Pressing Matters

Here’s something a bit random. We’re only midway through our second season on the podcast, and - Ryan Chacon, this episode’s guest - is the second person we’ve had who served as his college soccer team’s captain. Remember the first? I’ll tell you in a moment. In the meantime, give it up for the teamwork one learns on the soccer fields, which Ryan said has helped him in his work as co-creator and CMO of IOT for All, as well as host of its eponymous, seven-year-old podcast. Ryan’s work ethic - instilled by a stay-at-home mom and a Chilean immigrant dad who didn’t know a word of English when he moved here, as well as his natural understanding of how to best curate journalistic content also helps explain why the IOT for All brand is as big or bigger than the IOT tech company that supports it, Leverege. In other hands, IOT for All might have been just another forgettable corporate content site. Instead, it’s an IOT bible. And now it’s expanded into AI with, naturally, AI for All. Ryan stopped by to discuss his early business ventures, the mission behind IOT for All, and what he thinks AI has in store for us for this episode of Pressing Matters from Big Valley Marketing. This podcast 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 your host. Through research and good old-fashioned relationship-building, we’ve identified B2B Tech’s Top 200 media and influencers, including two former college soccer captains - our chat last year with Dark Reading’s Kelly Jackson-Higgins and now Ryan Chacon. Here’s my chat with Ryan. Enjoy. Are you interested in more from Ryan Chacon? IOT for AllAI for Allfind him on X.Who is Big Valley? We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology. Our firm specializes in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning. You can learn more about us at www.bigvalley.co

Monica Alleven has been covering the wireless industry since 1995 - a time when the notion of wireless was so limited, almost everyone was still using a landline to connect to the Internet, very few people had a cell phone and no one - of course - had a smartphone, since those were 12 years in the future. Almost 30 years since she started, Monica is still at it - and incredibly successful, having helmed two of the biggest titles in mobile industry journalism. Given that deep experience as the past Editor in Chief of WirelessWeek and, for the past five years, Executive Editor of Fierce Wireless, we figured who better to bring on the podcast to preview Mobile World Congress, which starts on February 26 in its longtime home of Barcelona. From 5G to Wif-Fi 7 and acronyms aplenty, Monica can explain it all when it comes to the ever-expanding and oft-confusing universe of mobile and wireless technology. Not bad for a Minnesota farm girl who began her career covering city council meetings in her home state and then Oregon and Redding, Calif., before - almost accidentally - finding her way to technology. Monica stopped by to discuss the evolution of mobile across almost three decades, her childhood gaggle of 40 bunnies - and the childhood story they inspired, and why she remains optimistic about journalism despite the daily grim headlines 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 your host. Through research and good old-fashioned relationship-building, we’ve identified B2B Tech’s Top 200 media and influencers, including Monica Alleven. Here’s my chat with Monica. Enjoy. Are you interested in more from Monica Alleven? Monica's latest at Fierce Wireless.find her on X.Who is Big Valley? We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology, with a team of experts specializing in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning. You can learn more about our team at www.bigvalley.co

Andy Greenberg is a senior writer for WIRED, where he covers digital security and privacy, freedom of information and the finer points of hacker culture. His latest novel, Tracers In the Dark, is a non-fiction true-crime thriller set in the shadowy realms of cryptocurrency. On today's pod, he joins Dave to share notes from his journey to the present and the forks in the road that led him to his particular corner of technology journalism. Welcome, Andy, and welcome all again to our first episode of 2024! Are you interested in more from Andy Greenberg? Andy's latest at WIRED.find him on X.Andy's books.Who is Big Valley? We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology, with a team of experts specializing in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning. You can learn more about our team at www.bigvalley.co

