Culture, Clients, and AI: Inside Agency Life at SHADOW with Liza Suloti

Justin Levinson (00:10)

Hey everybody, welcome to the Agency Side podcast. I am your host, Justin Levinson. Today I'm joined by Lisa Suloti, co-founder and chief communications officer at Shadow. She leads the agency's beauty and wellness division, working with brands like Elf Beauty, Estee Lauder, Amica and Dove. With more than 20 years in PR and marketing communications, she's helped shape Shadow into a fully integrated creative marketing agency known for culturally resonant campaigns and long-term brand partnerships.

I'm excited to dive in on how she builds brands, leads teams, and evolves with culture in today's landscape. Thanks so much for being here, Lisa.

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Liza Suloti (00:43)

Thanks so much for having me. I'm so excited to chat.

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Justin Levinson (00:45)

Yeah,

well, let's get into it. The first thing I always like to talk about with guests is just like an origin story and how you got into this particular space.

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Liza Suloti (00:54)

It's actually my favorite story to tell because it interestingly starts with how we arrived at meeting one of my partners, Brad Zeifman. So when I was an English major at BU, I befriended a fellow New Yorker and she was, you know, instantly the friend that we took all classes with and did everything together. And we were obsessed with becoming writers in any shape or form. She went back to New York and actually found herself in PR and she was working for Brad and he was leaving the agency he was at.

and starting at another agency called Susan Blonde. And I met with her that night and we had drinks and she said, have you ever thought about PR? And I was like, I don't know anything about that. And she said, you know more than you think because it really actually bridges the gap between the passions that you have for writing and for media and for culture, for entertainment, for every facet of culture that you love. And it really bridges all of those gaps together into one amazing discipline. I think you love it. You should meet with Brad tomorrow.

And I did. And I gave a fabulous interview, except for my last answer, which we continue to debate on 25 years later, which was when he asked me, where do you see yourself in five years? And I said, in Chanel. Everyone else in the room thought it was the best thing they'd ever heard. He was like, who the hell is this girl? Get her out of here. But they convinced him to hire me. Thank God. And that was the beginning of everything, you know? And I think when you look at what's so special about Shadow,

it always is gonna come down to our special relationship together that we all have together and the relationships that we form. that's what it means to be connected, right? Inside and out. so Brad and I worked together for nearly five years at Susan Blonde before we started Shadow with our other co-founders, Michelle Sokoloff and Lizette Sandfriedman. And Michelle and Lizette also have five years together before Shadow. So the four of us have been a unit for nearly two decades.

Brad and I for even longer. Had I not met my friend for a drink, had I not really thought about trying something that I'd never really considered, then I wouldn't really be sitting here today. Like, had I never really met Brad. And I was able to really quickly wrap my head around what was so special about this industry and understand that a passion for writing, a passion for culture, a passion for storytelling is really what is going to drive ⁓ your ability to thrive in this industry for sure.

So that was how I got into the PR piece of it all. And then I think it all kind of unfolded really naturally transitioning into PR really just being one aspect of how we market. And I think the industry has evolved so much in the period of time that I've been in it and therefore I have too. ⁓ And I look at what my role entails, which is really divided amongst the time that I spend in our beauty and wellness division, but also

the marketing of the agency and the media training that I do. And had I not taken certain steps along the way, it wouldn't have allowed me to create those focuses. So I think it's important on your journey to pay attention to your gut and what you are naturally passionate about. And I think you'll find that it'll lead you to the right focuses for sure.

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Justin Levinson (04:04)

Yeah, that sounds very, very cosmic how that all happened. Curious when you first got into it, what role did you have when you began?

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Liza Suloti (04:12)

So I was really interested in saying yes to anything and everything I could. So at the time, you know, I found myself representing gyms and beauty brands just as much as I was representing fashion brands and restaurants. And Brad and I, we very much took this mindset of, know, if you can market this, you can market that. But I really, you know, it didn't take long for me to understand that I had such an immense passion for beauty and wellness.

