Doug Downs: Strategic Storytelling for Brands

Doug Downs joined me to trace his journey from a tape-recorder-obsessed kid in Scarborough to radio, TV, corporate communications, and ultimately podcasting. Doug shared how overnights at a country station, brutal newbie pranks, and a move through Ajax, St. Thomas, London, Kirkland Lake, Sudbury, and eventually Edmonton shaped his love of audio and storytelling. We reminisced about the ITV / CFRN days, that micro-fame of local TV, and why he ultimately pivoted into PR at Epcor, learning to think in terms of stakeholders, key messages, and strategy.

We dug into why ums and ahs can actually help comprehension, how PR thinking makes for sharper podcast positioning, and why your premise and target audience matter more than trying to be Joe Rogan. Doug broke down the real role of video and YouTube (discovery, not depth), how to use consumption metrics from Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, and why podcasters should not disappear over the holidays.

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