Chief Influencer®

For decades, digital media promised interactivity. What we got instead, as Joe Ruffolo puts it, was "watching TV shows on computers and pretending like we have a digital experience." 

Joe has been at the center of that evolution since the beginning. He helped build CNN Interactive in the '90s, led ABC News Digital, served as an executive producer on a National Geographic series with BBC Studios and James Cameron at OceanX, and now leads 2WAY, a live video platform built around bringing audiences directly into the conversation. His career offers a front-row view of what happens when leaders stop broadcasting at people and start inviting them in. Anthony and Joe explore why the shift from audience to community changes everything, how leaders can extend into new platforms without losing the heart of their brand, and why trust and participation are inseparable.

Takeaways:
  • Build communities, not just audiences. An audience receives; a community participates. The organizations that create genuine two-way experiences will earn deeper trust and longer engagement.
  • Stay anchored to your brand's core as you experiment. New platforms and technologies should extend what you stand for, not replace it. Joe's rule: understand the heart and soul of the brand, then translate it into new spaces.
  • Trust requires identity, not anonymity. Communities where people are known to each other, where faces and names are visible, naturally foster more respectful and productive conversations.
  • Influence flows in both directions. The best ideas don't always come from the top. Leaders who listen to junior team members and let them experiment create cultures where innovation actually happens.
  • Use your own product. You cannot lead what you do not experience firsthand. Joe encourages everyone in his organization to host shows and participate in the platform themselves.

Quote of the Show:
  • "Audience is a one-way experience, and community is a two-way experience."

Links:

Shout Outs:
  • Peter Cherukuri 
  • Mark Halperin and Mark Penn / Harris X 
  • Tim Armstrong
  • Ted Leonsis (quoted: "They can't love us if they don't trust us")
  • Anna Palmer / Punchbowl News 
  • Jenny Abamu / WAMU
  • Bryan Myers / Solidcore 

Creators and Guests

Host
Anthony Shop
Anthony Shop believes in the power of people-centered branding and marketing to create a bright future. He chairs the National Digital Roundtable, the premier convener of digital innovators, leaders and policy shapers. Anthony also is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Social Driver, a digital services firm that helps companies and non-profits establish winning strategies with social media, websites, creative, and advertising. An enthusiastic presenter and teacher, he has led executive-level training for Amazon, PepsiCo, NASA, The British Embassy and the Bipartisan Policy Center. He has been recognized as an “OUTstanding LGBT Role Model” by The Financial Times, “40 Under 40” by The Washington Business Journal, and Business Leader of the Year by the DC Chamber of Commerce. A former newspaper reporter, Anthony was the first new media professional elected to the National Press Club’s Board of Governors. He currently serves on the boards of Leadership Greater Washington and LearnServe International. He earned his MBA from The George Washington University School of Business, where he teaches as an adjunct lecturer.
Producer
Amanda Goyette
Guest
Joe Ruffolo
CEO 2WAY

What is Chief Influencer®?

Washington is the Center of Influence - in the U.S. and arguably the world. Chief Influencer® spotlights leaders who have figured out how to break through in today’s fragmented and noisy world. Social Driver teamed up with The George Washington University College of Professional Studies and The Communications Board to recognize these leaders as Chief Influencers and highlight how they inspire and influence others.