Matt Cerrone represents the new frontier of digital media. Formerly an independent blogger with MetsBlog.com, which he grew into a powerhouse brand with over 250 million hits on his site, Cerrone has now entered the big leagues as the Director of Digital at SNY cable television. Cerrone discusses some of the various issues surrounding the blog, podcast and overall digital landscape, where folks mostly misconstrude what it truly takes to generate a lot of hits by building a brand overtime, instead of being an overnight success. Cerrone also talks about his role at SNY, as well as why the talent pool in the world of blogging may be a lot thinner than it was only a few years prior. Twitter: @MatthewCerrone
When this podcast was recorded, Allison Strekal had only one day on the job as the president. That’s when you know things happen quick in the sports industry. Strekal sat down for the podcast, and held her own under her new title position. Strekal shares some of the challenges of the Big Horns brand as well as her vision of what she wants the franchise to be during the off-season. Strekal has been working for the team for several years, starting off with her initial role of a 20-hour a week inside sales rep for the team. Strekal talks about her experiences in trying to sell the NBADL product to the Reno locals, as well as some of the various promotions that the team has highlighted over the years, including ones with current NBA star Jeremy Lin.
Sports marketing strategist Lou Imbriano is creating what may end becoming one of the largest industry teaching tools online in the Sports Business Academy. Imbriano is sharing his knowledge of the industry, especially how to correctly work on marketing directly to the customer, as well as sharing some of his vision on what works and what doesn’t when trying to connect with fans. Imbranio pulls no punches as he talks about exposing the weakness of the lazy, as well as why some teams fail and some teams just get it. Twitter: @LouImbriano
Greg Esposito grew up a Phoenix Suns fan, being one of the few people actually from the metro area to live there as an adult. Esposito shares his journeys, coming up as a media major in college, and building up his resume with several different ventures until he landed the dream job of working with the Phoenix Suns. Esposito talks about some of the various challenges of working in the digital space, especially when it comes to social media platforms and building a great content calendar. Twitter: @Espo
Former umpire Al Clark officiated for over 30 years, calling three thousand games, two All-Star games, seven playoff games, and two World Series. The son of a former sportswriter, Clark was a mainstay for several historical MLB moments. Clark has co-authored his autography, “Called Out But Safe: A Baseball Umpire’s Journey,” in which he chronicles his life in baseball, as well as some of challenges to his integrity, including switching airplane tickets in 2001 which led to his dismissal as an umpire, as well as his 2004 conviction for mail order fraud stemming from signing multiple memorabilia statements of authenticity for collectables that were never used in games he officiated. After serving 120 days in jail for his crime, Clark talks about trying to rebuild his life, as well as the lessons he’s learn along the way.
Scott Jurgens talks about the challenges facing an FCS powerhouse in Montana State, where the wins on the field are there, but it really takes an additional effort of marketing in order to engage the audience. This doesn’t just include football, as basketball may be a winner, but harder to draw fans to because of the cold weather and the remoteness of Bozeman, Montana. Jurgens expands on the efforts in order to embrace the new culture that is building at MSU, as well as some of the social media and marketing efforts in order to ensure that the stands are packed every home game. Twitter: @ScottJurgens
A communications expert with over 25 years of experience in terrestrial radio, Bob Cohen talks about some of the challenges facing those who are trying to develop a great corporate sponsorship campaign for a sports franchise using broadcasting rights. Cohen shares his enthusasm for the radio industry, after spending 20 years at Clear Channel Communications, one of the largest terrestrial radio owners in the United States. Cohen talks about his vision to combine different ways of ensuring that sponsorship activation happens between the client and the franchise, determining that what is necessary isn't just signage, but a real dialogue between the two. Twitter: @BCohenStrategy
Jason Anderson has sold tickets since the mid-2000s, and in that time, has gain a ton of experiences. Anderson shares his views on ticket selling, especially for the Dover International Speedway, where one annual event can make or break the company's bottom line. Anderson talks about the skill level required to build prospects into customers, as well as how he transitioned from the NFL and Arena Football League, where he sold for the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Voodoo, respectively. Anderson was present when Hurricane Katrina struck the Ninth Ward, and relives some of the scary parts of that entire ordeal. Twitter: @JAndersonTix
Bill Sutton has helped bring sports business into the modern age; his legacy is in developing the NBA's Team Marketing & Business Operations into some of the most dynamic sales centers in all of sport, coupled with his tenures at the University of Central Florida and now at University of South Florida overseeing two of the more innovative sport management programs in the country. Sutton talks about the role of sales in sports, as well as integrity into what is being sold and who is selling it. Sutton also speaks about the issue of Mark Cuban's criticism about sports management programs and the advent of sports marketing degrees, and whether debt service is one of the biggest issues facing those students who decide to go after advanced degrees in sports management. Twitter: Sutton_ImpactU
Ryan Donckers has worked in every component of the sports industry paradigm. A punter at Eastern Washington University, Donckers’ parlayed his student-athlete acumen into a job as Director of Ticket Sales at the Spokane Indians MiLB team. Donckers has the ability to share both sales knowledge on the ticket and corporate sales side, as a former corporate sales rep for Washington State University and IMGL. Now as the Director of Sports Sales for Red Lion Hotels, Doncker’s job is trying to accommodate large football rosters, as well as create the meeting spaces necessary for football operations directors to smoothly transition toward game time. Twitter: @RDonks14