And, you know, I think all things ultimately lifestyle and marrying that with culture in a really big way. And so, you know, the early years were absolutely really diversified. And I loved that. I loved that experience and the fact that I was really fluent in different categories, really fluent in also different services. So I understood the kind of art of storytelling as much as I understood.

what it meant to create an IRL experience and the power of an event. And also understanding the magic behind matching notable talents with brands and what that could unlock. And that fluency was very much shared by my co-founders. I think we all very much took that mindset and that is very much something we carry through today because Shadow is not just an agency that's focused in one category. Since we...

opened our doors. We've been in every aspect of cultures. That remains true today where we're in fashion retail, we're in beauty and wellness, we're in CPG, you know, we're in hospitality. And I think that that ability to be a snapshot of what culture looks like is important and has remained true as part of the vision of our business.

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Justin Levinson (05:58)

When did Shadow really pivot into a full-on integrated app?

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Liza Suloti (06:02)

You know, it's funny we talk about this and I very much feel like, okay, we can pinpoint 10 years ago when we started ultimately repositioning ourselves as a creative marketing agency. But I think the work tells the story in a louder way because I look back on our early days and we were doing experiential events. We were producing events. were, you know, connecting talent to brands. We were doing a lot of multi-service work.

But it wasn't in the spirit of marketing it that way. It was in the spirit of we knew what it took to create buzz for a brand. But I think, you know, truly that moment 10 years ago when we ultimately determined to reposition ourselves and to carve out these services in a more formalized way and to build out the specialists within them.

That was really transformative for us. And, you know, I think it was really telling when we found ourselves doing campaigns and creating content and being that type of partner to our clients, but then uniquely being able to take that content we created and amplify it. Right. So we weren't just thinking as you might find with a creative agency where it sort of.

begins and ends with the creative, right? With us, that's actually one piece of the journey of what we're doing for our partners where, you we're taking the cultural insight and matching that with the brand need at the moment and then creating something really special from, you know, a content standpoint. But then from there, we're not just passing it off and saying like, hey, let's see if it flies. We're really designing a strategy around it and amplifying it through all the different ways that we know, you know,

it needs to be true to be effective. And so that's something that we started cultivating as a model that was really successful for us and for our clients. you know, we've had clients for, we have clients that have been with us for like literally 19 years, for 10.

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Justin Levinson (07:54)

Yeah,

I was noticing that, that you guys have some really long, long running cli-

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Liza Suloti (07:59)

Yes,

the lifespan is very unique of a shadow client. I think it's like what I was saying in the beginning, like that connectivity that makes us so special and that's part of our secret sauce amongst other things comes through in our partnerships with our clients. And I think speaks to why we have these relationships with them. And as they grow, we grow with them, right? So they might come in only needing social or only needing support with influencer. And then ultimately a year later, we're doing

every service for them, because you cultivate trust, you cultivate that type of willingness to take risks together. It's funny, the amount of times I've had clients when they're thanking us for something, I'm like, yeah, but thank you for saying yes and for trusting us and taking that bold stuff with us. It all leads to being able to create what we've created.

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Justin Levinson (08:50)

That's pretty cool. So you feel like with these long-term relationships, you guys are kind of like an extension of your client where you're sort of like, is that sort of way it feels? the best ones, you feel like they are sort of listening to your ideas and it seems like very, you everyone's sort of really working together. Thanks for tuning in, folks. This episode is brought to you by Coming Up Creative, a relationship first boutique creative recruitment agency.

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Liza Suloti (09:41)

Yeah, that's absolutely how it feels. think we really look for a seat at the table and we love the partners that let us in and let us feel the culture of the brand and really give us insight. And we, we shape decisions together and we always tell either kind of potential new clients or existing clients. Like we, it's not that we don't, come from, we always come from a place of yes, but we're very honest and very transparent. So.

If something's not gonna work, we're gonna tell them in advance. And that's why we wanna ultimately have a seat at the table so we can shape things with them and along the way be able to identify areas that we can reimagine or we can completely change or we can bring in new elements to create opportunities that otherwise wouldn't exist. I don't think it's about sitting and being handed something and then being told what to do. I think that's just not how we thrive.

⁓ And I know that that's the value that we bring to our clients as well is that we are vocal, we are transparent, we will always tell them what we think. But coming from a place of yes can also be an exercise in helping them shape and evolve their current strategies to think differently, think bigger, and also understand that just because it's worked before doesn't mean it will continue to work.

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Justin Levinson (10:56)

Yeah. How do you approach, are you involved a lot in a new business as well?

