Podcast: PR Newswire's Susan Wohleking On Brand Authority In The Age Of AI
As audiences increasingly turn to AI platforms for information, simply being visible is no longer enough. Brands also need to think about whether they are being understood, trusted, and surfaced as …
Show notes
As audiences increasingly turn to AI platforms for information, simply being visible is no longer enough. Brands also need to think about whether they are being understood, trusted, and surfaced as authoritative sources.
In this episode of the PRovoke Media Podcast, APAC editor Camillia Dass speaks with Susan Wohleking, senior vice president of marketing at PR Newswire, following the PRovoke Media Asia-Pacific Summit in Singapore.
They explore how AI is reshaping brand discoverability and authority; why earned media and credible third-party coverage could become even more valuable in an AI-mediated information environment; and what happens when AI gets a brand wrong.
The conversation also looks at who should own AI visibility across marketing, communications, SEO and digital teams; why brands may need to communicate more consistently throughout the year; and how communicators should rethink measurement as audiences increasingly get answers without ever clicking through to a brand's website.
Wohleking also discusses the continued role of traditional metrics alongside emerging measures such as AI mentions and citations, and why communicators should move beyond single-channel strategies as search and discovery continue to evolve.
CCO Podcast: Evonik’s Norbert Neß on Why the Company Speaks Out Against the AfD
The German chemical company acknowledges its problematic history and takes a courageous leadership position against the re-emergence of the far right.
Agency Leaders Podcast: Prompt's Paul Dyer
Paul Dyer discusses growing the legacy agency Lippe Taylor into a marketing communications firm
Cannes 2026 Podcast: Nitin Mantri on the “Future of Communications” Report
Nitin Mantri on the upcoming “Future of Communications” report, the ways in which artificial intelligence is changing the profession, and the robust Indian presence at Cannes this year.
Cannes 2026 Podcast: The Sway Effect’s Jen Risi on Corporate Affairs Today
The Sway Effect founder and chief executive Jennifer Risi joined Paul Holmes at PRovoke Media HQ in Cannes last week, discussing the state of corporate affairs and how modern public relations agencies are adding value.
CCO Podcast Tracy Schroeder
In this episode we talk to Tracey Schroeder who is Chief Communications & External Affairs Officer with Inova.
CCO Podcast: Aflac's Ines Gutzmer on Creativity and More
The latest edition of our CCO Podcast series features a conversation with Ines Rodriguez Gutzmer, senior vice president and chief communications officer at Aflac.
Agency Leaders Podcast: Hotwire's Grant Toups and Charlotte Harvey
In this episode of the PRovoke Media Agency Leaders Podcast, Maja Pawinska Sims sits down with Hotwire’s new global CEO Grant Toups and UK managing director Charlotte Harvey to explore what they describe as a …
Show notes
In this episode of the PRovoke Media Agency Leaders Podcast, Maja Pawinska Sims sits down with Hotwire’s new global CEO Grant Toups and UK managing director Charlotte Harvey to explore what they describe as a defining moment for both the agency and the wider communications industry. Just months into their roles, the pair outline a vision built less on “reset” of one of the most famous tech agency brands, and more on acceleration, positioning Hotwire at the intersection of technology, storytelling and commercial impact as AI reshapes how every organisation communicates.
In a lively in-person conversation, Toups and Harvey talk about the “golden age of the midsize agency,” the return of earned media in an AI-driven landscape, and why culture, energy and entrepreneurialism are central to Hotwire’s resurgence. From helping non-tech brands navigate complex innovation narratives to rethinking workflows around human–AI collaboration, the duo paint a picture of a new dynamism at the agency as it aims to stay ahead of rapidly changing client demands. Their ambition is clear: to build a global agency of choice for companies telling breakthrough innovation stories, and, as Toups puts it, “to win.”
Real Time Stakeholder Intelligence Is Critical for the Function
A month or so ago, reputation intelligence company Caliber announced a US advisory board, including former Medtronic and Verizon CCO Torod Neptune, now a professor at UNC–Chapel Hill, to help the company …
Show notes
A month or so ago, reputation intelligence company Caliber announced a US advisory board, including former Medtronic and Verizon CCO Torod Neptune, now a professor at UNC–Chapel Hill, to help the company connectstakeholder intelligence to the real-world challenges organizations face every day.
At the time, Caliber CCO Shahar Silbershatz called for what he called “an intervention” on behalf of the profession, promoting a more real-time, data-driven, and disciplined approach to communication.
In this edition of the PRovoke Media podcast, editor Paul Holmes sat down with Neptune and Silbershatz to discuss the state of reputation intelligence, the need for real-time information, and the future of stakeholder capitalism itself.Agency Leaders Podcast: BPI's Andrew Bleeker & Jo-Ann Robertson
In this episode of the PRovoke Media Agency Leaders podcast series, Maja Pawinska Sims is joined in person in London by Andrew Bleeker, founder and CEO of Bully Pulpit International (BPI) and the award-winning …
Show notes
In this episode of the PRovoke Media Agency Leaders podcast series, Maja Pawinska Sims is joined in person in London by Andrew Bleeker, founder and CEO of Bully Pulpit International (BPI) and the award-winning US-based corporate and public affairs agency's newest senior joiner, former Ketchum leader Jo-Ann Robertson, now BPI's president of Europe and Transatlantic growth leader. The trio's lively chat ranges from the agency's roots and Bleeker's background as President Obama's digital campaign guru, through to its ambitions in the UK and Europe.
