This Is Propaganda

Hollywood and The Pentagon with Tom Secker

It probably won’t come as much of a surprise that the Pentagon was involved in the making of Top Gun. What may be more surprising is the sheer scope of film and television projects the Pentagon has had a hand in—and just how deeply involved it is in the production process.
From Pitch Perfect 3 to the reality show Wife Swap, today we’ll explore how the Pentagon became one of the most powerful forces behind Hollywood storytelling—and the long-term impact this influence has had on audiences both in America and around the world.
Joining us is special guest Tom Secker journalist author and podcaster. You can learn more about Tom's work at spyculture.com
Welcome to DoubleThink, conversations inspired by This Is Propaganda. If you haven’t yet, check out the webby award winning first season
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BRINK media group is re-imagining how brands, causes and artists compete in the oversaturated attention marketplace through original productions and branded entertainment.
Website: thisispropaganda.show
Instagram: instagram.com/thisispropagandashow
Email: propaganda@brink.com

Guest Episode: Luxury Doomsday with 'American Hysteria'

We're crossposting today's episode from American Hysteria with Chelsey Weber-Smith where our co-hosts Josh and Malcolm were special guests discussing the propaganda behind luxury doomsday shelters.
If you're a fan of our pod, you'll enjoy American Hysteria too. Be sure to subscribe where you get your pods.
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The hottest new (and embarrassing) trend in the billionaire bubble is luxury doomsday shelters, wildly expensive bunkers that the ultra-rich believe will allow them to live extravagantly in a post-apocalyptic world. Join me, Joshua Belhumeur, and Malcolm Critcher of the podcast 'This is Propaganda' as we enter their futuristic world, try to understand their tech bro mindset, and take a look at the history of prepping to see how unchecked capitalism has transformed the way we think about the end of the world.
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BRINK media group is re-imagining how brands, causes and artists compete in the oversaturated attention marketplace through original productions and branded entertainment.
Website: thisispropaganda.show
Instagram: instagram.com/thisispropagandashow
Email: propaganda@brink.com

The Death of a Millennial Brand with Eugene Healey

What aesthetics and ideas defined the branded propaganda targeting millennials in the 2010s, and why do they increasingly fail to resonate with Gen Z audiences?
Joining us is special guest Eugene Healey, brand strategy consultant and educator. Follow Eugene at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elkhealey
This is DoubleThink, conversations inspired by the themes of This Is Propaganda. If you haven’t yet, please listen to the Webby Award season one of the pod.
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BRINK media group is re-imagining how brands, causes and artists compete in the oversaturated attention marketplace through original productions and branded entertainment.
Website: thisispropaganda.show
Instagram: instagram.com/thisispropagandashow
Email: propaganda@brink.com

Howard Gossage: 20th Century Master of Propaganda with Justin Oberman

San Francisco ad man Howard Gossage (1917–1969) is a bit more under the radar than his Madison Avenue contemporaries, but his work in both consumer marketing and advocacy messaging was brilliant. His unconventional and interactive approaches to advertising felt like a harbinger of what was to come a half-century later with the advent of social media. We discuss his work and what it can teach us about propaganda.
With special guest Justin Oberman, longtime advertising creative and social media influencer. Follow Justin at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinoberman/
This is DoubleThink, conversations inspired by the themes of This Is Propaganda. If you haven’t yet, please listen to the Webby Award season one of the pod.
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BRINK media group is re-imagining how brands, causes and artists compete in the oversaturated attention marketplace through original productions and branded entertainment.
Website: thisispropaganda.show
Instagram: instagram.com/thisispropagandashow
Email: propaganda@brink.com

Abortion Messaging in Post-Dobbs America with Amelia Bonow

Liberal “pro choice” messaging has historically conceded the moral high ground (“safe, legal and rare”). Amelia Bonow helped change that as the leader of the Shout Your Abortion movement. In this episode, she shares her journey and discusses why the persuasion war is far less important than educating people on the options they still and will always have, regardless of legality.
Find safe abortions anywhere at:https://www.youalwayshaveoptions.com/
Learn more about Shout Your Abortion:https://shoutyourabortion.com/
This is DoubleThink, conversations inspired by the themes of This Is Propaganda. If you haven’t yet, please listen to the Webby Award season one of the pod.
—
BRINK media group is re-imagining how brands, causes and artists compete in the oversaturated attention marketplace through original productions and branded entertainment.
Website: thisispropaganda.show
Instagram: instagram.com/thisispropagandashow
Email: propaganda@brink.com

Luigi Mangione, Trump and the Art of Cultural Disruption with David Shields

David Shields (best-selling author / filmmaker) joins us to dissect the brutal reality of politics as performance. We dive into Trump’s media mastery, Luigi Mangione’s provocative symbolism, and why the Democrats are stuck playing an obsolete game.
Be sure to check out David’s latest work, How We Got Here, a film and book companion.
This is DoubleThink, conversations inspired by the themes of This Is Propaganda. If you haven’t yet, please listen to the Webby Award season one of the pod.
—
BRINK media group is re-imagining how brands, causes and artists compete in the oversaturated attention marketplace through original productions and branded entertainment.
Website: thisispropaganda.show
Instagram: instagram.com/thisispropagandashow
Email: propaganda@brink.com
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Cohosts: Josh Belhumeur and Malcolm Critcher

