#2 - Athens

Welcome back to Mayhem & Masterplans, where Max, Simon, and Andreas prove once again that time zones, weather, and corporate jargon are no match for their dedication to talking into microphones. This week, we take on New York rain, Greek hospitality, and the wild world of corporate comms—all while attempting to sound like we know what we’re doing.

In this episode, we:

• Took on NYC’s apocalyptic weather – Max landed in the Big Apple just in time for a torrential downpour. Because nothing says “welcome” like getting soaked in front of a conference full of senior executives.

• Rubbed elbows with corporate royalty – We infiltrated a room full of C-suite comms leaders from Coca-Cola, Walmart, and the NFL. Turns out, CEOs care a lot about their reputation, internal comms matter more than ever, and employees are the new media.

• Explored the business of trust – Forget CNN—employees are more likely to trust company emails over traditional news. The real question: Does that mean your boss is now your most reliable journalist?

• Turned into full-blown salesmen – Simon preps for Radio Days Europe in Athens, a podcast summit where he’ll be pitching our huge upcoming audio event, Amplify—because if you don’t shamelessly plug your own projects, who will?

• Watched podcasters lose money (again) – Spotify’s big video podcasting experiment is flopping, with creators realizing they’re making less money and spending more on production. Who could’ve seen that coming? (Spoiler: everyone.)

• Celebrated International Women’s Day – Special shoutout to Mary Mooney, who turned corporate comms into a musical and somehow made it work. Broadway, take notes.

• Debated whether Broadway is worth it – Max considers seeing a show in NYC, only to realize that ticket prices are basically rent payments.

Wrapped it up with music recommendations – From kid-friendly bops to desert rock anthems, here’s what we’re listening to this week:

🎵 North Star – Nungara (Andreas supporting friends & good tunes)

🎵 Seven Steps – Super Simple Songs (Simon’s “definitely-for-his-kids” playlist)

🎵 Made to Parade – Queens of the Stone Age (Max staying on brand with his all-time favorite band)

Subscribe to Mayhem & Masterplans wherever you get your podcasts—and follow us for behind-the-scenes chaos, unsolicited business takes, and possibly Max getting drenched in NYC again:

📍 Max

📍 Simon

📍 Andreas

This podcast is produced by Hypecast Productions

#MayhemAndMasterplans #PodcastingWithPurpose #CorporateChaos