In this episode of KNOWN, co-hosts Stella Friaisse and Anastasiia Kulibaba sit down with Christine Lee, one of the most recognized voices in crypto journalism. With 5 years at CoinDesk and prior experience at Bloomberg and Reuters, Christine has interviewed some of the biggest names in digital assets, including Sam Bankman-Fried and Michael Saylor, and contributed to a Pulitzer Prize winning investigation into NYPD nuisance abatement laws.

Christine breaks down what actually makes a story newsworthy, why authenticity beats polish on camera, and how founders can get journalists to pay attention to their products. She also gives her honest, unfiltered take on AI in media, including a pointed response to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's prediction that AI will eliminate 50% of white collar entry level jobs within 5 years.

Chapters:

00:59 The grandmother test: how to explain anything simply

03:23 Daily content vs. deep content, which wins?

05:28 Why some stories go viral and others just don't

05:55 The Trump-China tariff lesson: newsjacking done right

07:38 Is AI coming for journalism? Christine's honest take on Anthropic's doomsday talk

09:51 AI newsrooms are full of hallucinations, here's why humans still win

10:32 Why AI anchors will never replace real ones

11:53 The one job that's AI-proof

12:43 The ad that got Christine (and what it teaches founders about storytelling)

14:32 How unknown founders get journalists to notice them

17:28 Founders vs. journalists: you're not telling the same story

18:03 Breaking news, public service, and the politics of the statehouse

20:03 Inside the Pulitzer-winning NYPD investigation

23:08 How one follow-up question uncovered thousands of wrongful evictions

24:41 Curiosity is the secret to staying sharp (and young)

25:46 3 rules for becoming a better communicator

26:31 Rapid fire: credibility, trust, and human vs. AI anchors

Follow KNOWN podcast for more conversations with entrepreneurs and marketers on brand building and growth.

Find us:

KNOWN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/known__podcast/ 

INPUT Global on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/input.global/ 

Christine Lee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-lee-news/ 

Anastasiia Kulibaba on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasiia-kulibaba-aa2b91184/  

Stella Friaisse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-friaisse/ 

In the new episode of KNOWN, we sit down with INPUT Global's Chief of Communications Anastasiia Kulibaba to answer the biggest questions founders, marketers, and startup teams have about public relations.

We cover the difference between earned media and paid media, why PR is about building reputation instead of buying articles, how to measure PR success, what separates effective communications from empty visibility, and how AI is changing the future of PR.

Chapters:

01:15 Earned media vs. paid PR (The difference everyone gets wrong)

03:35 Should you care if coverage is paid?

05:55 What you're really buying when you invest in PR

08:08 Can you actually measure PR ROI?

12:57 The PR campaign that generated 5 partnership requests

16:15 PR that creates noise vs. PR that builds credibility

20:38 The biggest PR mistakes companies keep making

24:37 Will AI replace PR?

29:13 How founders can build a personal brand that lasts

34:03 Practical ways to use AI in PR

37:48 Quickfire: Reputation or reach? Agency or in-house?

Follow KNOWN podcast for more conversations with entrepreneurs and marketers on brand building and growth.

Find us:

KNOWN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/known__podcast/

INPUT Global on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/input.global/

Anastasiia Kulibaba on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasiia-kulibaba-aa2b91184/

Stella Friaisse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-friaisse/

What does it really take to become one of the most recognizable founders in crypto? In this episode of KNOWN, co-hosts Stella Friaisse and Anastasiia Kulibaba sit down with Azeem Khan, Co-founder of Miden, to unpack personal branding, founder visibility, fundraising, and the strategies that helped him stand out in one of the world's most competitive industries.

Azeem shares why most founders pitch VCs the wrong way, why he refuses to pay for PR, how he approaches LinkedIn and X, and the story behind having his content reposted by a16z. He also explains how consistency, storytelling, and intentional positioning create long-term trust and opportunities.

Chapters: 

1:37 How do you become the founder everyone knows? 

3:30 Can you create a public persona without pretending to be someone else?

8:01 Why standing out has nothing to do with wearing a suit.

12:34 The mistake almost every founder makes when pitching investors.

16:29 Why Azeem refuses to pay for PR, even after raising millions.

20:58 The habits that make consistency look effortless.

22:35 The fastest way to make people stop listening to you.

25:03 The truth about becoming an "overnight success."

26:34 What led to an a16z repost.

29:46 How Azeem spent years posting on LinkedIn before it paid off.

31:32 Does every successful startup need a public founder?

32:32 Rapid Fire round

Follow KNOWN podcast for more conversations with entrepreneurs and marketers on brand building and growth.

Find us:

KNOWN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/known__podcast/ 

INPUT Global on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/input.global/ 

Azeem Khan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theazeemkhan/

Anastasiia Kulibaba on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasiia-kulibaba-aa2b91184/ 

Stella Friaisse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-friaisse/

In episode 9 of KNOWN we are joined by Mo Salha, VP of Business Development at theMiracle.

