I’ve been meaning to point our Forward readers to the latest issue of the online version of this PR magazine from the UK. To give you a little background, Behind the Spin is essentially a print publication, produced primarily for and by PR students. But as times have changed, so have they! Behind the Spin also has a blog where many of the articles from the print magazine are featured, adding another dimension to the publication and - of course - comments.

This issue includes some interesting pieces about new media and how it will (and is) affecting the industry, as well as some topics pertaining to more mainstream media. Also, Christina Holm puts forth a good argument for the value of a PR degree in “Why PR degrees need PR.” I encourage you to take a look and offer up your own insights, if you haven’t come across this already.

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For the fifth Forward Podcast one of our principal contributors, Josh Morton, interviews Bryan Specht, his boss at Weber Shandwick Chicago.

Bryan Specht is a Senior Vice President and member of the Executive Leadership Team at Weber Shandwick Chicago where he specializes in global corporate reputation programs and the management of sensitive corporate issues and crises.

On 9/11, Bryan served as the on-site American Airlines communications coordinator and helped manage the airline’s command center at Dulles International Airport in response to the terrorist hijacking and crashing of Flight 77 at the Pentagon. In cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, he was the lead developer of the Business Roundtable’s Post-9/11 Crisis Communications Toolkit.

Prior to joining Weber Shandwick, Bryan served in senior staff roles for two U.S. Senators and two Members of Congress. He has served on the staffs of three presidential campaigns, managed a victorious nationally-targeted congressional campaign and was a part of the White House and Party Leadership communications team during one of the most controversial congressional battles in U.S. history.

Bryan graduated from Ohio University with a Degree in American Ethnology and Minority Affairs, a minor in Constitutional Law and a certificate in Political Communications. He is involved in the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Europe Program and was an invited participant in the 2003 Global Issues Management Council forum at the Swiss Re Center for Global Dialogue in Ruschlikon, Switzerland. He is a member of the Public Affairs Council, the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, the United Nations Association and the Business Council for the United Nations. He has appeared on several network and cable news programs as a political strategist and issues management consultant.

For this edition of Forward Podcast, Bryan shares some stories from the early days of his career, alongside advice for young PR’s and his thoughts on mentors. He talks about his experiences as the on-site communications coordinator for American Airlines on 9/11 – a day he desribes as “life changing” while also representing a “sea change for crisis management practice”.

Show notes:

00:14: Intro from Paull Young – director of Forward Podcast
01:35: Josh introduces Bryan Specht
02:41: Bryan outlines the start of his career in politics
04:14: Bryan explains how he ended up advising President Clinton
05:34: How and why Bryan moved from politics to public relations
08:19: Bryan shares his thoughts on mentoring
10:56: Bryan desribes his role as on-site American Airlines communications coordinator on 9/11 and discusses the effect the day had on him personally and professionally
22:07: Bryan outlines some of the professional lessons he learnt from his role on 9/11
24:22: Bryan gives some advice to young practitioners - be prepared to be a pauper early in your career, but the eventual rewards are worth it
29:37: Paull wraps up, and shares some administration information about the upcoming changes to the Forward Podcast

Listen Now:

 Forward #5 - Interview with Bryan Specht [31:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (872)

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