Connections! in SW Florida - Featuring Frank Cipolla with Contacts Media

Good morning, Southwest Florida, and those near and far joining us on Connections in Southwest Florida. My name is Renee Hahn, and if you've seen these connections before, you know that this is all about connecting local people with local businesses, and I am honored and privileged to have with me today Frank, and Frank is also in Southwest Florida but has a much bigger story he's going to tell us about. So we're really privileged, Frank, to have you here to talk about Kontakts Media. But before we—

Renee, it's a pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me.

Absolutely. And before we hit the business, Frank, I want people to, to get to know you a little bit better for those watching live or on replay. So, Frank, tell the audience a little bit about yourself because you have such an impressive story and backdrop.

Thank you, Renee. I actually spent 38 years as a television reporter and anchor in New York City. I worked first in radio and did news at a few stations outside of New York City before I went to WNBC Radio and did news on the I Miss Show and the Soupy Sales radio show, and I worked with Howard Stern and so on. And then in the early '90s went into television where I hosted a lot of local shows before being the co-host on News 12 New Jersey for 5 years, and that was when they launched it in 1996. From there, I went to Channel 9 in New York City, the Fox affiliate. I spent 5 years there as well as a reporter and anchor. The Wall Street Journal Radio Network. Along the way, I worked at WCBS Radio, WNBC, and so on and so forth. And, you know, I just had a great, wonderful time. About 10 years ago, Renee, I started a company called Kontakts Media, Kontakts with an S, And what we generally do are 3 things, which I'm sure you'll ask about, but that's where we are right now. We have an office on Collier Boulevard in Naples. We've been here about 3 years or so. We also have an office in the New York City area.

Fantastic. And Frank, I already know you're the kind of person that anybody would have the honor of having a glass of wine and you would have some great stories from your professional career. I am certain not only the knowledge and expertise you bring, but I'm sure some humor and fun as well.

Well, it's funny you should mention that. I've been telling stories about, you know, what I saw along the way for 30 years or so. And several years ago, I actually wrote a book called It Shocked Even Us. It's not deep, it's just all the funny stories and happenings, what goes on behind the scenes before you see your local news reporter on TV. It's been out for several years now. It's called It Shocked Even Us. I actually have— here you go, here's a copy right there, which I always keep on my desk. But it's all the funny stories of what happens behind the scenes in radio and television. It's very enjoyable with a lot of people you probably know or have heard.

Oh, I love it. Well, Frank, with Kontext Media, you've obviously had a great, robust career before arriving in Naples. Tell us a little bit about the vision for starting Kontext Media, and, and then we'll dive into the services that you provide.

Well, you know, I, I started the business in 2009, Renee, and I started the business because We had another business and we were handling a lot of professionals and executives, and I saw from working with them that they were great at what they did. They were a real great realtor, a real great doctor, a real great lawyer, and so on and so forth, but they did not have the ability to convey that message on camera or on the radio. They were very good at what they did in their specific area of expertise, but when it came to conveying that on camera, they, they dressed improperly, they fidgeted on camera, they didn't wear the right colors, they didn't know how to stand, and so on and so forth. What I wanted to do, and what we did, and we'll talk about in just a bit, is I took some of these clients, these executives, and we media coached them. We started booking them using my contacts from all my years in radio and television to book them on stations in major markets around the country and on the networks. And that sort of grew from there.

Well, and we'll talk a little bit more about that. And I'm probably, by the way, Frank, because I know enough, I'm not a good poster child for TV. I've often been told that my lily prints are not a good option for TV. So this is what not to do. But you have to love me the way I am, right?

Listen, we've known each other, what, maybe 5 or 6 minutes, and I love you already. You know, you're absolutely right. There are some rules of radio and television and solids are always better because they never go out of style. And if you can believe it, Renee, when I do my media coaching sessions, we also talk about what colors convey. Some colors convey creativity, some colors create trust, some colors convey power and so on and so forth.

Well, and who would have known that there's truly a science behind all of this? Oh, come on. So Frank, what I'd love to do is share a little bit because sometimes people will hear about services, but they may not necessarily say, okay, but how could I leverage that? Would you mind sharing a little bit about the type of clientele you work with that this might benefit?

