420: Join Kevin Cirilli to Meet the Future

In this exciting episode of On the Brink with Andi Simon, I welcome Kevin Cirilli, a visiting media fellow at the Atlantic Council, an accomplished journalist, and a futurist thinker and founder of mtf.tv‘s meet the future. Kevin shares his remarkable journey from a young journalist covering high-profile stories to becoming a thought leader in technology and global innovation and creator of mtf.tv‘s meet the future. Our conversation is enriched by the presence of Edie Fraser, my co-author of our book, Women Mean Business: Over 500 Insights from Extraordinary Leaders to Spark Your Success, who introduces Kevin in support of his forward-thinking leadership.

A Journey Rooted in Integrity and Passion

Kevin begins by recounting his upbringing in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, where he developed an early fascination with news, technology, and storytelling. His journey into journalism was unexpected but transformative. While attending Penn State University, also my Alma Mater, Kevin joined the Daily Collegian, where he discovered his passion for reporting. Covering crime stories and student government campaigns, Kevin honed his storytelling skills and learned the importance of trust and integrity in journalism.

He shares a pivotal moment when his coverage of the Penn State child abuse scandal led to his first professional opportunity with Politico. Despite initial challenges, Kevin’s dedication to seeing stories through to completion—and his commitment to truth—earned him recognition as a rising star in journalism.

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The Unexpected Path to Covering Trump

Kevin discusses his unique experience covering Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. What began as an assignment to cover Trump’s hacked Twitter account evolved into a historic role as he followed the candidate across the country. Kevin shares anecdotes about the whirlwind nature of Trump rallies and the moment he realized the profound impact of his reporting when Trump won the presidency. He reflects on his time as Bloomberg’s Chief Washington Correspondent, where he reported on the intersection of global business and politics, gaining unparalleled insights into world affairs.

A Shift Toward Geopolitics and Technology

As Kevin’s career progressed, he felt a growing desire to explore broader issues beyond traditional politics. His fellowship with the Atlantic Council allowed him to focus on the intersection of geopolitics, technology, and security. He emphasizes the importance of understanding how emerging technologies like AI, space exploration, and quantum computing reshape global dynamics. Kevin advocates for freedom and ethical innovation, stressing the need to ensure that the creators of critical technologies share democratic values.

Introducing “Meet the Future”

Kevin introduces his latest venture, mtf. tv’s meet the future, a platform dedicated to fostering dialogue about the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow. Initially starting as a mentorship program, mtf. tv’s meet the future has quickly established itself at the intersection of all things future — markets, crypto, robots, space, quantum computing, workforce, artificial intelligence, and more. His newsletter, mtf NOW, is one of the most read daily future tip sheets, and MTV’s young professional fellowship program mentors students from five different universities. has partnered with tech, think tanks, non-profits, and media platforms.

Kevin says the mission for mtf. tv’s meet the future is clear: embrace freedom to meet the future’s challenges and opportunities. He envisions mtf. tv’s meet the future as a platform that inspires the next generation of leaders while sparking meaningful conversations about the technologies shaping our lives.

Kevin Cirilli’s  Passion for Storytelling

In a surprising twist, Kevin reveals his foray into theater by creating a new play,The  Man in the Red Hat. This creative endeavor reflects his deep commitment to storytelling and his belief in the power of narrative to inspire change. While details remain under wraps, Kevin describes the writing process as a joyful and transformative experience, offering a new medium for him to explore his ideas.

Lessons and Takeaways

Throughout the episode, Kevin shares valuable lessons from his journey:

1. Follow Your Interests: Pursue what excites you, even if the path is unconventional.
2. Embrace Change: Be willing to pivot when opportunities arise.
3. Prioritize Integrity: Success comes from staying true to your values.
4. Have Fun: Joy and passion are essential for long-term fulfillment.

Final Reflections

As the conversation concludes, Andi and Edie celebrate Kevin’s inspiring vision for the future. They highlight his ability to translate complex global issues into accessible insights, emphasizing the importance of embracing freedom, innovation, and collaboration. Kevin’s journey, filled with unexpected doors and transformative experiences, serves as a powerful reminder of the impact one person can have on shaping the future.

To learn more about Kevin Cirilli and subscribe to his Meet the Future newsletter, visit MTF.tv meet the future. 

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in geopolitics, technology, and the transformative power of storytelling. Kevin Cirilli’s story is one of resilience, curiosity, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge, making it a perfect fit for our On the Brink with Andi Simon audience. Enjoy and share.

Other Podcasts you will enjoy include:

407: Shaping the Future: Dr. Emily Springer on Responsible AI in Business 

396:Mark Schaefer: The Customer is Changing. How Can We Build a Community Through Marketing?

406: The Greatest Journey of a Woman Entrepreneur in Mental Health: Dr. Barbara Brown’s Story

Additional resources for you

Reach out and contact us if you want to see how a little anthropology can help your business grow.  Let’s Talk!

 

From Observation to Innovation,

CEO | Corporate Anthropologist | Author
Simonassociates.net
Info@simonassociates.net
@simonandi
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Read the text for our podcast here:

Andi 00:00:02  Welcome to On the Brink with Andi Simon. Welcome, all of you who come to listen or to watch. As you know, I’m Andi Simon. I’m your host and your guide. On the Brink with Andi Simon is among the top 5% global podcasts, and I’m so delighted to bring good new guests to you, to help you do what an anthropologist does:  see, feel, and think in new ways so you can get off the brink.

I have with me today Kevin Cirilli and Edie Fraser. Edie, as you must know by now, is my co-author on my wonderful book, Women Mean Business Over 500 insights from Extraordinary Leaders to Spark your Success.  Edie brought Kevin to us.

