Inside ATM the People First Media Play

Summary

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Next in Media — “Inside ATM: The People First Media Play”

Host: Mike Shields
Guest: Robert Wheeler, Founder & CEO of At the Moment Media (ATM)
Release Date: November 4, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the founding journey and mission behind At the Moment Media (ATM), a fast-growing media and technology publication with a decidedly people-first approach. Host Mike Shields sits down with Robert Wheeler, a seasoned communications executive turned first-time founder, to discuss his leap from high-profile corporate roles to launching an unconventional new media brand focused on the personalities shaping the advertising, tech, and media industries. The conversation delves into the evolution of trade journalism, the humanizing of B2B communications, branding with intent, and key lessons from Robert’s experience navigating launches and crises in his career.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Leap from Corporate to Startup Life

• Why leave big roles?
  Robert explains his transition from CMO and head of comms at major firms (WPP, WarnerMedia, AT&T, GroupM):

  “You calling me a founder, CEO sounds ridiculous to me... I always said I'm the guy behind the guy... but all of a sudden, I was like, well, screw it…I want to do it.” (02:13)

• Entrepreneurship wasn’t the plan:
  Never thought he’d run a company; felt driven by the need for a new kind of trade platform.
• Industry observations as catalyst:
  Change in media landscape and pressure on reporters led Robert to see an opening for something different:

  “I felt reporters were way more under pressure than I kind of knew or felt and that they needed to find a real angle that would drive clicks and impressions... Journalism's under attack.” (00:07, 06:07)

2. What is At the Moment Media (ATM)?

• Origin story (and name):
  The name was inspired by a text from his niece asking, “What are you doing atm?” leading to “at the moment” and the accidental acronym for Advertising, Technology, and Media. (09:44–11:35)
• ATM’s mission:
  A digitally native trades publication focused on PEOPLE first.
  • “I wanted it to always be white and black, and I wanted…all the color to come from the videos and the people on the platform. Like, I wanted to be the platform that made the people shine.” (10:43, 00:26)
• Editorial flavor:
  • “Think of it as the People magazine or the Us Weekly of advertising, tech and media. I value the person just as much as the news they’re telling me today.” (13:04)
  • Wants “the spicy stuff”—not just puff pieces, but controversial, human, and even vulnerable stories.
• Video-centric approach:
  Most interviews are cut down to engaging 5–6 minute videos, with short social snippets to maximize reach and audience engagement.

  “My long form content...is a five to six minute video...our data shows anything more than really five minutes, people start to tune out. I’m very straightforward...and then I’m cutting you down to four to five minutes.” (17:44)

3. Reinventing B2B Media & Humanizing Industry Coverage

• Differentiation from traditional trades:
  • The old trades cannot reinvent their brand deeply; ATM can be agile, authentic, and personal.
  • “This does not want to be boring, dry, stale, like meat & potatoes trade reporting...this is going to be about the people.” (13:19)
• Human-first storytelling:
  Robert highlights how authenticity and comfort encourage more open, compelling interviews—sometimes leading to unexpectedly emotional or powerful content.

  “When people are comfortable and people know that I'm...here to champion you, they kind of open up a little bit more...” (14:24)

• B2B should borrow from consumer-facing marketing:
  • The industry is great at talking to consumers but often stiff when talking to itself.

  “This industry does an amazing job from an advertising perspective on talking to consumers on behalf of brands. But to our stuff, like, there needs to be so many jargon words. We forget all the lessons we've learned from communicating to regular people.” (18:05–19:11)

4. Start-Up Playbook: Launch and Early Lessons

• Lean, network-powered launch:
  Drew upon 20 years of industry relationships, brought in globally-based editors and designers, and built a strong social and video content strategy.
  • “I was a marketer, so I knew how to launch a brand and…set a communications plan.” (16:40)
• Positive early reception:
  Surprised by how quickly the industry “got it,” attracting support from sponsors and notable personalities.

  “I was surprised at just how instantly people got it. Like, yep, got it, love it. Yes. We needed something like this. …Let me sponsor this.” (20:56)

• The founder’s challenge:
  Tasks like trademarking, hiring, and legal work were daunting; glad he didn’t know all the details before starting.