Nuance has a PR Problem

Unpacking how the Culture War feeds on emotional shortcuts, why complexity and nuance is so hard to embrace, and what it means to navigate a society driven by flattened ideas and radicalized identities.
This is DoubleThink, conversations inspired by the themes of This Is Propaganda. If you haven’t yet, please listen to the Webby Award season one of the pod.
—
BRINK media group is re-imagining how brands, causes and artists compete in the oversaturated attention marketplace through original productions and branded entertainment.
Website: thisispropaganda.show
Instagram: instagram.com/thisispropagandashow
Email: propaganda@brink.com
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Cohosts: Josh Belhumeur and Malcolm Critcher

The Art / Propaganda Spectrum

Is art propaganda? Is propaganda art? A free flowing conversation about a spectrum that exists between the two and how modern consumer propaganda might benefit from leaning heavier into art.This is DoubleThink, conversations inspired by the themes of This Is Propaganda. If you haven’t yet, please listen to the Webby Award season one of the pod.
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BRINK media group is re-imagining how brands, causes and artists compete in the oversaturated attention marketplace through original productions and branded entertainment.
Website: thisispropaganda.show
Instagram: instagram.com/thisispropagandashow
Email: propaganda@brink.com
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Cohosts: Josh Belhumeur and Malcolm Critcher

Narratives of the US Election

In this first episode of DoubleThink, Malcolm and Josh revisit the “vibe shift” of the US election when President Biden dropped and the world got coconut-pilled by Kamala Harris, along with predictions of what comes next.
DoubleThink is conversations inspired by the themes of This Is Propaganda. If you haven’t yet, please listen to the Webby Award season one of the pod.
—
BRINK media group is re-imagining how brands, causes and artists compete in the oversaturated attention marketplace through original productions and branded entertainment.
Website: thisispropaganda.show
Instagram: instagram.com/thisispropagandashow
Email: propaganda@brink.com
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Cohosts: Josh Belhumeur and Malcolm Critcher

S1E5: Everything Is Propaganda, Even You

Social media creates an environment where propaganda becomes our default mode of expression. Because everyone is a brand.
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BRINK media group is re-imagining how brands, causes and artists compete in the oversaturated attention marketplace through original productions and branded entertainment.
Website: thisispropaganda.show
Instagram: instagram.com/thisispropagandashow
Email: propaganda@brink.com
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Cohosts: Josh Belhumeur and Malcolm Critcher
Story Editor: Matt Decker
Producers: Jaclyn Hubersberger and Reed Chandler
Additional Audio Engineering: Paul Injeti
Original music: Josh Belhumeur
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“Big Red Boot.” MSCHF. https://mschf.com/shop/big-red-boot/
“Black Panther (soundtrack).” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_(soundtrack)
Bradley, Bill. 2022. “US Advertising Sales Projected to Pass $300 Billion for First Time Ever in 2022.” Adweek.
https://www.adweek.com/convergent-tv/us-advertising-sales-projected-to-pass-300-billion-for-first-time-ever-in-2022/
Ferere, Cassell. 2021. “Brand Blasphemy? What Nike’s Move To Sue MSCHF For Lil Nas X ‘Satan Shoes’ Tells Us About Pop Culture.” Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/cassellferere/2021/03/30/nikes-move-to-sue-mschf-for-its-lil-nas-x-satan-shoes-tells-us-about-pop-culture/?sh=58f905dc55fc
Huddleston Jr., Tom, and Zachary Green. 2022. “Liquid Death CEO Mike Cessario: We chose 'the dumbest possible name' for water.” CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/26/liquid-death-ceo-mike-cessario-we-chose-the-dumbest-possible-name-for-water.html
Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Television. 1997. “Colgate Comedy Hour, The.” Television Academy Interviews. https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/colgate-comedy-hour-the
Silbert, Jake. 2021. “MSCHF's At All Costs Clothing Line Plays With Prices.” Highsnobiety. https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/mschf-at-all-costs-clothing-line/
Silbert, Jake. 2021. “MSCHF's Guns 2 Swords took The Met Gala, Thanks to Grimes.” Highsnobiety. https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/mschf-guns-2-swords/
Suess, Jeff. 2017. “Our history: P&G put the 'soap' in 'soap opera.'” Cincinnati Enquirer. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2017/10/04/our-history-p-g-put-soap-soap-opera/732149001/
Whitten, Sarah. 2023. “Barbie is highest-grossing domestic film release in 2023.” CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/24/barbie-is-highest-grossing-domestic-film-release-in-2023.html
“Your Hit Parade.”  Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Hit_Parade