When you listen to Kevin, you’ll understand why Edie was so excited to come and introduce him. So, Edie, I’m going to turn it to you for a moment to introduce Kevin, and then we’ll say goodbye to you and stay on with Kevin for the rest of our interview today.

Andi 00:00:57  Edie, please.

Edie Fraser 00:00:59  Well, first of all, to you, Andi is a partner. But as a corporate anthropologist who has seen the future and has given the title, On the Brink, because today we are on the brink. And that means we’ve got to look back, we’ve got to look at today, and we’ve got to seize tomorrow with the forward-thinking leaders. And part of those have got to be some younger leaders with the big vision to drive change. And so Kevin Cirilli fits that mold to the core as he brings together the thought leadership on the driving issues of today. So Meet the Future today as we galvanize others to really seize the geopolitical world. and with it drive away conflict and drive together the cohesion with Meet the Future in such positive ways with people that care about change and impact. So I give you my friend Kevin Cirilli.

Kevin Cirilli 00:02:21  Well, that is very kind and I just have to say thank you for that introduction. You are. I’m so blessed to have you in my life.

Kevin Cirilli 00:02:29  And I think you know how much you mean to me. But that was very kind and thank you. I’m so grateful for our friendship.

Andi 00:02:35  And thank you, Edie, for introducing Kevin, because coming from your heart to those of the people out there, it’s only going to be a multiplier to take Kevin and to Meet the Future and escalate it,  accelerated it, and make it wonderful. So that’s what we love to do. Thank you. Thank you, Edie, please have a wonderful day and thank you for the introduction of Kevin, I appreciate it.

Now, Kevin, for our audience. I’m going to read your bio, but I’ve already discovered that it’s much richer than just the bio. So let me just give them a reason why today should be something we listen to and enjoy. Kevin is a visiting media fellow at the Atlantic Council, where he worked closely with the center for Tech Diplomacy on the Global Tech Security Commission. His fellowships are rooted in working on the areas of security-based diplomacy, geopolitics, and technology, and he really has expanded into futurist, futurist thinking and what’s coming next.

He’s an on-air broadcast Yahoo finance contributor. He’s worked at the highest echelons of Washington, DC journalism, and he was one of the original group of reporters assigned to cover Donald Trump in 2015 and chronicled the entire entirety of the Trump campaign and administration. He was most recently chief Washington correspondent for Bloomberg Television and Bloomberg Radio, where he worked for nearly six years. And he covered the intersection of global business and geopolitics for an audience of global investors. He’s reported from all over the world Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, where I’ve been, which I love, Columbia, Israel, and Germany where I’ve been as well. And in 2016, he was embedded with the Trump campaign. He reported daily from the White House and the US Capitol building. He’s earned a reputation for something that’s very, very important in a political world that we live in. He’s earned a reputation as a nonpartisan and policy-based reporter. And we’re going to spend time on non-partisanship. But I often tell the folks that I work with or when I speak, that the only truth is there’s no truth.

Andi 00:04:50  And so we need to be careful what we believe, but he is a storyteller, and that is really one of the most important parts of who Kevin is for us. His alma mater is Penn State as is mine. We grew up there in different times. Joe Paterno was just starting out when I was there. Penn State profiled Kevin for their alumni network, the largest in the U.S. one anchor described them as a “happy warrior,” which I find an interesting mix of words. He got his journalism start as a freelance reporter covering the 2011 Penn State child abuse sex scandal.  He graduated Penn State in 2012 with his degree in journalism and political science. I must tell you that getting to know Kevin, even the brief time that I have that he is a gentleman who is thinking about things like we like to do from the outside in, not the inside out. He’s really trying to get a perspective on it to help you see, feel, and think in new ways. Remember our job as anthropologists, and in this podcast,  is to give you a fresh perspective, a new lens.

Andi 00:05:58  And I think that resonates well, as Kevin is smiling because that’s just what he’s trying to do. Kevin, thank you for joining me today.

Kevin Cirilli 00:06:05  Well, thank you so much for inviting me. It is such an honor. I’m such a huge fan, Andi, and congratulations on all of your success. And I love what you’re doing with On the Brink and the tips that people can learn and apply to their own lives. I know that I’ve gotten some in the book that you wrote with Eddie. It’s not just for women. I keep telling all of my friends.

Kevin Cirilli 00:06:27  I. I’ve learned so many tips for the business world in that book, and it makes a great gift.

Andi 00:06:36  I’m glad you’ve been gifting it, but you’re my gift today to our audience. And what I’d like you to do is tell them a little bit more about your own journey. Because people, as you know, listen to the story, and the story makes the things I just read come alive and it gives it a richness.

Andi 00:06:50  So who’s Kevin and what’s your journey been like?

Kevin Cirilli 00:06:53  Well, you know, I grew up right outside of Philly in a place called Delco, Delaware County. So if you’ve ever seen Wawa, it’s headquartered in Delco and was invented there and, you know, Philadelphia Eagles country. And my uncle Mike has a hoagie shop that’s been around in Delco for nearly five decades. best Hoagies in Delco, I got to say. And I went to public school, and then in eighth grade, I got a partial scholarship to Malvern Prep, in Bucks County, and that was an all-male Catholic, Augustinian school.  I would drive about a half hour to 45 minutes one way to go to prep school. And it was really a one of many transformative experiences that I had as a young person. Just because I was leaving home, I was going to a new environment. It was very different than public school. And but when I was there, I was having to get up very early to go to school, and I would be the first one on campus, if not the second or third, because I was coming from so far away and the library would open and I would go and sit on the computer and I would look at Engadget.

