About Project

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2Z3CdEQ
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3ibdW7h
iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/2FlEynm

Situation:
An Agency Serves the Hospitality & Travel Community Through a New Podcast
In March of 2020, as the pandemic unfolded, the impact on bars, restaurants and hotels was immediate and devastating, with mandated closures and furloughs across the country. Hanna Lee Communications, which serves the hospitality and travel sectors, saw its revenues decline by 90%. Rather than retreat, the agency began brainstorming ways it could help the hospitality & travel community.

After much soul searching, the agency realized it had two major assets: a roster of hospitality & travel journalists that it has cultivated over 17 years, and an extensive network of professionals who work in these sectors: chefs, bartenders, sommeliers, travel advisors and more, who needed visibility more than ever, but did not have the resources to hire a PR agency. The question was how to bring these two worlds together for their mutual benefit and help the industry rebuild and rebound.

An idea was hatched to create the agency’s first-ever podcast, “Hospitality Forward,” where the agency’s principals, Hanna Lee and Michael Anstendig, interview travel & hospitality reporters from top media outlets across the board. These luminaries share their insights and tips for how to get their attention and, ultimately, the media spotlight. As publicists and journalists themselves, they understand the power of media exposure to change careers and lives.

With its first episode interviewing Robert Simonson, a freelancer for the New York Times, PUNCH and Imbibe, the podcast was an immediate hit, earning 5-star reviews on Apple Podcasts. Since then, we have interviewed 35 media stars that include:

Robert Simonson (New York Times, PUNCH, Imbibe)
Jeff Gordinier (Esquire)
Kate Krader (Bloomberg Pursuits)
Kristen Bieler (SevenFifty Daily, Beverage Media)
Aaron Goldfarb (Esquire, New York Times, PUNCH)
Brad Japhe (Bloomberg, CNN, Wall Street Journal)
Joshua M. Bernstein (New York Times, Bon Appétit, Imbibe)
Kara Newman (Wine Enthusiast, Wall Street Journal)
Adam Teeter & Erica Duecy (VinePair)
Ray Isle (Food & Wine)
Bao Ong (Time Out New York)
Rachel King (Fortune)
Wendy Gillette (CBS News Radio)
Charu Suri (New York Times, Architectural Digest, Condé Nast Traveler)
Shivani Vora (New York Times, CNN, Forbes)
Mark Ellwood (Robb Report, Condé Nast Traveler and Bloomberg’s “Travel Genius” Podcast)
Jason Feifer (Entrepreneur)
Jacqueline Gifford (Travel + Leisure)
Jonah Flicker (Esquire, CNN, Robb Report)
John McCarthy (Men’s Health, Forbes, Gear Patrol)
Devorah Lev-Tov (New York Times, Thrillist, Condé Nast Traveler)
Leslie Sbrocco (NBC’s “Today Show,” PBS’ “100 Drinks, Dishes & Destinations,” PBS’ “Check Please!”)
Sandrae Lawrence and Gary Sharpen (The Cocktail Lovers)
Laura Itzkowitz (Vogue, Architectural Digest, Departures)
David Kaplan (Adweek)
Susan Kostrzewa (Wine Enthusiast)
Katie Lockhart (National Geographic, Rachael Ray, AFAR)
Howie Kahn (WSJ Magazine, GQ, Travel + Leisure)
Amanda Schuster (Forbes, SevenFifty Daily)
Dan Dao (Food & Wine, Saveur, Condé Nast Traveler)
Elise Taylor (Vogue)
Jeff Wielgopolan (Forbes Travel Guide)
Noah Rothbaum (The Daily Beast’s Half Full)
Sean Flynn (Departures)
Kat Odell (Vogue, Thrillist, Condé Nast Traveler)

Strategies:
Leverage media relations by distributing a press release to trumpet the “Hospitality Forward” Podcast
Leverage social media marketing to promote each episode before and after it runs, including a sound bite

Objectives:
Maximize the success of the “Hospitality Forward” Podcast
Position “Hospitality Forward” Podcast as a giving back to the community initiative by Hanna Lee Communications to help its professionals gain the media’s attention and coverage
Reinforce the positioning of Hanna Lee Communications as an innovative agency that cares about the hospitality & travel community and supports it in pioneering ways, like its groundbreaking “Hospitality Forward” podcast

Execution:
The agency is now in Season 2 of the podcast, with 50 additional journalists lined up to be interviewed
Each episode is promoted extensively on social media with audio pull-quotes from the featured journalists

Results:
The “Hospitality Forward” Podcast now has listeners in 60 countries around the world and has received 5-star reviews on Apple Podcasts
As of January 2021, it has become part of the credited curriculum of the New York Institute of Technology’s (NYIT) business and hospitality programs in the U.S. and Canada