Mixed Signals from Semafor Media

Episode: The secret to Zohran Mamdani’s winning media strategy is simpler than you think
Air Date: July 3, 2025
Hosts: Max Tani & Ben Smith
Guests: Rebecca Katz (Fight), Morris Katz (Fight, Mamdani campaign)

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the media strategy that fueled Zohran Mamdani’s meteoric, improbable rise from obscurity to presumptive Democratic nominee for New York City mayor. Max Tani and Ben Smith are joined by Rebecca Katz and Morris Katz, two architects behind Mamdani's winning campaign, to dissect how short-form video, authenticity, and media fluency—not just flashy tactics or expensive TV—enabled him to break through in a fast-changing media landscape. The discussion relates Mamdani’s story to broader shifts in political campaigning, the evolving role of consultants, and the challenge of matching media strategy to candidate charisma and authenticity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The New York Mayoral Primary as a Media Story

• The entire media world was fixated on Mamdani’s race, both because of the candidate’s shock win and the campaign’s innovative approach to communication.
• Ben Smith draws on his own history covering New York City politics, emphasizing how the city functions as a microcosm for broader trends in media and politics.
  (02:01)
• "His rise and his improbable victory is a media story fundamentally for reasons we'll get to." – Max Tani (02:52)

2. Zohran Mamdani’s Unconventional Media Approach

• Mamdani’s rapid ascent was largely invisible to traditional political observers until his viral videos began circulating widely. Ben Smith admits he first heard of Mamdani through one of these videos.
  (06:04)

• Mamdani’s use of vertical video, meme culture, and performative stunts (e.g., “jumping in the ocean in a suit for the ‘Freeze the Rent’ campaign”) gave his messaging a unique authenticity and sense of fun.
  (05:05)

  Notable Quote:
  "He was just using vertical video so effectively... was jumping in the water with the... On New Year's Day in Brighton Beach with the polar bear, wearing a suit to propose a rent freeze. And it was like kind of corny in a very particular way that worked." – Ben Smith (05:05)

3. Letting the Candidate Be the Strategist

• Morris Katz and Rebecca Katz stress that Mamdani himself was the campaign’s best strategist—most viral video concepts were his ideas, and the team’s main job was to “let Zoran cook.”
  (10:37), (11:35)

• The campaign intentionally avoided shoehorning Mamdani into off-the-shelf consultant playbooks, instead empowering him to be as authentic as possible.

  Notable Quote:
  "Our best strategist is by far, Zoran... And a lot of the videos, for example, are Zaun's ideas." – Morris Katz (10:37)

4. Short-Form Video & Media Fluency as a Generational Advantage

• Youth and comfort with contemporary social media platforms made Mamdani far more “native” to the media moment than many older politicians.

• Rebecca Katz argues that real fluency—not just the ability to churn out cringeworthy consultant-fed TikToks—matters, and Democrats need candidates who actually “grew up in it.”
  (17:11)

  Notable Quote:
  "We need candidates who actually understand the media moment that we're in... Right now we have a lot of older candidates who are learning how to do some of this from their grandchildren." – Rebecca Katz (17:11)

5. Positive Authenticity and Virality

• The group discusses theories about why short-form video works so well for certain candidates. Mamdani broke the mold by matching hopeful, positive energy with the inherently “entertaining” nature of short vertical videos.

• Authenticity—rather than forced optimism—was key to avoiding the kind of “relentless dunking” unsuccessful candidates sometimes draw on social platforms.
  (18:41), (20:17)

  Notable Quote:
  "You have to find the lane that is sincere to the candidate... there are a lot of different ways to get there, but it's about kind of landing it in a way that feels authentic." – Morris Katz (20:17)

6. Matching Candidate and Medium

• Success comes from aligning a candidate’s strengths and personality with the right formats, not merely copying what works for someone else.
  (33:36), (32:05)

  Notable Quote:
  "Matching people to areas in which they're organically comfortable in non traditional media is a kind of critical thing... it's like a copycat business where it's like, oh, this worked for this person, so now let's do the exact same thing for this other candidate..." – Morris Katz (32:05)

7. Paid vs. Earned Media in the “Social First” Era

• Mamdani's team recognized the power of paid television during live sporting events, like the Knicks’ playoff run, as a way to reach older and less digitally native voters—a tactic many Democrats still underutilize.

• Shorter, punchier 15-second ads allowed the campaign to outmaneuver a better-funded opponent and hammer home Mamdani’s core “freeze the rent” message with frequency.

• Despite social’s dominance, traditional paid advertising still played a vital complementary role.
  (25:35), (28:10)

  Notable Quote:
  "We went all in on Knicks games, spending a massive amount of our resources and making sure that we'd have a really heavy presence there... If the New York Knicks can win a championship, surely Zarambani can be the next mayor." – Morris Katz (25:35)

8. Authenticity, Disruption and the New Political Archetype

• Mamdani, like other candidates Rebecca Katz has worked with (John Fetterman, Ruben Gallego), represents authentic disruption and a willingness to run against entrenched systems—in style and substance.

