Making the Fan

This week's guest is Mike Farrell, Assistant AD for Broadcasting and Video Production at University of Maryland.  As part of Maryland's 75-year Terrapin Club "Reinvented" campaign, Mike and his team created Terrapin Club +.  Often referred to as "Netflix for Terps", the subscription service is the first of its kind in college athletics and features five shows to create additional value for Terrapin Club members and share the stories of Maryland current and former student-athletes. 

We go in-depth on content strategies and deepening ties with your tribes in this episode.

6:30  Terrapin Club “Reinvented” and Terrapin Club +

8:17 Creating Membership Value Over Donor Programs

11:10 Biggest Production Surprises and Challenges

14:56 The Student-Athlete Perspective

16:30 Content Strategy and Distribution Strategy

25:06 Authenticity vs. Production Quality

28:08 Diving in on the Terrapin Club + Five Series

38:11 The NIL Impact

43:30 Measuring Success

47:46 Maryland’s Sources of Inspiration

50:24 Rapid Fire Questions

     Books Inspiring Mike

     A Life-Changing Perspective

     Mike’s Billboard

*SLIGHT CORRECTION* - Since the launch of Terrapin Club +, the Terrapin Club has seen a 100% year-over-year growth, rather than the 100% growth mentioned in the show.

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Check out  Terrapin Club+   |  YouTube

Follow Mike
Twitter  |  Instagram

Additional References
Errol Morris Documentaries

Michael’s Favorite Books
This is Not a T-Shirt by Bobby Hundreds
Winning the Story Wars by Jonah Sachs
True Story by Ty Montague

Shout out to all those who produce and support Terrapin Club + 

Haley Timple, Jonah Haas, Tony Price, Jarred Belman, John Bartman, Josh Clayton, Alex Gross, Thomas Mason, Jason Yellin, Patrick Fischer, Taylor Smyth, Jordan Looby, Brian Ullmann, Carrie Blankenship, Kendall Butters, Jake Rose, Andy Wray, Alex Grant

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Today’s guest is Jason Fox.  After 6 years in the NFL with the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins, Jason launched EarBuds in 2018.  What started as a platform to facilitate consumers and fans being able to listen to the same playlists as their favorite athletes in real-time has morphed into a new social listening experience through EarBuds’ partnerships with Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora and Spotify.

This episode covers everything from sports tech, data, exclusive fan experiences, entrepreneurship and digital social engagement.  

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Show Notes

5:26   The Genesis of EarBuds

7:23   Personalizing the Listening Experience in Real Time

9:07   Expanding Fandoms and Creating Community through Music

12:25   What’s Best for the End User? Uniting the Major Music Players 

16:27   Greatest Lessons in Launching EarBuds 

19:17   Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Entrepreneurship

23:26   EarBuds’ Partnership with Fan Controlled Football

25:13   Digging Deep into Data and Unexpected Audiences 

35:47   What’s Next for EarBuds

39:08   Digital Engagement and Social Tokens

46:12   Jason’s Billboard

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Find out more about EarBuds Music
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram 

Connect with Jason
Twitter  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn

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Today’s episode was sponsored by CheckdIn.  Know exactly who’s working in your venue.

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Connect with Host, David Millay:
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Joining the show this week is Brittany Hodak.  Recently named Chief Experience Officer at Experience.com, Brittany shares her frameworks that organizations can adopt to cultivate super fans and experiences.  Prior to joining Experience.com, Brittany co-founded a marketing and collectibles company ZinePak (later named The Superfan Company), which was featured on Shark Tank and earned one of the highest valuations in show history.   She exited in 2019 to focus full-time on speaking and consulting with organizations to harness the passion within fans.

David and Brittany set their rivalry aside to dive in to Brittany's SUPER strategy and focusing on real-time data to perfect customer and employee experience.

