Media People Newsletter
Written and curated by Victor Genova · July 16, 2025 · Issue #28

Welcome to the twenty-eighth issue of the Media People Newsletter. In this edition:

• REFLECTION: StackAdapt CEO Vitaly Pecherskiy: The cavalry is not coming

• INSIGHT: Ideon Media CEO Kevin Bartus: How to email a CEO

• PODCAST: Don’t Be A Little Pitch Founder/CEO & Pitch Pro, Bryce North

• HUMOUR: Tractors won’t replace horses

• Subscribe to the Media People Podcast on YouTube

• Subscribe to the Media People Newsletter

REFLECTION

The Cavalry is Not Coming

​Every month Vitaly Pecherskiy, StackAdapt’s CEO & Co-founder, takes new hires behind the curtain with an AMA. In a recent session one of the newbies asked: What was the most significant event in the company’s history that defined its trajectory? 

The answer wasn’t a funding round or feature launch. It was a mindset shift.

What the company referrers to as The StackAdapt Way challenges employees to take ownership of their destiny by doing things the hard way. It’s futile sitting around waiting for a miracle hire, viral moment, or big-name investor to swoop in and save the day. As Vitaly notes, the cavalry is not coming.

In an industry obsessed with quick wins and silver bullets, this philosophy flips the script. Want traction? Send that cold email. Struggling with sales? Roll up your sleeves and figure out lead generation before handing it off. Great companies aren’t built by luck or press releases. They’re built by people who take full ownership.

Vitaly’s full article is available here.

INSIGHT

How to Email a CEO

If you’re a sales professional like myself, then you likely see yourself as an ‘email pro’.

But are you really? In my case, do 17+ years of writing cold emails really make me an expert?

And does quantity actually equal results?

Idean Media CEO, Kevin Bartus is right to argue that email isn’t the numbers game some sales leaders would lead you to believe. AI tools are flooding inboxes with templated messages and too many sales professionals fall for the illusion that automation equals engagement, and that engagement guarantees results. (It doesn’t!)

But what about the recipient? Do you have any idea, or care, as to who you’re emailing? Back in June a SaaS SDR sent me an email requesting a meeting for July 1st. Did he bother to look up my location? Unlikely, otherwise he might have realised the significance of July 1st to a Canadian. Email done correctly means the recipients role should dictate your approach.

And if emailing the CEO? What you say and the voice you write in will impact the response rate.

Kevin Bartus spent two hours crafting a single email to a CEO. Spawning from that experience are four considerations he argues one should undertake when emailing a senior leader.

You can read Kevin’s recommendations here.

MEDIA PEOPLE PODCAST

Don’t Be A Little Pitch Founder/CEO & Pitch Pro, Bryce North

Episode 120 of the Media People Podcast with Don’t Be A Little Pitch Founder/CEO & Pitch Pro, Bryce North. We chat:

🎯 Receiving a ‘bait & switch’ offer on Dragons' Den
🎯 How Don’t Be A Little Pitch is disrupting the PR landscape
🎯 Why Nike Co-Founder Phil Knight is an inspiration
🎯 Growing up in Winnipeg
🎯 The glory (and accountability) that comes with being a hockey goalie
🎯 How location impacts a founder’s ability to raise capital
🎯 Bryce’s numerous entrepreneurial ventures

The full episode is available here.

HUMOUR

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