On this episode of ITK Radio, a conversation with Matt Mackowiak.

Matt has served in senior communications roles in the Bush White House, at the US Department of Homeland Security, as a Press Secretary for two US Senators, and served in a leadership role on the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign in Iowa.

He is a columnist for The Washington Times, Townhall, and The Washington Examiner, and regularly provides political analysis for Fox News, Fox Business, BBC, CBC, and other outlets.

Since 2011, he has managed a boutique, high-stakes corporate communications advising firm with client accounts in transportation, health care, energy, telecommunications, and tech.

Matt graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in political communication in 2003.

He and his wife, Amy, live in the Northwest Hills neighborhood of Austin with their spoiled rescue dog, Hope.

You can find Matt on LinkedIn here.

Insights + Ideas:

+ For the 12th consecutive year, the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metro area was the fastest-growing region in the United States among large metros.

+ Working communications at national and local levels

+ The power of being a niche

+ The need for comms pro to be current on news, developments, and politics

+ "communications at its core it is taking complex stuff and making it simple"

+ How being a communications practitioner helps to be a communications advisory

+ For good comms, getting clear from the client on what they are trying to achieve and how they define success

+ Handling high-profile principals and big egos

+ "a good communicator (is someone who) can you parachute into a situation and be useful, valuable, and educated quickly"

+ "confidence is always backed up by knowledge"

+ Understanding what opposition research is

+ Digital media is only going to become more important

+ The pros and cons of the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign launch of Twitter Spaces

+ When will podcasts compete with traditional AM radio?

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