Chuck Tanowitz (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ctanowitz/) is a seasoned professional in strategic communications, with a history of building strong programs that drive media and brand growth. 
His experience spans more than 15 years—he has played key roles in shaping the marketing and communication strategies for various brands, including Paytronix Systems, Greentown Labs, the N-Squared Innovation District, TenMarks, and a long list of others. 
Chuck is back on Confessions of Marketer for the second time—having joined us in 2017 in the very early days of this podcast. 
Transcript
Mark Reed-Edwards: Welcome to this special episode of Confessions of a Marketer. I&#39;m Mark Reed Edwards. We&#39;re back with this mini series of shows I&#39;ve dubbed the Talent Showcase. These episodes focus on people in marketing, communications, PR, and allied fields who are looking for their next opportunity.
My guests share their stories, successes, and how they can help their next employer or client. Today, I&#39;m joined by Chuck Tanowitz. Chuck is a seasoned professional in strategic communications with a history of building strong programs that drive media and brand growth. His experience spans more than 15 years.
He&#39;s played a key roles in shaping the marketing and communication strategies for various brands, including Paytronix Systems, Greentown Labs, the N Squared Innovation District, 10 Marks, and a long list of others. 
Chuck Tanowitz is back on Confessions of a Marketer for the second time, having joined us in 2017, the very early days of this podcast.
Chuck, welcome back.
Chuck Tanowitz: Thank you. I I really appreciate you having me on.
Mark: It&#39;s great to chat. So can you tell me more about yourself beyond what I just shared, you know, your background and career path?
Chuck: You know, it&#39;s interesting. I was reading an article recently that talked about developing a career portfolio as opposed to a career path, and I feel like that&#39;s actually a little bit of what I&#39;ve done. Yes, the core of my career has been in PR and marketing and brand, but I&#39;ve also taken on these other roles outside.
That&#39;s how I ended up, for example, at the N squared Innovation District, which was really more of an economic development effort, as much it was a marketing effort. So it&#39;s given me this broad base of very interesting kind of pieces that I&#39;ve done. 
You know, when I look at the work I did at Paytronix, which was very much traditional marketing and PR and brand, which was: drive leads and drive interest in this company.
But then you look at something like N-Squared, where it was: &quot;How do I develop a community? How do I bring in art into the project and develop placemaking? How do I connect with local colleges and universities?&quot; 
And then something like Greentown Labs, where it was: &quot;How do you build something from zero and get it known where you&#39;re trying to not necessarily build leads, but certainly build br

Chuck Tanowitz: Seasoned strategic communications pro

Gem Pasant (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gem-jp/) has over 15 years’ experience in Customer Leader roles in a range of organizations from start up to large corporate, typically in the insurance sector. 
Gem’s biggest area of interest is Customer Experience as culture—specifically how this links to company purpose, employee experience and sustainable growth through the practical application of the Net Promoter System.
Transcript
Mark Reed-Edwards: Welcome to this special episode of Confessions of a Marketer. I&#39;m Mark Reed Edwards. 
We&#39;re back with this mini series of shows I&#39;ve dubbed the Talent Showcase. These episodes will focus on people in marketing, communications, PR, and allied fields who are looking for their next opportunity. My guests will share their stories, successes, and how they can help their next employer or client.
Today, I&#39;m joined by Gem Passant. 
Gem has over 15 years experience in customer leader roles in a range of organizations, from startup to large corporate, typically in the insurance sector. Gem&#39;s biggest area of interest is customer experience as culture, specifically how this links to company purpose, employee experience, and sustainable growth through the practical application of the Net Promoter System.
Gem, welcome.
Gem Passant: Thanks for having me. It&#39;s great to be here.
Mark: It&#39;s wonderful to have you on the show. So can you tell me about yourself, your background, and career path?
Gem: Yeah, sure. So I actually started out in human resources. I read archaeology at university with some anthropology and got really into human behavior and thought human resources is the way for me to go. And then got onto a graduate scheme. So that&#39;s what we call in the UK, would maybe be a postgraduate scheme in the US, basically working for an employer on a fast track scheme for a large insurance company in the UK called Aviva.
And I planned to stay in that field and not long in realized that I actually didn&#39;t understand my customers enough, which was the internal customers of the organization. And the only way to do a good job working in HR was to go and experience what they were experiencing and work in the business itself.
And so I was looking for a change, I asked for a change, and was invited to apply to be Chief of Staff to the Chief Operations Officer for the UK business, which was a great role, a super fast track learning, if anyone&#39;s ever done Chief of Staff they&#39;ll know. And that gave me an opportunity to really learn and understand the business cause I was right in the thick of it and look for what my next opportunity would be.
And there was an area that had been unloved for some while, which was the customer experience function. That was back then not called CX, which is what we tend to call it now. It was quite early days for having a customer experience function. And it had been run by somebody for a long time who&#39;d moved into a different role and then there&#39;

