Stories and Strategies with Curzon Public Relations
Welcome to Stories and Strategies, the world’s most listened to Public Relations podcast feed, according to Podchaser, Goodpods, and data from Rephonic.
This feed brings together two complementary podcasts exploring the role, responsibility, and future of public relations from a global perspective.
Stories and Strategies with Curzon Public Relations is the flagship show, co hosted by Doug Downs and Farzana Baduel. Released every Tuesday, this 20 minute weekly podcast delivers bold ideas, sharp insights, and honest conversations about public relations, strategic communications, and marketing. From earned media and brand storytelling to AI and behavioural science, the show goes beyond surface commentary to focus on what truly shapes modern communications.
Also included in this feed is The Week UnSpun, a weekly live analysis of global news headlines through a public relations lens. Co hosted by Doug Downs, Farzana Baduel, and David Gallagher of Folgate Advisors, The Week UnSpun streams live every Friday at 10 a.m. Eastern / 3 p.m. UK time, with the audio edition released later the same day.
Follow now and join a worldwide community shaping the future of communications, one story and one headline at a time.
Episodes
248 episodes
The PR Community Asks: Can We Fix Ageism, DEI Retreats, and Reputation Laundering?
Farzana Baduel and David Gallagher take on everything from Justin Trudeau’s headline-grabbing kiss with Katy Perry to how PR pros can unwittingly become enablers in global corruption scandals.In this special mailbag edition, the duo resp...
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30:02
Is PR still powerful when public opinion no longer matters?
Farzana Baduel, David Gallagher, and Doug Downs tackle everything from President Trump’s militarized immigration crackdown to what brands can (and shouldn’t) learn from his relentless communication machine. The trio explor...
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23:41
Keir Starmer’s Image Crisis: Can Labour Win Over Its Own Members?
This week on The Week UnSpun, the trio of Farzana Baduel, Doug Downs, and David Gallagher dive headfirst into a whirlwind of global news through a comms lens, touching on everything from the chaos and opportunity of the UN General Asse...
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23:18
Tylenol Trouble: When Misinformation Goes Viral
What do Tylenol, Jimmy Kimmel, and Disney all have in common? They’re all caught in the crosshairs of public opinion this week. On this episode hosts David Gallagher and Doug Downs are joined by B2B PR powerhouse Michell...
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30:22
Is Free Speech Really Free Anymore? The PR Truth Behind Protests, Kimmel, and AI
Every Friday at 3pm UK and 10 am Eastern we scan the PR Mega Chat and pick the stories that actually shaped the week. This week’s episode is a fiery, globe-spanning dive into the uncomfortable truths of modern communication. From p...
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30:19
Charlie Kirk Shooting Suspect Arrested
Every Friday we scan the PR Mega Chat and pick the stories that actually shaped the week. What happens when narrative control collides with tragedy, misinformation, and an unfiltered digital age?In the second episode of T...
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38:54
The Week Unspun: Friday September 25, 2025
Every Friday at 5 pm UK and noon Eastern we scan the globe and pick the stories that actually shaped the week then apply a public relations lens. This first live edition explains the format, brings the chat into the room, and sets a simple goal...
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31:22
The Evolution of Communication in the Age of Attention Deficit
In an age where opinions form faster than facts and headlines spark outrage before understanding, how do brands, leaders, and storytellers stay credible? Is your opinion truly yours? Or just an echo of your tribe?In this epis...
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Season 4
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Episode 174
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31:42
The New LinkedIn: How Reach Actually Works now
You’re using LinkedIn wrongNot because you’re not smart… you are. It’s because you’re using yesterday’s LinkedIn. The platform is changing fast. The feed has changed, and the rules for reach have changed with it.&...
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Season 4
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Episode 215
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23:59
Is Silence Still Strategic When the World’s on Fire?
When the streets erupt, the headlines explode, and public pressure hits boiling point… can business leaders still afford to say nothing? In this episode tackle the growing tension between corporate responsibility and political risk...