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Liza Suloti (11:00)

Yeah, I actually love that. Like sometimes we call it like literally like pitch theater because it's such a fun opportunity to get a little bit of an insight into these brands that we absolutely adore and admire and you know, be able obviously to talk about the work that we're doing, but really dream together what could be possible and whether it's sort of like the art and science of an RFP and that whole pitch theater.

theater of it all, or really just having sometimes these amazing conversations with CMOs and CEOs and understanding what their challenges are and blending that with the insights that we have and the things that we know are coming and understanding how we could create something special for them. I love participating in that and I think we very much handpick our clients. You could probably tell that looking at our portfolio.

because it is a relationship and it is something that we always enter into with a lot of intention. So I love participating in that. I think it's a really special conversation to be allowed to have with certain brands where they're giving you the type of insight that they are.

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Justin Levinson (12:09)

Totally. Do you ever get nervous on those new business pitches or do you feel pretty confident typically in those? You know...

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Liza Suloti (12:15)

⁓ I think it depends on the meeting. I think there are times where it's I wouldn't call it nervous It's more of like I'm just I'm excited. I'm like, my god I know what we could do for you like that type of energy I love that like when I feel that I'm like, okay like that to me is a big indicator that something special is there I think also with all things I think it's really healthy to be nervous like

When someone says they never get nervous, I don't believe them, or I just don't think they care enough.

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Justin Levinson (12:47)

Totally. Yeah. In terms of ⁓ like different events, do you like to go to a lot of different industry events and is that a big part of your job and traveling?

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Liza Suloti (12:56)

So I have two kids, so I'm very like, make it matter, right? So I do think it's important to have a presence at the right events. You know, I go to Cannes every year with Brian and Brad, and we will do everything from speaking engagements to supporting our clients to walking the work. And I think that's really impactful and worth that time and energy. And there are

Certainly events that I think are important for us to be attending, but I, you know, I don't know that being at every single event is what drives every idea and, you know, drives every success. You know, I also think it's about the relationships that you have in the room. So events, I think are part of just being in the industry and making sure that you're tuned in to the really incredible conversations that are happening and also being a thought leader amongst those.

But I also think like, but who do you know in the room? Like to me, that's important. And so I think we're really intentional about the events that we show up at, whether we're supporting people or playing a bigger role in them for sure.

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Justin Levinson (14:05)

Yeah. In terms of like ⁓ how your team collaborates, do ⁓ you guys work mostly remotely or do you do it in person or how is that set up?

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Liza Suloti (14:17)

Yeah,

so we're totally a hybrid model. We have folks that are in the office in New York at a minimum once a week. Sometimes more than that, there are folks that just love to come in and folks that have a bigger commute that don't come in as much. I think we find that creativity can happen everywhere and collaboration can happen everywhere. And our connectedness to each other allows us to do the work that we do wherever we are.

I think that we really actually found ourselves thriving when we converted into that model. And I think it's why we continue to have it today. I think our work, one of the things that we really pride ourselves on is the fact that our work is really tuned into culture in a way that's really clever and treating it like the craft that it is. I can't say that not being in a room physically together is a barrier, right? But to be honest, we're together a lot because we love being together.

Certainly, there's like magic and energy and spark in the room when we're all together. I literally had a laughing fit yesterday just because I was watching Lizette do something funny in her office. And like, that's just the joy of what we all do together, right? And, you know, I was sitting in a meeting yesterday with the entire beauty team and they were presenting, you know, kind of trend predictions for 2026.

I mean, they were so brilliant, so thoughtful, so well presented. And I just was sitting there incredibly proud of this team and understanding that what they were sharing was going to truly shape some of the work we do and how exciting that is. Yeah. So those things are magic. They're so special, but I can't say not being in the same room is a barrier of any kind for sure.

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Justin Levinson (15:57)

Just out of curiosity, how are they doing that research and kind of figuring out what those trends are going to get?

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Liza Suloti (16:01)

Yeah, so it is very much a hybrid of utilizing sources for sure. And a lot of it is, you know, ⁓ a combination of that plus conversations they're having with editors and looking at, I mean, there's a lot of data out there. It's not, it's actually not the hardest thing to be able to synthesize, but part of that has to come with some analytical thinking, right? So for example, I think about what they shared around, this is going to be the year where color comes back and color cosmetics.