Kevin Cirilli 00:08:10  Com and Apple Insider, and I would of course, you know, these blogs had just taken off not to date myself, but CNN Politicker had just happened and it was like really an interesting time when Steve Jobs walked out with the iPhone on the stage and said, one more thing, and I was hooked. I just thought it was so cool. And in many ways, I think it was an escape from the very small world that I was in, and it was a way to use my imagination to dream big. The news was an escape when I was addicted to the news as a kid, you know, I would go home and I would watch hurricane coverage, technology coverage, space coverage. I was huge into space and politics as well. and then when it came time to go to college, I was like, what do I what do I do? You know, all I’ve all I really like doing is reading and writing and looking at all of these news sites. And my parents were like, buddy, newspapers are dying.

Kevin Cirilli 00:09:20  Like, we don’t think this journalism thing’s going to work out. And I went to Penn State and I got in for engineering, weirdly enough. And my dad’s an engineer. You know, his first job was working in a bakery, and then he went on to work in a refinery and be an engineer. My mom’s a substitute schoolteacher. And he goes, Kev, you really don’t like math? I was like, well, what am I going to do? And he goes, try out for the school newspaper, the Daily Collegiate. And I was like, all right. I mean, I’m not going to make it. Those kids are smart, you know, like. So I walk in and I didn’t tell anyone. Didn’t tell my dad, didn’t tell anyone that I was going to try out for the school newspaper, The Daily Collegian, at Penn State. And you’re a Penn Stater. So, you know, the Daily Collegian.

Andi 00:10:08  I mean, and it was a good newspaper.

Kevin Cirilli 00:10:10  That is like gospel up there.

Kevin Cirilli 00:10:12  I mean, it is literally I, you know, the best in the nation. I would argue. and I ended up making it and I was so excited because when I walked into that room, I felt like, these are my people. These are all of these misfits. I hadn’t felt that way, really. You know, I grew up playing soccer and doing theater, and I always kind of straddled different worlds. And I was like, this is it. There are people in the sports or sports journalists. There are arts journalists, their student government journalists, crime reporters. And that just became my thing. I actually got a call from the dean halfway through College of the College of Comms who said, you haven’t taken one journalism class? I said, am I getting expelled? And.

Andi 00:11:03  Did he want you to take a journalism class? I mean, when you think about what you just said, the door opened and then you walked to your community. That’s where you belong. And that is just transformational.

Andi 00:11:15  If the door opens and you go through and you say, oh, this is where I want to be, that takes you in new directions. Did you need the journalism classes? Yes. No.

Kevin Cirilli 00:11:25  I would say no. I mean, I learned AP style, I guess, but I do think you touched on something really interesting, which is to follow your interest. And it really transforms me. I learned so much covering crime at Penn State University. Some of the worst days in people’s lives. I mean, really, stories that I still remember, you know, now at 35 years old, I still remember those crime stories and think about those families and the trust that they put in you when they share the worst day of their lives with you. I mean, it was a that was that was the hardest part of that experience, because you’re learning that you have to tell the truth and you have an obligation to tell the public what’s going on. But you’re also you’re hearing and so you’re hearing really tough things.

Kevin Cirilli 00:12:18  In addition to that, I did have a ton of fun, you know, covering so many great events at Penn State University. And the first political campaign that I covered was a student government election. So and I, I remember that vividly because I was just totally in both campaigns and you know, who’s going to endorse who. And. And it was just so much fun. I never thought I would cover another campaign.

Andi 00:12:48  Kevin, just I mean, our bonds are really weird because I ran for women’s student government president. I could have used you to cover me then. And I learned a whole lot about what I love and I don’t love, but everyone pushed me to go. You know, I was president of this and president of that, and, of course, and I, I was so glad I didn’t win because I wasn’t quite sure why anyone wanted that job. But that’s such an interesting part of your perspective. That was your first covering of a campaign. My goodness. And Penn State transformed you.

Andi 00:13:20  Next thing you know, you are doing lots more of that. How did you get from there to following Donald Trump?

Kevin Cirilli 00:13:27  Well, it was really interesting because at the end of my college years, there was a horrible, horrible tragedy that happened at Penn State with the abuse scandal and one of my professors. So I guess it was good that I went to journalism class, recommended me to Newsweek and The Daily Beast to be a stringer, a freelance reporter, to help with their coverage. And as well as the local paper, the center, Daily Times, and Philadelphia magazine. And,

Andi 00:13:59  Interesting.

Kevin Cirilli 00:14:01  It was coinciding when I had kept applying for jobs and law school and I didn’t I, you know, what am I going to do? I had been a Pulliam fellow in there, out in Arizona, and I kept getting rejected by Politico. Okay. No, no, no, because I kept applying for this internship. And I’m thinking to myself, all right, you know what? What’s a guy got to do to get a job at Politico? You know, so or an internship, to be honest.

Kevin Cirilli 00:14:29  And then I got a call, actually, from an editor at Politico who said, you know, we want to interview you. And I said, well, I, I okay, so I go down and I think that they’re going to interview me for I think I was interning at Men’s Health magazine, weirdly enough, because it was right as the trial and back and forth from Center County and, you know, put down a deposit on Penn State Law School. And I went down and, the editor said, this isn’t for an internship, this is for a job. I said.

Andi 00:15:03  So they had they had wow. They had switched you from being an intern on paid to a paid job with a real job. Wow.

Kevin Cirilli 00:15:11  So that was insane to me. And then I get a call, and I’ll never forget it because it was like the couple days, if not the day before the trial, the Jerry Sandusky trial started, and I was sitting in the parking lot of Supercuts in Delco to get a haircut.

