Imperium

Strategic Counsel For A Changing World

[Josh Helton @joshmhelton]

America is back and the Europeans are loving it.

Back in Nashville this week with the Imperium team, and we can’t stop talking about Freddy—if you’ve scrolled X at all this week, you know. Had to include it in our weekly newsletter.

The World Cup is spotlighting American exceptionalism as international fans embrace the culture in real time. This runs counter to the narrative the media has been pushing recently. 

People love this country, and Freddy is just one example.

Beyond America’s comeback, this week we’re following China's reality check and the new AI value chain.

https://t.co/nMYwmEIH1I

[Imperium @findimperium]

Following the #USMNT’s dominant 4–1 victory last week, all eyes turn to Seattle tomorrow. 🇺🇸

Folarin Balogun’s historic first-half brace fueled the most prolific World Cup scoring performance in program history.

Beyond the tournament itself, hosting a global event at this scale highlights the intersection of public policy, infrastructure readiness, and economic development. Occurring alongside the U.S. 250th anniversary, the influx of international commerce and tourism is driving tangible growth across host cities while cementing a historic cultural and economic legacy.

The tournament continues tomorrow at Lumen Field as the U.S. faces Australia. We’re gearing up to watch here in Music City.

Let’s go USA!

https://t.co/oB6Mcn433N

[Imperium @findimperium]

When online disinformation targets a company, survival requires a strong defense paired with a relentless focus on business execution. Our client @apeelsciences continues to prove how this dual strategy wins.

Following a definitive piece in @TheFP exposing the mechanics of the digital attacks against them, @FastCompany just detailed the next chapter of Apeel’s comeback. The AgTech pioneer answered the online noise by fundamentally streamlining its business model. By integrating its plant-based technology directly into existing supplier packhouse equipment, Apeel eliminated retail friction and unlocked global momentum.

Navigating modern digital warfare demands operational agility. We are proud to partner with the Apeel team as they continue to redefine resilience in tech.

[Fast Company @FastCompany]

The startup that tried to fix food waste—and got hit by a disinformation campaign https://t.co/kxDJ0BUnKK

[Imperium @findimperium]

https://t.co/wwNX0c0zIJ

[Imperium @findimperium]

We've published Imperium Insights every week for over a year and a half now. Each edition pulls from what we're discussing in the office, reading on our own, and hearing from clients and colleagues, then distills it into one quick read. Naturally, our office watercooler conversation this week has completely revolved around the USMNT.

As a result, the latest edition is a tour of legacy meeting the moment—a USMNT golden generation chasing a World Cup on home soil, Brooks Brothers staking 208 years of heritage on a comeback, Steinbeck defining how America reads itself sixty years on, and a Supreme Court case asking whether Election Day still means what it used to. Plus, Galaxy Digital's Fortune 500 debut, the rise of the chief communications officer, and an American Growth Partnership roundtable with RFK Jr's newest senior advisor.

Following something you want to see in Insights? Let us know in the replies. Read this week's edition there too.

Photo: Alamy / ZUMA Press

[Imperium @findimperium]

Read the full report: https://t.co/uu8qYrbvP8

[Imperium @findimperium]

Blanket bans on critical tech infrastructure directly undermine the American reindustrialists who must lead our nation's technological dominance and innovation.

In Hawkins County, our client @ExoticRidge Crypto Company proposed a completely self-sufficient cryptocurrency mining project designed to capture and convert wasted, flared ethane gas into on-site power—requiring zero energy from the local grid.

Instead of welcoming this innovation, the county enacted an unconstitutional blanket ban on cryptocurrency mines and data centers that violates fundamental property rights.

Working alongside @BeaconTN, we are proud to stand with ExoticRidge to defend free enterprise, innovation, and the constitutional rights of property owners.

[Imperium @findimperium]

Read more: https://t.co/R1vXO3M0Vq

[Imperium @findimperium]

This week we’re covering California's political reset, an American paradox, and the future of digital authoritarianism.

[Josh Helton @joshmhelton]

Klomp and Co are doing some ground breaking things at
CMS - truly transformative. It was a pleasure to moderate the conversation with our membership.

[Imperium @findimperium]

The evolution of authoritarian surveillance from active monitoring to predictive AI represents a profound shift in the global security landscape.

