Evan Levy has worked to secure athlete talents for media and publications for the last five years, and is one of hardest working people in show business during Super Bowl radio row. Levy explains why the Super Bowl radio row requires the complexity of logistics, as well as creates a line of demarcation between those athletes with great personalities who own a room, compared to those who are interesting subjects for the hosts. Levy shares his experience at SportsBuzz working as the vice president of athlete relations, and his time in the sports department for the William Morris Agency.
Chris Thompson returns for a third appearance on the podcast, bewildered that it has taken him two years to grace the audience with his presence. Thompson discusses the idea of NAATSO (National Association of Athletic Ticket Sales & Operations) as an outsider, from the original inception in 2014, to the second year of the association at the NACDA conference. Thompson shares his thoughts on how learning about tickets relates to sports information, what he has learned from the growth of the association overall. Thompson also talks about the psychology of sports information directors, mental health and wellness, and what he has learned in his time as an SID. Twitter: @CPT1982
In 30 years of sports media, Joe Favorito has separated himself from the pack with a dynamic look at how to penetrate weak attention spans with some of the most effective, contagious branding in the industry today. Favorito discusses his time at the New York Knicks as the Vice President of Communications, and his eventual building up a massive 36,000 email list which continues onto this day. Favorito talks about his foray into comic conventions, MMA, and education, as well as what current students are not getting from a sports management degree. Favorito presents his case on why networking face-to-face is a lost art to the young and his thoughts on sports management degrees in general. Twitter: @joefav
Robin Monsky has worked at four World Series, seven Super Bowls, one Davis Cup Final, several NCAA regional basketball tournaments and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta (Press Chief, Centennial Olympic Park) and currently represents clients and events ranging from The Chicago Marathon and the Harlem Globetrotters to the Laureus World Sports Awards and ESPN. Monsky talks about her time with the Atlanta Braves, as the first woman in baseball to travel with a team full-time as their PR director, the relationships between reporters and PR directors in pitching stories. Monsky shares her insights into how social media has expanded the playing field in terms of who is determined a member of the press as well as the Centennial Olympic Park bombing, including the 24/7 news cycle that encapsulated Atlanta for two days during that time. Twitter: @SportyRobin
Dustin Toms has been utilizing his background in journalism and public relations, not just to help build the social media and communications plan for the Spokane Indians minor league baseball team, but to improve his sales tactics and marketing plan throughout the season. Toms shares his viewpoint of coming into sports sales, as well as how he has prepared himself for expanding his abilities to increase efficiencies through task management. Toms talks about how well he thinks Twitter has served delivery of information, and where the direction that the platform will likely go in the future. Twitter: @Dustin_Toms
One of the infamous “lost episodes” of the podcast has been discovered. Recorded in late November 2012 in Palo Alto right after Stanford defeated Seattle University in men’s basketball, Troy’s former boss, Jason Behenna, talks to him about media relations. Behenna goes over some of the new media duties that he has during the game, as well as what it takes to do a sports information job correctly. Behenna discusses some of his experiences with media, coaches, administration and student-athletes, as well as his philosophies on how a sports information department should be run to reach maximum effectiveness.
George Stieren oversees communications for the final three races in the NASCAR series at Miami-Homestead Speedway. Stieren talks about NASCAR’s involvement with social media, its acceptance of new media, and how to innovate in a world where communication changes daily. Stieren also talks about his involvement with the San Diego Padres organization.
Sarah Melton has spent over 13 years with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, rising in the Public Relations Department until becoming the team’s Director in 2004. Melton talks about the ins-outs of the sports industry, especially things such as travel, sleep, social & family issues that come as a by-product of her job. The owner of the Mavericks tends to get quoted a lot by the media and Melton talks about she handles the unexpected issues that come with being high up in the Mavericks organization.