  “I'm glad I didn't know all the things that went into launching your company, because then...oh, I need to trademark my name and I need a lawyer…” (21:51)

5. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On what PR can and can’t do:

  “Your comms person, your comms team, your comms agency cannot make your terrible story better. And by the way, they’re probably not fully responsible for a great piece either, because at the end of the day, no one’s telling Mike Shields what to do, right?” (25:17, 00:49)

• On favorite industry moments:
  • Tells a wild story of crisis management during 2020: launching the biggest news as CEO leaves, COVID hits, and company pivots to remote overnight. (27:50–29:59)

  “So I had my CEO leaving. I had the biggest announcement of Xander's history…And then we had to do internal comms to be like, do not come to work. You could die.” (29:05)

• On cultural coverage as business journalism:
  • ATM will cover the Latin Grammys and BravoCon from a business/culture perspective:

    “I’m actually really excited to interview some of NBCUniversal’s executives, some of their production folks, some of the talent. But also, we're going to do man on the street interviews…telling the business angle of these big cultural moments.” (23:15–24:10)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:07 — Why journalism needs re-invention: click-chasing and pressure on reporters.
• 02:13–04:49 — Robert's career arc and leap into entrepreneurship.
• 09:44–11:35 — ATM’s name, brand identity, and inspiration.
• 13:04–14:24 — ATM’s people-first editorial mission.
• 16:40–18:05 — How Robert launched ATM; format and editorial choices.
• 20:56 — Early industry response and surprises.
• 23:10–24:10 — Expansion into major event/cultural business coverage.
• 25:17–25:39 — The limits of PR: “You can only control so much.”
• 27:50–29:59 — Crisis comms “war stories”: COVID, mergers, and on-the-fly PR.

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Standout Quotes

• On the Vision:

  “I wanted to create a real brand that shows my platform is to champion you...That doesn't mean I don't want just, like, sweet, nice content...I want the spicy stuff. I want to know your controversial opinion about the industry you work in.” (13:04)

• On the Power (and Limits) of PR:

  “Your comms person, your comms team, your comms agency cannot make your terrible story better.” (25:17) “At the end of the day, no one's telling Mike Shields what to do. Right? He's going to follow the story.” (25:18)

• On Human Storytelling:

  “When people know that like, hey, look, this is a nice friendly environment, I'm here to champion you, they kind of open up a little bit more, to be honest with you.” (14:24)

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Conclusion

Robert Wheeler’s story is ultimately about bridging the gap between people and industry, and making B2B media as compelling—and as human—as the sectors it covers. ATM’s rapid embrace by the industry signals a hunger for more personal, less jargon-laden, and more celebratory coverage. As Robert puts it: “I value the person just as much as the news they’re telling me today.”

For anyone interested in the future of trade journalism, branding, or starting something new in established industries, this episode is a must-listen.

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Transcript

[A]

You calling me a founder, CEO sounds ridiculous to me.

[B]

What made you want to give all that up and take the plunge and be the entrepreneur guy?

[A]

I felt reporters were way more under pressure than I kind of knew or felt and that they needed to find a real angle that would drive clicks and impressions and this kind of stuff, because journalism's under attack.

[B]

Okay, so we're dancing around this. What is at the Moment media? What was it supposed to be? What is it becoming?

[A]

I wanted it to always be white and black, and I wanted everything, all the color to come from the videos and the people on the platform. Like, I wanted to be the platform that made the people shine.

[B]

We forget all the lessons we've learned from communicating to regular people.

[A]

I was surprised at just how instantly people got it. Like, yep, got it. Love it. Your comms person, your comms team, your comms agency cannot make your terrible story better.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And by the way, they're probably not fully responsible for a great piece either, because at the end of the day, no one's telling Mike Shields what to do. Right? Right.

[B]

This week on nexty Media, I spoke to Robert Wheeler, the founder of at the Moment Media, or atm, a new media and advertising and technology publication focused on the personalities and big names of those industries. Robert is someone I've known for a long time as he's held very senior communications roles at companies like WarnerMedia, AT&T Group M and others. So we talked about what made him take the plunge into startup life, what he's learned about launching a new media brand in 2025, and of course, some of his more memorable stories from various PR launches or crises in his career. Let's get started. Hi, everybody. Welcome to Next Media. I'm Mike Shields and my guest this week is Robert Wheeler. He is the founder and CEO of At the Moment Media. Hey, Robert. How you doing, man? Thanks for being here.

[A]

Hey, what's up, Mike? I appreciate you inviting me on.

