Greetings from a few vibrant voices of Zeno Group's Black Voices ERG! We are Amaris Adams, Chloe Segui, Danielle Hobson and Aly Brandon—four dynamic individuals weaving our talents across Zeno's creative, influencer, DE&I, consumer, and corporate affairs practices. As proud contributors to the rich tapestry of Black excellence within the communications landscape, we are excited to share our insights and experiences on getting the most out of your careers and navigating challenges as junior staff of color in celebration of Black History Month.

As you might expect from a former TV producer and an ex-journalist, we are borderline obsessed with earned media. Sitting across the pond from each other, we talk all the time about the tiniest minutiae of our respective news media. Given recent changes to the global media landscape, however, something has been bugging us. 

Over the last year since publishing our inaugural environmental, social and governance (ESG) report, Zeno has been focused on integrating ESG throughout the organization – in the decisions we make, how we nurture and advance talent and the work we do for our clients who trust us with their business. 

Zeno Group has promoted two global leaders to newly created roles essential to the agency’s ongoing growth and evolution. Mark Shadle has been appointed Chief Reputation Strategist and Julie Georgas has been named President of Zeno Canada.  

Early in 2023, our team lead Colleen O’Hara asked for our “hot takes” for the upcoming year in the world of creator marketing (formerly influencer marketing – see HERE). I suggested TikTok’s days as a primary marketing channel were numbered. Surely the hearings at Capitol Hill would be the beginning of the end. 

Pretty much the worst possible answer to give as it turned out.

From news media and grocery retailers to food experts and restaurant reviewers, there’s no shortage of food trend reports being published as we ramp into the new year. It can be overwhelming to keep up and track all trends, so the Zeno Foodie Team has done it for you!  And to wrap things up, Zeno explored how we feel news media will respond to the new foodie landscape, as well as what reporters and outlets will spark the most conversation.