• Authenticity isn’t about “cosplaying normalcy.” Whether it’s gym shorts (Fetterman) or a suit (Mamdani), what matters is emotional honesty and a real connection to the lives of constituents.
  (29:04), (30:10)

  Notable Quote:
  "Just be fucking normal. Right? Or not be normal and own it... it's not that hard." – Rebecca Katz (30:10)

9. Old Media vs. New Media: Complement, Don't Replace

• Despite the viral power of social platforms, the campaign did not shut out traditional media. Mamdani met with editorial boards and remained accessible, leveraging both new and old channels to drive, reinforce, and loop narratives.

• The decline of print’s influence is real (“Nobody reads the paper on the subway... everybody's looking at their phones”), but wholly ignoring traditional media is still a mistake.
  (33:36), (35:02), (35:50)

  Notable Quote:
  "It was a very deliberate early on choice from Zoran where it was like, I will talk to anyone about anything. You're trying to reach a ton of different people and different people get their news in different ways." – Morris Katz (35:50)

10. The General Election: Expanding the Coalition

• As the race enters a new phase, Mamdani’s core message will remain—the affordability crisis, corrupt adversaries, and hope for real change—but the electorate shifts more conservative.
• Social media, especially video, was central to surging new voter registration:
  "In the 14 days leading up to the last day to register to vote, 37,000 new registrants... Zoran used the videos to communicate and say, guys like TikTok, like, let's go register to vote. And then people did it." – Rebecca Katz (38:53)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "He was just using vertical video so effectively... It felt kind of fresh, was tapped into just sort of ridiculous New York stuff." – Ben Smith (05:05)
• "Our best strategist is by far, Zoran... A lot of the videos, for example, are Zaun's ideas." – Morris Katz (10:37)
• "We need candidates who actually understand the media moment that we're in." – Rebecca Katz (17:11)
• "You have to find the lane that is sincere to the candidate... It's about kind of landing it in a way that feels authentic." – Morris Katz (20:17)
• "If the New York Knicks can win a championship, surely Zarambani can be the next mayor." – Morris Katz (25:35)
• "Just be fucking normal. Right? Or not be normal and own it." – Rebecca Katz (30:10)
• "It was a very deliberate early on choice from Zoran where it was like, I will talk to anyone about anything." – Morris Katz (35:50)
• "In the 14 days leading up to the last day to register to vote, 37,000 new registrants... Zoran used the videos to communicate and say, guys like TikTok, like, let's go register to vote. And then people did it." – Rebecca Katz (38:53)

Additional Insights & Reflection (Post-Interview Analysis)

Ben and Max reflect on the conversation:

• The success formula isn’t replicable by medium alone: candidate intuition, a real feel for the new communications landscape, and a marriage of policy with viral, authentic content are necessary.
• Campaigns are now in direct competition with media to grab public attention; a successful political operation may resemble a nimble, always-on media outfit more than a hierarchical party machine.
• While Mamdani’s success highlights the triumph of populist, anti-establishment messaging in this media era, there is still room for more moderate, traditional candidates—media fluency isn’t a guarantee, but it can open doors for insurgents who might otherwise be ignored.

Timestamps for Major Sections

• [02:52] The NYC primary as a media story; Ben’s history
• [05:05] Why Mamdani was able to break through (viral video and authenticity)
• [10:37] “Let Zoran cook”: letting the candidate lead strategy
• [13:48] Is Mamdani a Democratic mirror to Trump’s media genius?
• [17:11] Generational fluency with new media & candidate selection
• [18:41] Does short-form video have a partisan bias or simply reward positivity?
• [25:35] Paid TV, the Knicks, and adapting ad strategy for a new media environment
• [29:04] What authentic disruptor candidates have in common
• [33:36] Can you circumvent old media entirely?
• [35:02] Staying open to press while still leaning on new media
• [37:34] The general election: new coalition and mobilization via digital platforms
• [41:14] Reflection: intuition > analytics; “hand grenade” candidates
• [45:04] Why there’s no playbook for viral, personality-driven campaigns today

Episode Takeaways

• Authenticity and platform fluency win the moment. Mamdani’s campaign proves that message, messenger, and medium must align—gimmicks or playbooks alone mean little.
• The media world is now equal parts creator and competitor with political campaigns—savvy candidates are content hustlers and community builders.
• Traditional media remains relevant, but only as one piece of a multifaceted approach. Modern campaigns must reach voters where they actually are—often on their phones.
• Viral moments only work if they’re organic, positive, and true to the candidate’s personality.
• Matching the candidate to the right media strategy is critical; carbon-copying tactics won’t work unless they fit.

This episode offers a playbook for future campaigns—one that values adaptability, fluency, and authenticity over consultant-driven templates, and shows how new media can rewrite the rules of political engagement.