Front Office Exchange

Welcome to Episode 19 of the Front Office Exchange podcast, featuring Doug Warf, Carolina Hurricanes Vice President of Marketing and Executive Director of its Kids 'N Community Foundation.

Doug and I got to know each other by running in many of the same sports business circles back in Raleigh, and he continues to be one of the most well-respected executives - not just in sports, but overall - in the Triangle-area of North Carolina. He's been with the Hurricanes for 15 years, almost his entire career, so he has seen the ups - a Stanley Cup championship - and the downs - two lockouts, under-performing seasons, etc.

While Doug doesn't have the perspective of some I've had on previous podcasts who have bounced between multiple stops over the course of their careers, its his perseverance and what he's learned through the years and aforementioned bumps in the road with the Canes which make his story unique. It was also refreshing to hear how passionate he is about his work in the community through the team's foundation and how important it was to him to keep that Executive Director responsibility even after he was promoted out of community relations and into his current VP role.

Big thanks both to Doug and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected] and on Twitter at @jakefehling.

This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 18 is another post-conference installment, this time, on the heels of the 2016 Major League Baseball Winter Meetings. It was a very productive three days in Washington, D.C. - not just for the White Sox! - but for me as it related to reconnecting with many former colleagues in baseball. I spent time outside of the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center as well, meeting with the Redskins, Capitals, Wizards and Under Armour. The D.C../Baltimore-area is unique in that it features two major sports markets within an hour of each other, so it made for a busy few days.

The Winter Meetings were my focus, however, and one lasting memory I'll take away, which I discuss in this episode, is when two PEBO Job Fair attendees approached me out of the blue to introduce themselves. We struck up a nice conversation and they talked about how while yes, the Winter Meetings can be intimidating for job seekers, there isn't anything to lose by walking up to someone to say hello and show interest in them. I appreciated their initiative and drive, and I hope they left the meetings with a positive experience...and a job offer!

Thank you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected] and on Twitter at @jakefehling.

This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Welcome to Episode 17 of the Front Office Exchange podcast, featuring Michael Ehrlich, Director of Public Relations for adidas.

I was introduced to Michael by a previous guest, Chris Yates - check out Episode 12! - but I had already been following him on social media, where he is very active and engaging - not to mention where he posts some serious footwear pics! In addition to his work with adidas, you can find him on Front Office Sports, writing for the Sports Business Daily and mentoring young professionals just entering sports business.

Michael was extremely impressive, and much like others I've had on this podcast to-date, he was and is very giving of his time. In addition to his mentoring, he has guest-lectured at his alma mater at USC and is looking to do more of that in 2017. He also gives some great advice, including how to better manage your time.

Big thanks both to Michael and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected] and on Twitter at @jakefehling.

This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Welcome to Episode 16 of the Front Office Exchange podcast featuring Brant Ust, Assistant Athletics Director and Executive Director of the Monogram Club at Notre Dame.

Continuing the theme of bringing you my former USA Baseball colleagues that have gone onto success in collegiate sports business - be sure to check out Episode 15 with David Shoemaker! - Brant brings the unique perspective of being a former standout baseball player at Notre Dame who has now returned to his alma mater in a leadership role in the athletics department.

Brant talks about his time in professional baseball after leaving South Bend, and ultimately his decision to leave the sport he loved. It is a transition that all professional athletes are faced with, and Brant walks through how he leveraged his experiences and network with USA Baseball to land one of his first roles off the field. His time with with the national governing body of baseball helped position him for his current role with Notre Dame, and it keeps him on a path to some day serve in an Athletics Director capacity.

Big thanks both to Brant and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected] and on Twitter at @jakefehling.

This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Welcome to Episode 15 of the Front Office Exchange podcast featuring David Shoemaker, General Manager of Razorback Sports Properties.

David and I were both Marketing Coordinators for USA Baseball back in 2003 in what was both of our first jobs. When USA Baseball - in a shocker - failed to quality for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, the USOC cut our funding and our roles changed; I moved on to the USGA and David was let go.

He talks about what came next - an internship with Octagon - and how he took what he learned from his USA Baseball experience to become a harder worker, a better networker and someone who says "yes" to opportunities, to now leading what is one of IMG College's leading properties. We've heard from two members of IMG College - Jason Wilmoth and Will Baggett back in Episode 10 - but now we get to hear from someone leading the charge for one of its universities.

Big thanks both to David and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected] and on Twitter at @jakefehling.

This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

This week I'm taking a break from bringing you interviews, as I just returned from the SBJ/Momentum Sports Marketing Symposium in New York. It was my first such conference, and it did not disappoint. While I was only able to stay for part of the first day, I could easily tell that it is worth the investment for anyone in sports business, and specifically marketing. My trip was also filled with visits to the offices/headquarters of the NBA, MLB, USGA, Ketchum, Wasserman, SNY and more. It was great to see so many familiar faces; there's nothing quite like New York.

We have two great guests coming over the next couple of weeks - David Shoemaker of Razorback Sports Properties and Brant Ust of Notre Dame. Both were former colleagues of mine at USA Baseball, and both have gone on to achieve great success in the business side of college sports.