Lori Ann LaRocco hears more than most. As the Senior Editor of Guests at CNBC, she sets up interviews that make news, move markets and forecast the future. When she's not helping to break the news or coordinate on-location productions, she's an author. Her work includes "Trade War Containers Don't Lie: Navigating the Bluster" and "Dynasties of the Sea: The Untold Stories of the Postwar Shipping Pioneers." Welcome, Lori, and welcome all to our final episode of 2023. Are you interested in more from Lori Ann LaRocco? find Lori Ann LaRocco on X.on LinkedInLori's books.Who is Big Valley? We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology, with a team of experts specializing in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning. You can learn more about our team at www.bigvalley.co Have an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co

Alex Konrad is a senior editor at Forbes, covering venture capital and startups. He edits the Midas List and Under 30 for VC. He's interviewed some of the world's most consequential business leaders and innovators. This time, though, he sits across the (virtual) table and answers some questions himself. As you might surmise, the future is in play in this conversation. Welcome to the second episode of Pressing Matter's second season. Are you interested in more from Alex Konrad? find him on X.on LinkedIn.on Forbes.Who is Big Valley? We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology, with a team of experts specializing in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning. You can learn more about our team at www.bigvalley.co Have an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co

Evan Kirstel is a true B2B and technology influencer with more than 300K social media followers. A prolific content creator, he boasts a network including a who's who of technology leaders, visionaries and pundits. Hear from the man himself on how he got started in technology, his feelings on the state of the industry and the technology he's keeping tabs on (ahem, AI, of course). Welcome to Season 2 of Pressing Matters! Are you interested in more from Evan Kirstel? find him on X.on LinkedIn.has a website. Who is Big Valley? We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology, with a team of experts specializing in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning. You can learn more about our team at www.BigValley.co Have an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co

Throughout season one of Pressing Matters, we've asked the world’s foremost B2B technology media and influencers one question. Are you optimistic about the future of journalism? Indeed, we believe there is much cause for optimism (as did many of our guests). New technology has raised new voices and revealed new avenues of expression. Yet we also see much cause for concern (as did some of our guests). AI is simply the latest threat to journalism and the concept of journalistic standards. As a collective, we continue to grapple with the ever-diminishing line between good and good enough. In this episode, Pressing Matters host Dave Reddy is joined by two Big Valley colleagues, Ashley Paula-Legge and Charles (Coop) Cooper to reflect on a season of answers to our questions on the future of journalism and ponder their responses. Who is Big Valley? We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology, with a team of experts specializing in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning. You can learn more about our team at www.BigValley.co Have an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co

Sue Marek is a 25-year veteran of the telecom and technology industries, where she's covered many seismic evolutions in wireless technology and personal computing. Based in Colorado, the former "Cable Capital of the World," Sue has seen mobile devices go from curious luxury to everyday tools. In this episode, she joins Dave to talk about that experience and her opinions on new horizons, such as what it will take to realize true 5G. Who is Big Valley? We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology, with a team of experts specializing in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning. You can learn more about our team at www.BigValley.co Would you be interested in more from Sue? Sue Marek's writing on Fierce Wireless.@SueMarek.Have an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co

Lucinda Shen has been around the world and back (several times), and we are flattered to have her on the 11th episode of Pressing Matters to tell us about it! Lucinda covers financial technology (fintech) for Axios. In this interview, she shares her thoughts on crypto, its leaders and–as always–thoughts on the future of journalism. Will it replace us all? Thanks for listening! Who is Big Valley? We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology, with a team of experts specializing in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning. You can learn more about our team at www.BigValley.co Would you be interested in more from Lucinda? Lucinda Shen's writing on Axios.@ShenLucinda.Have an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co

It is an interesting time to be a technology editor, and our guest this week brought all kinds of interesting topics with him! Harry McCracken, Global Technology Editor at Fast Company, joins Dave to talk about covering life-altering technology as it comes of age, coding games on a TRS-80, and bidding adieu to computing magazines. Join us! Who is Big Valley? We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology, with a team of experts specializing in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning. You can learn more about our team at www.BigValley.co Would you be interested in more from Harry? Harry's writing for Fast Company@harrymccrackenHave an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co