And prior to that, they had presented skincare and which by the way, I found out I'm not supposed to exfoliate every day. So that was a good discovery. They always like check me and I'm like, but guys, there's a story to tell here. So like, how is our skincare impacted by the fact that we're like wearing a full beat every day? Like, so now all of a sudden I'm like really invested in what's happening in the cleanser category. And like it made for this amazing conversation, but it is a combination of like all the data that we know to be available. But then in real terms, what's the story there?

And what's the way that we can then adapt that to the way in which we're positioning our clients and understanding where we see opportunity and say, okay, we know this is coming. Let's get ahead of it. Let's understand it. Let's make sure innovation is telling that story and kind of bridge the gap there.

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Justin Levinson (17:16)

Yeah, that's, that's amazing. Um, or do you find yourself always plugged in? you, must be always interested in what's, what's hot in culture.

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Liza Suloti (17:23)

Yeah, it really is, a lifestyle. It's not like work. It's just, it's, you know, I think you can really find inspiration absolutely everywhere at all times if you remain open to it. You know, you'd be amazed just living your life, the things that can come to you that can find you. So I do feel like I'm always on, but I don't find that to be a bad thing. I find it to be a really exciting and fulfilling way of being for sure.

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Justin Levinson (17:53)

Well, yeah, that's really cool about your team presenting all that stuff and I can see why you'd be so proud. What are you looking for in people when you're bringing them into your team? Like what qualities do you find important?

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Liza Suloti (18:05)

So

I think they have to obviously match the shadow values. We have core values that are truly at the heart of a lot of the decisions that we make around, you know, hiring and clients we take on, the work that we do, the way we ask people to show up, even our reviews, people are, you know, reviewed against our core values. We take that really seriously, not just the work we do, but who we are as people. So certainly we evaluate people best we can. Obviously anyone can be anything for 20 minutes, but like you really

you know, try to gauge how they show up with some of those values in mind. And I think can they, you know, it's not always about already arriving, but can they show the potential to arrive at the things that we know are paramount to who we are as an agency at what makes us special. So are they passionate, excited about connecting?

whether it's connecting dots, connecting with people, connecting with clients, is that something that we can see that spark in them? Are they clever in how they think and how they think analytically as well as creatively, how they approach strategy, but also as an art form? And again, to go back to the craft of what we do, it is not transactional. And I think...

To perceive it as transactional of just doing a service for a client is just not at the heart of how we work and what inspires us. So do they have that spark in them and see it the way that we see it? So something like media relations, if we were going to hire someone for a role in that service, you know, do they view it in a really traditional manner of just take the pitch, go to these outlets, keep it moving? What are the impressions? What do we, like it just...

feels not of the moment and we're looking to meet the moment every day. And so are they early adopters? Are they thinking about new forms of media? Are they understanding how to tell stories in new ways? Are they understanding how media meets social and what that means? Like just to see those sparks and that type of mindset, those are things that we can then shape right into the shadow approach. But certainly I think those are the things that we look for.

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Justin Levinson (20:13)

Yeah, it seems like in your success growing that sort of kind of going the extra mile and doing, you know, doing everything. I'm sure that's an important thing as well.

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Liza Suloti (20:22)

Yeah, absolutely. think, I mean, like one of our core values, if I can swear, is like, give a fucking go for it. Like literally. And I'm like, do they give a fucking, you know, I think just having that heat in you is always gonna drive you to, you know, do your best. And that's all we can ask for.

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Justin Levinson (20:39)

Yeah. I'm interested in how, I'm always interested in how technology has, is evolving in the agency space. And I'm curious how AI has helped your team move faster.

