Credentials Only

Paul Woody’s career has seen him selling for a variety of properties, from college athletic departments to a racetrack that really is a year-round event facility to his current role as Vice President of Business Development for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. 

Paul stresses there is one thing that is more important than anything else in having sales success. He understands the importance of telling the story of the property you are selling and relationships with key stakeholders, but above all else, he puts the greatest value on listening. 

In this episode, Paul also discusses how he balanced working in sports while getting a doctorate degree, why he decided college athletics was not the dream job he thought it would be, the importance of momentum and much more.  

Bob Bryant has had a number of different titles in his career regardless of his role, he feels his job has always been to be a promoter. From working with the circus to connecting Cartoon Network with NASCAR to his current work as President & CEO of the 500 Festival, he feels drawing on all his past experiences has always served him well. 

In this episode, Bob shares all that goes into planning the 500 Festival, a mission-driven series of community events throughout May leading up to the Indianapolis 500. He also describes how he works with numerous stakeholders – from corporate partners to government officials to volunteers – to put on the events. 

Bob also describes how his roots as a promoter has helped him every step of the way, from selling minor league hockey tickets to bringing Scooby Doo to Wimbledon and shares advice about the importance of the right attitude when working in sports and how fulfilling it is to see creative ideas fully executed.  

Scott Kornberg says he sees a lot of fireworks shows each summer. Such is life working in minor league baseball. 

Scott stays busy serving as not only broadcaster but also media & public relations manager for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. After Minor League Baseball was shut down in 2020 on account of the pandemic, it is back in 2021, and the new year is a big change for the Jumbo Shrimp as they move up to Triple A. 

In this episode, Scott talks about balancing both his roles, staying well informed on the everchanging minor league rosters, the importance of everything but the game in the minor leagues and what broadcasters have served as inspiration for him. 

Simon Evans has covered a wide variety of sports in nearly two decades with Reuters, but his university background in government and political science may have been his most valuable training in the past week as he covered the Super League, the doomed breakaway effort by leading European soccer clubs.

As Reuters football correspondent, Simon was heavily involved with Super League coverage, securing a byline on 19 stories over a four-day period. In this episode, he explains what Super League set out to be, why it failed and what the lasting impacts may be for the clubs that tried to break away. 

Simon also shares how he has approached covering so many different sports during his career and what he has done to learn more about those he has not necessarily known much about. He also talks about how rare it is to be a foreign correspondent for sport and how working for an international wire service requires a very narrow approach to his writing. 

Dan Rossetti has built his career in sports working to get others their career in sports. The founder of Ascension Sports Partners, his agency has conducted searches for a wide variety of sports organizations. One of the unique aspects of his company is not limiting their placement work to only C-suite positions.  

As so many others have, he recognized how COVID was changing the industry. As a result, he built up his career coaching services to assist job seekers, whether new college graduates or someone who may have been let go due to the pandemic after decades in sports. 

In this episode, he shares a great deal of advice about finding jobs in sports, including about resumes, interviews and networking. 

Click here for Show Notes.

Courtney Ksiazek works for a team that is still one year away from playing a game yet is one of the more recognizable brands in sports. In this episode, she shares how the high-profile investors behind Angel City FC have generated a great deal of buzz for the organization.

In her role as Director, Partnership Marketing, Courtney is seeing firsthand the excitement for this NWSL team while also working with companies to implement agreements that include a commitment of 10% of all sponsorship dollars to be invested into the team’s community impact activities. 

A college athlete herself, Courtney shares her thoughts of Name, Image and Likeness while also describing what makes soccer a great sport to watch and invest in. 

Kevin DeShazo broke into sports by consulting college athletes and athletic departments about social media. In just one decade, the conversations have changed from warning of the pitfalls to encouraging engagement, and even monetization, of the platforms.

His work with Fieldhouse Media is expanding to focus more on the personal development of college athletes. Kevin has now also started Culture Wins to help organizations build leaders and establish cultures to better all who are involved. 

In this episode he shares great advice on all these fronts while also explaining his unique path into the sports world. He also gives an overview of all three of the books he has written, including the 2020 release “Keep Chopping Wood.”

Andrew Merle has transitioned through different roles in the sports world, from public relations to athlete marketing to sports marketng to now working as the Director of North American Brand and Consumer Marketing at New Balance.

In many of these roles, he was working directly with athletes, often as they served as endorsers. In this episode he discusses many facets of that, from athlete recruitment to working with them on activations and promotions.

Andrew also describes how he was able to turn an internship while a student into a fulltime job, why he looked to leave Major League Baseball to work on the brand side and how he has brought an entrepreneurial spirit to his work with established organizations. 

Mary Carillo has won both a Sports Emmy and a Peabody Award during the career that has earned her induction to the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. A tennis analyst for nearly every network that has carried the sport in the last four decades, she is also a key contributor to NBC’s Olympic coverage and a correspondent on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. 

In this episode, Mary describes how while she is the face and the voice, there are many others working tirelessly behind the scenes to get any show she is a part of on the air. 

Mary also shares what she enjoys about storytelling, the incredible importance of research in her work, how she got her start in the business and she explains her reasoning for selecting the work she does - from passing on a college football assignment to accepting a role on the Kitten Bowl. 

Brittany Allen has played a role in numerous major events during her career, including a Super Bowl, Final Four, Winter Classic and MLB All Star Game. Her experience has taught her that it’s thoroughness with all the small details – such as manhole covers – that ultimately paves the way for the big event to be a success.

A Commercial Group Coordinator with the PGA of America, Brittany shares perspective on the events she has been a part of from the different roles she has had, from working for the government in the host city to her current job with a governing body. 

In this episode she also describes what she has learned from all her experiences along the way, including working as an executive assistant and in ticket sales. She also shares some of what she has learned from having been mentored while working with some industry legends.