[B]

I'm pumped to have you because you are doing one of the more interesting things in our space at the moment, but which I want to get into. But let's talk about how I know you. You have had some, like, really senior comms jobs at big media companies, agencies, group M and WarnerMedia. The longer that you get into that world, it's. It seems much scarier to go out on your own because you get used to that structure and comfort. What made. What made you want to give all that up and take the plunge and be the entrepreneur guy?

[A]

Did my parents ask you to ask this question? Yeah. They did.

[B]

They've been texting me.

[A]

Right, Right. Well, thank you for doing that. Hi, Mom. Hi, dad. Um, that's a. That's a great question. I. You know, I turned 40, like, a couple years ago, and I kind of came to a spot in my career where I never thought I would be a CMO of an agency, a media buying agency, and leading, you know, a large team and kind of forming them together.

[B]

When you're. When you're a kid, you weren't like, I want to be the CMO of Group M. You weren't. That wasn't something you would conceive.

[A]

I was like. I was like, I want to be. No. Yeah. Not. Not at all. I mean, who. Who knows what I was like wanting to even think about, even in high school. And so when I got to be a CMO, even before, like, I turned right before I turned 40, I started at WPP, and it was great, and it was wonderful, but I just felt like there was something else that I really. That needed to be done and something that wasn't servicing me as a CMO or ahead of comms in my previous role. And so I wanted to kind of fill that role because, you know, at WPP and at WarnerMedia and at Zander, I had dollars and budget to spend on, like, storytelling that wasn't necessarily brand or wasn't necessarily using my team to pitch, you know, digital shields. Back in the day, I wanted something in between. And I didn't know, you know, what an ATM is Today was not what I was thinking. Like, it has been certainly an evolution, but I just. I couldn't get that buzz out of my head. I couldn't stop thinking about, well, I would do this this way. I would do it this way. And, you know, I've never thought to ever be an entrepreneur. You calling me a founder CEO sounds ridicul. Tell my. I know. I tell my. My business partner, Christine, I was like, I feel like I'm running someone else's company. I hope they're not upset at all the decisions I'm making, because I've always been. And sorry. The. I will. I always said I'm the guy behind the guy. I'm the person behind the person. I was always very comfortable, you know, standing behind Brian Lesser, Char Farjami, you know, Jason Kyler. That was. That was my position that I was really comfortable with. And then all of a sudden, I was like, well, screw it. I just feel like I can build this. I know enough people to do this, and I want to do it. And so I just. I took a leap and I kind of had in my mind, well, I can get this person to help me. I think this person will help me with sponsorship. This person will help me with, you know, the video and that kind of stuff. And then we just started running. And so far, knock on wood. We're. I always say we're babies. We're a little over five months old now, but it's. It's working.

[B]

I. I want to get into what it is at the moment that we're talking about. But when you go back to what you're saying, because that's interesting. You were. I, I would think as a. As an ex reporter, I think of your. Your job was to make sure that the Brian Lester and Jason Kyler is either get good coverage in the big trades or big business publications or, you know, are kept out of bad stories or. Those are the way that's what I always think about. You're. You were seeing. Well, there's something missing here. And that would be more. More akin to marketing promotion than just, like, what I think of as. People think of as pr.

[A]

Right. Well, I mean, also, Mike, like, look, you could. You could sing this song along with me, too. You were on the other side of saying, like, there's gotta. I can. I can help the industry better. There's a. Probably a better fit for me than, you know, having to be the editor at Business Insider or Wall Street Journal or Adweek or kind of where all you. You've always been. I was just on the flip side of that business there, too. Right. And so I fe. Like, media was changing. I felt reporters were way more under pressure than. Than I kind of knew or felt and that they needed to, like, kind of really, kind of find a real angle that would drive clicks and impressions and this kind of stuff, because journalism's under attack from a lot of dramatically.

[B]

Changed over that, over that time. Yeah.

[A]

And I felt, you know, in some ways there were ways where, like, a new executive would start. I could go to a reporter to get a profile piece, and I wasn't looking for puff pieces or that kind of stuff, but just to kind of tell the story of how this executive got here. And there's no, there's really. I mean, there's there's occasional great pieces, and. And I'm not attacking a journalist, but, you know, journalists come on my platform all the time. I love journalism. I read it every day. You are one of the best reporters out there, Mike.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

And so, like, I appreciate that, but it just I. There wasn't a, there wasn't a lane anymore for that. To kind of talk about the person.