Well, in the Naples area, my clientele is as follows. These are people who are very much involved in the industries or businesses that they love, and they want to A, push themselves out farther, raise their visibility, and B, often add to the, the national conversation. Let me explain. I have a client currently who is the owner of a home watch company, which doesn't sound very sexy, but it certainly is, and it's fascinating. And she needs to convey to her potential home watch customers why it's so important to have a home watch person in your home as opposed to a neighbor doing a favor, or what she calls a hobby home watcher. And, and we not only get that out, but We also convey to my client that yes, everybody can advertise in the newspaper, everyone can advertise online, but having been in the business many years, Renee, I will tell you this. Once somebody sees you on TV, it not only raises your visibility, but it validates you in the eyes of your potential customers, patients, or clients. Because why in the world would Wolf Blitzer or somebody on Fox or CNN or CNBC or MSNBC, want your opinion unless you weren't quote unquote, the expert. So once we get bookings like that, either locally or nationally, people use, clients use those bookings to place them on their websites and brand themselves the expert in that particular field. And again, everybody can advertise, everybody does, but when you're on television, you are branded as quote unquote, the expert.

Well, and we all know the power of video and particularly live video. So you're right. Print is still very much alive as a means for branding yourself, but there's nothing that can more strongly convey and create a connection with an audience than video. And that's where you play a vital role in that.

Well, you know, I will take that one step further, Renee. You know, being on camera could raise your visibility and brand you the expert. It could also sink your business because you might be very good at cosmetic surgery, But you appear on camera when you're not media coached, and that's something we'll talk about later on, which is what I do as part of my business. And, you know, the collar's too tight, the colors are crazy, you look nervous, you don't have makeup on, your hair is messed up, and all of that expertise that you have is lost because people, they're not listening to what you're saying. They're looking at you and saying, look at this schlumpf. Can I trust this person to, you know, rearrange my nose or do my eyebrows or whatever the case may be? A quick story. I had somebody on years ago and, you know, he said, take a look at what I've done so far. And all I could see was something as simple as what was behind him. He was doing an interview via Skype or Zoom. I forget which. And behind them on the mantle were actually kids' toys. It was like SpongeBob and figurines of Star Wars and so on and so forth. And I just could not listen to what he was saying. And it was a very important topic without looking at that mantle in the back and saying, didn't he look behind him. As you can see, this is the proper setting. My logo is here, my book is right next to it, below it, it's lit properly. There's nothing distracting. And that's something we teach as well. The background is so very important, the lighting is important, the audio and so on and so forth. And we're doing more and more Skype training sessions, how to do the proper Skype interview.

Now that's true, you're right. It's things we take for granted and you're right, it can have credit in the bank or it can create a debit depending on how things are going. So Frank, tell us a little bit, if somebody was interested in Contact Media, do you have different— is it a case-by-case in terms of how you arrange the engagement and the guidance and, and teachings that you would do? Or is it more of an off-the-shelf approach that you say, hey, everybody gets 6 sessions? Tell us a little bit about what, if they were to engage the services, what would that look like for them?

Well, if someone contacts us, and I will hasten to add, Renee, to say that 99% of my clients come from referrals. If there's a negligent attorney on television and his immigration attorney friend sees him and says, "Hey, Bob, how did you get on television?" That's what happens. They refer them to me. I like categories. Right now, hot categories are counterterrorism, intelligence, politics, You know, immigration is a big topic now, so is tech and so on and so forth. But to answer your question, I handle each one on a case-by-case basis. And unlike other major agencies, I don't have 5 tech guys, I don't have 5 cosmetic surgeons, I don't have 5 lawyers. Each one has a specialty and each one is one. So when I'm pitching you, I'm pitching you with 100%. And it's my knowledge of what happens in those editorial meetings that makes it happen. I know what they're looking for the day after Memorial Day. I know what they're looking for when a story breaks or a tweet happens, and I'm there to present my client, my well media coach client, as an opportunity for a station to interview and get some good sound bites. And reporters, and I talk about this in my presentation, are so overwhelmed right now. They are happy when I call an old friend in the newsroom at CNN or an old friend at at Fox 4 where I worked briefly here in Fort Myers, or an old friend that I worked for at WCBS-TV in New York and say, look, before you start looking, I have somebody, he's an expert in tech. He can talk all about whatever the case may be, the, the story. And they're happy about that because they're so overwhelmed that I'm providing them the interview that they so desperately need.

Well, and the beauty, Frank, is it sounds like what people that get to work with you through Contacts Media, they're not just getting the behind-the-scenes coaching. You take that one step further and help them get started on those important connections, because they could be coached beautifully and do wonderful, but without a forum to share that, it'll stop there. So I think that's a fantastic adder and benefit to, to those that have the opportunity to work with you.

