New Medici Innovator Series: Brian Reich
I initially met Brian Reich when he featured my alma mater, Participant Media, in his book Media Rules! On a consulting basis, Brian worked with a number of the non-profits that partnered with Participant/TakePart including “Live Earth.” Today, he’s the SVP and Global Editor at Edelman, where he provides editorial vision and strategy for the company (and teaches at Columbia).
His bio in brief: Author. Sports fan. Media junkie. To quote Brian, he “spends most of my time thinking about the impact technology is having on our society.”
Brian connects with the New Medici perspective of different verticals redefining culture; specifically the role of tech on media influence, consumption and societal change. Like Sean Parker, Brian’s a “cultural engineer” caught in the open position of being a multi-vertical marketer and editor. Media + Lifestyle (and Technology)…
- What is an “innovator” in your words? A “game changer”?
Someone who pushes the boundaries of what is possible – by asking tough questions, trying new things, not being afraid to shake things up.
- How do you get inspired on a daily basis? What media do you consume? Environment? Tools?
I read. I watch. I consume a ton of media – a dozen newspapers, a bunch of magazines, thousands of blogs. I am constantly consuming media, looking around, absorbing the world in which I live and trying to make sense of it – find the context, connect what’s happening to what needs to be done. A partial media list: Wall Street Journal. New York Times. Washington Post. Seattle Times. LA Times. Boston Globe. Chicago Tribune. Politico. Denver Post. Miami Herald. Dallas Morning News. Sports Illustrated. GQ. Vanity Fair. New Yorker. Time. Newsweek. New Republic. Wired. Fast Company. In Style. Sports Illustrated. ESPN The Magazine. 1000+ Blogs. Twitter. Facebook. Sesame Street. Dinosaur Train. Word World. Criminal Minds. Oprah. Modern Family. SportsCenter. 16 & Pregnant. Friday Night Lights. 30 Rock. Fresh Air. Slate’s Hang Up And Listen. This American Life. PolitOptics. Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me. Books. Ads.
Hack the… [Insert Industry Here]
What’s hackable these days? Answer: Everything. Every traditional vertical, agency and business line is on the “hacking block” with innovative entrepreneurs and executives trying to reinvent business by disrupting it.
Intrapreneurials are actively competing with their entrepreneurial brethren to breathe live into inefficient companies.
With Facebook making the “hackathon” a regular event, they’re challenging the concept of doing something faster with little devotion to the past. Basically, it’s the corporate-sized version of “pivoting” – or refreshing the process in favor of faster-better-more efficient methods. It’s not downsizing to reduce costs, but super-sizing business or brand thinking to reduce natural inefficiencies Read more >>