At the beginning of every month, a different Dispatch staffer fields questions from members and compiles his or her answers in a mailbag a few weeks later. This month, it was director of commercial partnerships Brittany Prime’s turn. To ensure you’re able to submit questions for May’s Mailbag, click below to become a full Dispatch member.
At the beginning of every month, a different Dispatch staffer fields questions from members and compiles his or her answers in a mailbag a few weeks later. This month, it was director of commercial partnerships Brittany Prime’s turn.
Thank you for your questions, this was so fun. Let’s dive in…
Angie: I really would like to know about the host-read ads, which always puzzled me. How are they different from ads read by the advertisers, etc.? … As far as if they are performing a different function or result, etc?
Great question! Podcast ads are an interesting part of the partnerships side. The host-read ads are crafted directly with the partner, through me. Take Aura Frames: I’m working with the Aura team to receive the latest Mother’s Day ad talking points—the hosts personalize the reads based on their own experience—and then I ensure the necessary elements are included before airing.
And the ads not read by the hosts? Those vary and are generally unique to you, based on your location and whatever else your podcast provider has gleaned from your behavior as a consumer. We have no advanced knowledge of the ads that are going to be inserted into those slots, other than that we have set up guardrails prohibiting certain categories of advertisers: political campaigns, gambling, etc. But whether you’re being served a McDonald’s ad or something about what’s hot at Home Depot this weekend, that is most often individual to your listening experience.
Achall2956: Looking forward to hearing from Brittany Prime, but it would be interesting to also hear what her clones have to say.
One of the many, many nicknames I had in high school!
Jason Bagley: Does congressional fundraising follow the same work cycles that working on elections does? Or is the work more steady?
The rumors are true: Congressional fundraising is constant. I’d have clients win an election on Tuesday, and fly to D.C. as quickly as they could—sometimes the next day—to start fundraising for their next election before they’d even been sworn in for their current term. Not the greatest system, is it?
DJElmore: You have two full days to show your guests what is great about D.C. What do you show them?
As someone who thinks there are many positives about the city and people of D.C., I love this question. Here are some must-dos, especially for a guest who may not have a return visit:
1. The National Gallery of Art—especially the impressionist wing—has some incredible collections. I could stare at the Van Gogh, Monet, and Pissarro pieces for hours.
2. Historically important pit stops at the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights with your very own eyes, and then Ford’s Theatre a few blocks over.
3. Eastern Market for lunch and midday shopping from local vendors—we usually come home with vinyl records, handcrafted children’s clothes, and a collection of the freshest local produce.
4. One professional sports game—I’m partial to baseball, hockey, or soccer—our venues are pretty great, our fans are nice, and where else can you see nearly 10-foot-tall racing presidents?
5. A visit to the top of the Washington Monument—the history is fun, and it’s a view you quite literally can’t get anywhere else.
6. Good food, including one splurge dinner at one of our many top-rated, Michelin-starred restaurants; kid-friendly brunch at Ted’s Bulletin (no restaurant in D.C. knows kids like Ted’s, and it’s delicious); local raw oysters, usually at Hank’s (seek out the happy hour deals!)
7. A visit to my church, St. John’s at Lafayette Square, the one across from the White House. Even if religion isn’t your thing, it’s a welcoming, peaceful, calming break from the hustle of the day, with some incredible history.
That was both very easy to answer and hard to pare down. I most certainly left off some favorites, but there’s only so much you can do in two days!
JohnM.: Welcome, Ms. Prime. What a great last name. I hope you’ve found a good home away from home at TD.
Where is your family’s favorite place to vacation?
Thank you, John! I agree, and it’s why I opted to keep my maiden name. No offense to my dear husband, who is in the picture above at our favorite vacation spot on Long Island. We visit every August with friends and all of our growing little families—it is relaxing and chaotic in the most wonderful way.
Richard R de Villiers: Do you have a favorite book about [the] founding of UVA and how you became a philatelist?
H.W.: So, you’re a philatelist? (I had to look that one up.) How did you get into vintage stamps? What is your favorite stamp in your collection, assuming you have one? What is one that you wish you had? Is there anything that makes a stamp valuable beyond its rarity? My daughter, who’s a novice antiquarian, has a small collection of postcards from the 19th and early 20th century. Are the postmarked stamps on those collectible or do you prefer unused stamps?
Thanks for your work at The Dispatch and for taking our questions!
I first discovered my love of vintage stamps through wedding planning. Endless searches of beautiful invitation sets always had one thing in common: expertly curated vintage stamps lining their outer envelopes. For my own wedding, I became obsessed with crafting the perfect combination—a little New York for my husband, a little Virginia for me, a little nod to the season of our wedding—and soon discovered how varied and downright beautiful some stamps were. And I have to admit I enjoy the extra challenge to have it all add up to the proper postage value, or at least come close!
Some stamps—like the Inverted Jenny—are so rare that they’re valuable in just about any condition. Rarity is definitely the driving factor in value, and usually that comes from printing mistakes. But since I collect and resell my stamps, often for them to be used on envelopes, I am only seeking the “Mint Never Hinged” designation, which is the most valuable of the bunch since they’re old and never used. “Never hinged” refers to never being affixed to an envelope or postcard, retaining their original adhesive gum.
