He’s a former Marine, a marketer and a former sports broadcasting anchor who’s been spending the majority of his time for the past six years leading media relations for clients as co-founder of LifeFlip Media in Portland, Oregon. He’s also a frequent face on national media, as a color and opinion analyst for Fox Network, Sirius, RT America as well as Cheddar, the Joe Piscopo Show, a regular guest on NewsMax Liquid Lunch and regular co-host for the Rory Sauter radio show.
While the majority of his time has been spent behind the camera in support of clients, he’s recently taken a new step forward with the launch of his own show “TO THE POINT with Eric L. Mitchell” airing weekdays at 2:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT).
To the Point, according to Mitchell, was created to give viewers a refreshing and different view of the world. Guests “get granular’ as they give viewers a look through the lens of politics, society, entertainment and culture.
Like Mitchell himself, the messages are distilled and “To the Point,” “because that’s where the essence is,” Mitchell says.
The show intends to serve as a contrast to the predominant themes of late of frustration, anger and bad news on the shows that in the current landscape are all but abandoning the mission of informative and provocative stories as they focus on the daily updates of politics, pandemics and spiraling stocks.
By early indications the show that currently airs on the To The Point YouTube channel is an out of the gate success with viral interest and audience response continuing to rise by the week.
In an interview with Hollywood branding manager and President of Make It Happen, Andrew Rossow, Mitchell spoke on the unfortunate trend we are witnessing surrounding this “bad news” environment.
Andrew Rossow: Tell me about your new show, “To the Point”. How does your interaction with clients differ from traditional media outlets?
Eric Mitchell: For me, it is about telling a story that’s different than anybody else’s. A unique story makes a pitch to the press compelling, especially when it comes from an unexpected place or an underdog source. For example, consider a company like “Nunbelievable”. Who would have imagined Tony Robbins would be involved with two nuns from a San Francisco soup kitchen and launch an organic cookie company? But it’s a true story. These are the kind of hooks that catch a reporter’s eye and captures reader and viewer attention, even in a difficult season. I love telling those stories.
AR: So great storytelling is a key to a successful broadcast and business. What else do you suggest?
EM: Establish and foster personal relationships. I genuinely consider all of my guests and clients as well as the producers I work with to be friends, and I want to make those friendships long term. I hang out with them. I go on their media tours with them. We have dinner together; we stay in the same hotels. I get to know them personally and they get to know me and my family. That’s how I built my business, and I believe it should be this way for everybody.
Building relationships is key for working with the media as well. I maintain friendships with the producers and anchors I’ve known and worked with for years. When I’m in the vicinity, we go out to lunch; go out for drinks. I know what’s on their minds and I stay tuned in to the things they are looking for. I go out of my way to help even when there’s nothing in it for me and none of my clients involved.
I also go back to the old school methods of meeting the contacts I’m working with in person as often as I possibly can. Especially in the days of worries about flying and virus, people default to doing everything through virtual contact. The reason my team does so well on TV placement is that I go to New York once a month. I take the show producers and bookers I work with out to breakfast or dinner or lunch. I leave them Starbucks gift cards, because I know how hard they are working. Anybody can send emails with happy face emojis, but it’s still important to share a hug or a handshake or at least a fist bump every now and again. Face to face presence is good business, even during the times that call for care.
AR: Let’s talk about your service in the Marines—thank you for your service How does your military background serve you in the media business?
EM: My service in the Marines continues to be a source of pride for me. I still regard myself as an infantryman in the Marine Corp more than media relations executive. I don’t have a broadcasting background. In my own mind, I’m a grunt. I have no sense of entitlement that I deserve to be where I am. I treat every opportunity with excitement and a sense of respect. I love what I do, and I believe the enthusiasm shows through, which is helpful in an arena where so many people give in to feelings of discouragement or they feel beaten down. Every opportunity to share a worthy story with the world is a gift.
AR: In the news/media industry today, how do you define great leadership?
EM: Great leadership, in my opinion, is leading from the front. It’s not being afraid to do every job in your business and making sure you’re looking to the people on your left and on your right with trust and respect. I’ve worked with some strange executives. My observation of too many entrepreneurs is that they hire people but do not let them do the job they’ve been hired to do because the business is “their baby” and they’re afraid to let go.
So, for effectiveness in media just as in so many functions of business, a good leader relies on their team, instead of jumping ahead of others and trying to “be the team.” Give your people good training in the functions they need to fulfill, but then trust them to move ahead in their roles.
AR: Do you have a favorite motto or quote about working in media?
EM: Kobe Bryant once said that “the most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.” This still applies very much to the business of lifting clients and preparing them to inspire and shine in front of the press. Kobe was an inspiration to the world and will be greatly missed.
AR: How would you describe yourself?
EM: I’m a father of four, married for 16 years, a Marine Corp veteran, I love musicals and the Trailblazers, and my family is everything. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for my wife and my children. They are my inspiration and are much of the reason I carry optimism and excitement for the media in the work I do every day.
For more on Mitchell’s show, you can follow him on social media.
