Back Office Out Front

In this episode, I interview Matt Hillman, a co founder of the marketing agency Cut + Sew, as well as the man who handles all of Josh Hart's off court business ventures. As the co-host of his podcast, go to agency for his marketing needs, resident expert in esports, analyst for venture investments and more, Matt really does it all. Having played high school basketball with one another, and even living together for some period of time, Matt and Josh have been close for a while, long before their relationship ever involved business. As they both established themselves in their respective fields, they came to the conclusion that their personal relationship turning professional as well could be mutually beneficial to them both. Ever since, Josh's personal brand has only been on the way up, and Matt has played a huge role. We discuss everything from the motives of starting a podcast, to the future of esports, to how athletes without the most money or exposure can still be successful away from their field of play.

Matt can be reached at:

Twitter - @ILOVEMATTYICE

Instagram - @ilovemattyice

In this episode, I interview Nicole Woodie, the Executive Director of the Chris Long Foundation. Having always had a drive to help others since a young age, much of Nicole's early career began in the political realm, trying to make real change. She then had her introduction to the sporting world through a few roles with the Rams, helping their players engage to make positive change in the local community. This led to her forming a strong relationship with then Rams Defensive End Chris Long, and Nicole was blown away by his never ending desire to make the world a better place. On this episode, we dive into the intricacies of running a world class athlete's charity, with numerous different in depth initiatives spanning across the globe.

Nicole can be reached at:

Instagram - @cnwoodie

Twitter - @NWoodie

In this episode, I interview Amjed Osman, the Executive Producer of Inside the Green Room. Moving from Saudi Arabia to the United States, and living everywhere from Columbus to New York to LA, Amjed's life has been full of adventure. He embarked on a new one just over two years ago when he took on the role of producing NBA veteran Danny Green's new show. Having helped it grow from just a podcast to a TV show with corporate sponsors on the same channel as the Los Angeles Lakers, it would be an understatement to say that his tenure has so far been a success. We discuss everything from the intricacies of strategic partnerships with big name brands, to how geography impacts the media space, to what it was like to meet Drake, and more.

Amjed can be reached at:

Twitter - @gottaJED

Instagram - @amjedosman

In this episode, I interview Magdalena Munao, the Multimedia Producer for CloseUp360. CloseUp360 is a lifestyle and entertainment outlet covering the lives of NBA players away from basketball, focusing on business, community, culture, and global impact in particular. Through numerous styles of content, CloseUp360 provides a unique view of the athlete, documenting never before seen aspects of their every day lives. Magdalena takes us through her journey to get where she is today, the importance of building and maintaining a network, and working with the one and only Ryan Gosling.

She can be reached at:

Twitter - @MisssMags

In this episode, I interview Phil Mains, the CFO at Pat McAfee Inc. Pat McAfee Inc. is the overarching umbrella entity that covers the finances of all of Pat McAfee's post career ventures. He has built numerous shows from the ground up, and now has a combination of verticals going live on YouTube, distributed through the likes of Westwood One and DAZN, and most recently through various FanDuel platforms. Additionally, he has deals with numerous other notable companies such as Seat Geek and Manscaped, and has built a charity based around providing scholarships to military families. Any and all of this goes through one other man at one point or another, and that's Phil Mains. He takes us through his journey with Pat, working with these brands, and how they built this company from the ground up.

He can be reached at:

Twitter - @philmains

Instagram - @philmains

In this episode, I interview Brandon Rhodes, the Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at Overtime, a digital sport network for the Gen Z audience. They have been able to build up the personal brands of many of their high school standouts to an extent that most professional leagues can't replicate, really giving these kids a foundation and following for when their athletic career is eventually over. Brandon and I discuss his time at Gatorade working with Usain Bolt and FC Barcelona, convincing companies to buy into the high school athlete, and what secret sauce makes Overtime stand out from the pack.

Brandon can be reached at:

Twitter - @OvertimeBrandon

Instagram - @overtimebrandon

In this episode, I interview Jake Fleshner, the Director of Marketing and Partnerships for Sports 1 Marketing, a marketing agency co-founded by NFL Hall of Famer Warren Moon and business mogul Dave Meltzer. We discuss what it's like to work every day with an NFL legend at the helm, what Mr. Moon can bring that most other "traditional" business presidents can not, and his biggest takeaways from interactions with dozens of top tier athletes when traveling the globe with Dave Meltzer.

Jake can be reached at:

Instagram - @jakefleshner

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-fleshner-70477446/

In this episode, I interview Jarrod Barnes, the Manager of Former Player Marketing for the Los Angeles Rams. A pioneer in this field, Jarrod is one of the first people across the four major sports to have a role tailored to connecting the athletes of the past to the fans of today. We take a deep dive into the intricacies of marketing athletes across generations, how some of the alumni are spending their time today, and why JT Barrett was short on 4th &1.

Jarrod can be reached at:

Twitter - @JarrodBarnes

Instagram - @jarrodbarnes_

His own show - The Reach Your Prime Podcast

The Athlete Development Lab - https://primeu.org/thelab

In this episode, I interview James Santore, the Chief of Staff at SeventySix Capital, an early stage VC with a focus on the sports tech, sports gambling, and Esports spaces. They have a program called the Athlete Venture Group in which they turn both current and former professional athletes into limited partners in their various funds, leveraging their connections and expertise to help their portfolio companies grow. James gives us an inside look into the AVG, and how athletes can make an immediate impact in the business world.

James can be reached at:

Twitter - @JamesSantore76

Instagram - @Jamessantore

Back Office Out Front is the podcast covering the corporate army behind the athlete. Fans tend to associate the "business practices" of their favorite athletes with what they do on the court or field, and maybe an additional shoe deal or two, but that's about it. The thing is, in many cases, that's only the beginning. Take a group of people with an essentially unmatched combination of capital and social influence, and business success seems inevitable. In an array of fields ranging from radio to real estate, athletes have found incredible success away from their original lines of work. From marketers to investors to media personalities and more, countless individuals have helped athletes transition their sporting success into a career outside of the lines, and this podcast will cover the teams of people that make it all happen.