The Crux of the Story

New PMI Chief Communications Officer Moira Gilchrist, who holds a Ph. D. in pharmaceutical sciences, says she wants people to know her company has changed and is serious about ending cigarette smoking. “ My passion…is to bring those facts to the fore so that everybody can make a decision about us based on facts of today and not on the memory on the memory of the 1990s,” a reference to a time when many tobacco companies were found to have misled the public about the dangers of smoking.

Award-winning journalist and Boston University College of Communication professor David Abel, newest movie, Inundation District, focuses on Boston’s Seaport district, which is threatened by rising seawater. The film is a master class in science-based journalism in a time of eroding trust in science. A prolific filmmaker, Abel’s works have largely focused on natural resource issues off New England’s coast. However, his journey as a filmmaker began in 2013 when he was documenting the first little person to run the Boston Marathon. He was at the finish line when the bombs exploded that day. His reporting on the tragedy with colleagues at the Boston Globe earned the team a Pulitzer Prize. This is an episode for anyone interested in becoming a better storyteller and the power of visual media.

Jon Weisman of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Nancy Elder, of the New York Mets join The Crux to discuss leading comms for two of the world's leading sports franchises. From working with team execs to dealing with team execs to players’ social media habits, Nancy and Jon provide a fascinating inside look at their roles as communicators in major league baseball.

D. Graham Burnett, director and co-founder for the Institute for Sustained Attention, says the problem of fragmented attention has reached “catastrophic proportions.” He is helping lead a fight against “powerful systems” that are “fracking” society’s attention. How? By building a school and community on the topic, and his writing and teachings, including a Princeton course, “Attention Economy.” For communicators, is there a more essential question than this: How do we get people to pay attention to what we are saying?

In this episode of “The Crux of the Story,” highly respected communicators Tom Martin and Gary Grates cover all things mentoring. From the role of technology, to “official” mentoring programs, to building informal relationships, Tom and Gary discuss how potential mentees can maximize their networking opportunities. Tom and Gary's mentorship experiences stem from their extensive careers as practitioners, consultants, educators, and thought leaders in communications. Plus, check out Tom's new podcast, “Mindful Mentoring with Tom Martin.”

What defines a “crisis” in 2024? Crisis consultant Molly McPherson joins The Crux to discuss the evolution of reputation and crises. From working in the “crisis cauldron” that is FEMA to her hugely popular TikTok posts on high-profile crises, Molly has become a leading and insightful voice in what it take to manage crises in a volatile environment. Plus, she’s a Boston University College of Communication grad!

Martin Reeves of BCG and Tomas Kellner of Amazon discuss the importance of strategic storytelling in business, transmitting the basic intent, effective communication in strategy, the impact of storytelling on business, the importance of data and measurement in storytelling, and the importance of storytelling in transmitting strategy.

NYU Stern professor Alison Taylor joins the Crux to discuss the “do’s and don'ts” of business ethics from her newest book, Higher Ground, How Businesses Can Do the Right Thing. She focuses on how companies should focus on addressing their imperfections, rather than realizing statements on problems they can’t solve. From the UN Climate Week, to Levi’s corporate, she comments how key leaders can improve on commenting on social issues. Finally, Alison notes that company’s cannot solve every social issue, rather they must focus on one to three possible issues they can address.

The Ocean Outlaw Project’s Ian Urbina on Non-Profit Journalism on the Open Ocean by Gary Sheffer and Mike Fernandez

Boston University’s professors Marni Zelnick and Meghan Irons join the Crux to talk about the importance of social responsibility in film-making and journalism. Marni emphasizes the importance of “pulling back the curtain” on real world topics within creative filmmaking as she does in her film Druid Peak. Meghan focuses on how her experience working on writing a narrative on the violence in Dorchester taught her invaluable lessons on the challenges and triumphs of this type of journalism. The unifying factor in creating media that reflects the importance of social issues is centering each narrative on real human stories.