Kevin Cirilli 00:15:27  And, and they said, you got the job. And I said, well, I can’t start. And the guy goes, you know, and he ended up being my editor at Bloomberg and, and, you know, and he goes, what do you mean you can’t start, you can’t start. And I said, well, I got to cover this trial. Like, to me it was it was such a no brainer that you have to finish one story before starting another. And it was really important to me to see this horrible, horrible tragedy through to the end. you know, the removing of the Joe Paterno statue, all of these really important, milestones in that story. I couldn’t just leave early, you know, I can’t imagine my career had I not stayed with that story. and it was a horrible story to cover. Horrible, really horrible. but the courage that the young people had and coming forward and testifying and, you know, they were around my age when they were testifying.

Kevin Cirilli 00:16:25  And to do it not just in front of the world media, because there was a world media that descended upon a very small courthouse in Center County that. But also to have to do it in front of the person who did it to them. And they are horrible. and Politico understood that. Politico understood that I needed to finish that race, that marathon. And I’m grateful for that. Very grateful for that. And I, I don’t know where that, confidence came from to speak like that to someone who’s offering you a job. But it was just I couldn’t envision a reality where I didn’t do that.

Andi 00:17:03  But in some ways, Kevin, they bought that from you. I mean, they were looking for the integrity that you brought with you. And. And I have a hunch they were thrilled that you waited, finished it, and then came to them. It wasn’t in either or. It was. This was an ad. It must. So that was really interesting. Wow.

Andi 00:17:19  Talking about doors opening in weird ways.

Kevin Cirilli 00:17:21  So Politico, I got to Washington, D.C., and, you know, just hit the ground running. I looked at, like, as if I was young enough to be a Senate page, you know? And next thing I know, I’m, you know, in the Capitol and they’re putting me on television and just everything was baptism by fire. And it’s so weird because when you when you look back at it, the Trump stuff in particular, I, I did I think when you’re in your 20s, in your early 20s, you know, it’s normal to have that’s not good. I’m not saying it’s a good thing but be a little overly confident. Like I had just come from central Pennsylvania, not like knocking on trailer doors, interviewing people who had horrible crimes happen to them and been recognized for it. And, and my editor called me when I was at Politico and said, you got to call Donald Trump’s, attorney. And I said, what? Donald Trump, The Apprentice, like my dad and I watched The Apprentice when I was a kid.

Kevin Cirilli 00:18:29  But like what? Well, his Twitter got hacked, his Twitter got hacked, his Twitter account hacked with Britney Spears lyrics. I know his Twitter got hacked with Britney Spears there. This is what Politico wants to put on their website. Oops. Here he goes. I’m thinking to myself, come on. But this is not exactly Woodward and Bernstein, you know what I’m saying. So he goes, you got into it. So I’m like, all right, whatever. So I reach out to this guy named Michael Cohen, and Michael Cohen gets on the phone with me, and I’m like, you know, I’m me. I’m like 22, 23 years old and I go, the Twitter got hacked. Like, what are you guys doing? I went in very you know; I was trying to do my best. Tim Russert invitation. What do you mean? The Twitter got hacked. You’re reporting it to the authorities, the FBI, you know, and I wrote, like, a pretty serious story about Donald Trump’s Twitter getting hacked with Britney Spears lyrics, you know? And, then I was at the Hill a couple of years later and Donald Trump was running for president, and he kept calling in the Morning Joe.

Kevin Cirilli 00:19:37  And my parents, who are avid political junkies, opposing political viewpoints, Irish, Italian Catholics, and they kept asking me about Donald Trump. And I’m like, that guy’s never going to be president. Come on, you know, get out of here. And there was and I’m at the Hill and I’m writing about finance and markets and that was a new thread and policy and economic policy. Federal Reserve. And he’s a businessman. And they go, well, you know, try to interview him. And I go, I don’t who wants to come on? So then my best friend from college actually also was like, you should try to get an interview with Trump. So whatever I reach into my emails, I dig up Michael Cohen. He remembers me and.

Andi 00:20:29  Heck, right?

Kevin Cirilli 00:20:30  And he goes from the Britney Spears thing and he goes, I’m going to connect you to this woman named Hope Hicks. And next thing I know, I’m in New York. Hope comes down and she says to me, Mr. Trump, we’ll see you next week for an interview.

Kevin Cirilli 00:20:47  And I’m like, what was that? Like what? So, I was at the Hill and I did an interview, and, you know, the big boss of the hill came for it. And I’m sitting there, and I was I must have been 25, 26 when I first took the elevator up to Trump Tower and Trump’s office. And we did the interview and he made a ton of news. I mean, he threatened to run as a third-party candidate in this interview, and it went everywhere. And little old me, you know, gets on the train, the Amtrak to come back to my first apartment out of college and the news hit and I, you know, I was tired and my phone starts blowing up like nonstop vibrating. And my editor calls me, get in the office. Where are you? I’m like, I’m what? And that really changed everything. and then Bloomberg recruited me after that. They were they had I, you know, we were talking, but they recruited me, and I didn’t really understand the power of Bloomberg and me.

Kevin Cirilli 00:21:53  It was another experience when I got it where I turned it down, which I don’t think I’ve ever said publicly. because I really wanted to try television news. And to me, Bloomberg fell down. It’s a little boring, you know, it’s Marcus and I got a call from a very senior executive at Bloomberg who said, what do you mean? You’re turning us down like, no. And I said, no. I said, listen, sir, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. but, you know, I’m going to do local news and, and, you know, and television news and that’s, that’s where my, my heart is right now. And he goes, no. So I got some sense knocked into me. I don’t know. I don’t even, you know, my, my, my parents were like, maybe you should try the Bloomberg thing for, for a couple of months, you know, see how it goes. So I go up to New York and, and then my first day on the job after New York training in Washington, the editor calls me in, and I’m like, what did I do wrong? I thought I was going to cover financial policy and the Federal Reserve and all that.

