Amy Jo Martin will concede she was not the first verified person on Twitter. She was the second, due to her work with Shaquille O'Neal, who was the first. Martin talks about the wild west of sports social media, where bringing a humanizing voice to Twitter allowed her to found Digital Royalty, which worked with such brands as Hilton Worldwide, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, The Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, The UFC, and the American Red Cross. Martin talks about how her legacy of a New York Times Bestselling Author or having 1.1 Twitter followers compares to her catharsis in Africa with an obsession over delivering clean water to more people through charity, where she learned how having "enough" was, and why she's dialed back the caustic nature of traveling over 200 days a year simply to find joy in the everyday. Oh, and she's having fun with her own podcast, Why Not Now? Twitter: @AmyJoMartin
Tod Caflisch has had an amazing year on the job in Minnesota, bringing U.S. Bank Stadium online, as well as ensuring that a variety of new events have gone off without a hitch while implementing a new DAS and WiFi system. Caflisch talks about his experience at getting everyone in the facility on board, including the marketing team, in order to think broader about what usage will be the top priority for the fans attending the games. Caflisch also discusses his past working for NBA and NHL arenas. Twitter: @TCaflisch
Jamy Bechler focuses on personal improvement of leaders, ensuring that those staff and student-athletes they oversee receive the best vision possible for their athletic department. Bechler talks about motivational growth of the individual who is earning that position of leader within the department, as well as why it is important to be challenged by a strong strategic vision, as well as working with staff whom the leader themselves may not have hired. Bechler describes some of the issues surrounding social media, especially with student-athletes, as well as the expectations coaches have for themselves and their programs. Twitter: @CoachBechler
While Jeff Ferguson may be often thought of as a sponsorship guy, his third visit to the podcast is as much about digital live streaming acceptance as it is sponsor activation. Ferguson presents a compelling case for how he has helped Georgia Southern Athletics beat other media to market, using Facebook Live to enhance the digital sponsorship inventory available to Learfield, driving revenue in new ways. Ferguson talks about how social media live streaming pre-game shows don't have to be 2 hours, they can be 10 minutes, and still remain effective, as well as shareable content throughout the week. Twitter: @FergySports
Jack Vincent's book, A Sale Is A Love Affair, shows how top salespeople, in any industry, can be loved by their customers through deep, human connections. Vincent talks about the parallels between the sales process and finding love, as well as developing a trusting, romantic relationship. Vincent describes some of the challenges in creating trust, as well as presents examples of his own experience where he was able to build a heart-felt mindset toward his clients during the sales process. Twitter: @JackVincent
Lana Berry has become a juggernaut on sports social media, accumulating over 135,000 followers organically, including 93,000 on Twitter. Berry discusses her strategic initiative toward how she creates a relatable online personality, especially through her interactions with major sports social media accounts. Berry talks about how she weeds out the negative for the positive criticisms, as well as why a scheduled tweet or post is a recipe for disaster. And while she does not read the yellow pages during this podcast, she does share her wild adventures reporting on the Johnny Manziel pro day and photobombing ESPN's live shot. Twitter: @Lana
Dr. Brett Burchette has become a fixture of Drexel's campus life; Burchette has served as a member of the sports management faculty, as an associate athletic director for development and now as executive director of the overall LeBow College of Business fundraising initiative. Burchette recounts the advice provided by a sitting athletic director, who brought him into athletic development, and then into the third party marketing arm of Nelligan. Burchette talks about relationship building, especially with his past students, and how to engage campus alumni. Twitter: @BrettBurchette
Group sales are a core focus on how Ryan Kindt sells to his Liberty University athletic customers, positioning various companies and organizations toward wider ticket buys. Kindt discusses his strategy, including being on the local chamber of commerce board, developing group leaders, and not providing free tickets just because someone asks for them. Kindt talks about his goals, especially in how to grow his professional development and enhance his selling techniques overall. Twitter: @RyanKindt
The Tacoma Rainiers have been revitalized by the enhancements off of the field, in Cheney Stadium, which used to be regarded as one of the worst facilities in the Pacific Coast League. Rainiers President Aaron Artman discusses the resurgence of the Rainers' brand, and how an eyesore stadium became a crown jewel of the Pacific Northwest. Artman talks about hiring practices at the Rainiers, as well as why the team doesn't discount off of group sales, and how getting folks to the ballpark is one of the easier sells on long-term packages. Twitter: @RainiersLand
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.