Big thanks both to the SBJ and Momentum for having me this week, and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch.

Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected] and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Welcome to Episode 13 of the Front Office Exchange podcast featuring Oklahoma City Thunder Director of Business Intelligence and Ticket Strategy, Karlis Kezbers.

Before I introduce Karlis, I want to let everyone know that I'll be at the Momentum Sports Marketing Symposium next week in New York. I'll be there through the afternoon of the 9th - which is the first day of the conference - so if you're in town for the event, please send me a message on Twitter at @jakefehling or email me at [email protected] - I'd love to say hello!

Now, for this week's guest. I was introduced to Karlis by a mutual acquaintance with whom I worked closely several years ago at USA Baseball. That's been the great thing thus far with the podcast - getting to reconnect with old colleagues from the sports business industry and being introduced to new ones. I really enjoyed my conversation with Karlis, who was kind enough to talk to me the morning of the Thunder's opening night game against the 76ers. They won that game and have since won two more, so, so far so good with the Russell Westbrook solo act.

Karlis tells his story about how, after graduating from the University of Oklahoma, he traveled west where he climbed the ticket sales ladder with the Phoenix Suns. Shortly thereafter, he landed what was essentially his dream job in the NBA at the time, when the new Oklahoma City Thunder brought him back to his hometown in 2008. Karlis talks about his transition from a typical sales role into one where he is now leading a team and focused more on the analytics behind the sale. He attributes rolling up his sleeves and relentlessly networking to his success, and he offers a few tips along those lines as well.

Big thanks both to Karlis and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected] and on Twitter at @jakefehling.

This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Welcome to Episode 12 of the Front Office Exchange podcast, featuring video content creator and founder of Huddle Productions, Chris Yates.

Chris is a former sports reporter who worked his way up to a top-10 market in Dallas before leaving his on-air career and starting a video production company that specializes in social media campaigns. Chris was a professional storyteller on TV, and he leveraged those skills and a passion for the ever-evolving world of social media into a company that has generated more than 850 million online impressions.

This was a fun one. Chris was able to speak to the current state of sports TV as well as to lessons he's learned over the years as an entrepreneur. If you're into sports business, you've likely crossed paths with Chris at some point online, whether he's helping host or participate in #sbchat on Twitter, or when he hosted a Social Sports and Entertainment Show and interviewed a variety of celebrities on Google+ for several years. He offers great insight and advice throughout our conversation, both of which speak to those in broadcast journalism looking to transition their career, or for any small business owner in search of helpful tips for success.

Big thanks both to Chris and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected] and on Twitter at @jakefehling.

This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Welcome to Episode 11 of the Front Office Exchange podcast, featuring Cheri Kempf, Commissioner of the National Pro Fastpitch Softball League and current analyst for ESPN's softball coverage.

Cheri's energy and passion were evident right out of the gate. She has led the NPF since 2007, and we discussed her daily fight to grow media exposure and sponsorship opportunities for her league and players. As a TV sports analyst herself, however, she acknowledges that there is a fine line that exists in this process as well.

Cheri is also an entrepreneurial instructor who started her own softball training facility after her time as a player, which included a stint with Team USA. Over the course of our conversation she talked about not only what skills and traits she looks for in her NPF staff members and how critical it is for them to be able to wear many hats, but she also offers advice to those aspiring to get into sports television.

Big thanks both to Cheri and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected] and on Twitter at @jakefehling.

This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Welcome to Episode 10 of the Front Office Exchange podcast, where we are actually featuring two guests - Will Baggett and Jason Wilmoth (L-R in the accompanying thumbnail) - both of whom are with IMG College.

So obviously this podcast is a little different. Normally we feature one guest, but I thought this would make for an interesting dual-episode since both Will and Jason are with the same company. I had never met Will before speaking with him, but he's very active on social media through his connection to Front Office Sports - if you're a fan of sports business and you're not following them, you should - and there has been some buzz around a new book he recently co-authored called The Blueprint, which is designed to help new college graduates with early career development. Will is a recent graduate of Baylor's sports management graduate program and a Strategic Brand Management Coordinator in IMG College's Atlanta office, and if I had my act together as well as he does after I graduated, I would have been dangerous.

Jason is a long-time friend who is currently Director, Sponsor Services in IMG College's offices in Winston-Salem, N.C. Our careers in sports have interwoven several times over the years, especially when I worked for USA Baseball and he was with the Tampa Bay Rays. He has risen steadily through the ranks of sports business, and is enjoying a successful run in what is his hometown there in North Carolina.

When I created this podcast I wanted to focus on the careers of leading senior-level executives in sports business, but I wanted to be sure to shine a light on rising stars as well. Both Jason and Will fall into the latter category, although they are at very different points in their careers as well. The two perspectives should provide listeners with great insight, and it was Jason's advice at the end of our conversation about playing the "Point Game" that really stuck with me.

You'll hear Will's interview first, followed by Jason's shortly after the 31-minute mark. Big thanks to both of them, and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected] and on Twitter at @jakefehling.

This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.