[B]

Behind that would have been a cover feature in a trade magazine years ago that just now they're report. I don't know what that's going to do for me. I don't know. I could see that.

[A]

Yep, yep, Absolutely.

[B]

Okay, so we're dancing around this. What is at the moment media? Like what and what have and what, what was it supposed to be? And it's like, you know, how, how many months in now? What is it becoming?

[A]

Yeah, so we're, we're about a little over five months in and we launched the week after traditional upfronts week because being a strategist within communications and marketing I was like great. Everyone will have announced everything possible after lots of stuff, everything. So the week after upfronts is going to be pretty quiet. So I did that. And because I'm a good comms person too, I lined up some embargoes and so Axios, Adweek, Variety. I was able to line that up in the Tuesday of May 20th able to launch and that also gave me about a six weeks Runway to start talking to a bunch of people because I was gonna go to Cannes Lyons as Rob Wheeler Founder CEO of atm and so that was the launch of it. So let's take back all the way back to the year before then. So this was the summer of 2024 and I was thinking, okay, I'm going to do this, I'm going to figure it out and I'm going to go out there and I'm going to launch it probably sometime middle of next year before camp. And then Brian Lesser, the CEO of Infosum at the time, has announced the global CEO of Group N. And all.

[B]

Of a sudden you're busy.

[A]

And I was like, well that's my buddy, man. Like, that's my friend. And like he was so great to me in my career as Xander. He was always like a good mentor of mine as well too, even when I wasn't working with him. And I just wanted to see him succeed. And you know, obviously it's not a complete secret that WPP was needing some change. And I think he's going to be a great leader and is proving to be a great leader for the evolution of now WPP media. And so I said hey. And he had known that I was like thinking about something like that. And so you're like, I don't know.

[B]

If I want to walk out now, do I? Because all this is going On, Right.

[A]

And, you know, I think Brian had really big or has big plans for WPP Media, and I wanted to be a part of that in some way, too. And I love. Love still present, not past tense. My team that I was able to build and kind of gather together and. But I could not get, like, what I said earlier. I could not get that thought out of my head that I was like, I really want to do this, and I really do believe there's a need for this. And so I went into his office and I said, hey, Brian, I need to talk to my friend, not the global CEO of.

[B]

Turn that part off for a second.

[A]

Yeah. And he was like, oh, boy. And so I talked to him about it, and he was like, well, you need a good name. And that was, like, his response, meaning.

[B]

Like I said, he wasn't like, please don't do this.

[A]

Stay.

[B]

You're killing me. That's a good friend.

[A]

So he set that. He set the office on fire. No. And so then I needed to start to think about, okay, what I need to do. And so I promised him six months. And I would, like, you would not know that I was, like, leaving, and I would give you my all. And I feel like I really held up my bargain. And, boy, did he hold up his end of the bargain when I left. And I was really appreciative. They're one of my sponsors now, and he's been a big champion of me since I've left. Um, but I gave my niece an iPad for her birthday last October. And so she sends me a text message. Hey, Uncle Rob, I have a question about my iPad. What are you doing atm? I was like, she. She wants money. I just gave her. I just gave her an iPad. Now she's like, what am I doing at an atm? And so not to look all uncool as, like, you know, the favorite uncle. Thank you. I looked. I was like, atm. And Urban Dictionary is like, at the moment. And then it hit me. I was like, that's the perfect name.

[B]

Oh, that's a story for me.

[A]

Because, like, I came from. I was an NBC page. You know, Kenneth, the page had the peacock tie. Still have it today. And I'm looking around like it's on my desk somewhere. It's not on my desk. And. And so, you know, coming from NBC, I like the three letters atm. You're used to saying those three letters together just for getting money out of an automatic teller machine. And so. And. And every, like, news is at the moment, like, news. News is happening at the Moment. Breaking news. It' and then also, everyone wants to be a part of a moment. Like, why do we go to Cannes Lions? Or why does the entertainment industry go to the Cannes Film Festival? Because it's a moment and you should be there, right? And so it's aspirational. And then I was actually looking at an ATM machine. And then I was like, oh, well, that's also what I cover. It's advertising, technology, and media I cover.

[B]

The universe was aligning for this.