Kevin Cirilli 00:23:07  And she goes, you’re going to go, she’s an awesome boss. Megan Murphy, she’s no longer there. And she said, you’re going to go to, Florida and follow around just for a couple of days. just for a couple days. Follow around Ben Carson and Donald Trump until they fizzle out. We need we need more reporters because there are so many Republicans. And then you’ll go back to covering the Congress. I’m like, are you kidding me? I got. So I go to Florida and the rest is literally history. He kept winning. Trump just kept going and going. And it was another baptism by fire. And I traveled the country and really went to more Trump rallies than I can even count. And nobody thought he was going to win back then. And, when? Election night, when I was at the Hilton, and he won. I just remember thinking, oh my gosh, yes, I’m a white House correspondent right now. and it changed my life. And it and it, you know, I’m so grateful for Bloomberg.

Kevin Cirilli 00:24:12  It was I was plucked from obscurity. really. And, you know, Mike Weinberg is such an incredible talk about legend, patriot, philanthropist. Just what he’s built is just to even have been associated with it is deeply humbling. and I have an immense amount of gratitude for it. It I it’s so hard to even put into words how transformative that experience was for six years.

Andi 00:24:37  Well, but your you know, your story continues to be doors opening reluctantly going into them, not quite sure why. What am I doing? And next thing it’s not. It’s not as if your life has been intentionally, I’m going to go cover the white House or I’m going to go cover Donald Trump or I’m going to. But each one of them, they see in you something quite remarkable. And then and then when the occasion opens up, you, you fly. It’s really quiet it’s wonderful. How did you go from there to geopolitics, technology. You know, you are now you’ve moved a little bit away from just politics to something bigger and broader, and I want to make sure we have time for a meet the future, because it sounds like all of this has led to the next, the next venture, which much more intentional on your part than just simply.

Kevin Cirilli 00:25:28  So I was at Limburg. A lot of people in Washington, I felt saw me as someone on the news, and that was humbling and great. But I really had moved away from being able to talk about all of the things that I was interested in when I was a kid technology, space, health, and wellness.

Andi 00:25:53  The price of the.

Kevin Cirilli 00:25:55  Yeah, yeah. You know, and, and it felt I almost forgot about that part of myself. But when I was covering these new the news, Bloomberg is a global audience and it’s a global business audience. And so I was reading on the Bloomberg terminal about technology, like all of these things, again, that I wasn’t necessarily reporting on with the microphone on Pebble Beach at the white House. and I really just felt I could do this. I could keep doing this, but I don’t know, it’s a gut feeling, like it was a gut feeling to go to Penn State. I didn’t really even think of any other school. It was a gut feeling to take the Politico job, gut feeling to, you know, size it up and try it.

Kevin Cirilli 00:26:46  And I’m someone who really is not motivated. I shouldn’t say this it would get mad at me. I’m not motivated by money. It’s not what drives me. I’m really motivated by the journey, the experience and the people and the mission. and after the pandemic, it felt as if I really needed to get away from not being able to have certain positions. being an American is an absolute privilege, and I don’t think that makes me biased. You know, and so I also believe that legacy media is dead. and traditional media is dead. Cable news will not be around, at the scale that it will. And so to be in your early 30s and see that I don’t have cable. Yeah. As a kid I would watch it and I’d want to be on it, you know. And that was a dream. But then you grow up and you’re like, I don’t I literally do not have cable. Why am I participating in a business model that I know will not exist? And I’m getting my news on my phone and on YouTube and on Substack, you know, and so and.

Andi 00:28:02  You’re also asking, what is news? I mean, these are profound questions you’re asking yourself because you’re right. I’m not going to be there because there won’t be a Walter Cronkite.

Kevin Cirilli 00:28:12  No, I think that news will always find a medium. But unfortunately, the executives around the country have lost the trust of the public.

Speaker 4 00:28:20  Yeah.

Kevin Cirilli 00:28:22  They’ve lost the trust of many of the journalists who work for them. And they don’t have a business model. Yeah. I say that with as someone who wants news to find the right medium and wants to restore trust in news and information and the public, but they totally messed up and I don’t want to work for that.

Speaker 4 00:28:48  Yes.

Kevin Cirilli 00:28:48  Now that is where that has nothing to do with Bloomberg. I want to be very specific because Bloomberg is a business data information company, but legacy media, which would have been the natural next step, did not make sense for me. It just didn’t. And I couldn’t get excited about it. So when the opportunity presented itself at the end of the Trump’s first term, and I watched President Biden get sworn in on the steps of the Capitol at his inauguration to work with the Atlantic Council, NATO’s think tank, been around for decades.

Kevin Cirilli 00:29:24  So prestigious. Fred Kemp, who’s the president there is just an incredible leader. I was blown away and really taken aback that people would see something in me as a translator, almost as a communicator. that was really that surprised me a lot. And they were doing some work with the center for Technology Diplomacy, and it really intrigued me because I’m the grandson of the Greatest Generation. You know, both of my grandfathers, who I never met, both served in World War Two, you know. and now conflict is being fought not just on land, in IRL, in real life, but in IRL on the digital frontier. And I watched covering 2016, when I would see things jump from IRL online to IRL hate speech.

Speaker 4 00:30:31  Yeah.

Kevin Cirilli 00:30:34  and those were the issues in the conversations that were being talked about. And I just thought, I have to do this. Are you kidding me? AI? This is a note that to me, honestly was a no brainer. It was very hard to say goodbye to, to my honestly family at that point.

