From Phillies Ball Snatch to US Open Hat Grab: Outrage, Backlash, and Blowback Explained
Outrage isn’t new, but the way it plays out in 2025 feels like a full-time industry. This week, it’s Phillies fans brawling over a foul ball, a CEO swiping a signed hat at the US Open, Bruce Willis’ f...
10 Sep 202517min
What Was Said at the Mic: Press Conference Analysis After the Annunciation Catholic School Shooting
A shooting inside a Minneapolis church during a back-to-school Mass left two children dead and several others injured. The Annunciation Catholic School community was shattered. The country watched. An...
3 Sep 202521min
The First Mistake That Will Sink You in a Crisis
The Breakdown: The first move most people make in a crisis is often the one that causes the most damage. It happens when emotion outruns strategy, and the brain mistakes public pressure for personal d...
27 Aug 20259min
How Taylor Swift Turned New Heights Into a Smart PR Play
Taylor Swift didn’t just pop onto her boyfriend’s New Heights podcast for fun. She executed a masterclass in brand strategy. With over 16 million views and endless headlines, her first-ever appearance...
20 Aug 202526min
South Park's Savage Trump Administration Takedown
This week’s PR Breakdown isn’t about a corporate crisis or a press release gone wrong. It’s about satire — and the way it forces a reaction. In the latest season of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Par...
13 Aug 202514min
The Strategic Timing of Justin Timberlake's Lyme Disease Revelation
Justin Timberlake ended his tour and dropped a bombshell on Instagram—he’s been battling Lyme disease. The post was emotional, reflective, and full of gratitude. But was it also a PR move? In this epi...
6 Aug 202515min
Why Gwyneth’s Viral Ad Won’t Save Astronomer
After NPR called me to weigh in on the Coldplay concert scandal and Astronomer’s new viral ad starring Gwyneth Paltrow, a listener to the time to email to call me a “fussbucket.” You know what? I’ll t...
30 Juli 202520min
The Coldplay Concert Scandal That Took Down a CEO
Seventy thousand five hundred twenty-one. That’s how many news stories included Andy Byron’s name after one juicy Jumbotron moment at a Coldplay concert. In this episode of The PR Breakdown, dissecti...
23 Juli 202516min
