{"podcast":{"title":"Communication Breakdown","slug":"communication-breakdown-7019931","podcast_index_feed_id":7019931,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/6301456/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://corporateobservatory.com/podcasts/communication-breakdown","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/bb1654c4c2ff3f77a3c1f292f51b3d52.jpg","author":"Observatory on Corporate Reputation LLC","episode_count":100,"summary":"Communication Breakdown is a postgame show for PR pros. In each episode, hosts Craig Carroll (Founder of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation, Editor of the SAGE Encyclopedia of Corporate Reputation, Lecturer at Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business) and Steve Dowling (former head of communications at OpenAI and Apple) discuss the strategies and tactics companies are using in high-visibility crises and PR initiatives, giving listeners unique insight into how key decisions are made. The podcast offers two unique perspectives on communications theory and practice, drawing on Craig’s research and teaching on reputation at USC Annenberg, UNC Chapel Hill, and universities worldwide, and Steve’s two decades of experience as a comms leader at some of the world’s most influential companies. Whether you’re a PR professional, marketing executive, or just curious about how companies make key communications decisions, you’ll find these discussions insightful and valuable.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-11T02:22:07.181025+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931"},"episode":{"title":"Beast Mode","slug":"beast-mode","published_at":"2026-06-18T13:00:02+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/beast-mode","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/beast-mode--72574660","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72574660/ep_88_beast_mode.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine MrBeast’s 500 million YouTube subscriber milestone and the reputation challenges that come with creator scale. They look at how Jimmy Donaldson managed a live-stream moment when fans playfully subscribed and unsubscribed to delay the milestone, and what that revealed about his relationship with his audience. The conversation also explores the tension between authenticity, institutional scrutiny, crisis management, and the growing communications function around one of the world’s most successful individual creators. For PR and communications leaders, the episode is a sharp case study in what happens when a personal brand becomes a global enterprise. Takeaways MrBeast’s 500 million subscriber milestone marks a shift from creator success story to institutional reputation challenge. Founder-led brands need communications counsel that protects authenticity while translating business realities for broader audiences. The “negative money” comment illustrates how internal explanations can land poorly when different audiences interpret the same message through different lenses. Topics Mentioned MrBeast, Jimmy Donaldson, YouTube creators, subscriber milestones, live streams, audience behavior, creator economy, personal brand, founder-led companies, reputation management, crisis communications, media training, narrative expansion, authenticity, audience trust, institutional scrutiny, online safety, teen audiences, stakeholder expectations, communications counsel Companies Mentioned MrBeast, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, HBO, Amazon, Wall Street Journal, Reddit, T-Series, Y Combinator Episode Hashtags #MrBeast #YouTube #TikTok #LinkedIn #HBO #Amazon #WallStreetJournal #Reddit #TSeries #YCombinator #Jim…","meta_description":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine MrBeast’s 500 million YouTube subscriber milestone and the reputation…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1850,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/communication-breakdown-7019931/episodes/beast-mode/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/beast-mode.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}