Gem Passant: Customer leader with a focus on marketing through customer advocacy

Jason Rasmuson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrasmuson/) is a Massachusetts-based writer with more than 20 years’ experience writing for the technology industry. 
He’s been self-employed for the last 15 years with experience in the cloud computing, cybersecurity, FinTech, HR/workforce management/talent management, and other specialized areas in high tech. He recently relaunched his business to offer a new take on writing: content delivered as a service. 
This new model helps clients produce more content each month, yet in a much more flexible and cost-effective way than retainers or per-project engagements. You can learn more at www.runningstart.co
Transcript
Mark Reed-Edwards: Welcome to this episode of Confessions of a Marketer. I&#39;m Mark Reed Edwards. 
We&#39;re back with this mini series of Talent Showcase episodes that focus on people in marketing, communications, PR, and allied fields who are looking for their next opportunity. My guests will share their stories, successes, and how they can help their next employer or client.
Today, I&#39;m joined by Jason Rasmussen. 
Jason is a Massachusetts based writer with more than 20 years experience writing for the technology industry. He&#39;s been self employed for the last 15 years with experience in cloud computing, cyber security, fintech, HR workforce management, talent management, and other specialized areas in high tech.
He recently relaunched his business to offer a new take on writing content delivered as a service. 
This new model helps clients produce more content each month, yet in a much more flexible and cost effective way than retainers or per project engagements. 
Mark You can learn more at runningstart.co (https://www.runningstart.co)
Jason, welcome.
Jason Rasmuson: Thanks for having me, Mark. Really looking forward to our conversation.
Mark: Same here. You and I crossed paths several years ago and we reconnected on LinkedIn. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your background and career path?
Jason: Yeah, sure. So I--probably like many of us--was slightly better at the kind of English major side. When I got out of school, I was lucky enough to join Kronos now UKG, which is where I believe we met.
So I was able to join as an house writer. You know, marketing collateral and things like that. And was really pretty happy in my role there. And at a certain point, just wanted to grow a little bit. So I. I got an MBA and moved from job to job a little bit. I had a couple stints at local software companies.
And, ultimately the Great Recession in 2009 resulted in layoffs that were probably the push I needed. Because I ultimately did want to start my own thing and kind of work for myself. So, since 2009, I&#39;ve been kind of a one man band here supporting the technology industry, and marketing teams in tech, with a lot of content--kind of the typical things you&#39;d expect, I&#39;m sure.
Mark: Yeah, yeah. So what is one of your most important career accomplishments?
J

