Understanding the sports hiring realm only works if you've really been in the game for a long time. Luckily for young professionals, M3W's Michael Warren has served in multiple capacities with professional teams, including his current stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates' spring training home, working in Ticket Operations. Warren discusses the playing field in terms of sports hiring, especially on how candidates coming into the field can hurt themselves by not understanding exactly how a search is undertaken. Warren describes the industry as a whole, then dissects specific areas where job candidates can separate themselves when launching into their sports career. Twitter: @M3WSports

The undisputed king of secondary market distribution channels is StubHub, a company that Geoff Lester helped drive partnerships for in the last four years. Lester has a background in traditional sports business, with 12 years at NASCAR prior to his time with the secondary market king. Lester discusses some of the issues surrounding legal action over what a ticket really is - a revocable license or a good to be sold as well as traded. Lester focuses in on the legislative front, where several key states are making decisions which make create vertical monopolies that may not be in the public's best interest. Lester also speaks to why its a great thing that multiple platforms sell tickets, keeping the price lower, as well as the issue of fraud or counterfeit tickets isn't as large as the mainstream media makes it out to be. Twitter: @geoff_lester

Overseeing a NCAA Division III athletic department means being able to handle multiple duties within the administration space. Steve Thompson isn't just the athletic director, he's also the women's basketball coach. And that's part of the diverse nature of Eureka College and athletic administration at the Division III level. Thompson discusses some of the ways that he implements fair but necessary standards for both coaches and student athletes, as well as ensures that the entire college, of which the student-athletes make up a large portion of the student body itself, is recognized through its athletic efforts. Twitter: @EurekaAD

The relationship between a third-party and a college athletic department is a new paradigm for sports revenue. Overseeing sales for Comcast-Spectacor at Providence College, Erin Dunn faces the challenge daily of ensuring that she conveys the best interests of the university's athletic department in tandem with revenue generation. Dunn describes her focus on ensuring that each component of the sales plan is initiated with care, especially when it comes to training young professionals to become representatives selling tickets. And that's the key there, selling tickets. Dunn discusses her initiation into the sports sales culture, from her short stint with the Philadelphia Flyers only months prior to a league-wide lockout, to her role in Minor League Baseball, Lacrosse and now college athletics, all with the same company, building a focused plan that pushed both revenue and new fans into the building. Twitter: @EDunn03

The interesting challenge facing Jonathan Benedek is working within the modern era of marketing, against the traditions of Indiana University. Although Assembly Hall may be packed for a men's basketball game on television, that doesn't mean that conducting the entire marketing plan is anything but complex. Benedek discusses why having every home basketball game on television can be both an asset and a challenge, as well as seeking out continual support from young alumni and students attending. Benedek describes the overall landscape of Indiana athletics, especially when it comes to showing additional marketing support for Olympic sports which may not earn the eyeballs of television, but are just as important to the campus community. Twitter: @JBuihoosiers

Stadium security is a subject that no one wants to talk about, but it affects the fan experience in every facet. James DeMeo has helped open several high profile sports facilities, including The Barclay Center in Brooklyn and Cedar Park Center in Texas. The goal is always the same: enhance the fan experience by protecting them from unnecessary risks. DeMeo discusses his philosophy on engaging staff early, and that doesn't mean simple five minute huddles prior to game time. DeMeo is adamant about a focused plan which ensures that every team member is competent of the procedures of operation, including emergency. DeMeo's aim is to ensure that every ticket sold, every market plan implement, carries with it the overlapping view that safety can affect revenue when it isn't taken into account and disaster happens. Twitter: JDeMeo007

Tony Knopp has been in the primary and secondary markets, working for AEG, StubHub and now his own venture, TicketManager. Knopp discusses some of the various ways in which corporate tickets have become a wasteland for businesses when they don't have credible data to support their usage rates. That's where Knopp feels his business has the solution, providing real time analytics which ensure proper tracking of tickets, as well as ways to track who received them and the R.O.I. attached to each cultivation period by the company. Knopp delves into the deep dark world of the secondary market, as well as showcases some of the reasons that resellers are beating out the primary market, mainly due to inefficiencies by franchise executives and their staff. It's no-holds barred discussed by Knopp, and definitely should turn some heads for those that listen. Twitter: @TonyKnopp

The last time we chatted with Rick Olivieri, he was the Director of Guest Services at the Washington Capitals (Ep. 272). Now a member of a small sales team in Las Vegas, Olivieri is helping shake up Sin City with the opportunity to bring a Major League hockey franchise to town. Hockey Vision Las Vegas has already begun on a high note, hitting over 11,500-plus season ticket deposits despite not having approval for an NHL expansion franchise. That doesn't deter the local fan base or Hockey Vision's core staff, Olivieri explains, and actually intensifies the amount of effort being pushed out in order to get a franchise team in 2017 when the MGM Grand's new arena is open. Twitter: @RickOlivieri

Sports journalism is finally carving out investigative reporting beats for the business segments of the industry. Reporter Mark Alesia is one of those innovators in the field, digging up information that pulls back the curtain for the public on stadium financing, pricing and secondary market tickets. Alesia continues to maintain his impartiality to the process, filing Freedom of Information Act requests in an effort to show the public exactly where their money goes and why when it comes to sports. Alesia discusses some of the hotter topics around the Indianapolis area, especially concerning the Indy Eleven stadium financing plan for an MLS franchise, as well as the fall-out from the Religion Freedom Law which showed politics at its worst, and sports as its best social justice moment. Alesia presents several options for why journalism in sports and for news is gravely important for protection of the public trust. Twitter: @MarkAlesia

Understanding how to engage and push audience creation is at the heart of what Caleb Clark strives to do daily. Clark discusses the misconceptions of Big Ten athletic attendance when it comes to The Ohio State or Olympic sports, as well as how to improve the overall fan affinity for each of those teams. Clark also covers his tenure at UC Irvine and Akron, where the main attention transfers to other primary sports, as well as how to promote various components of the marketing plain to gain awareness for the sports product overall. Twitter: @CalebClarkOSU