Breakfast First: An Empower Podcast

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by the EVP of Programming at Crown Media, Michelle Vicary, to chat the Hallmark Channel's epic holiday spectacular: Countdown to Christmas. Michelle shares some of the challenges producing the movies during the pandemic, her thoughts on Christmas competition from Netflix, and the continued infiltration of branded content into the mainstream.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by their Search Associate colleague Annette Echikunwoke... who also happens to be training for the 2021 Olympics. They chat about her training amidst COVID, her Olympic aspirations and her championship attitude towards work and life. Then, Annette tries to teach the hapless creatives how to hammer throw.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by psychic medium Melissa Alejandro, who shares her encounters with the afterlife and gives a medium reading of our office. Plus, Empower's very own recount their terrifying tales for the third annual Spooky Stories podcast! Listen if you dare.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by a host of Empower experts to preview Prime Day 2020. First, Director of Integrated Planning Diana Patterson and Director of Digital Integration Caitlyn Ford of Empower's Retail Center of Excellence give the lowdown on everything Prime Day, including strategies for brands to win the shopping extravaganza. Then, Senior Director of Search Chris Reebie hops on to discuss Prime's new competition and how to gameplan teams specifically for Prime Day.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by the Senior Director of Audio Programming at ESPN, Pete Gianesini, to discuss ESPN's podcast content strategy response to COVID-19. Pete breaks down how the network leveraged "The Last Dance," changes to podcast development, ESPN's role in Black Lives Matter, the return of sports and much, much more.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Empower President and COO Rob FitzGerald to discuss how independent agencies can find themselves in a sunnier situation than their holding company counterparts during the pandemic. Rob also shares his thoughts on the future of work, Empower's efforts to help local business bloom and where we're heading amidst (and after) coronavirus.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Spotify's Head of North America Ad Sales Brian Berner to riff on the latest platform and advertising developments. Brian shares key insights on advertising solutions within the platform and discusses Spotify's recent podcast push, which includes notable industry plays towards exclusive content and acquisitions.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Food Category General Manager John Oghia and VP, Consumer Brand Strategy - Research & Insights, Esmee Williams of AllRecipes to discuss how their site has been a welcome respite and source of inspiration during the COVID-19 global pandemic. They share which trends are popping and detail how a wave of new cooks are now heading to their site in these unprecedented times. Then, Empower VP of Marketing Meghann Craig calls in to share how businesses can Make It Personal in times like these.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by a band of Empower folks representing creative, marketing, media and strategy to discuss the biggest night in the industry: Super Bowl LIV.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Empower's Director of Broadcast Media Rhonda McLeod to discuss the election cycle's impact on the advertising and media market. Rhonda leads Empower's Political Taskforce, which helps our clients and buying teams find the best opportunities to advertise during the topsy-turvy election season. Rhonda shares tips on how to plan, where to buy and how to avoid nestling ads next to contentious political programming.