Pressing Matters

At the age of eight, Esther Ajao did something braver than most of us will do in our entire lives. Having spent her early years in her native Nigeria, raised by an extended family of grandparents and uncles, Esther moved across the ocean to Brooklyn to reunite with her mother, who had moved to America when Esther was just six months old. Removed from her home and a big family that helped shield her self-proclaimed introverted personality, Esther became the classic latchkey kid – reading, watching the TV news and learning while her mom worked. She was so taken by writing that she'd add on to the Babysitters Club novels she read with new stories of her own. But it was all that TV news that really intrigued her. She started a career in TV journalism at Today and various local and national jobs. And then in 2021, she shifted gears and moved to New Hampshire to join TechTarget to cover AI. If only she knew then how big a move that would turn out to be. Esther joined us on the pod to discuss her latchkey afternoons in Brooklyn, how the AI beat changed overnight with Open AI's Chat GPT in November 2022, and the evolution of her podcast targeting AI for this episode of Pressing Matters from Big Valley Marketing, the podcast that brings you conversations with the top media and influencers in B2B Tech. I'm Dave Reddy, head of Big Valley Marketing's Media and Influencers Practice. And I'm your host. Through research and good old-fashioned relationship building, we've identified B2B tech's top 200 media and influencers, including Esther. Here's our chat with Esther. Enjoy.

The path Michael Nuñez took to a seemingly straightforward gig – Editorial director at VentureBeat – was anything but direct. He covered the fun side of Hong Kong, the travel beat in Korea, and even wrote for an airline magazine in New York City after various tech writing gigs. He spent two years and change as head of marketing at a VC, but for coming on two years now, Michael has led VentureBeat, one of the most influential outlets in tech journalism. The son of an undocumented immigrant and an airline worker from the Chicago suburbs, Michael joined us to talk about the story that got him kicked off his high school newspaper, his controversial take on AI, and – here's a hint – the fact that he thinks long-form journalism is dead for this episode of Pressing Matters from Big Valley Marketing, the podcast that brings you conversations with the top media and influencers in B2B tech. Through research and good old-fashioned relationship building, we've identified B2B tech's, top 200 media and influencers, including Michael. Here's our chat with Michael. Enjoy. 

Hello everyone. We've got a very special episode for you this month as we celebrate the pod's second anniversary. Given that AI is the topic of the decade, not just in tech and journalism, but the whole wide world, we asked two of our favorite guests back to discuss where this is all going. Jennifer Strong of the Shift Podcast, who also was a Pulitzer Fellow for AI accountability. And Connie Guglielmo, the former CNET executive editor, who for nearly two years now has been its SVP of AI edit Strategy. Together they are two of the foremost authorities on AI in the tech and journalism world. We brought them together to discuss AI as a technology, AI and journalism, and a few of our favorite quotes from this past season's guests for this episode of Pressing Matters from Big Valley Marketing, the podcast that brings you conversations with the top media and influencers in B2B tech. I'm Dave Reddy, head of Big Valley Marketing's Media and Influencers Practice, and I'm your host. Through research and good old fashioned relationship building, we've identified B2B tech's, top 200 media and influencers, including Jennifer and Connie. Here's our special chat about AI with Jennifer and Connie. Enjoy. Jennifer, Connie, welcome back to Pressing Matters. My first two repeat guests for this very special episode about AI in journalism.

In this edition of the Pressing Matters podcast, host Dave Reddy, head of Big Valley Marketing's Media and Influencers Practice, speaks with Jennifer Strong, a seasoned podcaster who began her radio career at 12 in Tennessee. Jennifer's extensive experience includes work with NPR, The Wall Street Journal, and MIT Tech Review. Now at Shift, she produces and hosts podcasts that delve into AI and other emerging technologies, addressing their global impact and the challenges they present. In this episode, we explore her deep coverage of AI and discuss how she’s working to ensure these technologies make a positive difference in the world.

