Future Proof with Steve Cody, Senior Adviser & Founder of Peppercomm

Steve Cody is the Senior Adviser & Founder of Peppercomm, one of the most creative and culture‑rich agencies in public relations. Steve and I met at a PRSA Counselors Academy conference many years ago where I saw him speak on a panel and immediately reached out to connect. What inspires me most about Steve’s approach is his focus on bringing levity and humor to work, while still being competitive and driven to win. 

In this installment of Future Proof, I talked to Steve about his investment in comedy training, his focus on leveraging laughs for business success, and the way in which the PR landscape is changing. 

On the subject of comedy, if you know Steve and Peppercomm (which became part of Ruder Finn in 2022), you know that he has injected the firm with a focus on humor as a differentiator. Steve trained to be a stand-up comedian long ago, and while he never made a career of it, he’s leveraged the skills learned on stage to succeed in business.

A lightly edited transcript of our conversation follows:

Q: Did you ever consider going all-in on comedy?

A: Early on, I learned two things: I would never make it as a professional comedian, but I was becoming so much more confident in my presentation skills and my ability to read the room. Humor disarms people. It builds instant connection and trust. I knew I could put those skills to good use at Peppercomm. 

Q: How have you integrated comedy into your leadership of Peppercomm? 

A: Our employees have benefited from multiple levels of stand‑up comedy training and improv. Over the years it became part of our culture and part of our revenue stream. Businesses who were not our clients would call us and say, ‘We just merged with another company, we need something like your improv sessions.’

Q: Can you tell me about a specific exercise that works well? 

A: We all know what a mobile device is, right? We pair up in groups of three and ask each person to describe a mobile device in 15 seconds. Now do it again but go back to an audience from 1950. Now go to 1650. What would that be like? How would your description change? 

Q: How does this help PR professionals? 

A: It forces them to put themselves in the audience’s shoes, which is critical to our profession. If I have to reach a millennial group in Baltimore, I need to dive deeper into their mindset, “where do they get their information, what’s turning them on or off?” There are very real business applications to all of the stand‑up and improv work we do.

Q: What’s something your team is doing now that would’ve been unthinkable five years ago?

A: Rebalancing how you interact with the media. Five years ago, it was all about the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Fortune, Forbes, Barron’s. Those are still very important. But influencers, Substackers, podcasters. I never thought five years ago that some clients would value a podcaster more than they would an article in The Journal.

Q: What’s surprised you in the past few years?

A: I never, ever thought that I would see so many companies walk back and walk away from their commitments to DEI and sustainability. It’s been jaw‑dropping and appalling to see so many companies turn their back because it’s politically expedient.

Q: Biggest trend you’re watching in 2025?

A: The 800‑pound gorilla is AI. I think there’s been an overreaction to AI. It’s a tremendous tool, but I would never in a million years let it represent me.

Q: What’s a specific way you used AI recently?

A: We had a big new business pitch recently and the number five was very important. I went to Perplexity and said, ‘take the number five and go back in time and give me examples of relevant uses.’ It came up with so many different ideas with rock groups, arts, entertainment, sports… and a variation of one of those ideas found its way into the presentation.

Q: What’s an under‑the‑radar communications challenge that leaders should prioritize?

A: Reputational preparedness. Thinking through what a campaign should be before hitting the send button can save so much heartache. You  have to simulate these things and understand who owns what swim lane in terms of timing, tonality, message, and medium. Year after year companies know it’s a problem but they don’t set aside the time.

Q: What’s a buzzword you’d ban?

A: I hate the word marinate. Then there’s always socialize, circle back, synthesize… I hate those too (laughs) but marinate really gets under my skin.

Q: You’ve obviously prioritized creativity over the years. What advice do you have for others who find it challenging to take creative risks?

A: “You have to make space for creative risk, and you do it at the top. I’ve always been open to admitting huge mistakes. It’s okay to fail because I want a culture where we can experiment. Clients come and clients go, but great people who are willing to take risks? Those are the ones who help you become a great agency.”

Q: What does leadership look like in the next era for PR execs?

A: Brand loyalty is almost passé these days, so leaders need to be laser‑focused on reading the target audience on a nanosecond‑by‑nanosecond basis. The more we can make it a face‑to‑face interaction where people can actually congregate, that’s going to become very important.”

Q: What are you reading that’s shaping your thinking?

A: “Ron Chernow’s Mark Twain is phenomenal. I also just reread Smart Brevity, which should be a must‑read for every PR professional. And Strongmen, I like to mix the historical with the current business.  

Q: Finally, what’s one trait that every PR pro should prioritize?

A: Insatiable curiosity and continuous learning. If you don’t have that in your DNA, don’t get into public relations.