[A]

And then I was like, let's do this. And then so I called my buddy, who is one of the best designers in the world and has a really big, huge job at a huge technology company, but he has a side gig of designing. And so, like, I kind of hate that. I can't, like, like, shout his name to the rooftop. He helped me develop my brand look and feel. I wanted it to always be white and black, and I wanted everything, all the color to come from the videos and the people on the platform. Like, I wanted to be the platform that made the people shine. And then we had this idea. I was like, well, the M. I kind of like, the M looks cute. And I was like, he could be my mascot. And so if you go to ATM Media, our website, you'll see we've started to animate the M. So he'll wave at you, he'll blow you a kiss, he'll jump up and down. He'll, like, you have hearts. And so I wanted to create a real brand that shows my platform is to champion you. And that doesn't mean I don't want just, like, sweet, nice content. Although that's fine, too. I want the spicy stuff. I want to know your controversial opinion about the industry you work in. But I'm here to champion you as a person, as an executive, as an influencer, as an athlete looking to build a media company after you've retired from the NFL, like, C.J. mosley came and talked to us about. And so that is what I'm looking to do, is think of it as, like, the People magazine or the US Weekly of advertising, tech and media. I value the person just as much as the news they're telling me today.

[B]

Right? Which I guess that that was sort of a mission of the trades years ago, and I think that that had gone away. But it. But it. It sounds like you're. You bought. Like, this does not want to be boring, dry, stale, like meat potatoes, like trade reporting. I'm not.

[A]

I'm.

[B]

I'm not knocking. I was at trades, but they're a great business, but this is going to be about the people and have a, have a different, different bent to it than a lot of companies.

[A]

Well, and, and also like, look, the like, look, Janine Poggi at Ad Age, Ryan Joe at Adweek. I mean like all these amazing traits and then you know, for variety, Cynthia Littleton is amazing. But they do, you know, because they do have such scale and they've been around for so long, they can't change their brand that much. Right. And look, I don't have to tell you, Mike, you were an editor too. Some of the more content, branded content, sponsorship pieces, you probably didn't want to champion too much because you're a journalist, right? And you're telling the news and you didn't want to be associated with like, you know, co written bylines from a brand. And, and by the way, I, I don't want anyone just come on platform and just say like, you know, like talking point after talking point. That's why I get them talking about themselves first because there's no wrong answer. And that's why I'm like, I'm always like saying like, look, I, you know, I want to make you look good. So if you feel like you messed up on an answer, like, we'll take it again. Right.

[B]

And so you're not trying to trap anybody or you know, grilling anybody. Like that's not the nature either.

[A]

Yeah, and what I found and like, look, I'll send the questions. We ask the almost the same questions like every month. Because what I also love to do is if like for instance, coming up for Thanksgiving, we're doing compilations of like just asking people what they're thankful for. And look, Mike, I know you're already like rolling your eyes saying that sounds super cheesy. But I will say when people are comfortable and people know that I'm not, like, I'm gonna get you right, Like I'm gonna take this out of context. I'm gonna get so many clicks. When they feel comfortable that you have people talking to you about like how they're thankful for the industry coming around them because their brother committed suicide. And they're thankful for the ad council and gun safety. They're thankful for the industry coming to help them with their sobriety. And now they've been, you know, more than a decade sober. Right? They're thankful because their loved one, you know, recently passed away and so the bereavement leave and how they wrapped around. And then there's also like other fun and fun and like family driven ones. But what I found, when people know that like, hey look, you know, this is a nice friendly environment, I'm here to champion you, they kind of open up a little bit more, to be honest with you.

[B]

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[A]

Yeah, well, I mean, look, just having being more than 20 years in the industry, I was like, okay, these are, I, I am not a traditional business school guy. So I didn't go to like Wharton and I know how to, you know, do business daddy stuff. I was a marketer, so I knew how to launch a brand and I knew how to set a communications plan for that. So I was like, okay, my hub, I'm a media publisher, right? So ATM is a media publisher and all of my content lives on ATM media. However, you know, who cares about that, right? So we need a social plan. So I went and got editors globally and they're incredible editors. Ray, Liana, Carlos, amazing. And we got this great designer, Grace who's really great with social media content too. So my long form content, if you will, is a five to six minute video. And just for everyone out there, like our data shows anything more than really five minutes, people start to tune out. And so I'm very straightforward. Let's talk for 20 minutes to 30 minutes and then I'm cutting you down to four to five minutes.

[B]

Take the best of. Yeah.