Kevin Cirilli 00:30:54  Colleagues at Bloomberg, because we had been through so much together, but it almost felt like I was graduating in my mind and it felt as if it was time. Especially after the pandemic. And I’m really glad that I did it. It, you know, to go from being on television multiple times a day and having your own show to overnight. No, you really learn about a lot about yourself. And I learned a lot about issues, and I’m all in. I mean, I’m so passionate about these issues. And I started creating Meet the Future and it was very small. It was not some brand. Oh, let’s create the next Politico or Axios or Punch Bowl or step before. That’s not how this started. You know, it really started as a mentorship, very, very small. And it’s just snowballed into something way bigger.

Andi 00:31:52  Tell the audience through whether their viewers or their listeners, this is a transformational moment again. But this isn’t one that was, brought to you because I saw something.

Andi 00:32:05  This is something that you saw, emerging in your own ideation, talking about being a thought leader or a leader that comes with great thinking, that wants to be transforming the world. What is meet the future all about? How is it grown, what you’re thinking about it because it seems to be growing almost without you steering.

Kevin Cirilli 00:32:30  That’s scary.

Andi 00:32:33  Or am I? Am I wrong there, Kevin? Is it? Are you steering it?

Kevin Cirilli 00:32:37  Yeah, I think I think the mission, the mission steering in the mission is steering it. And the mission is very simple. Embrace freedom to meet the future’s challenges and opportunities. You know, on paper, I could not exist in XI Jinping’s digital frontier. Yes. Tech. Too many boxes. But time and time again, I think as Americans, we, when we embrace freedom and embrace being ourselves, embrace who we are. You know that will. That’s a luxury that Americans have. That is our right. That is not something that every person on the planet enjoys and that that’s the mission.

Kevin Cirilli 00:33:29  And so how do we have those conversations when technology is moving so fast, when in our lifetime, every day there’s the invention of, you know, the Goldenberg printing press, like it’s insane. Just even in my lifetime, I’m the last generation that remembers pre-internet, you know, and kids these days don’t know the world without the internet before. Well, now people being born this Gen Z, they’re the last generation to remember life before AI.

Speaker 4 00:34:07  Yes.

Kevin Cirilli 00:34:09  So how do we have conversations about technology, about outer space, about quantum, about AI, about underwater cables, about all of these really big issues, semiconductor chips, while also not losing sight of freedom in those conversations in America. You know, I want to make sure that whoever is making the digital DNA, the semiconductor chips, the lifeblood of our everything we do, there’s a couple chips in your phone, a couple hundred inches your computer, thousands in your car. Cars are now computers. I want to make sure that the people who are making those chips share my values of freedom.

Kevin Cirilli 00:34:52  They that they might not agree with me politically but that they do agree that I get to be myself and that you get to be yourself, and that everyone gets to be themselves like and to enjoy that, that freedom, because there are people who want to make those chips or want to make those computers or those spaceships that don’t believe in freedom at all and believe we should all be the same. and meet the future covers. You know that through the prism of it’s not going to shy away from the markets and cryptocurrency and but it’s our bias is freedom. We believe in freedom.

Andi 00:35:36  Our freedom. I learned early in my anthropology career that words or data out of context have no meaning. And as you keep and you’re saying the word freedom with intensity and, passion. And I’m, I’m saying to myself, you know, what we can put in those chips is a little gadget limit that’ll make it blow up tomorrow. And, and what’s freedom for you may not be freedom for somebody who wants to control you.

Andi 00:36:06  And the technology, whether it’s drones or it’s cyber security or other things, are make us very fragile and naively thinking we’re safe. So are you thinking about simply preaching on this, simply educating people on it, simply putting controls into place to protect us? You know, I can think of a lot of ways of trying to make freedom more sacred and more protected. But what are you thinking about?

Kevin Cirilli 00:36:35  It’s the freedom to be able to live your life. Right? Because. I want to know what the markets are doing. I want to know what crypto is doing. The exchanges are doing. I want to know what Minerals are being found on the moon and asteroids and how we’re getting there. I want to know about space weather and the sun storms. These are the issues of the future that are already having impacts today. There were radio blackouts brief, but there were radio blackouts just a couple of weeks ago in Africa because of the sun storm. We are.

Speaker 4 00:37:18  So.

Kevin Cirilli 00:37:19  Take space weather, you know.

Kevin Cirilli 00:37:21  God bless Al Roker. I love Al Roker, but here’s what’s happening in your neck of the galaxy.

Speaker 4 00:37:26  Folks.

Kevin Cirilli 00:37:27  But I’m serious. You are.

Speaker 4 00:37:29  There’s a storm that zaps.

Kevin Cirilli 00:37:31  Out all of these satellites and the infrastructure. People are going to think it’s the end of the world. It’s going to make the pandemic look like it was a vacation. That’s the.

Speaker 4 00:37:44  Reality.

Andi 00:37:45  And for their world, that would be a little like the ending of it. so and so interesting. So you’ve got thousands of people on the Substack. You’ve got, tutoring, or mentoring or coaching going on for youngers. You created a brand, you know, let the audience know a little bit more about what Meet the Future is and if they want to participate, how they might do that.

Kevin Cirilli 00:38:10  Well, first things first. The first step of what we did, what I did was I started mentoring someone who wanted to break into Washington and, and it it was at a time when I was very much, you know, had just left Bloomberg and was in my fellowship and was not thinking that I was ever going to do anything remotely entrepreneurial, was just really figuring stuff out.

Kevin Cirilli 00:38:39  And then he said, okay, well, now you have to also mentor two of my friends, and I’m like, what?

Speaker 4 00:38:45  And these young.