Well, it's funny you should bring that up. Contacts Media, Renee, does 3 things. Number 1, I have clients and I use all my contacts from 38 years in radio and television in every major market in the country and on the networks. To get them booked on shows, whatever those shows are. I'm the facilitator. I like to say I'm a former congressman and now I'm the lobbyist and you need the bill passed. I make the connection. The reason why they're talking to somebody about a particular cosmetic surgery issue is because I've told them that this is the expert. I know these people. I've been to their weddings. I know their kids. And when I call the newsroom and they know it's me, they pick up the phone. It's not some random PR person. Number 2, which might be of interest to some of the people watching, I also do seminars for small businesses on how to engage the local media minus me. How to write a press release, how to make sure there's care and feeding of the reporter when that reporter comes down or requests a Skype or Zoom interview. What is like in that newsroom and editorial meeting and how you can make it much easier for the reporter to get the story. They remember you when it pops up again, your topic, they know where to call you. And finally, and which is a big part of my business now, we media coach executives and others in all industries on the performance of being on camera. And it is a performance. You just can't decide that morning that, I don't know, what am I going to wear? Is this a good shot? It has to be set up. It is a performance. And we know in this day and age, once it goes online, Renee, it is there forever and it can wreck your business if you didn't do it properly. You can end up on Jimmy Kimmel, you can end up on on The Late Show, you can end up anywhere and people will be laughing at you and your business because you did not do it correctly. It's certainly worth an hour or two. And I do one-on-one sessions, one, two, and three hour one-on-one sessions or in groups on how to present yourself on camera. So very important.

Well, and great point. Let me ask this, Frank, I'm gonna deviate for a second, but very, very much related. In my industry, just as an example, there's always this fine line between authenticity and practice, right? And how to make sure that you're practiced enough to be, you know, knowledgeable and to be able to buy credit from people in terms of them trusting in what you have to say as an expert while still maintaining authenticity. Frank, I'd love for you to talk about how do you strike that balance with those that you are coaching as they get better through this process?

Well, the answer to that, Renee, is I'm blunt. I mean, I just recently had a client who had a specific tic when he did an interview. He cleared his throat often, and I think I was the first person to tell him, and I said, "John, you know that you're clearing your throat almost every other sentence, and it's the only thing I'm listening to, and it's annoying." And he cleaned that up, and he was so much better at what he did. So to answer your question, you can be authentic. It starts with where you are, how you dress, what colors you wear, and then we begin to work. We drill down deeper. What is it about you that seems a little sleazy? And I'm just making this up as an example. How do we soften you up a bit? Maybe it's the way you're presenting it. Maybe it's the way you're saying it. But when we do these media coaching sessions, Renee, we really drill down deep and we get you better on camera. I, I think, I think it was, um, Jack Benny who once said, being in television and entertainment is all about sincerity, and once you're able to fake that, you got it made. I might have lost you. Are you still there, Renee? Well, this is an example of being uncomfortable on camera right now. I don't know if you're still with us, folks. Are you still watching? I think it's 9:20. Are you there? Did we lose you?

Are you there?

I am here.

I, I could hear you and see you the whole time. That was so strange. You can hear me now though, correct?

I can hear and see you. Yes. I thought you were testing me there for a second, Renee.

No, but that was good. And Frank, I'll tell you, you handled it beautifully. Technology is one of those things that it's wonderful when it works well, and then there's glitches. What I was saying, Frank, is one of the things that, you know, and far be it, I am as novice as any, but you said something that resonated with me when you were talking about the clearing your throat. And a lot of times people don't realize that there's certain repetitions that once you pick up on it, that's all you hear anymore. So great. Great bit of advice. And by the way, I want to mention, you must know a Carl Gibbons because he just commented and said you are the go-to expert.

I am a tremendous fan of Carl Gibbons. He is a client of mine. We've worked together and he's helped me tremendously with my business. I am as well a very big fan of Carl Gibbons.

Well, very good. Carl, thank you for tuning in with us here. Frank, what I'd like to do, I know you talked about that every client engagement is different, but on average, do you see these— are these year-long engagements? Are they month-long engagements, week-long engagements? How, how does that usually play out for an average person?

That is a very good question, Renee, and the answer to that is usually the initial contract is 6 months long. And why do you ask 6 months? Because I will know at the end of 6 months, A, if we are getting traction at the stations, radio and television, print and online, and so on and so forth. And I will know from the producer friends of mine who will call me if they like you or don't like you. And it usually takes about 6 months. I compare it to a lawsuit. I have to first file the briefs. I have to let everybody know that you're with me. And then we have to begin the presentation of doing, you know, getting you out there, the phone calls, the schmoozing, and so on and so forth. And it probably takes about 6 weeks to really start getting some traction. And then we start the booking. Sometimes they happen right away. Sometimes the person is just so darn good that they're on right away. But the initial contract is generally 6 months. It is renewed on a 6-month basis beyond that. Just like my friend Carl Gibbons, and I should mention that he's the CEO of Third Eye Management, which is based in Naples. It's a business management firm. And again, I'm a big fan. But generally it's a 6-month contract and it goes from there. You need 6 months because the host is always going to say, Renee, hey, I loved having you on, John Smith, "John Smith, you're terrific. Would you come back again?" And of course, John Smith, my client, will say, "Certainly, I'll be back." And then the producer will call me and say, "He was lousy. He was terrible. What's wrong with him?" You know? So forget what the host says. I hear it from the guys on the inside, the men and women on the inside who tell me exactly what it is they think. We adjust and so on and so forth. So to answer your question, it starts off with a 6-month contract.

