Esteemed SMW NYC Advisory Board member Peter Himler has served as Senior Media Strategist for several of the world’s top PR firms (think Edelman, Burson-Marsteller, Hill + Knowlton, and Cohn & Wolfe) before forming his own Flatiron Communications, LLC.
Peter is a master of teaching communications professionals techniques and trends that will serve them best. Not only does Peter advise companies on how to best take advantage of the latest tools, he also leads the Publicity Club of New York, at which he’s organized SMW12 event The Socialization of News.
An avid social media user and author of award-winning weblog The Flack, Peter is more than qualified to moderate a discussion on the way in which news content is shared and marketed. Leaders from Bloomberg News, CNN U.S., NBC News, The New York Times and Thomson Reuters will be joining him.
Peter’s also responsible for The Dawn of Companion TV, to be held at Art & Culture Content Hub at Hearst Magazines. Recognizing that the TV industry has been changed by social TV and the “second screen,” Peter has created a conversation that will dive into the phenomenon of check-ins, content, and conversations with leading personalities from Bluefin Labs, Bravo (NBC Universal), Get Glue, HBO and Umami TV.
With so much going on in Peter’s world, we asked him for a few quick thoughts, hoping to get his advice on what —and who— we should be paying attention to.
How do you stay current on what’s popular?
I enjoy the News.me app on my iPad, which captures the articles linked to by those I’ve chosen to follow on Twitter. I also find inspiration in LongReads, the TED videos in the iTunes Store, and the current crop of non-fiction books about media and technology.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love working with uber-smart entrepreneurs who’ve developed or are in the process of creating pathbreaking technology, apps and products. I appreciate people who recognize and understand the value communications professionals can add. It is especially gratifying to see the media engagement strategy you’ve developed yield notable, meaningful results.
You’re certainly an expert at organizing panels! Who’d be a part of your Dream Panel?
Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Tim Cook. David Carr and Nick Bilton as moderators.
You can pick one person to have coffee with. Who would it be?
Buzzfeed co-founder Jonah Peretti. I caught him at Business Insider‘s Ignition conference and was impressed by his uncanny ability (and track record) in both starting and fueling memes.
What do you do to recharge?
My wife and I live vicariously through our three sons’ lives, and most recently, our third son’s exploits as a Princeton University varsity lacrosse player. We also love to go to the Metropolitan Museum on Sundays when it first opens, grab headphones, and explore different wings. We’re out of there by noon when the crowds arrive.
If you could have any client in the world, who would you help?
I suppose it would be fun assisting Andreesen Horowitz or Kleiner Perkins discover the “next big thing.”
If you had an extra hour each day, how would you spend it?
Discovering new tunes on Turntable.fm or Spotify.
What advice would you have given to yourself 5 years ago?
To have attended SXSW in its early days!
Look for Peter during Social Media Week and share with him your thoughts on TV programmers, advertisers, and audience engagement. You can also follow him on twitter @peterhimler.