Jason Rasmuson: Massachusetts-based writer for the technology industry

Ben Bradshaw (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-bradshaw-9366a04/) is an experienced brand and marketing leader in energy and cleantech. He helps progressive businesses in the Energy Transition create a standout brand, and marketing that powers profitable and sustainable growth.
He has 25 years’ experience as a marketer in the UK energy &amp; cleantech sectors and particular strengths in marcomms, brand, strategy, planning, insight for B2C, B2B, corporations or start-ups. Ben has held Head of Marketing positions transforming brands and building teams - with a passion for sustainability, brand and culture.
He is now seeking his next senior marketing role with an ambitious pioneer in the clean energy sector.
Transcript
Mark Reed-Edwards: Welcome to this special episode of Confessions of a Marketer. I&#39;m Mark Reed-Edwards. It&#39;s been a while, but we&#39;re back with this mini series of shows I&#39;ve dubbed the Talent Showcase. These episodes will focus on people in marketing, communications, PR, and allied fields who are looking for the next opportunity.
My guests will share their stories, successes, and how they can help their next employer or client. We have about five episodes lined up and today I&#39;m joined by Ben Bradshaw. 
Ben is an experienced brand and marketing leader in energy and clean tech. He helps progressive businesses in the energy transition create a standout brand and marketing that powers profitable and sustainable growth. He has 25 years experience as a marketer in the UK energy and clean tech sectors and particular strengths in marcomms, brand, strategy, planning, insight for B2C, B2B corporations or startups.
Ben has held head of marketing positions, transforming brands and building teams with a passion for sustainability, brand and culture. He&#39;s now seeking his next senior marketing role with an ambitious pioneer in the clean tech sector. 
Ben, welcome.
Ben Bradshaw: Oh, well, good to meet you, Mark. Thank you very much for inviting me on the show.
Mark: Yeah, it&#39;s great to have you here. So can you tell me about yourself, your background and career path beyond what I just shared with the audience?
Ben: Yeah, sure. So as you said, I&#39;ve been in the energy industry—UK-based—for over 25 years and I&#39;ve got a personal passion in sustainability and got a career in marketing. Really I&#39;ve brought those two interests of mine to create a career to support the growth of renewable, sustainability, clean technology. So we&#39;re talking about EV charging, solar panels, battery storage. And I&#39;m really excited about the opportunity here because it&#39;s growing massively. And I, I was really involved in sustainability from the start from my environmental engineering over almost 30 years ago now.
And I&#39;ve already dedicated a career in supporting businesses to further their brand and to develop marketing to really grow, take up an interest in these new products and services. And I&#39;ve worked in t

Ben Bradshaw: Marketing and brand leader in sustainability, energy, and clean technology

I've been away from podcasting for two-plus years. I miss it. I've been working as a CMO recently. But I'm returning to consulting. And now I'm ready dip my toe back in the world of CoaM. Over the past couple of years, I've had a blast. I've been on endless Zoom calls, talked with countelss people, shared stories about marketing, led events online (and finally in-person!), hosted webinars, shot too many videos, written thousands of emails, overseen campaigns, and talked with clients. I've learned a hell of a lot. I want to sahre some stories, talk to the industry's best people, solve some problems, and maybe rattle a few cages. Stay tuned in the coming weeks.

I'm back!

On this episode, we have Robyn Johnson, host of the Marketing Blueprint podcast and a world renowned Amazon Consultant and expert. Amazon is ever-present but can be a mystery. We learn about Robyn’s background, and then dig into how she thinks marketing on Amazon has changed for 2021, how COVID pushed brands to use Amazon, and how a retailer can prepare for using Amazon. Plus, Robyn demystifies how Amazon’s search and paid algorithms work and shares the keys to navigating fulfillment by Amazon. Then, we gaze into the future. Links of interest:Merchant Words Helium 10SEMrush for Amazon

Product Marketing Strategies For Amazon

On the latest episode, we have Chris Dickey, founder and CEO of Visably, in to talk about multi-channel marketing for search. We find out all about Visably and moving the goal line from  “How do I improve my website’s ranking in search?”  to  “How do I improve my brand’s ranking in search?”  Plus, we learn why brand-owned websites are at such a disadvantage compared to ecommerce and media companies when it comes to search, and we find out how a brand can stack the search engine results pages. We pack lots more into this interview.

Multichannel Search Marketing

On this episode, we continue our two-part discussion about taking on a new role as a marketing leader. Joining me are Josh Martin and Auseh Britt. This time, we learn about the mentors Josh and Auseh turn to for advice--and we hear about the Slack communities Auseh uses actively. We also get a look at what the first 30-60 days were like in their new roles. Did they have a specific plan? And how did that work out? We find out. Gong // chorusWe also shift the discussion to B2B sales and what it takes to succeed. Then we round out the two parts by learning what it was like finding a new role in these strange times. And they share advice for listeners who are also in search of the next thing. A great way to start off the new year!Links to things we discussed:Matt Heinz (host of the Slack channel Auseh mentioned)ChorusGong

The First Few Months in a New Marketing Role

On this episode, we start a two-part discussion about taking on a new role as a marketing leader. Joining me are Josh Martin, Executive Vice President of Marketing at Decision Lens, and Auseh Britt, Vice President of Growth Marketing at Terminus. They both joined their companies in 2020. Josh has been on a few times before talking about product marketing. Auseh is here for the first time.
We discuss what it was like onboarding during Covid--the challenges, what worked well, and what (if anything) they would do differently. Plus, we look into the kind of training their new companies offered and what they did to prepare for their roles. To wrap up this episode, we chat about the biggest challenges they faced at their new companies. Great chat with two great marketers.