Diana Goovaerts initially got into the publishing business. But frustrated by that industry’s speed - or lack thereof - she shifted to the fast-paced world of journalism, first as a local reporter in her native North Jersey and, later, in the past decade, at WirelessWeek, GSMA and now Fierce Network, where she serves as executive editor. We’re all glad she made the change. An expert on all things wireless and, more recently, the important but sometimes arcane world of cloud and data center, Diana joined us to discuss AI - both as a beat and a change agent in journalism; her early days covering county board of education meetings into the wee hours of the New Jersey morning; and just how damned glad she is to finally leave near a Starbuck’s for this episode of Pressing Matters, from Big Valley Marketing, the podcast that brings you conversations with the top media and influencers in B2B Tech.  I’m Dave Reddy, head of Big Valley Marketing’s Media + Influencers Practice and your host. Through research and good old-fashioned relationship-building, we’ve identified B2B Tech’s Top 200 media and influencers, including Diana Goovaerts. Here’s my chat with Diana. Enjoy.

Next month, Fortune Brainstorm Tech will once again bring together the top thinkers in tech and business in Park City, Utah. And for the first time since 2020, Andrew Nusca will be leading the show as editorial director. He promises the typical knockout conference with big-name keynotes, Olympic-level networking and panels on everything from AI to security to how to communicate with Gen Z. The son of a dance instructor and a nurse - yes, he can tap - the Philly-bred Nusca played drums in a rock band for a while. But while we’re sure he’s a darn good drummer, he’s a really great storyteller. So we’re quite pleased that he eschewed rock and roll for reporting. He’s proof that hard work works. He turned  a dizzying array of internships while attending NYU and Columbia, into his first tech reporting job with ZDNet, and then - in his mid-20s - into an editor gig at FORTUNE in 2013. After a brief three-year rumspringa with stops at Morning Brew and Activision PR, Nusca rejoined the FORTUNE team earlier this year. Ahead of the show, Andrew joined us to discuss his the many faces of his FORTUNE job, why he considers himself a publisher and a journalist, and who he thinks the world’s best drummers are - he picked two - for this episode of Pressing Matters, from Big Valley Marketing, the podcast that brings you conversations with the top media and influencers in B2B Tech.  I’m Dave Reddy, head of Big Valley Marketing’s Media + Influencers Practice and your host. Through research and good old-fashioned relationship-building, we’ve identified B2B Tech’s Top 200 media and influencers, including Andrew Nusca. Here’s my chat with Andrew. Enjoy.

Rich Jaroslovsky’s career goal was to be the D.C. correspondent for a major newspaper. He achieved that - at 22 - for a little outlet called The Wall Street Journal. He covered Gerald Ford’s doomed re-election campaign in 1976. Five years later, mere hours after President Reagan was shot by would-be assassin John Hinckley, Rich was at the White House, standing a few feet from Secretary of State Al Haig when Haig infamously said, ‘I am in control here.’ Unfortunately for Secretary Haig’s legacy, the Constitution says otherwise. But covering all that history is just the first part of Rich’s story. In 1994, he combined his two loves - technology and journalism - and started WSJ.com, the Journal’s website. Through that role, his founding of the Online News Association in 1999, his work at Bloomberg and Smart News, and his role as a lecturer at numerous journalism schools over the years, Rich Jaroslovsky is quite possibly the most important person in the history of digital journalism. Rich recently joined us to discuss his multi-faceted career, digital journalism’s next chapter (hint: AI), and his connections to everyone from tech journalism legend Walt Mossberg to Canada’s finest singer/songwriter, Gordon Lightfoot, for this episode of Pressing Matters, from Big Valley Marketing, the podcast that brings you conversations with the top media and influencers in B2B Tech.  I’m Dave Reddy, head of Big Valley Marketing’s Media + Influencers Practice and your host. Through research and good old-fashioned relationship-building, we’ve identified B2B Tech’s Top 200 media and influencers, including Rich Jaroslovsky. Here’s my chat with Rich. Enjoy.