[A]

And that's that's what we're doing. So if you want to drone on for however long, that's not this platform. Right. I'm here to make it snappy and shorten.

[B]

As we pass the 15 minute mark.

[A]

On our conversation, people like, click next podcast. But this is different. Yeah, this is way different.

[B]

It's a little different. Right.

[A]

But then our social, we cut social spots and so it's a 15 to 30 second spot on your five to six minute video. Right. And so then it's like, it's very socially driven. So it looks like some of the consumer driven stuff you watch on Instagram. Right. And that's what, that's another thing, just to kind of go back is like, I don't, I don't feel like the industry, advertising technology and media. And when I say advertising technology, media, I don't mean ad tech either. Right. I mean advertising. I mean true technology. There are some brands that I'm working with that are doing pure technology, nothing to do with advertising. And when I say media, I mean anything from like former athletes to influencers and that kind of stuff to entertainment brands. Right. And so what I found is like, we B2B did not talk to B2B. How we talk to consumers. This industry does an amazing job from an advertising perspective on talking to consumers on behalf of brands. But to our stuff, like, there needs to be so many jargon words packed into us, we forget all the lessons.

[B]

We'Ve learned from communicating to regular people.

[A]

Yeah. And so when you kind of break it down and you try to be silly, you try to be fun and you just believe that the executives who are on my platform will get it too. And like, brand marketing is really important. So whatever X Brand wants to say in their voice, they should. You need to. But I'm not your brand marketing arm. I'm a media publisher in my own tone of voice. But I'm here to make you look good and say things a little differently than maybe a little bit more approachable than you would. Right. And so that's my goal, to kind of do that. Because ultimately, if you give me great sound bites and spoiler alert, like we. This is a collaboration Mike did at the moment. He was super funny, super charming, found out things. I've known Mike for what, 10, 15 years that I didn't know about him.

[B]

You tricked me into revealing things. Yeah, it was very slack.

[A]

It was really, really good. And also there's gonna be like, you'll have already seen his Halloween costume, and it's incredible.

[B]

There are Pictures out there, I don't know.

[A]

And so, so anyways, we get to be able to do that in a fun way. And so far people have really gotten it and now they're like, they're wanting to be a part of it. Not only from a sponsorship perspective, but I also have an editorial perspective. Like, I recently interviewed the editor in chief of Us Weekly and how he's turning that publication around. And so I thought it was really interesting and I worked with the lead company to book that because I thought, well, my audience would be interested in how, how he's taking that, you know, magazine you would find at Hudson News at any time to a really digital, video driven publication.

[B]

Sure. Okay. And it's, it's still really early and you've kind of, it seems like you had a very pretty solid plan. But is there anything that was, has been really surprising or any big takeaways you can share so far?

[A]

Um, yeah, I mean, surprising, truthfully. And I'm trying to think of something like negative two that's like, exciting. But I was surprised at just how instantly people got it. Like, yep, got it, love it. Yes. We needed something like this. I want to be a part of this. Like, let me sponsor this. Like, let me help you.

[B]

That's a good affirmation, right? Where people are like, yes, I want to be part of it right away.

[A]

Like, that tells you something and like, I believed it and I, I would sign up for this, but you know, I'm also this founder and CEO and so that was gratifying. But like, you know, other surprising things is. I'm, I'm so glad. Based on your first question from my parents. Hey, mom and dad again. Ken and Joanne, Shout out Ken and Joann. And I'm glad I didn't know all the things that went into launching your company because then when you're doing it, you're just like, well, we gotta get through this. We gotta. Yeah. All right, we gotta do this. Like, yeah. Oh, I need to trademark my name and I need a lawyer to. Okay.

[B]

Oh, if someone told you all that stuff in the beginning, you might scare the hell out of me.

[A]

I'd be like, well, that's a lot, you know, and so Brian's really nice to me and so, and so, you know, kind of going through it. But once you're in it and you're committed and I think people see the passion I really have for this, then it doesn't matter. And so I guess the biggest surprise was how the industry is, you know, taken to it and and look, I. We got a long ways to go, a long way to grow, but it's been really exciting for the first five months of being a bank.

[B]

Anybody you're dying to get that you haven't got yet? Or is that something you want to keep close to the vest?

[A]

Well, now that Mike Shields has done it, like, I'm packing up.

[B]

This is kind of like the year is over.