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Liza Suloti (20:53)

Yeah. ⁓ I think in a lot of ways, I think, well, first of all, I think AI is as good as the questions we ask and the prompts we give, right? So I think understanding how to use it as a tool that can, you know, provide some insights as we build a strategy. And that gives us some more pointed data points that we can kind of validate some of the strategies that we have. You know, I think it helps people.

more efficiently synthesize some of the things that they're sort of debating or weighing or thinking through. I think it's not necessarily a source for replacing the creative origination of ideas or plans, but certainly you can validate things. You can add data points in a way that feels kind of strengthening to the work you're already doing. And I do also think it can truly save time, right? As you're trying to

a little depth to something, it can sometimes spit back an articulation that you weren't just able to get to. And you're like, yes, that's exactly what I trying to say. There's a lot of ways in which it can create efficiencies, but I don't think we see it as replacing anything per se, but I think it's either validating to something you're doing or it can certainly save time because as you're trying to come up with a theory based on reviewing

10 sources, it can spit back to you what your gut is telling you that theory is, you know, with sort of validated sources. And I think it's also shaping earned media in a way that's really cool. I think it's just the beginning, to be honest.

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Justin Levinson (22:34)

How do you feel like it's shaping our media? Just out of curiosity.

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Liza Suloti (22:37)

Yeah, I think people are now using obviously AI tools for searches. something as simple as what's the right, like you'd be amazed, like what's the right moisturizer for my skin type? Like they're gonna chat GBT. They're not just Googling it. And even if they Google it, they're gonna get an AI response anyway. But they're being fed the recommendations based on validated trusted sources of particular media outlets that...

especially even credit like a germ who's going to make a recommendation. And so it's fitting back to you some really interesting results that's not exactly the same as if you were to just use a search engine for it. Or what has also been obviously a big driver is TikTok. So people are like using TikTok to like navigate whatever they're searching for, especially for like certain product recommendations. so earned media is playing a really unique role in that type of consumer behavior, which is really cool.

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Justin Levinson (23:30)

Yeah, that's fascinating. That's cool. ⁓

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Liza Suloti (23:33)

It

is, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. I know. This is the stuff to geek out over. And you're like, OK, wow. understanding that, like, you can break that example apart into so many pieces and understand, OK, so actually when I'm building a plan, there's value in having an expert voice, particularly one that is going to be credited. I now see another layer of value in the outlets that will use that expertise.

in tandem with whatever product recommendation, right? Like you start to see that, you start to understand the outlets that are gonna make their way through as a trusted sort. Like you could actually break that down and that could start shaping some of the strategies that you build. I mean, it's really interesting.

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Justin Levinson (24:18)

Yeah, that's fascinating. AI in the recruitment world has also just changed at just an astronomical pace, you know, between like automation, multi-channel campaigns, know, even besides chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat,

You know, even in in a feed on chat, you know, you can, you know, for someone who isn't even like a certain, an expert at a certain role, you could put a job description into the chat and then you could literally copy and paste from LinkedIn people's pay, you know, profiles into Chatchity and say, Hey, is this person a fit for this particular role? Now for me, I've been doing it for years, so I can look at somebody and know like if they have the right experience, but the speed that it can kind of move things through where you can just put that profile and it's like,

Yes, Justin, this person is an A plus, a candidate for this particular role because they have this beauty and consumer account executive experience and they're going to be the perfect fit. Yeah. So yeah, it's really.

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Liza Suloti (25:25)

Yeah.

Isn't it? I mean, it's really fascinating. And sometimes it is just a validation of what you kind of know to be true based on experience that you have. But the time that it saves you, you know, that's time you could spend on something else. it's totally really valuable.

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Justin Levinson (25:42)

But I feel like the authenticity is still paramount. even, you know, people don't want to see, they don't want to be reached out to by an AI-made video necessarily, or you know what I mean? There's something that's like, know, like human error is still like, is like, I don't know the word I'm looking for, but it's it's endearing. You know what I mean? Like it's, and there's something natural.

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Liza Suloti (26:03)

What's really something interesting that I have found is that, so I've been media training for over 10 years now. And what led me to that was I was doing a ton of broadcasts I was going on different shows and talking about our clients. And, ⁓ you know, it sort of led to this expertise and being able to coach others on how to communicate for that medium. And then over time, frankly, just had a communicate period, right? And I have watched.

how the way in which people are able to communicate has been deeply affected by the way in which we're consuming technology and they've lost the ability to talk. Like, it's like fascinating, right?

the way in which people need to sharpen skills to be able to lead a meeting. Forget about be on a panel, forget about go on a show or whatever it is. They really have to sharpen those skills because they're so used to either talking to camera on a social post or they're really used to writing it out and then it being course corrected anyway. So it's like not always their voice. And so it's just fascinating the way in which you have to kind of reprogram people.

to be able to keep up with the way in which they're functioning without speaking. And then when they need to actually communicate and understanding all those nuances, it's just you sort of short circuit.

