Reputation Town

Air Canada, Pierre Poilievre on Rogan, Participation Trophies at the LA Marathon, Rolex vs Fakes

In this episode, we discuss the controversy around Air Canada's English condolence message following the tragedy in NYC, Pierre Poilievre's appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast, the threat that super clone watches are presenting for brands like Rolex, organizers of the LA Marathon gave out medals to people who completed just 18 miles, the Canadian government is taking steps to avoid answering questions from independent journalists and more. 

The Epstein Gang, Ring Doorbell's SuperBowl Fail, the Decline of Reese's PB Cups and more

In this episode, we break down some of the most recent reputation and issues management stories, including the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, King Charles's statement in response and the fallout from the Epstein files, including an interview given by Melinda Gates, Peter Attia's statement, Goldman Sach's top lawyer resigning and more. We also talk about Kristin Cabot (the Coldplay woman) 'taking back the narrative' at an upcoming crisis management conference in Washington, Uber ramping up vetting of drivers because of safety concerns, MP Matt Jeneroux crossing the floor and locking down his X account and more. 

Year-end wrap up: Kiss-cam CEO, Sidney Sweeney, Trump, Brown University, Louvre heist and more

What a crazy year 2025 has been when it comes to PR debacles, missteps and crisis management (or mismanagement). In our year-end wrap up, John and Warren each bring their list of what they saw as some of the top stories of the year and break them down from the perspectives of media relations, reputation management, crisis response and more. Thanks to everyone for listening this past year and we look forward to bringing you more Reputation Town pods in 2026!

Sidney Sweeney, BBC vs Trump, TTC cancels Halloween, Prince Andrew on the outs

In this episode, we break down some of the recent headlines in the PR world, including the BBC apologizing to President Trump for deceptive editing, Sidney Sweeney's high-profile GQ interview as a master class in media training, Katie Porter being not so nice to staff behind the scenes, Prince Andrew getting stripped of his royal title, the TTC cancelling its Halloween fest and Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer was perhaps a bit too transparent for the government's taste. 

Gary's gun grab, KFC recipe leaked, Riyadh comedy festival, AI actress stir, UK goes 1984

This week, we chat about several stories in which the politicians should have paid better attention in media training class (including Mark Carney and Gary Anandasangaree). We also check in on how Jimmy Kimmel's ratings have fared since his controversial pause and unpause last week, an AI actress who's ruffling feathers in the top levels of Hollywood, the controversy around the Riyadh comedy festival, Col. Sanders' great-great nephew allegedly leaks the coveted KFC recipe after being dissed by the company and more. We also discuss some of the troubling developments in the UK, including the suppression of free speech and the government's proposed introduction of a Digital ID, which is being widely rejected by the public there. 

Jimmy Kimmel Cancelled, Charlie Kirk, Ben & Jerry's, Cracker Barrel, Banksy and more

This week, John and Warren talk about the controversial suspension of Jimmy Kimmel from his late-night show and the implications re: free speech, the ongoing backlash against people celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk online, next steps for Cracker Barrel as an activist investor is calling for the CEO's firing, Canada's PM does a housing announcement in front of a fake partially-built house constructed for the press conference and then dismantled and Banksy's new piece in the UK. 

Cracker Barrel U-turn, Crown Royal to USA, the failed bench press that hurt a mayoral campaign

This week, John and Warren talk about Cracker Barrel's $700 million U-turn, Mitch Marner blasts fans on his way out of town, Canadian GDP shrinks, Crown Royal bottling plant moves to USA at the expense of 160 Canadian jobs, the media's skewed coverage of the story of the Lindsay, Ontario man who fought off an intruder who entered his home in the middle of the night, armed with a crossbow and the failed bench press that has hurt the NYC mayoral campaign of Zohran Mamdani. 

Elbows down! Air Canada strike, Cracker Barrel rebrand, Colbert canned, self-defence laws in Canada

In this episode, John and Warren discuss the latest in the Canada/US trade war (Elbows Down!), the reputational impacts of the Air Canada strike and the way it was handled by the company, the controversy around Cracker Barrel's rebrand, Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad, a few mins about the Coldplay concert cheating scandal (sorry, we missed a few weeks of pods!), the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's show, the state of the UK and how it's being covered in the media and a man in Lindsay, Ontario has been charged by police for defending himself with a knife after a man broke into his home in the middle of the night, allegedly with a crossbow -- a discussion of self defence laws in Canada and the public's growing frustration with what many see as antiquated and inadequate laws when it comes to protecting your home, your family and your belongings in Canada. Thanks for listening!

Jaguar sales down 98%, RCMP calls traditional values 'extreme', Sportsnet price hike backlash and more

In this episode, John and Warren discuss some recent stories in the PR and issues management realm, including the growing backlash against Sportsnet's 30% price hike on its hockey programming, an RCMP spokesperson who appeared to say that Canadians exhibiting traditional values might be becoming extremists, Boston Consulting Group's controversy regarding a Gaza related project, Rogers allegedly used 1,000 human customer service employees to train a new AI tool and then proceeded to fire all those employees (and require them to sign NDAs in order to get their severance) and we revisit Jaguar's woke rebrand, which doesn't seem to be going well, with April sales down 97.5% compared with the year earlier. 

Jake Tapper flogs a book, No Greatness for the Leafs, Outdoor Boys creator quits YouTube and more

This week, John and Warren talk about Jake Tapper's new book and the accusations that he was part of the journalistic coverup he's highlighting, MLSE's handling of yet another disappointing year for the Toronto Maple Leafs, YouTube creator Luke Nichols (Outdoor Boys) quits the platform at the peak of his fame to focus on his family, murky water in Stoney Creek during labour disruption and is Tom Cruise the last real action movie hero?