[A]

But, yeah, why bother? Who else?

[B]

Think about 26. Yeah, it's true.

[A]

There's so many people. So some exciting things that we're doing. And depending on when this comes out, we are partnering with Univision, uncovering the Latin Grammys. So we're gonna go to Vegas and we're gonna cover the business of the Latin Grammys and how this is an important moment for brands and advertisers to realize this passionate audience. And like, wait, who's singing at the Super Bowl? Bad Bunny. Who could possibly be at the lat Grammys? Maybe Bad bunny. So there's like, some really cultural moments that kind of revolve around media and.

[B]

Advertising, but they're covered by the business press. Usually. That's a smart move, right?

[A]

And, like, why is a cultural moment and then just wait for it. We're staying in Vegas because your boy's a degenerate. And we're then going to cover BravoCon within NBC Universal on the business of influence. When, and I can say this as a gay man, when, like, housewives and gay men flock to Vegas to meet their favorite Bravo celebrities, that's. That's a big moment. And, you know, brands like State Farm and Carnival Cruise and Lexus are building structures there to get the attention of these people because they're paying to go to Vegas. They're paying for these tickets, paying to meet their Bravo celebrities. And so I think that's a real business angle. That's interesting. So I'm actually really excited to interview some of NBC Universal's executives, some of their production folks, some of the talent. But also we're going to do man on the street interviews on like. So why did you decide to come to Bravo? Why? And so I'm really excited about telling the business angle of these big cultural eventy moments.

[B]

I'm concerned we might not hear from you again after that two weeks in Vegas for a lot of reasons.

[A]

I'll be in prison. Can we do a podcast from Prison Mike?

[B]

Listen, I think it'd be a great get.

[A]

You got a collect call from getting.

[B]

Back to come back to your earlier career. What do people maybe not get about I think there's image from TV movies about what, what comms guys do or just the, you know, the, the, the stories about trying to keep, you know, keep your bosses out of trouble. Like, what do people understand about B2B PR and how it works?

[A]

What was the show on Showtime with Lev Shriver? I can't remember.

[B]

Ray Donovan.

[A]

Ray Donovan, yes. Yes. So, I mean, I murdered a lot of people for executive. Like, I mean, that's really kind of what we do. No joking. I think executives and like, for the CEOs who are watching this, and I know you have a very influential audience. Your comms person, your comms team, your comms agency cannot make your terrible story better.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And by the way, they're probably not fully responsible for a great piece either because at the end of the day, no one's telling Mike Shields what to do. Right? He's going to follow the story. And if it happens to be an incredible story, then you'll write the incredible story. And if it's going to be, hey, this is really kind of shitty, then you're probably going to write, you can.

[B]

Only control so much in either scenario.

[A]

And so, and like I said, you know, reporters are under more and more pressures to get more and more interesting scoops and drive more, you know, readership and viewership. And so I love communications. One of my favorite things is to go out to drinks with reporters and just gossip about the industry. That's why I can't lose, like, the weight I want to lose is because my favorite thing is just like gossiping with industry people about what's happening. And, yeah, that's an occupational hazard.

[B]

Yeah, eating and the drinking.

[A]

And so that's what I loved. And then also what I really found I truly love too, is, you know, I started my career at NBC Universal, and one of my first bosses, Kathy Kelly Brown, is ad sales comps for Fox, too. Shout out. Kathy, you know, she really taught. She was like, look, you need to learn the principles of communications. But then, like, you're going to need to learn management skills because what you're going to do is you're not going to be working day to day with reporters and different things. From a communications and marketing standpoint, you're going to start managing the team to manage your people who are talking to reporters and that kind of stuff. And when like, you know, big stuff happens, you're going to need to dive in too and help protect your team and the executives you're working for. And so that was something I truly loved, and that was the hardest part that like, you know, I had this idea for four to five years and it was always kind of this joke of otm, should have covered that. Oh, if only ATM was around, you know, like they would have covered that. And, and then so I just kind of realized I was like, okay, I am going to do that. But that, that's. I truly loved working, being an, what do they call it, an entrepreneur. And so working and kind of figuring it out within an inside. Working in a large bureaucracy. Right.

[B]

Helping elevate other people's careers and, and building teams and all that stuff is underrated. What give us. As we close it out here, give us either. What if I told you a few years ago, you know, you worked at AT&T and Warner app Nexus. Does it, does it blow your mind? Some of the changes in the way that what's. What's. Where traditional media companies are sitting now and the way the ad tech companies industry is shaken out, like, is it. This chaos is just like so different than the business you were in five, ten years ago?