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Justin Levinson (27:27)

Yeah. I

it's it's like, it's like analogous to when you like, you know, you're used to using your GPS to get from one place to another. And you like can't remember how to get there by yourself without putting it on. And I mean, I remember like putting like the map quest, know, the taping them to my dashboard to like, left in three miles.

Yeah, I I feel like if I had to stop at a gas station and be like, Hey, can you tell me how to get to like route seven? And I was going to actually, I probably would just never get there. You know what I mean? Right. Right. And it's also like, maybe it also like prevents people from wanting to do things too. And everything is so pitch perfect. mean, I get nervous even doing these kinds of things. Like when I do the intros and I was like stumbling and we go, can I get through this? But I know it's so important. It's so important to be like out there and like.

put yourself in front of people and have those conversations and get those like reps in, you know. ⁓

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Liza Suloti (28:21)

But you know what's interesting? So I've seen this in practice on the flip side, which is you take an influencer who spends their entire day looking at themselves in camera, talking to camera, right? But then I pluck them out of that environment and say, okay, you're gonna be featured in a campaign and you're gonna be in a multi-talent shoot. You're gonna have lines, you're gonna have this, and they are a different person.

It's really fascinating. And there are some people where no problemo. It's like, it's so easy, it's so natural. And you're like, okay, like that is a type of talent that you can then place in all these different types of environments. Similarly, how do they show up in person is often different than what you're getting, you know, online. But then you've got the folks that are like,

I thrive in this format and that's my comfort zone and that's the format that I can function in. And that's obviously super limiting, but it is obviously a byproduct of just like over indexing on one way of communicating. Yeah. So there's a lot of ways that that, you know, has an impact that trickles into the work we do and the work we see. And that type of talent that can be more kind of fluid in the formats that they're able to thrive in is always going to go further.

Cause I'm like, great, I want to have them host an event. I want to then send them to this, you know, shoot where they're going to do X, Y, Z. Great. Let's let them do BTS on a carpet of X, It's like, it just opens up a world of what's possible. So you can think about that on a larger scale and like really start to understand that. I mean, it's really interesting.

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Justin Levinson (29:49)

Yeah, are you having to like spend a lot of time, like you said, if you put somebody out of their element and they're not like, you're not going to represent your brand the way you want them to, that sounds like a big problem. are you, are you in charge of like vetting these people ahead of time and like kind of, yeah. ⁓

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Liza Suloti (30:06)

That's, mean, such a key part of it is like even, you know, really big talents, like we do creative briefings with them before anyone sets a foot anywhere. You know what I mean? Like they have to understand the vision conceptually. They have to understand it visually. They have to understand, you know, truly what we're looking to do. Like what's the full plan? Like we bring them in truly fully. I think about the, the spot that we did with Jennifer Coolidge for the Superbowl with Elf.

I mean, yes, presenting the creative, writing it with Mike White, know, bringing Jennifer into, you know, the fold and getting her weigh in on how to bring some of her physical comedy forward. I mean, it has to be collaborative in that way. You know, but I think there are times, and I think it's typically more of like that social first talent where they really are used to one model. And we did a campaign for Tatcha where we cast.

some of the biggest beauty influencers on the planet, and they were phenomenal. And we knew they would be, and we knew that they wouldn't be someone that was limited by one format, but they were pros, right? So there are certainly times, like I've seen it sometimes with like hairstylists, right? Where they can talk to camera all day long, but then you ask them to be in a different format, and it is a bigger challenge. But I think that's why we have things in place to ensure that we're casting.

in such a way that they'll thrive. But the way to do that is to bring them into the fold early and to have them be part of that creative process and really think about is this, you know, the type of format where they thrive.

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Justin Levinson (31:42)

Yeah, that's really, that's really interesting to pick apart. Cool. I got a couple of rapid fire questions I wanted to do and then, and then get into just a little bit about your personal interests outside of the work world. So yeah, you can feel free to dodge these too, if you don't have an answer for them, that they're not meant to, they're not gotcha moments. They're just sort of a couple ideas that I have. Most overused marketing phrase.