Cory Johnson, CEO of the Business Podcast Network, joined Dave on the podcast to talk about SLAM 🏀 Magazine, surprising Carmelo Anthony, the stories we tell and where we choose to tell them, a past (and potential future) in music ... so much ground was covered. We are excited to bring it to you! Who is Big Valley? We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology, with a team of experts specializing in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning. You can learn more about our team at www.BigValley.co Would you be interested in more from Cory? The Drill Down Podcast@CoryTVHave an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co

Dark Reading Editor in Chief Kelly Jackson Higgins graciously accepted our invitation, even as momentum for RSA 2023 gathered steam. Kelly and Dave covered a lot of ground in the episode, moving effortlessly from the dominance of U.S. Women's Soccer to the wild (and wide) world of Cybersecurity, then back to ... Dave Matthews? This is a deep and fascinating conversation. We're thrilled to bring it to you. Who is Big Valley? We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology, with a team of experts specializing in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning. You can learn more about our team at www.BigValley.co Interested in what we're doing at RSA? The Big Valley team has kept its pencils sharp, drafting some great content leading up to RSA. We're biased, but you should still check in here. Interested in more from Kelly? read Kelly's journalism hereDark Reading@kjhiggins

In this episode, Agam chats with Dave about his path to a career in journalism, being user #57 on the early Indian internet, brushes with Vince MacMahon, traveling the world, and much more. He was also gracious enough to share his experience with epilepsy. This was simply a lovely conversation, and we're excited to share it with you. Who is Big Valley? We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology. We're a team of experts specializing in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning. You can learn more about our team at www.BigValley.co Looking for more of Agam? @agamshagam@journa.hostHave an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co

We've got the inimitable Don Clark on Pressing Matters for episode 6! For the past 40 years, Don has covered the highs and lows of technology, interviewing its leading players and charting the progress of companies like Apple from youthful hubris to halftime sponsorship. In this episode, Don shares his experience over the years, from getting into journalism at the dawn of investigative reporting to the current state of performance-driven media. What's a bouzouki, you say ... prepare to be informed. Who is Big Valley? We're a communications firm focused on B2B technology. We're a team of experts specializing in brand positioning, narrative and story development, media and influencer relations, and channel planning. You can learn more about our team at www.BigValley.co Looking for more of Don? The New York Times@donal888Have an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co

In the fifth episode of Pressing Matters, a series of conversations with the top media + influencers in B2B technology, Dave Reddy continues his conversation with Tiernan Ray, writer for ZDNet, publisher of The Technology Letter, and more! Interested in more Big Valley? Check us out at www.BigValley.co Have an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co Looking for Tiernan? The Technology Letterpieces on AI at ZDNet

In the fourth episode of Pressing Matters, a series of conversations with the top media + influencers in B2B technology, Dave Reddy continues his conversation with CNET Editor-in-Chief Connie Guglielmo. Interested in more Big Valley? Check us out at www.BigValley.co Have an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co Looking for Connie? @techledesLinkedIn

In the third episode of Pressing Matters, a series of conversations with the top media + influencers in B2B technology, Dave Reddy interviews CNET Editor-in-Chief Connie Guglielmo. Interested in more Big Valley? Check us out at www.BigValley.co Have an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co Looking for Connie? @techledesLinkedIn

In the second episode of Pressing Matters, a series of conversations with the top media + influencers in B2B technology, Dave Reddy interviews Fortune Editor-at-Large & Editorial Director, Live Media, Michal Lev-Ram. Interested in more Big Valley? Check us out at www.BigValley.co Have an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co Looking for Michal? @mlevram"Operation Firewall: Tracking Hackers in the Early Days of the Dark Web,"

In the very first episode of Pressing Matters, a series of conversations with the top media + influencers in B2B technology, brought to you by Big Valley Marketing, Dave Reddy interviews CNBC's Jon Fortt, one of the hardest working men in tech journalism. Interested in more Big Valley? Check us out at www.BigValley.co Have an idea for Pressing Matters? Email pressingmatters@bigvalley.co Looking for Jon? @JonFortt/forttknoxbe.forttmedia.com