Kevin Cirilli 00:38:46  People really pushed me and they go, well, meet the future. You know, this, this thing that you’re creating, you know, you have to do a newsletter. So then the newsletter takes off. But we’ve expanded to four universities. We’ve they’ve gotten the mentorship side of it is integral to all of this because they’re the leaders of tomorrow. I mean, I’m going to be working for them one day. and they’ve gotten to do some incredible things. They’ve gone to the convention. They’ve, you know, been to the Export-Import Bank, they toured, you know, legacy media places. And it’s really incredible. So I think the goal of it is if you want information, not news, because news is a biased, partisan word that people think of. If I’m not going to cover the horse race, that doesn’t interest me anymore.

Kevin Cirilli 00:39:37  I’m going to interview people who are shaping and creating and on the front lines of the digital frontier, live and creating the future, building the future Today, those are the types of conversations that I want to have and I want. I want to create a platform. And we’re creating a platform that gives people business space, geopolitics, information. Information is what people are craving. and real fast because people don’t have time. People don’t have time anymore to listen to some babbling, talking head and who’s never you know, there’s just too much of a disconnect.

Andi 00:40:19  So interesting. As I listen to you, what pops through my head is listen to Kevin. No more news media. Not the way it used to be. You know, people don’t read. The professors at Columbia University said students coming in can’t even fathom reading a whole book, much less 12 of them during a semester, because during a high school, they didn’t have to read. They had excerpts, so they listened.

Andi 00:40:46  I had somebody tell me that their staff person doesn’t read anything. He listens to all of everything. Anything has to learn. He listens or watches on TV. So a whole new breed of humans is emerging. And your job now is to enable them to thrive in a new world. you said something else with your news about news. It’s all. It’s all entertainment or storytelling. But in fact, there’s information. but I’ll repeat my anthro 101 out of context. There is no there’s no meaning to the data. So we need to figure out what’s the context in which we’re getting which data so we can understand it. But we need the freedom to make up our minds about things and not be, influenced to the point where the influencers are controlling us, even if the chips aren’t yet. So there’s something going on here that meet the future. You’re a living. It’s not tomorrow. Somebody once said to me, the future’s already here. It’s just not widely distributed. It sounds like you’re distributing it and also educating folks on how to think about it and what to understand and how to become the next generation of influence or influential people who can lead us.

Andi 00:42:01  This is so cool. I want to I want to ask you, is there anything else that’s Meet the Future should be fun about, you know, do people need to get your newsletter somehow? Because I want to.

Speaker 4 00:42:13  Also go.

Kevin Cirilli 00:42:15  On to MTF TV. That’s our.

Speaker 4 00:42:18  Website.

Kevin Cirilli 00:42:19  MTF meet the future mtf.tv.

Speaker 4 00:42:23  Gotcha. Yeah.

Kevin Cirilli 00:42:24  I, I’m a little bit old school, so

Andi 00:42:29  Well, could you make it more comfortable so we can find it? Good.

Kevin Cirilli 00:42:31  Everyone goes. It sounds like MTV, I said it, it’s guys, it’s not MTV, but understand what MTV is. Okay, this is more like CNBC meets National Geographic. But sure if you want to throw in a little bit of MTV in there.

Speaker 4 00:42:46  You pick up. but.

Kevin Cirilli 00:42:48  MTV to subscribe to our newsletter. It comes out Sundays through, Thursdays. and I promised my goal. It’s really interesting because I never thought I would do another show, ever. because I just thought, like. And then I, my old producer said to me, well, you don’t want to do sound on, which was a great show that I had at Bloomberg, and I was so grateful for it, but it was very it was a Bloomberg show, you know, and, and I said, well, I don’t even know what I would, what I would what that vehicle would even look like.

Kevin Cirilli 00:43:25  And I put it out of my head and I started writing this newsletter, Meet the Future now, MTP now, and I had the same thought when I was doing the show, which was every blurb but every segment at the show. I would love if someone was like, I never knew that. Or that’s really interesting. Or oh, you know your head, you’re not emoji where the head explodes. Yeah. You know, MTF meet the future. That’s really interesting. and then maybe they’re they tell someone that they know or they tell their kid, or they tell their spouse, or they tell their friend. Just conversation starters that aren’t about, you know, oh, is the government going to shut down? You know, they’re going to get a deal. Rinse and repeat.

Speaker 4 00:44:06  So sorry.

Kevin Cirilli 00:44:10  Not sorry, but, and as I’ve been writing this newsletter, honestly, Andy, it feels like it’s a rundown. Yeah. So I think the next natural step over the next couple of months would be, you know, expanding the newsletter.

Kevin Cirilli 00:44:27  I’m always surprised when people read my stuff.

Speaker 4 00:44:34  Just.

Kevin Cirilli 00:44:36  I’m like, as you write it alone, and you’re thinking, no one’s going to read this. And then people, they read it. Yeah. and so I could see a video podcast or being distributed through different platforms that, that as long as it keeps the integrity of the brand, that would interest, that would be something that I could see. and maybe I’m not the host. Maybe there are other hosts. but we’ll see. You know, we’re doing a lot of great events and summits and, but it’s, you know, listen, I was a I used to mop floors about a decade ago when I was working at Politico at the Java Shack in Arlington. So I would literally be a barista, and then I would go be on TV for.

Speaker 4 00:45:26  So for me, I’m.

Kevin Cirilli 00:45:28  I’m fine just opening up a couple of coffee shops, you know, or. But no shows what it’ll be.

Andi 00:45:35  Well, maybe, but I think that there is something going on that you’re bringing to life and doing it in a way that’s exciting, both for you and for everyone else who meets you and is around you. I don’t want to say goodbye without talking a little bit about this new theatrical play that you’ve created. Talk about storytelling in a new medium. Give the listener a little idea of what is it and what’s happening with it, and will it come out?

Kevin Cirilli 00:46:00  Well, I called I’m not allowed to say too much because I called my friend on the West Coast before, I came on and I said, okay, I’m doing this podcast, should I be I allowed to talk about this? And she said, you can say a little bit just, you know, and I don’t want I do not want to get in trouble with this. But a lot of people told me to do a book. And I remember having a meeting in New York many years ago in a big, big publishing house, and it was gross.

