Past Shows
Saturday, June 15th
Summer for The Focus Group starts in Las Vegas, at the Luxor Hotel & Casino for the 5th Season of Temptation Sundays, the city’s original and longest running LGBT pool party. Tim Evans, Director of Marketing for the Luxor, kicks the show off by sharing updates on all the new changes at the hotel. Temptation Sundays is hosted by J.Son, also known as MrGayVegas. ‘Phi’ Nguyen from the Jabawockeez talks about their new show, Prism. And Jaymes Vaughan is back as host of the Temptor model contest. He has had one busy and exciting year. Temptation Sundays runs weekly until September 8th.
Saturday, June 8th
Get to know your neighbor is a segment that is becoming a Focus Group summertime tradition. First up is Pete Dominick, host of Stand Up! With Pete Dominick, which airs weekdays from 6-9am on the INDIE Channel, Sirius XM 104.
Jenna Morasca co-hosts “EW Morning Live” and the “Must List” on the new EW Channel, Sirius XM 105. She has also been a CBS Network reality show correspondent, appeared on numerous television shows, and was also a cast member on Season 19 of the Emmy Award winning show The Amazing Race.
Saturday, June 1st
Leaders are too often addicted to speed and action. But we live in an increasingly complex, and ambiguous world—change is constant and we are on information overload. How can leaders deal with critical decisions, develop creative solutions, and thrive in the relentless pace of their 24/7 reality? Kevin Cashman, author of The Pause Principle, contends that the answer is not to act more quickly but to pause more deeply. Rather than doing more, we need to learn to do differently. Join the conversation at 866-305-6887.
Saturday, May 25th
John Kenney has worked as a copywriter in New York City for seventeen years. He has also been a contributor to The New Yorker since 1999. His Debut novel, Truth in Advertising, is a wickedly funny and honest debut novel about the absurdity of corporate life, the complications of love, and the meaning of family.
Paul Hagen joins Tim and John for an Ad Campaign Smack-down. One example? Palmolive’s Madge—“You’re soaking in it!”—pitted against the Pine-Sol Lady—“That’s the power of Pine-Sol Baby!” Also on the docket, a Memorial Day inspired edition of Can You Focus.
Saturday, May 18th
Jeff Yeager, America’s favorite cheapskate and author of How to Retire the Cheapskate Way, has a new weekly web show, The Cheap Life with Jeff Yeager. It’s all about living the good life, only at a fraction of the cost. It’s not just about spending less, it’s about spending smart.
Brothers Bryan and Jordan Silverman started Star Toilet Paper after finding research that showed Americans respond favorably to advertising in public restrooms, including signage above urinals, and came up with the idea to print coupons on toilet paper. Director of Marketing Sean McKinney joins the show to talk about selling the product. Join the conversation at 866-305-6887.
Saturday, May 11th
Shop Talk is Tim and John’s ongoing banter and commentary on current business topics. The rise in smartphone thefts across the country is discussed, along with some smart strategies for keeping your iPhone safe. Ray Harryhausen, the animator and special-effects wizard who found ways to breathe cinematic life into the gargantuan, the mythical and the extinct, died at the age of 92. His work influenced a whole generation of filmmakers and special effects technicians. And what happens when financial opposites set up house together? Join the conversation at 866-305-6887.
Saturday, May 4th
Live from Chicago, the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association’s Annual Global Convention, the world’s premier educational and networking event for the LGBT tourism industry. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the organization, and will introduce several unique destinations: Toronto and the World Pride 2014 event. Japan, Taiwan and Madrid, the next city to host the IGLTA conference.
Thanks to Delta Air Lines for getting The Focus Group to Chicago, and to the Hyatt Hotel Corporation for our great accommodations.
Saturday, April 27th
On The Strip and Beyond, Bon Appétit Associate Publisher of Marketing Eric Johnson talks about what’s in store for the 7th year for Vegas Uncork’d. The event takes place over Mother’s Day weekend from May 9 through 12, and features more than 50 celebrity chefs on the cutting edge of today’s global culinary scene.
Overflowing email. Endless to-do lists. Pain-in-the-neck colleagues. No doubt about it: For most of us, stress is “the new normal.” Business psychologist Sharon Melnick spent a decade researching tools and techniques for staying resilient and productive even under chaotic and ever-changing circumstances. In Success Under Stress Melnick supplies a treasure-trove of the most effective quick-fix tools that you can use immediately. Join the conversation at 866-305-6887.
Saturday, April 20th
A Focus Group Best Of The Lead Educator of the Chopra Center for the past 10 years, and author of Secrets of Meditation: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace and Personal Transformation, davidji is making meditation a practical tool for people from all walks of life. Tim and John have a Focus Group Focus Group and sample a few of the over 100 flavors from the world’s most famous jelly beans, Jelly Belly. Shop Talk is Tim and John’s ongoing banter and commentary on current business topics. The stapler has proven to be a business tool that remains important in our digital world. Join the conversation at 866-305-6887.
Saturday, April 13th
Bright and sassy Aunt Barbara is the creation of Robert Suchan (with inspiration from Robert’s own Aunt Barbara). By night this successful businesswoman can be spotted in the most fashionable homes of Long Island and the Tri-State area demonstrating Tupperware’s varied line of quality products. Audiences howl with laughter as this engaging career gal shows them how to save time and money and keep foods their freshest.
Shop Talk is Tim and John’s ongoing banter and commentary on current business topics. The cost of going from all caps to upper and lower case on street signs is up for discussion. Join the conversation at 866-305-6887.