Krishana Davis on the Manosphere
Diana Marszalek speaks with Precision Strategies EVP of digital and multicultural engagement Krishana Davis about new research exploring the manosphere.
CCO Podcast: Megan Noel on “Bringing all the Storytellers Together” at Covista
After a career spanning roles at Edelman, PwC, and Golin, Megan Noel made the decision last year to take on a new challenge at what was then Adtalem Global Education, leading a corporate affairs function that …
Show notes
After a career spanning roles at Edelman, PwC, and Golin, Megan Noel made the decision last year to take on a new challenge at what was then Adtalem Global Education, leading a corporate affairs function that spanned investor relations, government relations, internal and external communication, enterprise brand, social responsibility and more under CEO Steve Beard, who was determined to “bring all the storytellers together,”
Last week, Adralem rebranded as Covista, a change that went beyond a new name and a new visual identity to new positioning and mission. Amid a major transformation, Noel sat down with Paul Holmes to discuss her career and the commitment to purpose that has guided it.PRovoke Podcast: Richard Edelman on Why Companies Should Be "Trust Brokers"
In the wake of the World Economic Forum in Davos and the release of the larest Edelman Trust Barometer last week, PRovoke Media founder Paul Holmes sat down with Richard Edelman for a wide-ranging discussion …
Show notes
In the wake of the World Economic Forum in Davos and the release of the larest Edelman Trust Barometer last week, PRovoke Media founder Paul Holmes sat down with Richard Edelman for a wide-ranging discussion that covered polarization, global pessimism, the potential for companies to become “trust brokers,” how tech companies have failed to address concerns over AI, what Martin Sorrell got wrong about the PR industry, and how the holding companies getting rid of “the idea machines” might benefit independent firms.
Agency Leaders Podcast: Burson's Corey duBrowa in Davos
In this episode of the PRovoke Media Agency Leaders Podcast, Burson global CEO Corey duBrowa and UK CEO Simon Redfern chat to editorial director Maja Pawinska Sims in the midst of the World Economic Forum in …
Show notes
In this episode of the PRovoke Media Agency Leaders Podcast, Burson global CEO Corey duBrowa and UK CEO Simon Redfern chat to editorial director Maja Pawinska Sims in the midst of the World Economic Forum in Davos. They talk about how the event has evolved and how Burson is adapting and innovating in a new era of reputation management, including the agency's new research, The Global Reputation Economy: A New Asset Class for a New Era. The duo also reflect on what being a business and agency leader means now.
Athletic Brewing CMO Andrew Katz
In this episode of the PRovoke Media CCO Podcast, Maja Pawinska Sims is joined by Athletic Brewing’s chief marketing officer Andrew Katz to explore the rapid rise of low- and no-alcohol beer, and what it says …
Show notes
In this episode of the PRovoke Media CCO Podcast, Maja Pawinska Sims is joined by Athletic Brewing’s chief marketing officer Andrew Katz to explore the rapid rise of low- and no-alcohol beer, and what it says about changing consumer culture. Katz discusses how Athletic has helped transform alcohol-free beer from a functional compromise into a credible, aspirational brand, driven by better product, cultural shifts and a broadening audience well beyond younger consumers. The conversation also dives into Athletic’s brand and marketing strategy, including its positioning at the intersection of lifestyle, performance and beer, and the thinking behind its high-profile partnership with Arsenal. Katz reflects on the realities of expanding in the UK, the challenges of scaling a fast-growth challenger brand, and what it takes to keep creativity alive as a business grows.
Agency Leader Podcast: PHA Group's George Coleman
In this episode of the PRovoke Media Agency Leader Podcast, Maja Pawinska Sims is joined by The PHA Group’s CEO George Coleman, who joined the firm in April this year after founding and scaling Weber Shandwick …
Show notes
In this episode of the PRovoke Media Agency Leader Podcast, Maja Pawinska Sims is joined by The PHA Group’s CEO George Coleman, who joined the firm in April this year after founding and scaling Weber Shandwick sister agency Current Global. The lively conversation covers The PHA Group’s 20th anniversary, evolution, culture and future plans; how AI is being integrated into the agency and industry; the ongoing importance of storytelling in PR; and the difference between working in network and independent agencies.
Podcast: In 2026, Truth Will Be The Ultimate Brand Value
Every year, Havas Red gazes into its crystal ball and produces its Red Sky Predictions. We sat down with the firm’s Europe and UK CEO Rachael Sansom to discuss what’s ahead for the PR Business.
Reclaiming Confidence in a Chaotic Marketing Landscape
Diana Marszalek and Michael Kempner discuss why so many leaders feel paralyzed despite having more data, tools, and technology than ever.
These are the latest 40 of 549 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
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