Pressing Matters

Jeff Burt spent his childhood wandering the world with his Army dad and digging deep into fantasy and horror stories with his mom. They even wrote a few superhero stories together just for fun.So by the time he enrolled at Keene State in New Hampshire, Jeff was dedicated to storytelling. He split his time writing for the school newspaper, where he rose to executive editor his senior year, and DJing at the school radio station. In the end, he chose writing, and after cutting his teeth at local papers in New England, Jeff joined the staff of eWeek in 2000. Despite admitting he barely knew much about tech, Jeff not only got the job, he kept it for 16 years and became one of the top tech reporters in the industry.Now a freelancer for several titles, Jeff joined us to preview the RSA Conference in San Francisco later this month, and he gave me a chance to reminisce about my upbringing on Cape Cod, where he lives, 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 I'm your host. Through research and good old-fashioned relationship building, we've identified B2B tech's top 200 media and influencers, including Jeff. Here's our chat with him. Enjoy.

Sean Kinney is yet another one of our guests who had at least one parent, his mother in this case, who was a school teacher. That's clearly a theme for journalists. What's a bit new this time around is that his mom later went into the insurance world, along with his dad, asking the tough questions to get to the truth of the matter, just like a reporter does.Sean does the same, just as an analyst and as a journalist. And with Mobile World Congress in Barcelona just weeks away, we talked to Sean, the editor in chief at RCR Wireless News/principal analyst at RCRTech, about what we should expect the truth to be at this year's show, 6G, Wi -Fi 8, AI and more AI. In addition to previewing Mobile World Congress, Sean joined us to discuss his early days as a reporter in, of all places, Key West, his shift from the Keys into telco wireless, and his love of Ole Miss football.Pressing Matters from Big Valley Marketing is the podcast that brings you conversations with the top media and influencers in B2B tech, hosted by Dave Reddy, Head of Big Valley's Media & Influencers Practice.Here's our chat with Sean. Enjoy.

Jon may not be a philosopher, but as a writer, analyst, and podcaster, he certainly has the trust of the B2B community. Jon joins Pressing Matters to tell us about his mission to disrupt B2B tech media and analysis, his thoughts on the high percentage of AI hype versus reality, and how he's managed to live in Massachusetts for more than 30 years without picking up an accent.Welcome to 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 I'm your host. Through research and good old-fashioned relationship building, we've identified B2B tech's top 200 media and influencers, including Jon Reed.Here's our chat with Jon. Enjoy.

Emilia David comes from a long line of journalists. Her late mother, in fact, was a well-known and controversial Filipino political columnist. Her writing helped usher in women's reproductive rights in one of the world's most religiously conservative countries. So it was no surprise that Amelia got into journalism. Tech journalism, particularly AI, and in the United States, well, that's a much longer story. Emilia joined us to tell that story, how she uses AI to help determine what is and is not a fit for her VentureBeat audience, and to talk about her unapologetic love for enterprise tech 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 I'm your host. Through research and good old-fashioned relationship building, we've identified B2B Tech's top 200 media and influencers, including Emilia. Here's our chat with Emilia. Enjoy.

In more than three decades covering technology, John Swartz has met a lot of people: engineers, journalists, CEOs, and he's got a story for all of them. As a student at San Jose State, he was part of a newspaper staff that was led by AP's Mike Lidke and included at least a half dozen other pioneers in tech journalism. As a reporter for 17 years at USA Today, he witnessed online advertising's slow but inevitable impact on a once major newspaper. And as a reporter today at TechStrong Group, he's covering AI from a skeptical but hopeful perspective. John joined us to tell us about his engineer father's influence on his career, the good old days of tech trades, and just a few of the stories he has about all those people he's met over the years 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 John. Here's our chat with John. Enjoy.

Back when Maribel Lopez left Forrester and became an independent analyst in 2008, she was taking a great risk. Independent analysts were not the force they are today. Social media was just getting going, blogs were still in their infancy, and podcasts were still called online videos. But today, in part because of Maribel's pioneering work in the field, independent B2B tech analysts thrive. And Maribel is a great example. Yes, she still does great analysis, now largely on the AI market, but she blogs, contributes articles to various outlets, and has her own successful podcast, the AI with Maribel Lopez. She's also a road warrior, spending upwards of 25 weeks a year at tech conferences in the US, Canada, and EMEA. Nonetheless, she somehow found the time to join us to discuss the evolution of the analyst space over the past three decades, her approach to choosing projects, and how she got rid of that pesky Boston accent for this fourth season premiere 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 Maribel. Here's our chat with Maribel. Enjoy.

Joining the conversation are Michael Nuñez, Editor Director at VentureBeat with a focus on tech and AI, and Fred Vogelstein, co-founder of CrazyStupidTech and seasoned journalist. They explore the potential of AI to enhance journalism, claiming it can alleviate routine tasks and boost creative reporting. Fred reveals how he utilizes AI as a personal answer machine, while both discuss its role in democratizing media and reducing misinformation. They also ponder the need for regulation in the face of AI's growing influence on the industry.

Allie Garfinkle, Senior Finance Reporter at Fortune, shares her unique journey from aspiring theater artist to influential finance journalist. She reflects on her resilient Miami upbringing and the diverse cultural influences that shape her storytelling. The conversation dives into the evolving world of venture capital, with a keen focus on AI's impact. Allie also highlights her passion for freediving, intertwining it with life lessons from the ocean, while teasing her contributions to the upcoming Fortune Brainstorm Tech event.

This week, we're highlighting another great podcast, Misadventures in Marketing, that is produced by our friends at the American Marketing Association San Francisco (AMASF).In this, the 4th episode of Misadventures in Marketing, hosts Steve Haney and Peter Farago dive into the fun-filled world of corporate messaging, start-up style. They discuss the importance of creating a messaging house, understanding customer pain points, and the iterative nature of the process. The conversation highlights the significance of crafting compelling messaging that resonates with customers’ worries and pain points, focusing on three core pillars, and the role of repetition in delivery. Corporate messaging, product positioning, and visual identity all play a role in defining even an early-stage tech company’s success.

Annie Saunders, editor at Morning Brew's Tech Brew, is a seasoned tech journalist with a rich background in local news and commodities. She discusses the struggles of local journalism and her unique career path shaped by personal experiences, including her late mother's influence. Annie highlights the importance of generalism in tech reporting and delves into the role of AI and climate tech in this sector. With a deep love for Pittsburgh, she shares how her roots inspire her work, all while navigating the evolving landscape of technology and journalism.