Kevin Cirilli 00:46:29  It made me feel really gross. So I called my mom, actually in New York after the meeting, and she said, there’s a ton of ways to make money. That’s not one of them. and it just. Yeah. So. Plus, as you just told us, a lot of people don’t read books.

Andi 00:46:46  But, you know, you’re talking about moving into an archaeological ruin. That’s what the publishing industry is. If media is changing, we’ve got to change that as well, because transferring information is no longer a book anymore. Right.

Kevin Cirilli 00:46:57  But I got I was on a run last spring and I saw I was in Farragut Square. If you know Washington, D.C., it’s right by the white House. And I was on a run and beautiful day. And I had this thought come back to me from back in 2016, of this title in my head that I hadn’t thought of in a very long time, called The Man in the Red hat. And it’s, because I had I saw a red hat on the red hat, and it’s really weird, I just, I, I was like, it’s not a book, it’s a play.

Kevin Cirilli 00:47:34  Dah. You know.

Speaker 4 00:47:36  And.

Kevin Cirilli 00:47:37  I didn’t tell anyone that I was writing it, I just, I, it was one of those things when I couldn’t sleep or I’d be on drums or I’d go on, I’d be walking my dog Theo, and I’d be writing it in my phone because I just it was already all in my head. And it.

Speaker 4 00:47:50  Just.

Kevin Cirilli 00:47:51  But it took me about six months to write. And then it’s a very it’s so much fun as a process. You know, I grew up doing the school play and, I forgot how much fun. And it’s been another really humbling experience to learn from all of these experts. And they’ve been so generous with their time. And I’m, you know, who knows where it’ll lead. But the next step is to workshop it on the West coast. And I’m excited for that. It’s a fun little hobby.

Andi 00:48:23  Well, you’re both curious and creative in some way. It becomes a medium for you to just, you know, thrive again.

Andi 00:48:29  Let’s go get these ideas out there and see what happens.

Speaker 4 00:48:32  You’ll have to come.

Kevin Cirilli 00:48:32  To if it ever if you know. DC, by the way, has an incredible theater scene. I’ve learned last year. It’s been incredible. They’ve got 90 theaters in DC, some of the greatest shows. I mean, Dear Evan Hansen premiered in Washington, DC, which is just amazing. So if there’s a good reading, you’ll have to you’ll have to come. How about that?

Andi 00:48:52  And well, you got a date. Kevin, if folks, let’s do the MTV, MTF, URL again, we’ll put it up on the screen afterwards. but I do think that I want to make sure that as we’re wrapping up, there are 1 or 2 things you want the listeners to remember. Sometimes they remember the end better than all the rest of the conversation, a couple of passing wisdoms that they should keep in mind.

Kevin Cirilli 00:49:19  Have fun.

Andi 00:49:20  I love it.

Kevin Cirilli 00:49:22  You have to have fun. The world is a really complicated place and life is incredibly short.

Kevin Cirilli 00:49:28  And, you know, obviously when I say have fun, you’re going to have to work really, really hard. You know, going into the Daily Collegian office, to me it just seemed fun. Obviously, I covered really intense stories. but I do think that don’t lose sight of fun, because when you lose that, it’s time to leave and change and to get a dog. That’s my other piece of advice.

Speaker 4 00:49:59  Get it all, get a dog.

Kevin Cirilli 00:50:00  And drink more water. How about that? Might.

Andi 00:50:03  Oh and run a little bit. I do think that this is a time for great transformation, and I too am a believer that every day is a is a gift. And people say, how did you stay married so long? I say, we laugh a lot and it doesn’t hurt to have a giggle. You have a wonderful smile and I can’t thank you enough for joining us today. It’s been a pleasure. You’re a humble and kind, but you’re brilliant in it. This is going to be a time for you to lead us forward with great ideas, and I can’t wait to sign up for your newsletter and follow along until the podcast comes out.

Andi 00:50:33  And then we can talk some more about why the future is all around us. It’s just not widely distributed yet, and I hope it’s all about freedom in the future, right?

Kevin Cirilli 00:50:41  Thank you Andy. This has been such an honor. And everyone go buy her books because they’re amazing. And, Andy, just to be honest, you’re saying things that are way too kind because you’re such a rock star. So thank you, thank.

Speaker 4 00:50:53  You, thank you.

Andi 00:50:53  Well, I thank you for that. I’m going to tell our listeners and our, our viewers, my books are all on Amazon. I just look up Andy Simon. But I am really so anxious to start bringing people who are thinking about the future in new ways so they can help you see, feel, and think. Because if you can’t see it and you can’t feel it, you can’t decide. That’s how we as humans decide. It’s what it feels like, what you see, and then you can think about it. But I do think that what Kevin showed us with you is stories and storytelling that show you that you can begin to change and do it with joy and laugh and have fun.

Andi 00:51:31  So I’m going to say goodbye. I wish you a great day. Our little tagline is from observation to innovation, and I think that it’s been absolutely wonderful to take you through this so well. Eddie, would you like to say goodbye and do a wrap here?

Edie Fraser 00:51:45  Want to say we’re in the future now? So, Kevin, thank you for your vision to move. And, Andy, how perfect. And if we’re going to make this so big, let’s do have joy and have fun as we build the future and galvanize everyone. As you both said. Thank you.

Speaker 4 00:52:13  Well thank you.

Andi 00:52:14  Thank you Kevin, and I’m going to say goodbye to everyone. Thank you for coming. Goodbye, Evan. Kevin. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It’s been wonderful. Bye now. Thank you.