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6:03    MGo(Baby)Blue - Coach Harbaugh Converts a Razorback

13:22  The ZinePak/Superfan Company Takeaways

19:02  The Future of Collectibles

22:32  Brittany’s SUPER strategy

26:39  What is special about your story?

28:10  Fostering Future Fans & Connecting to Kids

31:08  Tailoring Campaigns to Niche Audiences

33:47  Overcoming Apathetic Fans

42:53  Personalizing Customer and Employee Experiences with Experience.com

46:53  The Uber Way - Data in Real Time

Additional Resources

BrittanyHodak.com

Experience.com

Beach Boys’ 50th Anniversary Collectible | Dolly Parton’s Pure & Simple Album 

Dolly's Imagination Library

More from Brittany

The ABCs of Creating Superfans

The Superfans System

The Superfan W.A.V.E. eBook

Connect with Brittany

[email protected]

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

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Today’s episode was sponsored by CheckdIn.  Know exactly who’s working in your venue.

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Connect with Host, David Millay:
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Rachel Jacobson is the President of the Drone Racing League.  After 21 years in the NBA, her last role being VP of Global Business Development, and a brief stint in the private sector, Rachel was named president of DRL just one year ago. 

DRL is a technology company first and the decisions they make from a business, employee and customer experience standpoint are all from a technology perspective, because of the outreach it enables with both traditional and non-traditional sports fans who have embraced their organization. 

We touch on everything from leadership and culture, to making decisions that serve the holistic customer and bringing new fans into their ecosystem.

Show Notes

6:34     Lessons from a 21-Year NBA Career

9:57     It’s All About YOUR People

12:44   Encouraging a Culture of High Performance 

14:58   Accountability and Transparency in Leadership

15:40   Hustle in Sports vs. Hustle in Entrepreneurship

20:36  What is the Drone Racing League?

25:14   Appealing to Younger Fans through STEM

28:35   Bringing Multigenerational Fans into the DRL Ecosystem

36:26   DRL’s Player-to-Pilot Training Program

40:42   Aligning Mentality and Markets in Corporate Partnerships

46:49   Rapid Fire Questions

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Additional Notes

Drone Racing League
DRL Academy
T-Mobile 5G Drone
Playstation Drone Racing Simulator 

Follow DRL:  Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | LinkedIn

Connect with Rachel:  LinkedIn | Twitter

Today’s episode was sponsored by CheckdIn.  Know exactly who’s working in your venue.

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Connect with Host, David Millay:
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Jim Cavale is the Founder and CEO of INFLCR.  With NIL legislation set to go into effect this summer, college athletic departments face so many unknowns. Jim and his team recently launched INFLCR Verified and INFLCR Plus, initiatives to help athletic departments and student-athletes proactively prepare for this change and provide them the tools to capitalize on their brand power and voice.

This episode covers everything from leadership and building a company, to NIL legislation and empowering student-athletes to better build their brands. 

Jim Cavale Show Notes

4:20     Giving Athletes a Better Brand and Voice - Genesis of INFLCR

6:32     Leveraging Relationships and Forging Connections

10:37   Evolution of INFLCR and Partnership with Teamworks

21:31   Inception of INFLCR Verified

27:43   Building an Internal Creative Agency

30:44   From “Athlete Brand Building” to “Name Image Likeness”

33:10   Performers, Producers and Players

37:36   Combating Legislation Paralysis

40:25   Four Domains of Personal Balance

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Additional References
INFLCR |  INFLCR Verified  |  INFLCR Plus
Wake Up Warrior

Connect with Jim
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn

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Today's episode is all about turning fans into customers and customers into fans.  David sits down with internationally-known author, advisor, educator and speaker David Meerman Scott.  Scott co-wrote his latest book, Fanocracy: Turning Fans Into Customers and Customers into Fans, with his daughter Reiko Scott.  Fanocracy unearths the science behind building emotional connections in your tribe and marketing lessons learned from fandoms outside of sports, including the Grateful Dead.  The show takes a deep dive on applying those lessons to cultivating stronger experiences and relationships with your fanbase.

