Phil Harvey, Editor in Chief at Light Reading joins us as our special guest this week on the ConnectThe2 podcast. Phil has more than 20 years of experience covering telecom companies and internet startups. He began his journalism career as a freelancer, writing and pitching to community newspapers in Texas. In our discussion with Phil, we learn about his love for photography, his appreciation for the PR process, and some of his most memorable conversations on the Light Reading podcast. If you like what you’re reading be sure to listen to the whole episode linked at the bottom of this page.
Seeing the big picture…
Phil’s favorite part about being Editor in Chief at Light Reading is getting to see the bigger picture. Because he no longer covers a specific beat, he enjoys getting the perspective of the folks who are miles deep into a topic and then connecting those links to what else is going on in the industry. While this may be a daunting task at times, Phil is always up for the challenge.
Every company has a story to tell…
Phil was the Director of Corporate Communications for Metaswitch Networks between 2013-2015, so we were curious to find out what he appreciated about the PR process during his time there. Phil observed that there are so many great stories inside of companies that do not get told because it doesn’t line up with that business's strategy at the moment. He appreciates that this can be frustrating for PR practitioners because no matter how compelling the story may be if it does not match with what the company is pushing at the time, it often won’t be shared.
At Connect2 Communications, we believe that every company has a story to tell and it is our job as PR specialists to connect that story to what is happening in the world. While it may be easier to focus solely on the story about the product, it is important to remember that people care just as much about who the company's partners are, who they sell to and the value they get from that, and who makes up the company leadership. All of these things work to build trust with prospective customers.
Phil and photography…
Phil doesn’t just use words to story tell, he uses photos too. He is a member of Shutter Hub International Ltd and the Texas Photographic Society, which are curated photography collectives that help amateur photographers connect with exhibitions and gallery shows and steer them towards projects that involve particular photographic skills. You can find his portfolio here.
In the game portion of our interview, we test Phil’s knowledge of photography (spoiler: he does pretty well).
The first photo of cat was taken in 1870 by Harry Pointer
Hear more...
If you've enjoyed these takeaways be sure to listen to our full interview linked below. Also be sure to listen to, rate and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play or Soundcloud.