A new article by the @nytimes highlights this systemic shift, drawing directly on research from the Wicked Problems Lab at @vunatsecurity. By analyzing leaked documents from foreign surveillance networks, the team at the Institute has provided critical clarity on how these asymmetric threats are developing.

The Institute’s vital work goes beyond tracking emerging threats to actively inform the complex debates surrounding U.S. technology policy and export controls.

We are proud to partner with an organization delivering this caliber of strategic insight.

[VU Institute of National Security @vunatsecurity]

This is what happens when mass surveillance meets A.I.

@VanderbiltU research exposes China’s alarming push to weaponize AI and predict who is likely to become a dissident before they even act.

Read the full article from @julianbarnes at the @nytimes.

https://t.co/D9cgknx7Gf

[Imperium @findimperium]

https://t.co/gDCIW0hL1x

[Imperium @findimperium]

This week we’re covering the future of American AI, Ferrari's reality check, and the new politics of LA.

[TBPN @tbpn]

Over a decade ago, founder of Apeel Sciences @jamestrogers began developing a natural method to increase the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.

Since then, he's faced a relentless disinformation campaign from the food industry that ultimately locked him out of the US market and forced him to lay off hundreds of employees.

The reason? Short shelf lives for produce mean more people waste food, and industrial food producers sell more.

Here's our interview with James from the show today.

TIMESTAMPS
01:20 — James' background in materials science, and why he decided to start Apeel
05:00 Early funding and initial starts and stops
07:13 Figuring out how to make produce last longer and developing time-lapse camera systems
08:29 The average apple eaten in the US is a year old; "farm-to-table" can be a huge misnomer
09:13 Why the American food industry is hostile to produce that lasts longer
12:53 How Apeel was forced into the European market
14:29 Apeel's breakthrough preserving the avocado
15:00 Industry pushback against Apeel
15:56 Scaling up production of Apeel
19:22 "Farm-to-table" and "organic"
21:05 Attacks from the food industry, getting dropped by all US retail clients, letting go 100s of employees
33:03 The state of Apeel today
35:53 What James would have done differently, if he knew a misinformation campaign would fundamentally derail his business
37:42 The pitfalls of going golden retriever mode
45:05 Offering bounties for forensic information on the disinformation campaign

[Imperium @findimperium]

Read now: https://t.co/RTstND7brH

[Imperium @findimperium]

When Imperium client @apeelsciences, the unicorn AgTech pioneer, was targeted by viral, misleading social posts conflating its plant-based coating with an industrial floor cleaner, the market fallout was immediate.

Apeel's decision to pursue corrections from celebrities and legal action against a wellness influencer — part of a broader response strategy shaped by our strategic counsel — ultimately resulted in public apologies, becoming one of the earliest examples of a company successfully imposing accountability for coordinated digital disinformation campaigns that caused measurable commercial damage.

The momentum is building. Following a definitive piece by Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter Laurie P. Cohen in @TheFP breaking down the mechanics of the attack we’ve fought alongside Apeel, founder James Rogers is sitting down on @tbpn to discuss the reality of navigating modern digital warfare.

In today’s media landscape, doing business without the capacity to detect and dismantle coordinated digital attacks isn't just a risk—it's exposure.

Catch the full story and our strategic breakdown in this week’s Imperium Insights. We’re also covering Imperium’s national recognition and the modern public safety toolkit.

[Imperium @findimperium]

https://t.co/RYZyPhxQbj

[Imperium @findimperium]

Last week, our team traveled to New York for the @PRSA Silver Anvil Awards. We returned to Music Row as a national award winner, with Awards of Excellence in both Crisis Communications and Boutique Agency categories.

The Silver Anvil represents the highest standard in our space—judged by senior practitioners and reserved for work that demonstrates strategic rigor and measurable, real-world impact. Winning puts Imperium in rare company, validating our approach to navigating high-stakes public affairs on a national stage.

We are proud of this milestone, but we are even more energized for what’s ahead as we continue building at the frontier of public leadership.

For a deeper dive into the strategy behind these campaigns, read the full piece on Imperium Insights.

[Imperium @findimperium]

Read more: https://t.co/ffFPGWlU47

[Imperium @findimperium]

This week we’re covering the new reputation wars, AI-native campaigning, and Beijing’s Christianity crackdown.