Credentials Only

Nick McCarvel makes his living telling stories, but his own story is a great lesson in perseverance, from pitch rejections to side gigs, that have led him to his current role as US News Producer for the Olympic Channel.

In this episode, Nick shares how he got his start, showing up unannounced at the office of one publication in pursuit of an internship then cold calling an editor which led to his first byline in a major daily. He also shares how he has transitioned from his print roots to now working in broadcast.

Nick also describes the unique aspects of his two most-covered sports, tennis and figure skating. He also outlines how he works to tell stories in a way that engages not only the audience but also the athletes he is working with.

Each episode of Credentials Only concludes with the Set Pieces, the same half dozen questions for each guest. We turn the tables this week, with editor Mike Meuché taking the reins to ask our host, Pete Holtermann, for his answers to these pressing questions.

Pete explains what he was hoping for when he came up with these questions, then reveals his own picks for podcasts, newsletters, social media follows, books and shows he is streaming. He also shares his favorite childhood sports memory and shares where he keeps his credential collection.

Also in this episode, Pete and Mike break some news - one Set Piece question is being retired and replaced with a new question in 2021.

Michael Cvitkovic feels his communications background has served him well even as his career has grown beyond public relations. He has used those skills as he has taken on a number of leadership roles, including his current position as President of the Ottawa BlackJacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.

In this episode, Michael shares how not just communications but also relationship building has been key to his professional growth. He also discusses how several of his career stops, such as the Pan Am Sports Centre and the North American Indigenous Games, have included legacy projects.

Michael also shares how throughout his career mentors have helped advise him as well as insights into the challenges of taking on leadership roles.

If travel headaches are not your thing, you definitely should not get a job like Melissa Beasley’s. As Director of Operations for the Cross Country and Track & Field teams at the University of Georgia, any snafu with a bus or a flight for the traveling party of as many as 70 is her problem to solve.

In this episode, Melissa shares how she enjoys planning all the details related to her team’s travels as well as how much she enjoys seeing the success of her athletes she works with during competition. 

Melissa also discusses her time working at USA Track & Field, including at three Olympics, and at ESPN. She also considers relationship building very important in her career and she shares some great advice for students looking to get into the sports industry. 

As Editor in Chief at SportsBettingDime.com, Matt McEwan oversees a team that looks to provide as much information and insight as possible to bettors. That ranges from their Betting 101 content that explains how it all works to providing in-depth analysis of upcoming contests. 

In this episode, Matt offers a brief tutorial about wagering on sports, offering definitions of many of the common terms one will encounter during a foray into sports betting. He also explains what information his site provides and how it can help a gambler make better decisions and, hopefully, find more success.

Matt also shares his picks on several sports, including not only who he expects to see in the Super Bowl but also which teams he considers to be good value bets to play for the NFL Championship. 

We have asked each of our guests to recommend some books they think others should read. From classics to autobiographies to plenty of books on leadership and motivation, to date more than 60 titles have been mentioned.

Just in time for the holidays, we have compiled all those book recommendations in one place for this special episode with the Credentials Only Reading List.

You can find more on each of the titles mentioned in this episode by following the links in the Show Notes on CredentialsOnly.com.

Happy reading!

Jason Fein has been Director of Athletics at three different universities, currently serving in that role at Bates College.

All of Jason’s athletic department work has been at the Division III level and he explains how it is different than working at Division I. He also shares how his role compares to being a CEO, all the facets of an athletic department that he needs to oversee and what it is like to work within the governance of the NCAA.

Jason also shares how he stays very active beyond his role at Bates with work on NCAA committees and at other events, ranging from the Olympics to Final Fours and the College Football Playoff.

Tara Baker feels she has millions of stories to tell as part of her work with Special Olympics as Director of Marketing & Communications.

In her role, Tara liaises with North American chapters of the organization, providing her a constant feed of stories about athletes, coaches and volunteers within Special Olympics, an organization that provides inclusion opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. Her role also involves being a key member of the communications staff at major Special Olympic competitions, including the USA and World games. 

Tara shares how her storytelling began during her time at ESPN where she was a member of creative content team doing feature stories and other elements across a variety of sports.

Katie Spellman credits her work as a newspaper editor in helping her be very effective in her current role as a sports communication consultant where she works with both athletes and events on their PR and social media. 

On the event side, Katie has been hired by tennis tournaments to oversee not only their media relations outreach but also media operations during the competition all while creating unique and entertaining content for digital platforms. 

Katie’s athlete clients include two players in the Top 10 of the WTA Rankings, and in this episode she explains what that work is like. Katie also goes into great detail about her work with Petra Kvitova, from the highs of her two Wimbledon titles to the trials that came when Petra suffered a career threatening injury during a home invasion.  

Carrie Taylor has been part of a number of firsts during her time in soccer. As a collegiate player, she helped launch her school’s first varsity women’s soccer program, then was a coach involved in starting both a college and a professional team. Her coaching career has also involved her twice being one of a very limited number of females working with men’s teams. 

Carrie explains what it is like to be part of a “Team One” project and shares how she wants to be perceived for her work with men’s programs. She also describes how her career trajectory has not necessarily been a straight line and how valuable that has been for her growth. 

She also describes the push for the 2023 World Cup in her current coaching role as a technical consultant to the Jamaican Women’s National Team. She also shares her hopes for her latest project, Women in Soccer, an organization to connect and support females working in the sport.