Episode Details

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How do you move from being an invisible founder to the definitive face of an industry? And more importantly, how do you use AI to scale that presence without ending up with a feed full of "AI slop"? This episode is all about the art of solid communication.

I’m Justin Obey, and on Return on Reputation, we talk to leaders who understand that in business, there is no gray area: you either protect your reputation or you lose your leverage.

My guest today is Jason Erkes. Jason has one of the most fascinating career pivots I’ve seen. Moving from running massive sports leagues to becoming the national spokesperson for the cannabis industry at Cresco Labs. He’s lived the challenge of professionalizing a "taboo" industry and is now teaching agencies how to master the next big shift: the intersection of PR and Generative AI.

Jason breaks down why the "Sell me this pen" mentality is still the foundation of business, and how he’s helping firms train the AI on the agency, not just training the staff on the tools.

What we unpack in this conversation:

• The Human-AI Sandwich: Why the best content starts with a human, uses AI for the 80% of heavy lifting, and always finishes with a human touch for total accuracy.
• From Volleyball to Weed: The reputation blueprint Jason used to take cannabis from "garage grows" to sterile, white-lab-coat medical facilities through radical transparency.
• Don't Be a Stranger to your AI: Why asking a generic GPT to write for you is like handing your laptop to a stranger on the street—and how to fix it by hooking AI into your own client files.
• The Power of Three Points: Jason’s "no-script" secret for coming off natural on camera and building an authoritative personal brand without the fluff.
• Breaking the Noise: How to use "Newsjacking" and custom GPT roles—like the PR Writer and Creative Analyst—to give a 5-person team the bandwidth of a 50-person agency.

If you’re a founder who feels like you don't have the time to be "visible," or if you're worried that AI will make your brand feel "feral" and robotic, Jason is here to show you a better way.

Because at the end of the day, building a brand isn't an extra task, it is the business. And the loudest microphone only wins if the message is authentic.

About Jason Erkes:

Jason Erkes is a seasoned PR strategist, Emmy-winning journalist, and the former Chief Communications Officer at Cresco Labs, where he played a pivotal role in professionalizing and normalizing the cannabis industry on a national stage.

With a career spanning from sports and social clubs to highly regulated industries, Jason has mastered the art of "Strategic Reputation"—turning transparency and clear messaging into massive business growth. Today, he is the founder of Prompted Comms, a consultancy at the intersection of PR and technology, where he helps agencies and leaders integrate custom AI frameworks to amplify their brand authority without losing their human essence.

Return on Reputation is the show for founder-led brands that are done flying under the radar. Every episode, host Justin Obey, founder of Obey Creative, sits down with experts, founders, and dealmakers to unpack how personal brand, trust, and authority compound into real business leverage. We talk strategy over shortcuts, substance over viral moments, and real fr