Dr. Payne sits down with PR expert and author of PR of Everything Dr. Rob Brown. The two of them have been following the royal family from the perspective of performative leadership and celebrity spectacle for decades. Both share their thoughts on Queen Elizabeth II passing after 70 years of being the head of the monarchy along with their personal stories of meeting the Queen.  

Spencer Kimball, Director of Emerson Polling, joins the podcast to give us an update on the 2022 Elections and what the polls are telling us. 

On the 25th anniversary of the tragic passing of Princess Diana, Dr. Payne explores his experience following the Princess Diana story with Emersonians Charlotte Munson and Shepard Vargo.

Charlotte is an Emerson Alum who is an actress in Los Angeles and has been performing an incredible one-woman musical called Di Lady Di, a story of Princess Diana. Di Lady Di is Best Musical Winner HFF22, TVO's Best of the Fringe, and Best of Broadwater.

Dr. Payne sits down with Blanquerna Alum and Emerson College Admin, Shepard Vargo. 

Shepard was a student from Lake Erie College when he first collaborated with Emerson College as part of the 2014 Rediscover Rosarito Public Diplomacy Program. Tune in to hear about how that experience took him from the Midwest and motivated him to become the global citizen that he is today. 

Diego Mejia is a young and talented Emerson College student who is majoring in VMA. While down in Rosarito as part of the Rosarito Public Diplomacy Program, his interest focused on Baja's music diplomacy. Tune in to hear about how the Emerson students built relationships, about Rosarito's music culture, and Diego's experience at the Baja Beach Fest. 

Prof. Mark Brodie was a photographer for the Department of Defense before graduating from Emerson College with his Masters degree. Since then, he has continued to take the Emerson brand globally as an alum and now even more so as an Emerson College professor. Tune in to hear about his leadership in the 2022 Rediscover Rosarito Film Festival and how he uses digital storytelling within the scope of Public Diplomacy. 

Hugo Antonio is the GM of the Rosarito Beach Hotel.

Hugo Torres, former Mayor of Rosarito sits down to discuss his life as an influential leader in Baja, Mexico. From leading a family that runs the biggest hotel in Baja to then taking on the challenge of becoming mayor during a time when a leader was needed to clean up corruption.  Hugo shares some of the challenges he faced dealing with the crime and corruption as well as the mediated reality that was an obstacle after cleaning up the city. 

As mayor, Hugo led Rosarito through the crisis when the Mexican president declared war on the cartels. During his leadership, he worked with Dr. Payne, Janice Payne, and Ron Raposa to start the Rediscover Rosarito Film Festival to combat the narrative that U.S. media was portraying of his city and country. Tune in and hear more about his experience as a proactive leader during difficult times. 

Laura Torres is a businesswoman and politician from Rosarito, Mexico. She's been and continues to be a tremendous advocate for women's rights and economic opportunity. Tune in to her story of being a trailblazer for women in the political landscape, along with her thoughts as we discuss the challenges in Mexico.

Steve is a retiree enjoying the finer things in life from the beach in Rosarito. 

Dr. Payne and Steve discuss what it has been like for Steve, a veteran and former teacher, to turn Rosarito Mexico into his full-time residence.  Tune in to hear thoughts on the mediated reality of Mexico, the experience of living abroad, and the perspective of a veteran looking at the state of U.S. politics.