m.S.daniel
building strategic & effective international connexions
I am a writer, podcast producer, entrepreneur, creative consultant, and independent published scholar with expertise in (and passion for) Russian history, foreign policy, and security as well as US-Russia and Russia-Middle East relations. I served for several years at the Center for Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies at The University of Texas at Austin, most recently as assistant director, where I focused on creating innovative cross-cultural programming and promoting global education through various projects and publicly accessible media.
In 2023, I published a monograph on the work of the BBC Russian Service in the USSR, which demonstrates that effective foreign policy means patient, consistent communication and time-developed branding to build trust with audiences. As the founder and CEO of Connexions, I am honored to help build and strengthen a community of global leaders in the digital space to generate strategic and forward-looking policy for problems related to information disorder and security. For more on the recent #Connexions24 conference and the upcoming Connexions25 summit, please visit the website.
writing
THE DJ WHO “BROUGHT DOWN” THE USSR
Of the many Cold War radio DJs who broadcast to the USSR, Seva Novgorodsev must be near the top of the list. A masterful BBC presenter, Seva was considered a sage of rock ‘n’ roll. His programs introduced forbidden western popular music and culture into the USSR, rendering him an “enemy voice” and ideological saboteur to the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Despite KGB threats and constant media pillorying, Seva remained on the air for 38 years, acquiring millions of listeners all across the breadth of the USSR and beyond. He became a cult phenomenon, dismantling the Soviet way of life in the hearts and minds of youth. This is the story of Russia’s first and best-known DJ.
The medium is the message.
- Marshall McLuhan
podcasts
the slavic connexion
The first podcast I created was The Slavic Connexion (also known as SlavX and now expanded to an academic public media outlet). I had never listened to podcasts, barely paid attention to them, yet I felt instinctually that academia needed them. I was a student at the time and was inspired by other Ukrainian university students during a Skype call in early 2019. I decided that the Slavic studies world could use a scholarly but non-traditionally academic platform that was accessible, entertaining, and informative to share research, news, and culture from this massive region with people who would consider themselves Slavic-curious. The nice thing about SlavX is that it not only is an excellent free information resource but also a resume-building and hard-skills-developing platform for the students who host and produce the show.
The Other Side of Campus was definitely one of these “pandemic pods,” but I’ll say that it was absolutely necessary for a campus community feeling exceedingly disconnected and isolated during the early months of quarantine. Just imagine 50,000+ students and 20,000+ employees suddenly evacuate an 400+ acre urban area they had previously swarmed and have to resort to communicating with each other only through 10-14 inch screens AFTER having been used to packing into lecture halls like sardines. The pandemic was of course traumatizing for the world, but I would say for large universities like UT Austin it dealt a special psychological blow. Good things resulted, of course. Attention to mental health, humanization of faculty, improved accessibility standards, and… this podcast. I am proud to have conceived of its branding, structure, sound, and format as producer.
"Who we are as people shapes who we are as teachers." The Other Side of Campus brings you the voices and experiences of faculty from all across UT Austin who want to innovate, create, and grow as teachers. Sharing their stories, insights, and memorable moments in a lecture hall, these educators are here to engage everyone in the learning process, including themselves. Hosted by faculty from the Provost's Teaching Fellows at UT Austin, this program is meant to provide a fun and entertaining space to explore ways in which personal narratives shape campuses, classrooms, students, and teachers. As one of the biggest institutions in America, UT has a lot of room for improved cross-campus connections and for building teaching and learning bridges.
the other side of campus
The glory and tragedy of discourse in the arts.
Touching upon the intersection of politics, culture, and the arts. No commentary deemed off limits—comedic, tragic, or otherwise. Most opinions welcome.
This is probably the one podcast I do for “fun.” My co-host is the amazing Matt Joseph Misetich (executive at Pipeline Media Group). I enjoy our sometimes far-flung, all over the place discussions about art and politics, but it’s always a good time and lots of (much-needed) laughs.
how the arts were won
This limited series podcast in Russian on American culture was one I served as consulting producer for at the US Embassy/American Center in Moscow. Aimed at Russian citizens, it was recorded by employees of AMC and edited by volunteers. The pandemic of course presented a challenge since all recording and any training of volunteers that I did had to be done over Zoom. In this series, I fully produced several episodes, and the last one released bears the significance of being the most number of guests I have ever had on one episode at the same time (talk about a lot of tracks).
