Michael Marr serves as the Director of Government Relations & Compliance for Encina, an environmental technology start-up company planning a $1.1 billion investment in a circular plastics recycling plant. Marr has led public affairs and crisis communications responses for some of the world’s top companies, including BP and Shell. In 2008, he was on the frontline of the shutting down and restarting BP’s operations during the historic Hurricane Ike disaster. Recently, he led public affairs for Shell’s multi-billion dollar ‘cracker’ plant in Beaver, Pennsylvania – managing environmental group protests on one hand and shutting down and restarting operations during the pandemic, which impacted 8,000 employees.

But perhaps what is most interesting about Marr is his experience before corporate America. Marr worked on Capitol Hill and then went out to serve New York’s Governor George Pataki including as press secretary and as the state’s lead economic development spokesperson in the 18 months that followed 9/11. The state’s role in the economic recovery and redevelopment of lower Manhattan that reshaped the city’s skyline – was impacted by Marr. So what is Marr’s take on today’s media landscape and how “cancel culture” and social media sentiment is shaping public policy? This episode is timely as after a decade under construction, Pennsylvania’s Shell Cracker plant is finally poised to open.

Jeff Hahn is one of the nation’s top experts in crisis communications and recently published his first book, Breaking Bad News. His Austin-based integrated agency combines data analysis with time-proven and researched methods on how to best respond to crises in order to preserve brands’ reputations. In this episode, we talk about why crisis communications isn't a "feeling thing", but why it's an acquired skill set necessary more than ever in the age of social media and cancel culture. We riff on why universities are so slow to respond adequately to crises even though they are at the epicenter of news headlines, from hazing incidents to activist professors! Join us as we dissect Jeff’s 5 step method to crisis response that ensures brands establish and maintain narrative control and hint --  brands need to lose the apology!