Show Notes

3:16      Defining Fandom

6:15      A Family Affair - co-authoring “Fanocracy: Turning Customers into Fans and Fans into Customers” with Reiko Scott

9:47      The Individualization of Fandom

13:56    Combatting the Polarization of Social Media

15:23    What Else is There? Building Fandoms Outside of Social Media

21:45    Implementation of Fan Engagement in “Social Spaces”

24:25    Lessons from K-Pop and Growing Rabid Fans

26:41    The Power of K-Pop Fan Bases

29:36    Making Fans Feel Like Insiders

31:40    The Original Social Network

37:04    The Mentality and Psyche of MLS Support Groups

39:29    Utilizing Fandom to Create Emotional Connections

43:25    Rapid Fire Questions

• Bad Advice
• Sharing success stories
• David’s billboard: “Educate and inform, instead of interrupt and sell.”

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Additional Resources

Fanocracy.com |  Fanocracy: Turning Fans Into Customers and Customers Into Fans

DavidMeermanScott.com

Other Books by David Meerman Scott

The New Rules of Marketing and PR

Standout Virtual Events

The New Rules of Sales and Service

Marketing the Moon

Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead

Real-Time Marketing and PR
Eyeball Wars

World Wide Rave

Connect with David and Reiko on Twitter

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In today's episode, David is joined by Luka Garza, starting center for the Iowa Hawkeyes,  AP College Basketball Player of the Year, and winner of the 2021 Naismith Trophy. They discuss name, image, and likeness, the launch of Luka's new NFT company LukaGarzaNFTGroup.io and how Luka hopes to provide opportunities for college athletes to monetize their brand, and the importance of college athletes being able to control their own brand.

Show Notes:

5:11 Digital Engagement Fan Support during 2020-21

6:56 Breaking into the NFT game

10:11  The Experiential Component of NFTs

11:02  The Role of NFTs in NIL

13:38  Launch of LukaGarzaNFT.io

15:10 Takeaways from Luka’s first NFT

17:44  Future partners of LukaGarzaNFTgroup.io 

19:16  Leveraging partnerships to boost student-athlete brands

20:45 The student-athlete perspective on NIL

22:54  Turning NIL from a Zero-Sum game to a Win-Win situation 

Additional Notes:

Follow Luka Garza - 

LukaGarzaNFTGroup.io |  Instagram  |  Twitter

For More Great Iowa Sports related content, follow these guys:
@davecreagh
@ChiPeoplesChamp

Today’s episode was sponsored by CheckdIn.  Know exactly who’s working in your venue.

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Shoutout to these single episode Executive Producers:
Dave Creagh
Jerry Scherwin
Dave Johnson
Zach Gatton

Connect with Host, David Millay:
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Today’s guest is Ed Vincent, Founder and CEO of FestivalPass.  Ed and his team are trying to reinvent the model for accessing live events and how we go about deciding what events to go to as consumers.  FestivalPass is the first festival and live event subscription marketplace that provides access to music, film, food and wine, tech and innovation, sports and entertainment and more.  His data-driven background is trying to help shape the future of the live events industry.

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Show Notes

4:32         The Building of FestivalPass

7:50          Lessons Learned from MoviePass

9:24          Utilizing Credit Systems for Dynamic Pricing\

13:55     The Vision for FestivalPass

15:08        Bringing Sports onto the FestivalPass platform - Brokering Deals with Ticket Providers

20:25       Creating Value and Understanding Behaviors in Subscription Models

26:35       Future Outlook on Live Events

28:33       Understanding Consumer Confidence in Getting Back to “Normal”

30:28       The Strategy of FestivalPass Post-Pandemic

35:41    Criteria for Analyzing Failed Ideas

38:13       Evaluating Core Principles for Implementing Ideas in New Industries

40:43       New Trends in the Live Events Space

44:30       Importance of Building the Infrastructure to Meet the Business Demand