I don’t think I could choose a favorite, but I recently sold out of a 4-block Boston Tea Party stamp, bittersweet to say goodbye. It’s from 1973, four individual 8-cent stamps, but combined to create a larger image. I love seeing those—still connected—on envelopes. There aren’t many!
Boyes Political Safe Space: As far as walking away from playing soccer before college. … Was it due to parents/adults surrounding the game, or just your losing interest in playing? And do you still love the game?
Rob.Hays: Given how obsessive parents (and kids) get about youth sports, how did you make the decision to walk away from soccer, and how do you feel about that decision now?
Hemingwayrk: Do you still enjoy watching soccer or did you lose all interest once you walked away?
GymNast: It appears you were heavily involved with youth soccer but walked away from it prior to college. If your children want to do travel sports, will you encourage/discourage them?
D.C. is a deeply competitive, type-A parent city, so I’m mindful of not letting youth sports take over to an unhealthy level for my own kids. Just because year-round leagues exist for 3-year-olds doesn’t mean we need to be in them. I want to encourage their interests without adding pressure to perform.
I think my parents struck the right balance. As long as I was doing well in school and soccer was always fun and never a source of stress or anxiety, they supported me. Did soccer take over school nights and our weekends? Yes. But did we get to travel the country together, and even go to France to play? Yes. And were they some of our greatest memories? Yes. Was my dad’s Father of the Bride speech largely dedicated to those weekends and how much he valued them? Yes. Did it have my entire bridal party weeping? Also yes. Their passion supported mine—it did not lead it.
I still love the game to this day—watching, playing, teaching my kids—but when it came to playing in college I had a few choices to make, notably, whether to prioritize the best soccer program or the best academic fit. My parents left it completely up to me. I decided I wanted to drop the student-athlete model and focus purely on the student, which brought me to UVA. Even if I could have made the team (a longshot, it was a top-five program), I didn’t want my experience at UVA to be limited to the student-athlete bubble. Which brings me to the best decision I made as a 17-year-old …
Andrew H: Regarding UVA, thoughts on the legendary Little John’s deli? Their apparent lack of a pandemic strategy, failed comeback, and best sandwich on their menu.
TAGSFan: Convince my William & Mary alumni relatives that it is not better than UVA. After all, Jefferson was a student there.
Blair M Gardner: Is the fact that the University of Virginia is the greatest university in the country not one of those self-evident truths?
Ben Connelly: As a UVA alum, I already know that UVA is the greatest college in America, but for the benefit of everyone else, what are your reasons for why that’s the case?
Tristangodbold: Totally unbiased question: Why is Mr. Jefferson’s university the best university in the world?
Also, where do you stand on the Hamilton/Jefferson divide?
… choosing to attend the greatest school, the University of Virginia.
I love the specificity of questions here, but I’m not sure I have an answer to the heartbreak that is the permanent closing of Littlejohn’s. I was a frequent flyer, especially after those late nights at the … library.
I also think it’s a law that as an alum I have to take Jefferson over Hamilton in any argument. At a minimum this helps needle the Hokies reading this that yes, we really are obsessed with the third president of these United States. Same for those William & Mary alums. It is true that Mr. Jefferson attended William & Mary, but afterward his reaction was, “Meh, I can do better”—I’m sure that’s a direct quote from a journal somewhere.
My mom went to UVA so sure, I was wearing the gear since infancy, but really, I love tradition, I love history, I love beautiful architecture. And it’s hard to beat a fall weekend in Charlottesville.
Nora: I’m confused—your firstborn was a dog? You birthed a dog? What was that like? Yikes!
Seth B: Say more about the hound dog? Inquiring minds want to know, and my basset is all ears … 😉
My dearest Poppy, named not for the flower but after H.W. Bush. First in birth order, and spoiled accordingly, with her own commissioned portrait of course. I fostered her and her sister to get my husband “used to the idea of owning a dog.” Wink wink. After three weeks, her sister was adopted, and I had my husband hooked. She was the most obedient puppy we’d ever met, and to this day has never chewed anything that didn’t belong to her, including the many plush toys my kids own. When the kids were especially pokey toddlers, we called her Poppy the Patient. I think she was ready to tolerate anything for an extra goldfish. The most gentle girl, and yet fiercest protector of her pack. The only time she pinned another dog is when it snatched my daughter’s stuffed animal from her hands. Good girl.
She is a kill shelter rescue from Lucky Dog, a mix of mixes, but a DNA result showed over 50 percent hound, mostly American Foxhound. She’s a funny hound—she didn’t start baying until my kids started yelling into toilet paper rolls one day, when she was nearly 5 years old. And now we have our own hound dog band: a recorder, a train whistle, and some awoos. Ear plugs optional!
Thanks for reading this month’s Mailbag! Keep an eye out for next month’s introductory post, where you’ll be able to ask questions of … SCOTUSblog managing editor Kelsey Dallas.
Thanks for reading this month’s Mailbag! To ensure you’re able to ask questions of SCOTUSblog managing editor Kelsey Dallas next month, become a member today.