Are you an aspiring reporter looking to get a job at Axios upon graduation? I have three letters for you: UNC, the University of North Carolina. Sam Sabin, this episode’s guest, is the second Axios reporter we've had on the pod, and, like her colleague and previous guest, FinTech reporter Lucinda Shen, she's a Tar Heel. Since 2022, Sam has covered cybersecurity for Axios, a job that includes two weekly newsletters - naturally - the Smart Brevity style. On this episode, Sam: previews the RSA conference, taking place May 6th through 8th in San Francisco,shares what (or whom) scares her most in cybersecurity, and shares just how tech-savvy politicians really are. Pressing Matters, from Big Valley Marketing, is the podcast that brings you conversations with the top media and influencers in B2B tech. I'm Dave Reddy, head of Big Valley Marketing's Media and Influencers Practice, and I'm your host. Through research and good old-fashioned relationship building, we've identified B2B tech's, top 200 media and influencers, including Sam Sabin of Axios. Enjoy.Are you interested in more from Sam Sabin?Read Sam Sabin's work on Axios.Follow Sam on X and LinkedIn.Who is Big Valley?We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology. Our firm specializes in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning.You can learn more about us at www.bigvalley.co

Here’s something a bit random. We’re only midway through our second season on the podcast, and - Ryan Chacon, this episode’s guest - is the second person we’ve had who served as his college soccer team’s captain. Remember the first? I’ll tell you in a moment. In the meantime, give it up for the teamwork one learns on the soccer fields, which Ryan said has helped him in his work as co-creator and CMO of IOT for All, as well as host of its eponymous, seven-year-old podcast. Ryan’s work ethic - instilled by a stay-at-home mom and a Chilean immigrant dad who didn’t know a word of English when he moved here, as well as his natural understanding of how to best curate journalistic content also helps explain why the IOT for All brand is as big or bigger than the IOT tech company that supports it, Leverege. In other hands, IOT for All might have been just another forgettable corporate content site. Instead, it’s an IOT bible. And now it’s expanded into AI with, naturally, AI for All. Ryan stopped by to discuss his early business ventures, the mission behind IOT for All, and what he thinks AI has in store for us for this episode of Pressing Matters from Big Valley Marketing. This podcast brings you conversations with the top media and influencers in B2B Tech.  I’m Dave Reddy, head of Big Valley Marketing’s Media + Influencers Practice and your host. Through research and good old-fashioned relationship-building, we’ve identified B2B Tech’s Top 200 media and influencers, including two former college soccer captains - our chat last year with Dark Reading’s Kelly Jackson-Higgins and now Ryan Chacon. Here’s my chat with Ryan. Enjoy.Are you interested in more from Ryan Chacon?Visit IOT for All and AI for AllOr find him on X.Who is Big Valley?We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology. Our firm specializes in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning.You can learn more about us at www.bigvalley.co

Monica Alleven has been covering the wireless industry since 1995 - a time when the notion of wireless was so limited, almost everyone was still using a landline to connect to the Internet, very few people had a cell phone and no one - of course - had a smartphone, since those were 12 years in the future. Almost 30 years since she started, Monica is still at it - and incredibly successful, having helmed two of the biggest titles in mobile industry journalism. Given that deep experience as the past Editor in Chief of WirelessWeek and, for the past five years, Executive Editor of Fierce Wireless, we figured who better to bring on the podcast to preview Mobile World Congress, which starts on February 26 in its longtime home of Barcelona. From 5G to Wif-Fi 7 and acronyms aplenty, Monica can explain it all when it comes to the ever-expanding and oft-confusing universe of mobile and wireless technology. Not bad for a Minnesota farm girl who began her career covering city council meetings in her home state and then Oregon and Redding, Calif., before - almost accidentally - finding her way to technology. Monica stopped by to discuss the evolution of mobile across almost three decades, her childhood gaggle of 40 bunnies - and the childhood story they inspired, and why she remains optimistic about journalism despite the daily grim headlines for this episode of Pressing Matters, from Big Valley Marketing, the podcast that brings you conversations with the top media and influencers in B2B Tech.  I’m Dave Reddy, head of Big Valley Marketing’s Media + Influencers Practice and your host. Through research and good old-fashioned relationship-building, we’ve identified B2B Tech’s Top 200 media and influencers, including Monica Alleven. Here’s my chat with Monica. Enjoy.Are you interested in more from Monica Alleven?Read Monica's latest at Fierce Wireless.Or find her on X.Who is Big Valley?We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology, with a team of experts specializing in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning.You can learn more about our team at www.bigvalley.co