Election Day is November 3, and early voting is already underway in Texas. For the next two weeks, election coverage will fill every newscast, every feed and every podcast.Newsrooms aren't only booking political pundits. They need experts who can explain how voting works and what the numbers mean for your wallet, without picking a side.In this episode of Think Like a Producer, I break down how producers book election coverage, and how three kinds of experts can join the conversation:- Election and employment attorneys: can your boss stop you from voting? On Instagram- Economists and financial planners: 3.7% inflation vs. a 3.6% Social Security raise, on LinkedIn- Educators and civics experts: how to research every line on your ballot, on XPlus: why public radio stations write stories about a nonpartisan voter guide, and how to build your content the same way.📰 SOURCES IN THIS EPISODETexas Secretary of State - Important election dates: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/important-election-dates.shtmlSeptember inflation breakdown: https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/us-cpi-sept-2026-inflation-hits-3-7-as-gas-prices-surge/100073364/Social Security 3.6% increase for 2027: https://www.ssa.gov/news/en/press/releases/2026-10-14.htmlTexas Election Code Section 276.004: https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._election_code_section_276.004VOTE411 nonpartisan voter guide - WUSF: https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2026-07-20/vote411-the-league-of-women-voters-2026-online-nonpartisan-voter-guide-is-activated🎙️ Listen on podcast platforms🎓 The Visibility Program: https://oncamready.com/podcast-offer then https://substack.com/@oncamready🌐 Work with me: https://oncamready.comPitch: hello@oncamready.comRiverside (Affiliate):Record your content with Riverside: https://riverside.sjv.io/09VWrEDiscount Code: OCR15VidIQ (Affiliate): https://vidiq.com/oncamreadyThink Like a Producer, an ON CAM Ready presentation. Monday through Thursday, I break down one news headline so experts can find their angle and produce their own authority.Subscribe for new episodes Monday through Thursday.#ThinkLikeAProducer #Midterms2026 #EarlyVoting #ThoughtLeadership #PersonalBrand

At her very first briefing, the new White House press secretary was asked a simple question: where did you pass the bar exam? Days later, she acknowledged she never passed the bar and never got a U.S. law license. Five days after that first briefing, she was out of the job.

This episode isn't about politics. It's about something that happens to every guest in every newsroom: before they book you, they check you.

In this episode of Think Like a Producer, I walk you through how producers vet a guest, and how three kinds of experts can use this story:

- Attorneys and licensed professionals: why a law degree and a law license are not the same thing, on LinkedIn

- HR leaders and recruiters: a live LinkedIn audit, on Instagram

- PR and crisis communication pros: how to answer a credentials question, on X

Plus: how one follow-up question traveled from the White House briefing room to Hong Kong.

📰 SOURCES IN THIS EPISODE

NPR - Press secretary faces questions about credentials: https://www.kpbs.org/news/politics/2026/10/12/new-white-house-press-secretary-faces-questions-about-credentials-after-first-briefing

The Daily Beast - Bar membership records: https://www.thedailybeast.com/katie-zacharia-cornered-on-strange-legal-resume-claims

CBS News - Zacharia out as press secretary: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-katie-zacharia-white-house-press-secretary/

Fox News - Zacharia dropped after one week: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-casts-doubt-new-press-secretarys-future-after-rocky-white-house-debut

MS NOW - Opinion on the lawyer controversy: https://www.ms.now/opinion/katie-zacharia-lawyer-controversy-social-media-posts

South China Morning Post: https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3370787/trumps-new-press-secretary-faces-questions-over-over-claim-she-passed-bar-exam-china

State Bar of California attorney search: https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/LicenseeSearch/QuickSearch

🎙️ Listen on podcast platforms

🎓 The Visibility Program: https://oncamready.com/podcast-offer then https://substack.com/@oncamready

🌐 Work with me: https://oncamready.com

Pitch: hello@oncamready.com

Riverside (Affiliate):
Record your content with Riverside: https://riverside.sjv.io/09VWrE

Discount Code: OCR15

VidIQ (Affiliate): https://vidiq.com/oncamready

Think Like a Producer, an ON CAM Ready presentation. Monday through Thursday, I break down one news headline so experts can find their angle and produce their own authority.

Subscribe for new episodes Monday through Thursday.

#ThinkLikeAProducer #MediaTraining #PersonalBrand #ThoughtLeadership #Credibility

Hurricane Isaias left more than 900,000 homes and businesses without power across Florida, Alabama and Georgia. Now the aftermath begins, and so do the contractor scams.In this episode of Think Like a Producer, I break down Alabama's warning about storm-repair fraud and show three kinds of experts how to use this story to help people and build authority:🔨 Contractors and builders: what to show homeowners on Instagram📋 Insurance agents and adjusters: the first-week checklist for LinkedIn⚖️ Attorneys: the felony law most people don't know about, explained on XPlus: why one state licensing board's press release ran on TV stations from Atlanta to Hawaii, and how to build your content the same way.📰 SOURCES IN THIS EPISODEAlabama warns of contractor scams (WBRC): https://www.wbrc.com/2026/10/09/alabama-warns-contractor-scams-hurricane-isaias-approaches/Gov. Ivey's emergency proclamation (WBRC): https://www.wbrc.com/2026/10/07/state-emergency-declared-40-alabama-counties-ahead-isaias/Isaias landfall and outages (AP via Atlanta News First): https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2026/10/10/hundreds-thousands-without-power-after-isaias-slams-florida-panhandle-alabama/Metro Atlanta outages (WABE): https://www.wabe.org/?p=992343Same story on Hawaii News Now: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/10/09/state-warns-contractor-scams-hurricane-isaias-approaches/Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board: https://www.hblb.alabama.gov/Alabama Attorney General consumer complaints: https://www.alabamaag.gov/🎙️ Listen on podcast platforms 🎓 The Visibility Program: https://oncamready.com/podcast-offer THEN https://substack.com/@oncamready🌐 Work with me: https://oncamready.comPitch: hello@oncamready.comRiverside (Affiliate):Record your content with Riverside: https://riverside.sjv.io/09VWrEDiscount Code: OCR15VidIQ (Affiliate): https://vidiq.com/oncamreadyThink Like a Producer, an ON CAM Ready presentation. Monday through Thursday, I break down one news headline so experts can find their angle and produce their own authority.Subscribe for new episodes Monday through Thursday.#ThinkLikeAProducer #HurricaneIsaias #ThoughtLeadership #PersonalBrand #MediaTraining