Morgan Shanahan's guest appearances

Morgan Shanahan

Inflection Point with Lauren Schiller

Smartest Person in the Room

Motherhood in Hollywood

Peter Hedges

Lisa Loeb

Tammin Sursok

Steve Harvey

Danielle Koenig

Jill Simonian

Rebecca Romijn

Ian Ziering

Travis McElroy

Catherine McCord

Tyler Perry

Audrina Patridge

Jenni Pulos

Paul Oakenfold

John August

OwlTail

This is the VIRAL series, and we’re looking closely at something that permeates most of our internet culture: viral content. Videos, memes, tweets, graphics, these can take over our online experience and change our minds, culture, elections, or just make us collectively laugh. Things that go viral on the internet can have real power.  Growing up in around the entertainment industry in Southern California and attending NYU Film School still didn't prepare Morgan Shanahan for the success she would find as a content creator. She wrote screenplays and commercials for years before turning to a more personal outlet. Her blog The 818 was a vulnerable look at marriage, motherhood, and mental health and drew her a large following.  Morgan's platform and talent opened an opportunity at the media behemoth Buzzfeed, where she's been the parenting editor and now parenting video producer for several years. The creative content she's making at Buzzfeed get tens of millions of views.  In our conversation around the topic of VIRAL, Morgan and I discuss what it takes for something to get shared over and over, the types of content that work best, and what it means for the creator and for society.   Whether you're totally internet savvy or completely non-techy, this episode will be more relevant to your life than you may think. Read the full show notes  here. Follow Smartest Person in the Room on Facebook and Instagram.

This is the VIRAL series, and we’re looking closely at something that permeates most of our internet culture: viral content. Videos, memes, tweets, graphics, these can take over our online experience and change our minds, culture, elections, or just make us collectively laugh. Things that go viral on the internet can have real power.  Growing up in around the entertainment industry in Southern California and attending NYU Film School still didn't prepare Morgan Shanahan for the success she would find as a content creator. She wrote screenplays and commercials for years before turning to a more personal outlet. Her blog <a href="http://the818.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The 818</a> was a vulnerable look at marriage, motherhood, and mental health and drew her a large following.  Morgan's platform and talent opened an opportunity at the media behemoth Buzzfeed, where she's been the parenting editor and now parenting video producer for several years. The creative content she's making at Buzzfeed get tens of millions of views. In our conversation around the topic of VIRAL, Morgan and I discuss what it takes for something to get shared over and over, the types of content that work best, and what it means for the creator and for society.  Whether you're totally internet savvy or completely non-techy, this episode will be more relevant to your life than you may think. Read the full show notes <a href="http://www.smartestpersonintheroom.com/show-notes/2017/2/21/ep-17-viral-series-buzzfeed-editor-and-award-winning-blogger-morgan-shanahan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> here</a>. Follow Smartest Person in the Room on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/smartestpersonintheroom/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/smartestpersonintheroom/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.

Ep 17 Viral Series: Buzzfeed editor and award-winning blogger Morgan Shanahan

I really hope this podcast goes viral. The irony would be too much!  That's because my guest is viral video vixen, writer, and mom Morgan Shanahan. Morgan is a Senior Editor for Buzzfeed and has her finger on the pulse of the internet. She stays on top of everything happening in the parenting world including funny videos, celeb news and topical parent-themed listicles because it's her job.  She's also an award-winning screenwriter and a director. Is there anything she can't do? Probably. But we didn't talk about that in this episode.We did talk about how I'm jealous of the Chewbacca mom, but not because of her fascination with Chewie. It's because she played the public like a fiddle. We also squeeze in some celeb talk about Ryan Reynolds.  Apparently he really is that nice! And she hints at a story about another celebrity involving a hamster and her car. But I've been sworn to secrecy. Sorry suckers!The most compelling part of my interview with Morgan was her honesty about dealing with postpartum depression. It's incredible that she's been through so much in the last several years, yet managed to build a hugely successful blog called the818.com, make millions of people laugh through Buzzfeed, and become an advocate for other women suffering from PPD.You have to hear her very moving story for yourself. If you or someone you know is suffering from postpartum depression and want them to know they're not alone, share this episode with them. It won't fix the situation, but it could help them to know they're not alone.You can also tell them about the charity Morgan is working with called Postpartum Progress. She's involved in a fundraiser to raise awareness and funds to help other women struggling through the complicated and devastating heartbreak of postpartum.To find out how you can get involved go to the818.com and learn more about Climb Out Of The Darkness. And don't forget to follow Morgan @the818 on Twitter or @BuzzfeedParents to support her fun comedy bits. And who wouldn't want to do that? You could be a part of creating the next viral video star!

I really hope this podcast goes viral. The irony would be too much!  That's because my guest is viral video vixen, writer, and mom Morgan Shanahan. Morgan is a Senior Editor for Buzzfeed and has her finger on the pulse of the internet. She stays on top of everything happening in the parenting world including funny videos, celeb news and topical parent-themed listicles because it's her job.  She's also an award-winning screenwriter and a director. Is there anything she can't do? Probably. But we didn't talk about that in this episode. We did talk about how I'm jealous of the Chewbacca mom, but not because of her fascination with Chewie. It's because she played the public like a fiddle. We also squeeze in some celeb talk about Ryan Reynolds.  Apparently he really is that nice! And she hints at a story about another celebrity involving a hamster and her car. But I've been sworn to secrecy. Sorry suckers! The most compelling part of my interview with Morgan was her honesty about dealing with postpartum depression. It's incredible that she's been through so much in the last several years, yet managed to build a hugely successful blog called <a href="http://the818.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the818.com</a>, make millions of people laugh through Buzzfeed, and become an advocate for other women suffering from PPD. You have to hear her very moving story for yourself. If you or someone you know is suffering from postpartum depression and want them to know they're not alone, share this episode with them. It won't fix the situation, but it could help them to know they're not alone. You can also tell them about the charity Morgan is working with called Postpartum Progress. She's involved in a fundraiser to raise awareness and funds to help other women struggling through the complicated and devastating heartbreak of postpartum. To find out how you can get involved go to <a href="http://the818.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the818.com</a> and learn more about Climb Out Of The Darkness. And don't forget to follow Morgan @the818 on Twitter or @BuzzfeedParents to support her fun comedy bits. And who wouldn't want to do that? You could be a part of creating the next viral video star!

Buzzfeed’s Morgan Shanahan On Chewbacca Mom & Going Viral