We explore his journey from Mercedes and Vodafone to Web3 infrastructure, and how traditional marketing thinking translates into crypto-native environments. Mo breaks down the biggest gap in Web3 marketing today: broadcasting instead of understanding user behavior, despite having access to transparent on-chain data.

We also discuss why wallet-based activation is becoming a powerful alternative to social media ads, how brands can approach crypto users without losing trust, and why data quality matters more than data volume. Mo shares real campaign results, including significantly higher click-through and conversion rates compared to traditional Web3 marketing benchmarks.

Chapters:

0:50 The end of old marketing

5:08 The wallet is the new marketing warzone

7:30 How to win Web2 brands without saying “crypto”

8:50 Onchain data is underrated

11:22 Why most data strategies are wrong

13:12 The 50,000 download wallet activation campaign

14:45 The shocking conversion numbers

16:09 Mo's biggest career lesson

17:22 What makes a great BD in Web3

19:58 How deals are really won

22:00 Use details to your advantage

24:39 Rapid fire round

Follow KNOWN podcast for more conversations with entrepreneurs and marketers on brand building and growth.

Find us:

KNOWN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/known__podcast/

INPUT Global on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/input.global/

Mo Salha on LinkedIn: https://https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammed-salha/

Anastasiia Kulibaba on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasiia-kulibaba-aa2b91184/

Stella Friaisse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-friaisse/

KNOWN Episode 8 features Paul Afshar. Paul is a growth-focused fintech and crypto CMO who combines operator depth, sharp storytelling, and commercial thinking to turn technical narratives into trust and traction.

After years spent building brands in some of the world’s most competitive and low-trust industries, Paul developed a sharp perspective on what actually makes people pay attention and believe in a company.

In this conversation, we unpack why great products still get ignored, how trust is built in fintech and crypto, why most companies fail at authentic marketing, and what AI is really changing for marketers today.

We also discuss the future role of the CMO, human psychology in branding, performance vs brand marketing, and why creativity, judgment, and taste will matter more than ever in the AI era.

Chapters:

00:53 The secret to marketing “boring” products

01:35 ICPs are blocking your marketing

03:33 Understanding how to build trust

06:58 How trust fails with the wrong strategy

09:42 Metrics CEOs care about

11:27 Brand vs performance marketing: what really wins?

13:35 Optimizing for LinkedIn: algorithms or people?

14:44 Has AI made marketing worse?

16:33 Where’s the AI revolution we were promised?

19:53 A problem AI still can’t solve

20:47 What the CMO of the future will do

22:42 Human relationships still win

23:31 People are craving offline experiences again

25:15 Brand or growth? Trust or attention? Rapid fire questions

Follow KNOWN podcast for more conversations with entrepreneurs and marketers on brand building and growth. 

Find us:

KNOWN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/known__podcast/ 

INPUT Global on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/input.global/ 

Paul Afshar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-reza-afshar/ 

Anastasiia Kulibaba on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasiia-kulibaba-aa2b91184/ 

Stella Friaisse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-friaisse/ 

In this episode of KNOWN by INPUT Global, we sit down with our co-founders Mary Pedler and Oleg Bevz to unpack what it takes to build, scale, and stay relevant as a broader communications agency.

In this conversation, Host Stella Friaisse digs into the real decisions behind growth: from starting out as a small PR agency to evolving into a global communications partner working across markets and industries.

Chapters:

00:52 — Introduction: what being KNOWN actually means

2:12 — The origin story of INPUT Global

6:35 — Scaling a global communications team while staying fully remote

9:45 — Are some companies simply impossible to market?

13:28 — Building through uncertainty and surviving a bear market

14:50 — What separates agencies that last from agencies that disappear

16:27 — PR without numbers: strategy or amateurism?

18:30 — The green and red flags when choosing a communications partner

20:45 — When should companies start taking communications seriously?

22:00 — KOLs in 2026: why you should stop treating them like KOLs

28:00 — Why talented founders stay invisible

32:15 — Fame vs infamy: being known for the right things

33:35 — Mary and Oleg define what it means to be KNOWN

34:40 — Rapid fire: how aligned are the INPUT Global co-founders?

KNOWN brings together founders, marketers, and communication strategists to uncover how the strongest tech brands build narratives that shape their markets. 

Find us:

KNOWN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/known__podcast/ 

INPUT Global on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/input.global/ 

Mary Pedler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marypedler/ 

Mary is the Founder of INPUT Global, a communications leader and entrepreneur with 10+ years of experience in emerging tech, known for building global narratives, advising Web3 and fintech teams, and shaping industry conversations through media, events, and thought leadership.

Oleg Bevz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oleg-bevz/ 

Oleg is the Co-Founder of INPUT Global, is a lifelong B2B marketing communications specialist with 11+ years of experience across tech, fintech, Web3, and iGaming. He is a seasoned CMO that built dozens of brands: from banks and exchanges to furniture and coffee.

Stella Friaisse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-friaisse/ 

KNOWN Episode 6 with Giovanni Everduin, Co-Founder of CBIx and HBS alum with 20+ years across finance, fintech, and Web3.

