Become Your Own Storyteller: Meet AIRSNEXT
Written by Rachel Lourie. Interviewed by August Bryant.
It’s a known fact that attention spans are shortening, and the amount of content competing for one’s attention is on the rise. Producing engaging media content that’s creative, authentic, and easy to consume is one of the best ways for candidates and organizations alike to share their messages.
We sat down with Kenny Day and Michael Peloquin from AIRSNEXT to learn more about how they’re helping their clients become their own storytellers. (Click here to listen to our interview, which they turned into a podcast!)
A Description of AIRSNEXT:
“AIRSNEXT is a production company helping DC thought-leaders create impactful, entertaining content at a cost effective price. Through podcasts, videos, or something unique, we help our clients become their own storytellers.
AIRSNEXT.com is a platform where our client’s content is shared, as well as content from organizations already producing a show or generating content.
We just feel the DC clientele is extremely interesting. So many associations, think tanks, consultants, elected officials are in DC; it’s ground zero for new ideas and debate. But the old ways of releasing information, such as op-eds, press releases, or white paper studies don’t mesh with how people consume content today. For instance, a law firm recently held a panel discussion about China’s emergence on the global stage that we filmed. The result of us filming it was that now they have all of this raw media footage to create more content. They discussed so many topics that people would find interesting and now they can mine those smaller pieces of media from what we filmed. If they were to have simply released a white paper or an op-ed, they wouldn’t be able to garner the same engagement.”
The Idea Behind AIRSNEXT:
“Both of us were really beating around similar ideas from different sides of the industry. It’s very hard to break through the noise and reach your audience and if you don’t focus on creating compelling content such as video and rich media, it’s going to be even harder.
In speaking with so many agencies, associations, advocacy groups and even elected officials, we’ve witnessed multiple frustration points.
First, there’s this overarching mistrust with the mainstream media. The majority of audiences feel the news they’re seeing, hearing and reading is coming through some sort of filter. We wanted to be story-sharing enablers.
There’s also this “over insider-fication” of policy content in DC. We bump into paywalls or pony up big money to get someone’s expert reading of the tea leaves on a multitude of important topics and legislation. But you can’t look up, say, Farm Bill, and get everyone’s actual verbatim thoughts all in one place. What if there was one place — a free clearinghouse where everyone, all stakeholders, could get the same information from every legislator, trade group, manufacturers, all 23 members of Senate Agriculture Committee and 46 members of House Ag Committee, 100+ associations, the Cargill’s and Archer Daniels Midlands and Tysons and Del Montes and Monsantos of the world; what if we all had access to their thinking on the $900 billion Farm Bill?
Then, there’s the whole quality conundrum. People have been led to believe that if you don’t spend a lot of money, it won’t sound look or sound good. To a degree, it’s true that you get what you pay for, but we know for a fact that we do it for much less. We’re more than happy to white label our services for any agency, PR firm, or association. We’re also happy to work directly with groups that have stories to tell. We give all clients the choice of whether their videos and podcasts get shared across the AIRSNEXT ecosystem. It’s not mandatory. In fact, most of our work isn’t getting posted right now. We’re 100% cool with that. But sometimes it’s easier to share, re-tweet, re-post something pushed by us. There’s a certain cool factor to it.
The bottom line is we’re in the business of leveling the playing field and eliminating the friction points. We hesitate to say “we’re disruptive” because it’s such a cliché … but yes, we’re changing the game … for the greater good.”
What Users Get:
“The exact deliverable varies but it’s in the form of a video, a podcast, an animation, or a web site. We try to let the customer needs drive the exact deliverables.
We always create content worth sharing, with an eye on social media. The tools are already in place, and clients get analytics and data from all the sharing platforms.”
Why AIRSNEXT is Unique:
“We’re leveling the playing field. If your association is already producing podcasts and videos, we’ll post your content and make it easy to find. If you’re trying to get back in the game, AIRSNEXT will create videos, podcasts, and other rich content, and can cover your events easily and inexpensively.”
How Kenny and Michael Got into Tech and Politics:
Kenny — “I’m native Washingtonian. Politics is in my blood. My grandfather was a staunch Republican and county GOP man; Dad was an AFSCME organizing, war-protesting Dem hippie. Weekly dinners were like episodes of the McLaughlin Group or Agronsky & Company. I observed and decided to be nonpartisan when I was 10! My first job was at Campaigns & Elections ; I spent 11 years with Roll Call and her sister publication European Voice; I was at POLITICO slinging full pages and banners for years. I took the plunge into technology out of necessity, to stay relevant, about 10 years ago and it blew my mind! Political tech — digital, programmatic, behavioral voter targeting was a new science then. Guess how much was spent online in the 2008 election cycle? $22.5 million. Now it’s a $1.8 billion industry. Podcast listening is just starting to hockey stick up. It’s a major growth market. 10 years ago, one third of Americans watched some form of online video on a monthly basis. Now it’s close to 95%. Right now, one third of Americans ages 25–54 listen to podcasts monthly. Moreover, podcast listening among women has jumped 14% in the last 12 months. There’s so much room for growth in the space, and we’re excited to empower folks to get in there.”
Michael — “I’ve always been interested in media and technology. Specifically video and programming. I came to DC in 2010 and quickly found that every industry here in some ways touch politics or the government. I’ve worked with political campaigns and government agencies producing videos, building web sites, and creating messaging campaigns. At the end of the day, it’s all storytelling and that’s ultimately what I love to do.”
How Tech is Shaping Politics, and the Coolest Thing in the Marketplace Today:
“Driverless cars will be picking up voters and taking them to the polls, with immersive multimedia messaging and interactive candidate profiles up and down the ballot.”
Want to learn more? Contact Rachel Lourie, Senior Advisor at Agency Advisors, at rachel.lourie@agencyadvisors.org
At Agency Advisors, we bring new and innovative tech to candidates, causes, and the agencies that work on their behalf. This series aims to shed light on the leading-edge technologies that are creating a resounding impact within politics and advocacy.