46:42       Applying Design Thinking to Your Business

Additional References

ClassPass

Design Sprint by Jake Knapp

Jake Knapp: Design Thinking Explained

IDEO Design Thinking

Contact Ed

FestivalPass  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  SnapChat

LinkedIn

Connect with Host, David Millay:
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Today’s episode is all about Guest Service vs. Guest Experience and Designing Customer Experiences in New Venues

On this episode, David sits down with Kameron Durham, Vice President of Guest Experience for the entire entertainment footprint of Hollywood Park, including SoFi Stadium, the brand new home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.  Prior to this role, he was the Director of Guest Services for the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres.  In its first year, SoFi Stadium did not host any fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  In lieu of guests, they re-thought customer experience and service as stakeholder experience and service, focusing on the employees and players and those who are expected to deliver magical moments for fans. 

Show Notes

6:34     Transactional Guest Services vs. Proactive Guest Experiences 

9:58     Mindsets and Skill Sets Changes 

11:52  Evolution of Staffing - Investing In and Empowering Employees with the San Diego Padres

15:42  Hiring Authentic People for Your Mission

22:25  SoFi Stadium / Hollywood Park - Bringing a $5 Billion Project to Life

27:30  Creating the Strategy, Knowledge, Tools and Rewards for Enhancing the Employee Experience 

33:31  Measuring Success of Guest Experience 

38:20  Incorporating Third-Party Partners into the Family

41:46  Building an Employee Incentive/Reward Program

44:20 Impactful Technology Enhancements for Guest Experience

47:45  Putting the Customer at the Center of Decision Making

50:48  Connecting Work, Live and Play in Hollywood Park

53:41  Rapid Fire Questions

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Connect with Kameron on LinkedIn.

Today’s episode was sponsored by CheckdIn.  Know exactly who’s working in your venue.

Connect with Host, David Millay:
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In today's episode, David sits down with two industry legends Rob Temple, 
Chief Executive Officer at FishBait Solutions, LLC and Rick Jones, Captain, Creative Director and Shareholder at FishBait Solutions, LLC. When combining Rick's creative mind for amazing corporate sponsorship ideas and insights and Rob's previous 20-year experience as ESPN's Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing the two bring a powerhouse of knowledge into this episode. The three get into sponsorships and how to find the right corporate partners to connect with your unique fans. 

Show Notes

6:30  The Evolution and New Vision of FishBait Solutions 

13:35  Appealing to the Next Generation of Fans 

15:44  Looking Backward vs. Looking Forward for Solutions

17:20  Takeaways from the NFL’s new TV agreement

20:00  The 7Cs of Relationships

21:51  Aligning and Future Proofing Contracts 

25:56  What Does Success Look Like? - Solving Problems and Creating Partnerships

31:03  Who Do Your Fans Trust Now?

32:16  Creating Joy That Unites 

34:30  Favorite Brand Activation and Partnership Stories
             (Rob) Fearless Pursuit of New Activations 
             (Rick) Knowing Your Brand and Your Community 

41:39  Understanding the Macro of the Customer

43:01  Most Challenging Project & Key Lessons Learned - NASCAR - Rob

47:53  Creating Derivative & Niche Programming Content 

52:25 5-Year-Plans to 5-Month-Plans and Planning for First to Market

54:39  Most Challenging Project & Key Lessons Learned - Mascot Hall of Fame - Rick

57:26  The Tallest Pygmy 

58:46  Rapid Fire Questions

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Additional Notes
Book Recommendations

“Grant” by Ron Chernow
“The Pursuit of Wow” by Tom Peters
“Leadershift” by John Maxwell
“Know What You’re For” by Jeff Henderson

Follow FishBait Solutions
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn 

Connect with Rob Temple | Rick Jones

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Today’s episode was sponsored by CheckdIn.  Know exactly who’s working in your venue.

Connect with Host, David Millay:
Connect w/ David Millay on LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmillay/
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