301. Evan Shapiro. Ruthlessly Honest.
Evan Shapiro
February 8, 2024
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Today’s guest is Evan Shapiro, a prominent figure in the media industry, known for his candid insights and extensive experience. He shares valuable perspectives on the media landscape, marketing, and the need for change.
The conversation sheds light on the complexities and challenges facing the media industry today. From fostering authenticity to embracing diversity and adapting to changing consumer behaviors, Evan offers valuable guidance for navigating the evolving media landscape. As the industry continues to evolve, his forward-thinking approach serves as a beacon for those seeking to thrive in an ever-changing environment.
Topics Discussed Include:
Breaking the Silence: Fear of speaking truth to power is pervasive in corporate America, particularly in the media industry, stifling innovation and progress as employees hesitate to share opinions fearing repercussions.
Personal Branding: Individuals should recognize their unique talents and build a personal brand around them, understanding strengths is the first step toward creating a meaningful career trajectory.
The Changing Media Landscape: Tech giants like Apple, Amazon, and Google are reshaping the media industry dynamics and challenging traditional players.
Consumer-Centric Approach: Media companies need to prioritize the consumer experience, adapt to evolving behaviors, and emphasize direct relationships with consumers and integration of subscription and advertising models.
Diversity and Inclusion: Inclusivity in decision-making processes is crucial for understanding and serving diverse audiences effectively.
Content Discovery: In the digital age, algorithms driving content recommendations have made the serendipitous encounter with new content increasingly rare.
Many know Evan Shapiro as the official, unofficial cartographer of the Media Universe since Deadline published Shapiro’s first Media Universe Map. It has since been adopted by businesses, executives, analysts, and colleges as the unofficial official representation of the map of media. Using his very specific point of view, Shapiro charts Media’s future through his essays on the Media War & Peace Newsletter, and with his change agency, ESHAP.
Shapiro is also an Emmy and Peabody Award winning producer of TV, films and podcasts, including Portlandia, This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Please Like Me, Comedy Bang Bang, Brick City, and Harmonquest.
He also serves as a professor at NYU and Fordham schools of business, as Board Chair for non-profit educational enterprise One Diverse Industry, and as co-host of the Cancel Culture Podcast.
Perhaps what is most interesting about Shapiro is how he wrote this bio in the third person. Weird flex.