Starting a New Marketing Role Amid COVID

We have a bit of a change of pace for this episode. Back on episode 171, ten episodes ago in the long-ago days of early November, Leslie Zane and I were chatting as we got ready to record. And just as I hit the record button, she asked me a question. I’d heard it before, but never really answered it. So, here on this special episode, we share that short discussion. This one won’t take long. Before you know it, you’ll be back to your holiday festivities. Enjoy the chat.

Behind the Confessions of a Marketer Name

On this episode, we have another visit with Ben Afia, who describes himself as The Language Strategist, with a goal of making companies more human—in their culture, brand and communications. Ben was one of the first to bring attention to tone of voice and now works with companies around the globe. I worked with him more than a decade ago on a tone of voice project and we’ve kept in touch ever since—in fact, he was an early guest on this podcast—on Episodes Three, Twenty Two, and Sixty One. Now we’re 180 episodes in, it’s great to have him back on. We talk about what words have to do with a brand and why they are important, what you can learn about a company’s values from their website, how to get everyone in a company using the same tone, and how to use the right words at the right time. A topic we discussed:Appreciative InquiryMore about Ben:Ben Afia on LinkedInBen’s website

The Language Strategist

On this episode, we welcome Jaclyn Schiff, founder of PodReacher, a “done-for-you” service that transforms podcast episodes into high-quality articles. Before starting PodReacher, Jaclyn worked as a journalist for leading healthcare publications in Washington, D.C. and Chicago and also served as director of communication for a global health research association. We dig into what PodReacher is all about, how podcasting fits into an overall content marketing strategy, how people should look at the content they produce in a podcast, the role of show notes, and repurposing episodes into articles and blog posts. We also get a glimpse into the future of podcasting. A few things we discussed:Brandon Huffard: SEO for the rest of usPodboxerThe podcast episode that PodReacher worked on for me: Video in MarketingAs I look at my paltry show notes, it’s clear Jaclyn’s service is superior to anything I can do. 

Making the Most of Podcast Content

On the latest episode, we have Mike Maynard, managing director of Napier--a B2B PR and marketing agency based in the UK. Mike describes himself as a geek who loves talking about technology. We learn about his background and the path he took from engineer to marketer and then from in-house to agency. We also dig into the shift from siloed marketing to organizing around content development and content distribution, and why marketers often fail to get the ROI they expect from tools like marketing automation. Plus we have a discussion about account-based marketing fails and what it’s been like communicating with people during COVID-19. A fun chat with Mike.

Taking the Silos Out of B2B Marketing

On the latest episode, we have the founder of Right Side Up, Tyler Elliston, in for a discussion about growth marketing in the COVID era. Right Side Up is a collective of growth marketing specialists that have helped 200+ venture-backed tech companies hit their goals. They’ve worked with names such as Stitch Fix, DoorDash, Calm, Roman, Segment, Crunchbase, Faire, Wealthfront, Zenefits, and many earlier stage companies.We get a glimpse into Tyler’s background and what it’s been like working during COVID-19 (he and his family all got it and have recovered, which I was relieved to hear). We also dig into shifting product/market fit on a dime (we’ve all had to shift a bit this year, but some have shifted further and faster than others). Plus, we take a look into the future. This was a great, optimistic chat with a growth marketer of the highest order.Have fun!