Ближе, чем кажется (Closer than it seems)
This limited series podcast on media literacy was one I had the privilege of producing for the US Embassy/American Center in Moscow while in Russia in 2019. Of course it is in the Russian language, aimed at Russian citizens, and (fun fact) the voices in the theme are all AMC employees. AMC, housed at this point in the US Embassy compound after being pushed out of the Moscow library, has a fantastic recording booth, small albeit, and equipped with everything a podcaster could possibly want. I highly enjoyed serving as producer and getting the opportunity to meet some top media professionals in Russia, such as Artemy Troitsky, who became lifelong connections as well.
Stuck in the media with you
Interview
This was a fun opportunity I had at the end of 2024 to share my unlikely podcasting journey from “skeptic to champion” and my role in establishing the Texas Podcast Network. It was somewhat of a time capsule for me and I’m glad I got to talk about higher ed podcasting and where I’d like to see it go in our present information environment.
From the Continuing Studies Podcast episode description: Michelle Daniel shares her journey from podcasting skeptic to champion, detailing her work in creating the Texas Podcast Network at the University of Texas at Austin. Drawing on her experiences as a graduate student and musician, she recounts her unexpected entry into podcasting, driven by a desire to foster global connections through storytelling, and offers insight on building institutional buy-in, balancing content quality with audience needs, and the transformative power of podcasting as a tool for communication and collaboration in higher education. Her passion for connection and creativity underscores a vision of universities as hubs of open dialogue, bridging academic silos and reaching global communities through the medium of podcasting.
projects
projects by Year
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DIPLOMACY AT TEXAS - a strategic recruitment initiative at UT Austin aimed at international students in countries of State Dept priority
THE SLAVIC CONNEXION - podcast created for the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at UT Austin
STUCK IN THE MEDIA WITH YOU - podcast produced at the US Embassy/American Center in Moscow
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TEXAS BLACK & WHITE AWARDS - recognition for outstanding campus leaders and international community ambassadors
THE OTHER SIDE OF CAMPUS - podcast for generating connection among faculty in higher ed spaces
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SXSW Ukraine Showcase - produced and branded official showcase after Russian invasion of Ukraine prevented Ukrainian bands from leaving Ukraine. Featured lead singer of KAZKA.
TEXAS SCHOLARS PROJECT - program to assist displaced and at-risk scholars, affected by the War in Ukraine, with 1-year research or teaching appointments at UT Austin
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#Connexions - an interdisciplinary and intersector project to address global issues through innovative collaboration; next conference to be held March 17-20, 2024 in Austin, Texas
IDEA Exchange Program (State Dept sponsored) for young Russian media professionals
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Connexions EXPERTS series - notable speakers included U.S. Under Secretary of State Liz Allen
#Connexions24 - held March 18-20, 2024 at UT Austin
IDEA Exchange Program (State Dept sponsored) for young Russian media professionals
U.S. Alumni Program - Project director for State Dept awarded grant funding professional development activities for Russian alumni of U.S. exchanges.
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Threatcasting.ai - New project launched as part of Connexions, serving as a central consulting and training hub for Threatcasting.
Connexions 2025 - Conference to be held in October in San Antonio, TX focusing on Great Power Competition in Latin America.
The Other Side of Campus (relaunch) - Starting Summer 2025.
Contributing Writer - Foreign Analysis Magazine
Threatcasting.ai
From March 18-20, 2024, the Connexions 2024 Conference on information disorder, public disengagement, and the disruption of emerging technologies was hosted by The University of Texas at Austin. #Connexions24 featured panels with experts from industry, military, and academic and workshops by Deloitte, Bellingcat, DFRLab at Atlantic Council, and more. Visit connexions.ai/2024 for more.
From April 10-12, 2023, the Connexions 2023 Conference on global media in diplomacy and foreign policy took place at The University of Texas at Austin. Connexions created an international space for discourse on modern media and technology in state affairs to help address the critical need for informed and expert leadership in the information sphere. Of main focus was the chaos of information itself and how it informs and impedes the creation, execution, and communication of policy and the effective conduct of diplomacy.