Aditya “Ed” Watal, Intellibus

Case Study

Aditya "Ed" Watal

Project Overview

Aditya “Ed” Watal is one of the most respected voices in the world regarding artificial intelligence (AI). He is also the founder and principal of Intellibus, an AI and IT strategy consulting firm based in Reston, Virginia, that is ranked as one of the Inc. 5000 “Top 100 Fastest Growing Software Firms” in the US. Under Ed’s leadership and guidance, Intellibus has helped improve operations for banks and fintech organizations across the world for over a decade.

Ed is frequently sought after by C-suite executives who rely on him for AI and IT strategy, architecture, non-functional design, reference, data, and platform engineering due to his business acumen and deep IT knowledge. He regularly serves as a board advisor to the world’s largest financial institutions and possesses substantial experience as a lecturer for leading universities, including Stanford and NYU, the latter of which he serves as the lead faculty of AI Master Class — a joint operation between NYU SPS and Intellibus

Ed has built and sold several startups in the AI and B2B tech sectors. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, he worked in some of the world’s largest global financial institutions, including RBS, Deutsche Bank, and Citigroup. He has authored dozens of articles on AI and other transformative technology, as well as a defining book on cloud fundamentals, “Cloud Basics.”

The Problem

Ed came to Otter PR seeking more exposure for both his personal and professional brand (i.e., Intellibus), and to establish himself as the foremost authority and expert on AI in the space. During initial talks with our team, he mentioned how he had worked with various other PR firms in the past, but had achieved minimal results. 

With this in mind, Otter PR established the internal goal of smashing Ed’s expectations with his PR campaign. We knew we could help establish him as the go-to thought leader in the AI space and garner a media resume to better position himself for speaking opportunities through a comprehensive media coverage campaign that leveraged the sudden and rapid growth of AI in contemporary news cycles. 

The Strategy

Our approach to Ed’s campaign involved identifying high-profile outlets, including top-tier and tech-centric publications, to increase Ed’s online visibility as an AI and IT thought leader. This largely required us to highlight his expertise to several different audience demographics. 

Shortly into Ed’s campaign, per his request, we slightly pivoted our approach to specifically target journalists and reporters at national television networks and radio stations with a large reach for interviews where he could showcase his keen insights and acumen. During this process, our team unlocked additional opportunities for him to speak on leading podcasts that focus on AI, IT, and B2B consulting advice.

Two angles that resonated extremely well with these outlets were the rise in AI-driven scams and the dangers of relying on unregulated, emerging technologies in modern business operations. Many of the outlets we pitched to as part of Ed’s campaign cater to audiences of working professionals who have an invested interest in (or, at the very least, were curious about) AI, and his career expertise garnered him rapid attention and success with media coverage.

Business Impact

Throughout Ed’s media campaign, his PR team — spearheaded by Otter PR publicist, Dave Purdy — has secured him incredible wins in top-tier TV networks like Fox News and NewsNation, radio stations like QR Calgary Radio, podcasts like “Office Hours with David Meltzer,” and digital outlets such as Yahoo! Finance, Tech Times, Medical Device News. As of June 2024, his campaign continues to perform well with a strong blend of coverage in both digital and printed media, including a recent interview with SiriusXM Radio.

Overall, Ed’s comprehensive media campaign has generated over 160 pieces of coverage, including 74 organic wins from four TV networks, eight podcasts, and another 14 requests for interviews. His ability to speak as a thought leader in the AI sector has greatly increased visibility for both his personal brand and Intellibus, targeting an audience of over 5 billion with an estimated 276 viewers and readers.

Ed continues to receive requests for interviews, op-eds, and speaking appearances from outlets both within and outside of Otter PR’s media partnership network. He was recently approached by Forbes Books to collaborate on a seminal book discussing humanity’s projected future with AI.

Tags: technology, thought leardership
Picture of Dave Purdy

Dave Purdy

Dave was born in Massachusetts and grew up in the Tampa Bay area. He’s a proud veteran of the US Navy and a mass communications graduate of the University of South Florida. He worked many years in radio broadcasting as a DJ, Traffic reporter, and news anchor, most recently for Newsradio WFLA in Tampa. Dave has also been involved in media sales with AT&T, iHeart, and CBS Radio. He’s been working in the public relations field since 2018 with a major emphasis on getting great radio and podcast interviews for his clients. Some media outlets he’s gotten his clients featured in include ABC Radio, Westwood One, Bloomberg Radio, and many more.

Publicist

Picture of Dave Purdy

Dave Purdy

Dave was born in Massachusetts and grew up in the Tampa Bay area. He’s a proud veteran of the US Navy and a mass communications graduate of the University of South Florida. He worked many years in radio broadcasting as a DJ, Traffic reporter, and news anchor, most recently for Newsradio WFLA in Tampa. Dave has also been involved in media sales with AT&T, iHeart, and CBS Radio. He’s been working in the public relations field since 2018 with a major emphasis on getting great radio and podcast interviews for his clients. Some media outlets he’s gotten his clients featured in include ABC Radio, Westwood One, Bloomberg Radio, and many more.

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The amount of publicity they have generated for has been nothing short of impressive. It has dramatically increased new clients by 30% and I have seen my platforms grow 2-fold

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