Growing up across cultures and operating between TradFi and DeFi, Giovanni learned to move between worlds without losing his sense of self. This context shaped how he thinks about visibility, credibility, and voice.

In this conversation, we unpack what authenticity looks like in practice, why relatability is often misunderstood, and how to identify the perspectives only you can bring, alongside the difference between shaping a narrative and forcing one.

Chapters:

00:00 Highlights

00:23 Introduction

00:44 Who Is Giovanni? Authenticity, Contrarian Thinking, and Becoming Yourself

07:12 Everyone Talks About Authenticity, But How Do You Actually Get There?

10:15 From HR to Finance: Career Story, Intuition, and the Harvard Case Study

17:02 Building “Gio the Brand”: Personal Brand Framework

19:45 Uncomfortable Truths About Burnout

23:48 Top Creator in Fintech and Crypto: Influence, Inspiration, and Visibility

28:32 The Art of Storytelling: How to Build a Brand That Resonates

34:00 How Founders Can Stand Out When They Pitch

36:30 Practical Tips for Building Your Personal Brand

41:23 Rapid-Fire Questions

Follow KNOWN podcast for more conversations with entrepreneurs and marketers on brand building and growth.

Find us:

KNOWN on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@known.podcast/videos

KNOWN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/known__podcast/

INPUT Global on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/input.global/

Giovanni Everduin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geverduin/

Alnura Belyalova on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alnurabel/

Stella Friaisse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-friaisse/

In Episode 5 of KNOWN, we sit down with Abdallah Al Jouaid, award-winning finance reporter and journalist (former CNN BA and Forbes ME), to uncover the unspoken rules of finance journalism.

Abdallah takes us inside the fast-paced world of media, sharing what makes top-tier journalists actually open your pitch, the key strategies to build credibility, and how to navigate the diverse media landscape in MENA: from language nuances to local relevance.

Chapters: 

00:00 – Abdallah’s personal journey in finance media

05:10 – Choosing your passion and advice on career switching

07:33 – Abdallah’s core value in journalism

10:37 – The Middle East media landscape

11:43 – Building a reputable brand and credibility

14:03 – Tips for young journalists

16:48 – Common traits of leaders Abdallah interviews

18:27 – Understanding MENA: Do’s and Don’ts

21:59 – What makes a story stand out 

24:47 – Media convergence and news reporting

27:18 – Adapting in the era of modern media platforms

29:33 – Rapid-fire round

Follow KNOWN podcast for more conversations with entrepreneurs and marketers on brand building and growth.

Find us:

KNOWN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/known__podcast 

INPUT Global on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/input.global 

Abdallah Al Jouaid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdallah-al-jouaid-9326bb180/ 

Anastasiia Kulibaba on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasiia-kulibaba-aa2b91184/ 

Stella Friaisse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-friaisse/ 

This time we sat down with Justin Harper, journalist, editor, and storyteller with nearly 30 years across the BBC, Financial Times, Daily Mail, and more.

• What actually makes a great story
• Why so many CEOs are overcoached and under-experienced
• How Justin built one of media's most recognisable personal brands, without trying to
• AI replacing newsrooms

Find us:

KNOWN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/known__podcast 

INPUT Global on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/input.global 

Justin Harper on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harperjustin/

Alnura Belyalova on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alnurabel/

Stella Friaisse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-friaisse/ 

This episode, Maria Frackowiak joins KNOWN to discuss why self-investment compounds even through failure, when to trade freedom for leverage, and why most founders confuse branding with aesthetics.

Find us:

KNOWN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/known__podcast 

INPUT Global on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/input.global 

Maria Frackowiak on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-frackowiak/ 

Mary Pedler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marypedler/ 

Stella Friaisse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-friaisse/ 

Welcome to the second episode of the KNOWN podcast, powered by INPUT Global. In this episode, we sit down with Alena Afanaseva, the visionary Founder and CEO of BeInCrypto, to dismantle the old rules of search and visibility.

From scaling a 4-person startup into a global media empire with 10M+ monthly readers to navigating the "death of SEO," Alena shares the high-stakes insights every founder needs to survive the AI transition.

Find us:

KNOWN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/known__podcast 

INPUT Global on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/input.global 

Alena Afanaseva on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alena-afanaseva-beincrypto/ 

Mary Pedler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marypedler/ 

Stella Friaisse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-friaisse/

Welcome to the premiere of the KNOWN podcast, powered by INPUT Global. In this episode, we sit down with self-made marketer Rime Salmi, founder of Fractl, to uncover the "secret recipe" for building a brand that lasts.

From starting an agency in a bear market to leveraging authenticity as a "superpower," Rime shares the raw, real insights every founder needs to hear.

Find us:

KNOWN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/known__podcast 

INPUT Global on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/input.global 

Abdallah Al Jouaid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdallah-al-jouaid-9326bb180/ 

Oleg Bevz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oleg-bevz/

Stella Friaisse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-friaisse/