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14:28
How Personal Branding is Changing… and What You Need to Do Now
Personal branding is changing in real time. The first impression is no longer a handshake or a conversation. It is a clip you did not choose, a post someone else shared, a comment you left, or a quote that gets passed around without context.
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Season 4
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Episode 214
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17:21
The Mark Carney Mic Drop in Davos
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stood up in Davos and didn’t waste words. He gave a speech that cut through the noise. The room stood. The world noticed. He said, “If you're not at the table, you're on the menu.”...
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25:56
How to Compete for Attention in a Distracted World
PR teams are being asked to win attention in a world that barely gives it. The problem is not reach. The problem is what happens after the click, after the view, after the impression. If your audience does not stay, nothing sticks. Not the mess...
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Season 4
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Episode 213
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22:39
Is Davos Still a Forum? Or Just a Stage?
In this week’s The Week UnSpun, the panel takes on three high-stakes stories where influence, identity, and global perception collide. First, the team unpacks the latest flashpoint over Greenland, where the U.S. talks secu...
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17:52
Too Old for Public Relations? Why Age is Still the Industry’s Blind Spot
It doesn’t matter whether you’re 25 or 55. If you speak and people listen politely but not seriously, it hurts. Too young to be trusted.Too old to be creative.The message lands the same way. You...
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Episode 212
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21:24
The Capture of Maduro… Arrest or Act of War?
A headline-grabbing raid, a revolution-in-the-making, and a “beige” prime minister walk into the attention economy… who wins the story? Farzana and Doug unpack three global flashpoints through a PR and narrative-control lens: the s...
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17:53
Public Relations… Ten Years in the Future
This is a special audio time-jump episode. It’s an immersive journey ten years into the future to explore how public relations has managed three of the biggest challenges: the rapid rise of AI, the disappearing entry-level job, and the ongoing ...
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Season 4
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Episode 211
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22:36
Is Iran’s Regime Really Listening? Or Just Buying Time?
What happens when protests shake a regime built on control, not consent? We look at Iran’s largest wave of unrest since 2022. Fueled by economic collapse and skyrocketing inflation, the protests are no longer just about hardship, th...
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17:00
Should Public Relations be Regulated?
Public relations shapes what people believe, how communities respond, and which ideas earn trust. It influences elections, corporate crises, government decisions, reputations, and public sentiment. Yet unlike medicine, law, or engin...
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Season 4
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Episode 210
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23:56
Sri Lanka Beyond the Headlines… What the World Misses
What happens when war, resilience, and optimism collide on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean? In this special Boxing Day episode of The Week UnSpun, David Gallagher is off so Doug Downs and Farzana Baduel trade headlines fo...
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21:05
The Stories and Strategies Podcast Trailer
This is not just one podcast. It’s a feed with two.First is Stories and Strategies with Curzon Public Relations. A weekly show hosted by Doug Downs and Farzana Baduel. Every Tuesday, we tackle the real work of p...
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1:16
Grief is a Communications Challenge… Not an HR Process
What do you say when there’s nothing to say?Most workplaces think they handle grief through policy, a few days of bereavement leave, a checklist, and a quiet expectation that people will return “ready” to work. But grief doesn’t follow p...
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Episode 209
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24:17
Susie Wiles and the Cost of Poor Media Strategy
What happens when a top political strategist forgets the rules of media engagement? This episode of The Week UnSpun strikes a nerve for PR professionals as Doug unpacks Susie Wiles’ widely criticized Vanity Fair interviews...
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15:08
Why Your NGO Can’t Afford to be the “Best Kept Secret”
Nonprofits often describe themselves with a strange sense of pride: “We’re the best kept secret.” But in an era where funding is shrinking, donor expectations are shifting, and public trust must be earned every single day, staying a se...
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Season 4
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Episode 208
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26:09
Who Will Control Hollywood’s Future? Netflix vs. Warner Bros
Who’s Really Writing the Stories That Shape Our World?This week, we dive into the high-stakes power play unfolding in Hollywood as Netflix and Paramount battle to take over Warner Bros. What looks like a blockbuster business deal is, in ...
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19:58
