What does it take to build PR for a brand that doesn't believe in red tape? Sam Bauman has the answer.

From local TV news anchor in Michigan to media relations lead at one of the most creative sports entertainment brands in the world, Sam spent ten years reporting the news before the Savannah Bananas called him to help make it. He built their media relations function from the ground up — navigating live game chaos, a zero-red-tape philosophy, and Jesse Cole's core belief that attention beats marketing every time.

In this episode, we discuss knowing your brand goes deeper than a logo or colors, the bar-with-no-sound test for live content, building brand identity across six teams in the Banana Ball Championship League, scenario planning for live sports sideline storytelling, what a mic'd-up home run interview taught Sam about preparation meeting improvisation and much more.

Takeaways

• Transition from News to PR
• Embracing Creativity and Freedom
• Putting Fans First Expanding the fan base through diverse entertainment
• Intentional brand building for different teams

Chapters

• 00:00 Origin Story and Transition
• 06:15 Embracing Creativity and Freedom
• 19:07 Brand and Fan-Centric Approach
• 25:13 Expanding the Fan Base
• 32:27 Intentional Brand Building

What does it take to build a B2B brand that journalists actually want to cover and does that change when the journalists no longer need a masthead?

Aaron Berger, Principal and Co-Founder of A/M Partners, has the answer. From a Washington DC cab to Ketchum, Mastercard, IBM and now his own firm, Aaron has seen the industry evolve rapidly.

In this episode, we discuss why prestige media validates rather than drives B2B sales, the need for a hybrid top-down and bottom-up media strategy, why independent journalists now matter as much as major mastheads, getting comfortable with uncertainty and with clients leaving and much more.

Connect with Aaron Berger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-berger-0934101a/

Check out A/M Partners at https://am.partners/

Chapters

• 00:00 The Origin Story
• 06:06 The Rise of Independent Journalism
• 11:36 Measurement in B2B PR
• 19:30 The Shift to Fractional Work
• 25:18 The Evolution of Fractional Work
• 31:06 Learning from Business Operations

Adrianna G. Bevilaqua started college as a pre-med student. She ended up as Chief Creative Officer of M Booth and the path in between tells you everything about how great creative instincts actually develop.

In this episode of Comms Confidential, Adrianna unpacks the frameworks behind her creative process: her small data vs. big data approach, the Culture Mark tool M Booth built to map brand archetypes in culture, and why diverse media consumption is non-negotiable for anyone trying to forecast what's next.

They also cover the cultural trends reshaping communications in 2026: cognitive revivals, the monoculture era, the rise of GEO, and what AI's growing influence means for the future of PR. An added bonus: how Adrianna convinced a client to put a chronic insomniac comedian to sleep in a Macy's window, and why that campaign is still a masterclass in organic storytelling.

Takeaways

• Evolution of creativity in PR
• Impact of cultural trends and shifts in 2026 PR's role in culture and the need for retraining
• The significance of cultural insights and diverse media consumption

Chapters

• 00:00 Journey to Chief Creative Officer
• 08:51 Pushing Boundaries and Abandoning Safe Ideas
• 13:50 Trends and Cultural Shifts in 2026
• 21:08 The Monoculture Era and Chronically Offline Trend
• 26:22 The Future of PR and Culture
• 36:08 Cultural Insights and Predictive Analysis
• 43:06 The Role of PR in Culture and Media Consumption