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Scottie Rodgers has just started as Director of Communications for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, but he has already worked more than 20 of these Dallas bowl games.

In his career, Scottie has worked at the highest levels of collegiate athletics, from the College Football Playoffs to Final Fours, and he has represented a number of entities along the way, including three different college conferences.

In this episode, Scottie describes what it’s like to work for the NCAA on their championships, the variance when working the Ivy League compared to the SEC, how today’s media environment has changed the work of a PR practitioner and the importance of experience and networking to find success in this industry.

Ben Nichols is an international sports communications specialist who has worked with a wide variety of global entities.

Ben’s experience includes Formula 1, a Middle Eastern tennis tournament, the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the World Anti-Doping Agency. 

During our conversation, Ben talks about working with international properties both in terms of cultural adjustments and the fact someone is always working in one time zone even if it is the middle of the night in yours. Ben shares a number of lessons from all his experiences, including the efforts to stay ahead of the narrative on a subject like doping and the pressures related to working in crisis situations. 

Jennifer Carper packs a ton of insight into this episode. The industry veteran has built and managed small to mid-size agencies focused on integrated marketing in the lifestyle space with expertise on 

brand management, global sponsorship and consumer engagement.

Her portfolio includes traveling the world on behalf of sponsors in professional tennis, working with sponsors on New York Fashion Week and being involved with negotiations for the naming rights to one of the most iconic sports venues in the United States.

Jennifer shares from her wealth of experience in this episode, providing insights about all facets of working at an agency, from identifying clients and prospects to negotiating and leadership.

As a racket stringer, Nate Ferguson is responsible for ensuring the equipment in the hands of some of the most successful tennis players in the sport’s history is finely tuned every single time they step on the court. 

From his days as the personal stringer for Pete Sampras to founding his company Priority One - which works with Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and John Isner, among others - Nate’s clients have seen plenty of success. He calls that job security. 

In this episode, Nate shares how he lands clients, the odd hours that are involved to keep players well stocked with fresh rackets, what it takes to set up a stringing operation at tennis tournaments all over the world and what the right equipment can mean in the hands of rec players. 

Neil Stubley is the Head of Courts and Horticulture at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. 

In that role, his most high-profile function is to prepare the grass courts each year for Wimbledon. Neil feels if he and his team have done their best work, you will have no reason to talk about the playing surface and instead can focus on the players. 

In this episode, Neil discusses the work that goes into having the courts in their peak condition for the Wimbledon fortnight, the challenges grass presents in being a living surface, the lengths the Club goes to in an effort to ensure it's not just the courts that look spectacular for the British summer and he even admits that his own lawn at home is nothing to brag about!   

A classics professor at the University of Vermont, Dr. Jacques Bailly serves as the pronouncer at the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. 

A former champion speller himself, Dr. Bailly explains what goes into his role at the event, from introducing the words to supplying additional information such as definitions and language of origin to helping put the spellers at east to allow them to enjoy the event. 

In this episode, Dr. Bailly explains how the supplemental information he can provide helps the spellers, how much the spellers are supportive of each other and he will share a number of words that were fascinating to learn. 

(Photo by Mark Bowen/Scripps National Spelling Bee)

The Golf Channel’s Cara Banks looked for any chance she could to get herself close to broadcasting, then took full advantage of each and every opportunity to eventually make her way on camera.

From transcribing meetings to being a show runner, Cara took any work she could get behind the scenes to get herself involved in productions. Once there, she was determined to make a big impression. 

Before long, she was in front of the camera on Golfing World before moving to the U.S. to join Golf Channel, where she started with Morning Drive and now hosts Golf Central. 

In this episode, she describes the perseverance that helped opened doors for her, what the sleep schedule is like when hosting a 7 a.m. show, what on-air talent she has looked up to and how she got used to doing live hosting after working on pre-produced shows. 

Paul Tesori will walk well over 1,000 miles a year for his job and will carry a 40-plus pound bag on his back for the vast majority of those steps he will take.

Such is the life of a PGA Tour caddie. Paul, a former college golf standout who still competes at the mid-amateur level, has worked with Webb Simpson since 2010. His tenure with Simpson has included a Players Championship, a top-five finish at the Masters and already one title in 2020. 

In this episode, Paul explains the business model for a caddie on tour, describes his day-to-day during a tournament week, recalls some of the best rounds he has seen from his unique vantage point and shares his off-course charity efforts through the Tesori Family Foundation. 

Joel Lamp, the author of a fictional book about college football titled “Chasing Glory,” has an incredibly diverse portfolio of events that he has been a part of during his career, ranging from football and basketball to motocross and curling. 

He also has represented a number of different organizations in staging those events, including universities, city government and now the private sector with Airstream Ventures, where he is Senior Director of Events and Tourism. 

In the sports tourism field, Joel’s work has involved seeing projects all the way through, from idea generation to a fully executed event. His range of experiences gives him a very unique perspective on event management and has left him with plenty of stories to share. 

Vince Cicero’s career has taken him across the spectrum of sports, including amateur, college and professional with work in a number of leagues, including the NBA, NFL and now MLS as the Senior Vice President, Partnerships and Broadcasting at FC Cincinnati.

A very unique trait to Vince’s work is his involvement with four major facility projects during his career, including the opening of three new facilities. From a new arena where a college would move its basketball team to fan-facing amenities at a professional tennis tournament to being involved with building two new stadiums for two different organizations in the same city, Vince shared the insights he has learned from each of these projects. 

In this episode, Vince talks not only about those construction projects but also the importance of relationship building during the sales process, how he cultivates a team approach to all aspects of sponsorship and all his previous experiences work to inform his current dealings.