Perception Reception with Advanceman Rick Jasculca

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on an issue plaguing America for far too long - healthcare disparities. In this episode, Rick sits down with Dr. David Ansell, a leader in community health equity and co-founder of Equal Hope, a Chicago-based non-profit focused on saving women’s lives by eliminating health disparities in Illinois. Together they discuss how health inequity is directly tied to systemic racism--leading to a lack of access and quality healthcare in BIPOC communities, and how his work at Rush University Medical Center, as well as Equal Hope, employs a grassroots ,community-based approach to help close the disparity gap.

 Back by popular demand - it's another episode of the Advance Files. Today, Rick is joined by the power team that made up the Scheduling and Advance operation of the Clinton White House - Stephanie Street, Aviva Rosenthal and Rob Rosen. Together they talk about being the “producers and directors” of bringing a President's vision to life and how every moment on a President's schedule is an opportunity to connect with, and have an impact on people from all over the world.  

Joint Force Headquarters National Capitol Region / Military District of Washington. Bet you can't say that five times fast.  On today's episode, Rick sits down with Mike Wagner, Chief of National Events Planning for the JFHQ-NCR/MDW to talk about the important role they play in support of our nation's most historic events - including Presidential Inaugurals and state funerals, just to name a few.  Listen in as Mike breaks down the how the many pieces come together to bring these events to life - their meaning for America's current and former leaders - and the nation as a whole. 

On today’s episode, Rick sits down for a conversation with award-winning journalist, Carol Marin, whose career spans nearly 50 years as both a Chicago and national reporter and anchor for NBC, CBS and WTTW, and who now serves as the Director at the Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence at DePaul University. They discuss a wide range of issues facing today’s news media practitioners, including how “menu journalism” and social media have blurred the lines of trust between the public, government and media--and how putting a renewed emphasis on civics education and news literacy at a young age can help restore critical thinking, trust and the pillars of democracy.

Lilly Weinberg, Senior Director of Community and National Initiatives at the Knight Foundation, joins the podcast this week. She and Rick talk about the national replication of the “On the Table” initiative and the importance of civic engagement to help inform the future of our communities and how small conversations can lead to BIG ideas. They also discuss how the disruption of COVID in our lives has lead to innovative new solutions that not only help break down barriers, but sustained positive impact in our communities.

It's time for another Advance Files. In this episode Rick is joined by a new generation of advance folks , Grant O'Brien and Andrew Jasculca , as they discuss the roles they have played in Presidential Inaugurals. Andrew, as the lead advance for former President Carter at the Inauguration of President Trump, and Grant, fresh of his role as the Associate Director of Inaugural Events and Ceremonies for the historic Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Listen in as they discuss how the Inauguration is an important symbol of unity and inclusivity for our nation, and the privilege of getting to be behind the scenes for these historic moments.  

Welcome to 2021. In the first episode of season 2, we barely scratch the surface on all  that has happened in the first days of the new year. Washington Bureau Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times, Lynn Sweet, joins Rick to talk about the insurrection at the US Capitol, the ever-present challenges journalists face in the age of misinformation and the 24-hour news cycle, and even a few thoughts about Illinois politics. 

What the heck is advance anyways? For our season finale of Perception Reception, we're diving into the Advance Files, and Rick and four of his longtime friends from the world of advance reminisce about the their days "on the road".  Listen in as they talk about what it is like to be the eyes and ears behind the scenes helping to shape the world's perceptions of some of America's most prominent public figures. 

What the heck is advance anyways? Tune in this Thursday to find out! 

In this never ending election cycle,  there is no such thing as too much analysis about the state of public opinion polling. So, today Rick is joined by Geoff Garin, president of Hart Research, who along with Public Opinion Strategies has conducted the NBC News/Wall Street Journal political poll since 1989. Beyond what the heck happened on November 3 in the Presidential election and across the nation, Geoff and Rick also cast an eye towards the double US Senate run-offs in Georgia. Importantly, they'll also discuss where public opinion stands on Americans' ability to come to a consensus on key issues - climate change and healthcare.