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Liza Suloti (32:07)

There's so many. Like, I don't want to ladder up to a circle back to, like, any of those things drive me absolutely mad. Like, just obliterate all of them.

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Justin Levinson (32:17)

Okay, cool. A trend you think is already dying.

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Liza Suloti (32:20)

The trend I think is already dying. I'm not so rapid in this rapid fire.

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Justin Levinson (32:25)

That's okay.

We can always pass too if we ever come back to it too.

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Liza Suloti (32:30)

I'll tell you why I'm gonna pass on that because we're living in the land of celebrating 2016. That is the moment that like everyone is having right now, like bring back anything 2016. Everything is cyclical. So like whatever is not the moment now is gonna be the moment again. I, yeah, like I feel like it's understanding that it's evolved into the next thing as opposed to thinking that it's over.

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Justin Levinson (32:54)

Yeah,

no, that's a great answer. Biggest myths about PR in 2026.

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Liza Suloti (32:59)

The biggest myth about PR in 2026 is that it's still PR. PR is not PR. It's not. We don't even use that word. talk about, we're not a PR agency. And when we think about it as a service, we still think about it as media relations, right? Because that is the way in. But holistically, so much of what we do, like, it's marketing. Like, you're marketing. ⁓ PR just is not PR.

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Justin Levinson (33:25)

Yep. Back in the day, there wasn't all of that influencer marketing and experiential and all that other stuff. So I totally get that. What actually creates cultural reward?

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Liza Suloti (33:34)

Ooh, is it in the group chat? You've made it when? You've made it when it's in the group chat, when it's that feeling of why is this everywhere? Everyone I know is talking about it. Everywhere I look, I see it. That is when you can kind of capture that something is having a moment in culture. The reward can look like a lot of different things. Obviously it can look like sales and business growth and buzz, but it also can look...

like a lot more kind of material things around things that create memories, things that create impact, things that are meaningful to people, things that bring people together. So there's a lot of special things that can come from being a moment in culture and it not being just fleeting and transactional.

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Justin Levinson (34:17)

I love that. That's a great answer. Lisa, outside of the work world, makes you tick in just day to day life?

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Liza Suloti (34:24)

Well, I have two boys and they're my biggest inspiration in the whole wide world. So I'll do literally anything for these little guys. They're seven and 10. Nice. Yeah. And I'm raising them in New York to two city kids, just like me. I still don't have my driver's license. So if you really want to know, is someone a New Yorker? That's funny. That's how how you know. But, you know, I think I have such a, an endless

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Justin Levinson (34:30)

What ages are they?

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Liza Suloti (34:51)

curiosity. So outside of working, again, it doesn't feel like working, right? This is the work I do. But even when I'm not, you know, in the period of time that we'd consider the workday, like I'm constantly traveling and having experiences and learning and growing and absorbing in everything I'm doing, whether that's with my family or friends or whatever.

that it finds its way in, you know? And I think about the concerts we go to, the museums we go to, the restaurants we go to, the events, the trips, the... It imprints on me in ways that, you know, I find myself later being like, my God, there was this amazing thing I went to, let's do an event there. Or I saw this new way of da-da-da-da, and it all bleeds together, ⁓ you know, but I'm really proud of my little guys and, you know, they're a...

you know, a huge part of my life. And obviously, I mean, they are my life, but they're the biggest driver for me to wake up with that heat and that energy every day, for sure.

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Justin Levinson (35:50)

That's awesome. I do have two little girls as well and they are by far the ones that are keeping me the most culturally relevant. So they're always down with the trend.

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Liza Suloti (35:59)

I have no doubt. my god, we should send them product. Okay, to discuss. Yes, we'll totally do that. huh. got it.

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Justin Levinson (36:03)

Yeah, they probably would love it.

Cool,

Lisa. Well, thank you so much for being on here and offering value to the community and having this conversation. was really wonderful. we'd love to keep the conversation going in the future and have you on down the line again.

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Liza Suloti (36:20)

Yeah, would love that. This was so fun. I could talk to you all day. ⁓ Thanks, you too. right. Bye. Okay. Bye.

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Justin Levinson (36:23)

Please, I will appreciate it. a good rest of your day.