Great. And in that 6 months, Frank, are you usually getting together once a week, every other week, once a month? What's the variation there? Trying to get a sense of time commitment. Obviously very worth the investment, but as people are watching and trying to weigh out if this is something that might be a great solution for them, I want them to have some sense of how it works.

Well, there's actually two ways we do this. You know, news is a funny animal, and it's not an exact science. The President could tweet something tomorrow. God forbid there could be some sort of terrorist attack. The coronavirus, suddenly appeared and it sucked all the air out of the room. So it depends on the news. That's why I said at the very beginning of this interview, Renee, it's all about the category. What are the big categories right now? To use Carl Gibbons as an example, he's a business management expert. There's a lot of conflict now between customer and guest in the store about wearing a mask and so on. There's a lot of issues about retail. Can it come back and so on and so forth? The two ways I set it up is, You either pay one fee on a monthly basis so you can manage your marketing budget, and whether you're on 2 times or 22 times, it doesn't matter. Or you pay a nominal fee which covers our outreach, our press releases, and so on, and you pay when you're booked based on the market size. If you're on the network, it's X amount of dollars. If you're on the local station, Fox 4 or WINK or NBC2, it's Y amount of dollars. If you're on a radio interview, which is syndicated, it's Z and so on and so forth. So there are two ways to do it. There's a set monthly fee, so you know what you're paying. And then there's one where you pay a nominal fee and we go from there based on the bookings.

Great. And Frank, do you ever— one thing you said to me made me think of this question. You talked about not only that your services are available on an individual basis, but you've engaged with at a company level before. Do you ever do any independent courses that people could sign up with or sessions as a group, or is it usually just an engagement at an individual or company level? I didn't know if you ever did trainings on a group level.

Oh yes, yes. I do group training sessions all the time. And what'll happen is, and I just did one at one of the nursing facilities here, I believe it was in Bonita Springs, where they got all the PR people from their nursing facilities around the country in one room. And I did an hour and a half presentation on how to engage engage the local media in that, in that category. So to answer your question, yes, we will represent people, specific people. We will represent companies if need be. We will represent large companies. We certainly will do one-on-one media coaching sessions and certainly do group media coaching sessions. And that's pretty good sometimes as well because it defrays the cost of what it, what it is if you did it one-on-one. I've done many of those in, in Southwest Florida and Florida in general and many in New York City as well. So to answer your question, yes, we do them in all different shapes and sizes.

Perfect. And one of the things I loved, the example you used with the home watch person, because there are probably professions that people say, how in the world would I benefit from Frank's expertise? And I think that was a perfect example because it's not something I would have naturally thought to, to do if I was a home watch person. But you're right, you help somebody. It's all about branding. And that's a pillar piece of it. So what other— please go ahead.

It's about education as well. And to use that home watch example real quick, not too many people know that if you do not have a professional home watch person watching your home and there's a problem, a leak or mold and so on, that the insurance company will likely not pay the claim because they need a record of a professional home watch person going in there and then this thing happening suddenly. If it's just your neighbor, you're out of luck and you're spending tens of thousands of dollars to fix whatever happened in your home.

So true, so true. Well, Frank, let me ask this. With so many businesses being affected by the COVID situation that's hit our nation and hit our, our world, in what ways has that affected you? My, my— and the reason I ask very quickly is obviously we started these sessions out of a way to continue to keep businesses, local businesses visible during a time when we weren't necessarily physically engaging. So COVID was sort of the premise for starting this. In your business, has it been affected by COVID? Are you still able to offer all the services you do? How has that changed your business?

