Matt Kovacs is the President and Lead Strategist at Blaze PR, a boutique PR agency that works with lifestyle brands. With over two decades of experience in PR and marketing, he has led campaigns for major brands like ESPN, Honest Tea, and Marriott Hotels. Matt specializes in helping brands leverage PR to attract investments, shape category dynamics, and build reputations that convert.

For consumer brands aiming to scale, public relations often feels like an uncertain investment. While performance marketing offers measurable ROI, PR can seem intangible, focusing more on image than impact. How can founders ensure their PR efforts support business outcomes like fundraising, acquisition, or retail expansion?

Public relations strategist Matt Kovacs has developed a practical framework for aligning PR with business goals. He emphasizes the importance of clarifying a brand’s objectives before launching any campaign, whether building thought leadership, category awareness, or retail traction. Matt recommends building cross-functional buy-in, investing in influencer product sampling, and leveraging media audits and strategic messaging to improve placement outcomes. To quantify results, he suggests using tools like an “impact index” to rate coverage based on business-relevant criteria.

In today’s episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris sits down with Matt Kovacs, President and Lead Strategist at Blaze PR, to discuss how to execute PR that drives measurable business growth. He talks about aligning PR with acquisition or retail goals and best practices for media training, leveraging influencer partnerships, and supporting founder-led storytelling.

Dani Dufresne is an Emmy Award-winning executive producer and the Founder of The Auxiliary Co, which provides executive production, consulting, and creative project management for top agencies and brands. With over two decades of experience spanning broadcast, digital, experiential, and branded content, she has led high-impact campaigns for major brands, including Nike, Apple, Google, and Sephora. Dani also serves as an agency leadership consultant, helping creative agencies navigate growth, sales, and operations.

Many brands struggle to create content that truly connects, let alone converts. In a fragmented digital landscape dominated by short-term thinking and data overload, creative work is often diluted, reactive, and forgettable. How can marketers craft branded content that captures attention, earns trust, and builds a lasting community?

Emmy Award-winning executive producer Dani Dufresne urges brands to stop chasing trends and start building deeper relationships through clear, bold, and emotionally resonant storytelling. Integrating media strategy earlier in the process and investing in long-term thinking can dramatically improve creative outcomes. Dani emphasizes thoughtful execution, creative bravery, and audience empathy as the keys to developing a sustainable, long-term creative strategy.

In this week’s episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris chats with Dani Dufresne, Founder and Executive Producer of The Auxiliary Co, about how to produce branded content that converts. Dani shares how misaligned incentives break creative, why building slow beats burning fast, and what brands can learn from influencers and legacy agencies.

Carly Chenault is the Founder of MARKET EDIT, a strategic advisory and media firm that shares retail strategy and cultural insights through its publication, Retail Roundtable. With over 15 years of experience in retail and luxury brand strategy, she covers fashion and retail trends to empower emerging founders. Carly is also an Advisor at Need It For Tonight, a same-day fashion delivery platform.

Many retail brands believe they’re delivering a compelling customer experience until sales dip and consumers lose interest. Why do so many businesses miss the signs that their customer relationships are slipping? Even with a solid product and strong brand recognition, growth can plateau when companies ignore evolving customer behavior, overlook internal leadership shortcomings, and fail to adapt their strategies. How can brands remain relevant in today’s retail environment?

According to fashion and retail strategist Carly Chenault, overcoming growth plateaus requires founder self-awareness, customer insight, and adaptability. She recommends employing structured experimentation, building community by integrating physical and digital retail experiences, and leveraging technology like digital try-ons and wardrobe AI to streamline the customer experience. Carly also advises innovating with intention, collecting customer feedback, and prioritizing ease, trust, and transparency in customer interactions.

Tune in to this episode of the Up Arrow Podcast as William Harris invites Carly Chenault, Founder of MARKET EDIT, to discuss scaling a retail brand by transitioning back into brick-and-mortar. Carly talks about building a community through immersive pop-ups, the psychology of retail layouts, and how to fail strategically.