GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista

In this episode of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we are joined by Mark Abbott (F '86), President & Deputy Commissioner, Major League Soccer. Mark has the distinction of being hired as the first employee of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1993, three years before the league commenced. In our talk, Mark speaks about how he initially got involved in MLS and developed its first business plan and recounts its tremendous growth over the past 25 years. He also discusses how MLS has skillfully navigated the COVID crisis to re-instate the season and how COVID may impact sports going forward. He also shares his thoughts on key trends in the game and sports in general. Finally, he discusses his career journey from graduating Georgetown as an SFS student and beyond and shares interesting advice for those looking to break into or build their careers in sports.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

In this installment of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we speak with Kevin Turpin (C '05), President of National Journal.  National Journal serves government affairs professionals and government officials with a variety of advisory services and products to keep members informed of key movements in people, politics and policy. These products and services include media/editorial, custom content, research and insights.  In our conversation, Kevin chronicles the interesting and highly successful transformation of the company over the past ten years from a purely media company to the multi-products and multi-services company it is today.  Named President at the tender age of 32, Kevin discusses the experience and occasional challenges of becoming a relatively young senior leader. He also shares his key tenets of leadership and the importance of mentorship. He also discusses the experience of being a person of color as a leader and what he believes companies can do to improve upon diversity, equity and inclusion. Finally, he shares career advice.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

In GEMA TALKS' inaugural episode, Rich sits down with alumnus Teddy Zambetti, the Senior Director of Music Production and In-House Composer at Sirius XM Radio. They get into Teddy's musical upbringing in the Bronx, his seminal years at Georgetown, his fascinating career journey including as a touring musician with The Flying Burrito Brothers straight out of college, his time overseeing all music production at The Groundlings improv troupe in Los Angeles and his almost 20 year career at Sirius XM. He also shares his thoughts on the music industry of today and tomorrow and his key pieces of advice to those starting out in the music industry.