Uplift: He oversees operations and financial strategy for Rolling Stone, Billboard, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Vibe, SXSW

The Steve Harvey Morning Show

iHeartPodcasts

Society & Culture, Comedy

4.5 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 22 September 2025

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Paul Rainey.

He holds a powerful executive role in the media world, shaping the future of iconic brands like Billboard, Rolling Stone, and SXSW.

🏆 Paul Rainey’s Executive Career at Penske Media Corporation (PMC)

Current Role

Executive Vice President of Operations and Finance at Penske Media Corporation (PMC).
Oversees operations and financial strategy for Rolling Stone, Billboard, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Vibe, SXSW, and more.
Provides strategic input across PMC’s global media brands and live events, including the Billboard Music Awards, SXSW, and American Music Awards.

Key Responsibilities

Leads financial decision-making, acquisitions, and operational procedures across PMC’s portfolio.
Serves on several boards, including as Audit Committee Chair of Redaptive, Inc. and a Director at SXSW.

Background & Education

Holds a Master of Science in Accountancy and a BBA in Finance and Computer Applications from the University of Notre Dame.
Formerly held leadership roles at General Electric, Global Eagle, and Harris CapRock Communications, managing billion-dollar operations across five continents.

📘 About PMC & Cultural Influence
PMC is a global media powerhouse, reaching over 350 million people monthly. Its brands shape culture through journalism, entertainment, and live events, including SXSW

Paul Rainey is a rare blend of creative storyteller and corporate strategist, bridging the worlds of graphic novels and global media leadership. Whether he’s crafting a sci-fi twist in a comic or guiding the future of Billboard and SXSW, his influence is both wide-reaching and deeply personal. Let me know if you’d like a visual timeline of his career or a deeper dive into one of his roles. 🎬📈✨

#STRAW

#BEST

#SHMS

Support the show: https://www.steveharveyfm.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an IHeart podcast.
0:04.6	Hi, I'm Roshan McDonnell.
0:06.4	I host the weekly Money Making Conversation Masterclass show.
0:09.4	The interviews and information that this show provides are for everyone.
0:12.9	It's time to stop reading other people's success stories and start living your own.
0:17.4	If you want to be a guest on my show, please visit our website, Moneymakingconversations.com,
0:23.5	and click the be a guest button. Press submit and the information will come directly to me.
0:28.7	Now, let's get this show started. The guest I'm about to introduce you did not fill out of
0:33.5	a guest guest form. I met him in Austin, Texas at the South by Southwest Fent.
0:40.1	Let me give you a little background on him.
0:42.6	He serves as the Executive Vice President of Operations and Finance for Penske Media Corporation,
0:48.6	that's PMC.
0:49.9	In this role, he oversees all operations and financial decision makers,
0:55.3	affecting the various operating companies across PMC's portfolio of award-winning brands.
1:02.3	Check out some of the brands, y'all.
1:03.7	Get closer to this radio.
1:06.4	Rolling Stone, Billboard, Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, Vibe, The Rob Report, She, S-H-E-Media, Dick Clark
1:18.2	Productions, Luminate, Sportico, and South by Southwest.
1:22.8	That's why I met him.
1:24.0	Please work with the Moneymaking Conversation Masterclass, Paul Rainey. How you know, Paul? I'm doing very well. Thanks so much for having me on the show. I didn't set you up too big. Did I, Paul? No, no. I appreciate, you know, giving them a flower while I'm still living. Well, you know, here's the great thing about it, Paul. You got more to do, you know.
1:45.2	But we don't talk about this journey.
1:47.1	When I say things like that and you're an African-American man, there's a journey to get there.
	...

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