Growth Marketing in the COVID Era

On the latest episode, we’re sitting down once again with Amanda Slavin, co-founder of CatalystCreativ. Amanda is all about engagement—and I thought it might be interesting to chat about it in the wake of COVID-19. Since we last spoke, Amanda became a mother, so we find out all about that, plus we dig into how engagement has changed during COVID, how creative has been transformed, and what engagement might look like in the future. We touched on a lot more. As always with Amanda, this was a great chat. Listen closely.  A few of the things we discussed:Amanda’s book: The Seventh Level: Transform Your Business Through Meaningful Engagement with Your Customers and EmployeesBrand acupuncture mentioned in this LinkedIn article: The 5 Marketing Lessons We’ve Learned in 5 Years at CatalystCreativ“On Work” by Kahlil GibranApple’s video: How’s the whole working from home thing going for you?Amanda featured in Forbes: Working From Home Is Amplifying Your Workplace Issues. Here’s How To Fix It.

Engagement During and After COVID-19

On the latest episode, Rytis Lauris, co-founder and CEO of marketing automation platform  Omnisend, joins us to discuss omnichannel marketing. We learn all about Rytis and Omnisend, plus we find out exactly how omnichannel marketing works, why email marketing is dead, and how to do personalization and relevance right. In addition, we hear how Rytis bootstrapped several businesses (including Omnisend), how to figure out whether you’re offering a painkiller or a vitamin, and how his firm and clients have fared during COVID-19. Enjoy!

Omnichannel Marketing

On this episode, we welcome a fellow podcaster Stephanie Cox to chat about agility in marketing. Stephanie is the host of the REAL MARKETERS podcast, where she’s interviewed marketing leaders with brands such as MGM Resorts, Crayola, GE, Campbell Soup Company and others. She is also VP of sales and marketing at Lumavate. We learn why agility in marketing is so important, how to manage marketing efforts that are so fast moving, and what hinders marketers from moving as fast as possible. Stephanie also makes some recommendations for marketing leaders on how to move fast if their organization or senior leaders don’t share that same desire. We dig into a lot more and also gaze into the future. A very agile discussion about marketing. It’s a good one. 

Agility in the Marketing Jet Stream

This time, we have food entrepreneur and pierogi queen Vanessa White back for a discussion about life during COVID-19, running a small business and what the post COVID world might look like. Vanessa is co-owner of Jaju Pierogi—now sold in stores all over New England. I think there’s no better way to view the business world than through the eyes of a small business or startup owner. We learn what life has been like the past six months. And we get a glimpse into the effort it takes for a small business to get shelf space. The life of a small business person is full of stress, so Vanessa shares some of the stresses she sees every day and how she deals with them. The post-COVID world will be here soon and Vanessa has some thoughts on that as well. Vanessa used to work for me, and it has been great seeing her build her business from scratch. Overall, a very appetizing discussion about food and more. 

Doing Business During COVID

On this episode, Oren Greenberg, founder of Kurve, which is a modular growth marketing consultancy. Oren has been instrumental in the growth of a number of client brands and has been featured in The Telegraph, Social Media Examiner, and the HubSpot blog. We get the details on Oren’s background and learn all about Kurve. We also find out how he’s using video with his clients and how they’re affecting conversions. In addition, we discuss the role personalization plays, how to align your values with your clients. Plus, we find out how to get people to engage with a video--and what happens when a person engages. Of course, we also touch on the future. A podcast about video is so 2020.Have fun!

Video in Marketing

On today’s episode, we have Leslie Zane, President of Triggers Brand Consultancy with us. Leslie is a TEDx Speaker, and contributor to Harvard Business Review, Media Village, Scientific American, and CMO.com. We are privileged to have her with us to dig into a subject that seems absolutely massive and critically important to understand: Subconscious Marketing. We learn about her work at Triggers Brand Consultancy and how she got involved in the subconscious, why the subconscious is so important for businesses to understand. And we hear about the epiphany she had early in her career that set her on her current path. Plus, we learn exactly what subconscious marketing is and how it differs from conscious marketing. We also get a new term for cocktail party conversations (whenever those happen again): the Brand Connectome. Plus, we dig into a lot more. A great discussion, packed with a ton of wisdom. A few links to things we discussed●    Cracking the Code on Brand Growth●    Dollar Shave Club Video●    Michael Porter●    Porter's Five Forces Analysis●    MadMen “The Carousel”

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