[A]

Yeah. And also. But I look back fondly with romanticism too. Although I love my baby ATM and I don't ever want to leave it. I want to make it big and fat and grow. But the craziest moment and when I would do like job interviews, they were like, tell me a moment where you had to deal with crisis. I was like, I got a moment for you. How about back in March 2020?

[B]

Okay.

[A]

We worked wonderful time. I was the global head of comms for X and we had been working so long on this partnership agreement with Disney, with AAMC Networks, with A&E Networks, and then with WarnerMedia as well too. And we finally got off the finish line, like finally announced it. It was a great, like gonna be great press the night of going to be embargoed and everything. And then Brian calls me and was like, so I'm gonna be leaving tomorrow. Oh my God, I'm gonna be stepping down. And I say, uh huh. Okay.

[B]

This was supposed to make my year.

[A]

Okay, great. And then we get a call from the big bosses at, AT and T. It says, hey, tomorrow we need to shut down all of the offices because this coronavirus.

[B]

Heard about this thing in China.

[A]

Yes, it's coming. So I had my CEO leaving. I had the biggest announcement of Xander's history coming out. And then we had to do internal comms to be like, do not come to work, you could die.

[B]

You know, and so important, important there's no training for this one.

[A]

Right. And so, but luckily I had an amazing team and, like, we had support from AT&T and all that kind of stuff. But, like, it was like the most emotional thing because, you know, a senior leader who I looked up and who recruited me for this role and I was really thankful for. And then this big announcement was leaving, by the way, so I was sad. But this big announcement that we'd been working on for so long, your baby that you're coming out. And then it was like this thing that, like, is this real? Is this not real?

[B]

Right?

[A]

Like, you know, and this, like. And I remember telling my team, because I was like, I was going to, like, you know, be strict with them. I was like, look, guys, you should be prepared to stay home for at least two, three weeks. Right?

[B]

We'll pick back up in a couple weeks.

[A]

But, and so that's a moment. But like, also after Xander, then I went to WarnerMedia to help support Jason Kyler and Corp Comms. And that was two weeks before Project Popcorn was announced. And, you know, that went over really well with the entertainment industry when the.

[B]

Movies, when they decided to put all the movies on streaming. Oh, yes, that was a. There were some opinions on that from some of the folks in the Hollywood world.

[A]

Yeah. And then, you know, other, you know, very senior executives leaving companies are always kind of little scandalous sometimes. And, but like, also the beginning of my career, I, I, I, I was the, the Corp Comm coordinator was also like an assistant slash, you know, doing comms work. So I, I was responsible. Picking up the phone. That's when we had landline phones at every desk, Right. And I pick up the phone, it's Jeff Zuckerberg, and he goes, russert's dead. Get me Kathy, my boss.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

So, like, he had collapsed. Tim Russert at Meet the Press, which I love that show, had collapsed in the studio. And so something like that. Or like, you know, working the Beijing Olympics when it was like, crazy and like, people are going to China and so. And then also, like, just interesting stuff as, like, cable was proliferating and like, buying different cable networks as, like a media company. You get, like, you get, you get to see, like, major cultural events happening. Working at media because media is everything.

[B]

So startups now all of a sudden sounds pretty chill compared to some of those stories. I think you're in the right spot.

[A]

Well, that's, that's why people say they're like, oh, my God, you're so busy. I was like, I was busy. Way, like, way busy. You know, I'm setting my schedule now.

[B]

Yeah, this is nothing. Well, that's a perfect spot to end it. Robert. Awesome stories. Awesome. Best of luck for your new venture. It's already, it's already a must watch for me and so many other folks enjoying it. And thanks for being here.

[A]

Thanks. Well, I appreciate it. Everyone. Go to ATM Media. Sign up for your newsletter, your ATM withdrawal. But thanks, Mike. I really appreciate it.

[B]

Absolutely. We'll see you soon. A big thanks to my guest this week at the Moment Media is Robert Wheeler. And my partner's at Savio and Elemental tv. If you like this week's episode, please take a moment to rate and leave a review. We have lots more to bring you, so please hit that subscribe button. We'll see you next time for more on what's nexty Media. Thanks for listening.