Well, it's been affected and it's been affected, Renee, in a positive way. And I'll tell you why real quick. Up until COVID-19, if they— a client needed to do an interview, my client, they had to be in studio generally, or they had to leave their place of business and meet the reporter, or the reporter had to come down and interrupt their day, whatever the case may be. Nowadays we are seeing 99% of the interviews are done via Skype and Zoom. That means every single client of mine in every single state in the country has the opportunity to be on CNN because It is acceptable now to do a Skype or Zoom interview, and this is the future. You know, my clients in the New York metropolitan area, when they were on Fox or MSNBC or CNN or CNBC, they would say, okay, we're sending the car at 4:30. The car will drive the client into Manhattan. There's always traffic. You know, the client was running around and so on. Now the client generally, and we're doing this a lot more, has a studio at his or her office where when they're ready to do an interview on CNN, They simply walk into their office, which is lit properly and so on and so forth, and they do the interview. And it's been— to answer your question, and so far so good— it's been busier than it ever has been because every single one of my clients now has the opportunity to be anywhere at any time because Skype and Zoom interviews are much more acceptable. And again, I think this is the future. One of the things I do in my media coaching It's a whole section is how to do a proper Skype interview because this is exactly where we're going.

Well, and I can think of other ways that that would help. I think about some of the things that you impart with your clients. I came out of the corporate world where one of my responsibilities was running the human resource function, and we, we would hold interviews over Skype. And I've got to tell you, the things that you're talking about definitely affect the impression somebody gets. And that's an example on a one-on-one situation. So I could see very, very applicable in a broad sense. Frank, what I'd like to do— oh, please go ahead.

You know, I just noticed that you see my door to my closet is open, and this is driving me nuts right there. You see, this is one of the— I cannot watch TV with my lovely bride of 25 years without driving her nuts. I'm like, why is that person wearing that tie? What's going on behind that person? Look at that makeup, how bad it is. It drives me nuts. Now see that? That's something I missed, and that's an example of make sure everything behind you looks good before you go on camera.

Well, the beauty is, Frank, if you sit just right—

yes, we don't— that's what I'm doing.

But it's for us in my world, in real estate, it's the pictures I see with the toilet seat up. Very, very similar.

I get it.

And we're supposed to be focused on that. Frank, what I'd like to do is— oh, I'm going to pause for just a moment, Frank. I wanted to take a moment before we wrap up and just share some of the businesses that will be coming up in the future days with us. We've got tomorrow to round out the week, I've got Pawdi Express, and that's not potty as in the bathroom, but pawdi as in the animal paw. I've got the Smoke Detector Medics, and that's a great story because it's a couple of firemen that have come together and put this business together. We've got Seniors First Home Care and Gulf Shore Chiropractic. So those are just a few of the businesses that I'll have the opportunity to spy, um, as part of this Connections in Southwest Florida. And if you are an entrepreneur or you know someone who would benefit from a complimentary 30-minute showcase, please don't hesitate to have them reach out to me, Renee, at yournaplesexpert.com. All of these have come about through introductions. Frank and I got to meet from someone else who had had a spotlight themselves. And I consider it an honor, Frank, because the knowledge that you've been able to impart— and there is no question that your experience has prepared you so well for what you're offering today. And in a small town like Naples, we're incredibly fortunate to have entrepreneurs like yourself to be able to help our local leaders and, and broader than just our area.

And thank you.

Turn it over to you, Frank, for some closing comments, please.

Well, if I can piggyback on what you said just a moment ago, there is tremendous opportunity here in Southwest Florida because there are a lot of people who spent many years in the pharmaceutical industry or spent many years in the legal industry or were former politicians in the Midwest who could add their voice to the national conversation. We are in the process right now of soliciting microbiologists to discuss the COVID-19 outbreak and where do we go from here? So there are so many affluent and educated people and very aggressive business people who can benefit from just taking an hour with me media coaching them or allowing me to be the facilitator between them and any number of stations around the country. And I would say that, you know, all you need to do is contact me. It's contactsmedia.com, contacts like contact lenses. Or just call me at 908-670-9500. I know it's a half-hour show. I don't wanna use all your time here, Renee, but I do wanna thank you very much for having me on.

Well, it's sincerely been a pleasure, Frank. One of the things I love about Naples is what a talent pool we have here because it is a place where people come from all over with great impressive backgrounds like yourself. And then we as a community benefit from having those services right out of our back door. So Frank, thank you. I know you're an incredibly busy man. I appreciate that you've carved out 30 minutes of your day to spend with us. And I hope and encourage those that are in an entrepreneurial setting, running a business, or maybe you work for a business, but you're in a role that has visibility. I think the benefit that Frank brings, again, whether your, your goal is to be across the TV screen or just to improve your your presence so that you can be a more effective business leader, I think would be priceless. So please don't hesitate to reach out to Frank. And I appreciate you joining us today, whether you're on live or in playback. So Frank, I hope you have a great day, and I hope our audience enjoys the rest of their week. Hold tight, and I'll be right back.

Thank you.

Thank you.