In this episode, I share my internal monologue about choosing between two great events - Fanatics Fest and The National. Ideally, I could do both. Ideally, YOU could do both. But sometimes there is a limit to time (when you are older) and money (when you are younger) and sometimes, both too.

So I juxtapose these two events and even break down by category of person you are, and which show may be right for you, but you may have already made your decision by now, and so thanks for listening anyway!

I am SO excited to share this podcast episode, where I had the great pleasure and opportunity to speak with the CEO of Fanatics Events, Lance Fensterman.

Lance was the president and founder of ReedPOP, which helped produce some of the biggest conventions, such as New York Comic Con, Emerald City Comic Con, Complex Con, Star Wars Celebration and PAX. Since becoming CEO, Fanatics Events created WWE World at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia, WWEW World at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, and the inaugural Fanatics Fest at the Javitz Convention Center last year.

Avid listeners of this podcast know that I like to go long form and go down rabbit holes and tangents, but for this one, we only had 20 minutes and so I did my absolute best not to do that this time!

However, in the beginning of the conversation, we learn that Lance is an avid Minnesota sports team fan, and we talk about how one of the differences he has noticed with attendees of Comic Cons and Fanatics Fest is the inherent tribalism that occurs within sports, which does not necessarily exist in the worlds of Pokemon, Star Wars, etc.

These 20 minutes just went by so quickly, but I had SO much fun with this one and I hope that you enjoy my conversation with Lance!

In this monologue episode, I talk about how I veered away from the audio only experience of this podcast, and how I plan to get back on track and back to the roots of this podcast. This is important to me, as I try to remember why I started all of this, the kind of content I enjoy, and the fun journey this has all been. I reveal who my next podcast guest is in this episode, and it is just as much as a surprise to you as it is to me! Thank you for listening wherever you are listening to this podcast, and while I cannot promise consistency with this podcast, I can I promise you that as I go forth with this podcast medium, that I am going to continue to learn and grow as a hobby podcaster!

Bryan (on IG @goatz_sportz_cardz) got an experience of a lifetime by making a trade with his favorite baseball player, Bobby Witt Jr. where he traded a $7,000 rookie card of his for meeting him and getting a couple of game used and autographed bats. Bryan is also opening up his very first LCS later this year and so we are going to talk about that, the Witt experience, how it was talking with Topps about sharing it on social media, and much more!

If you ever felt that you have been spending too much money getting into breaks or hiding packages and cards from your spouse, but think you have no one to talk to about this and you might be in over your head, Collectors MD might be the thing you have been waiting for.

Alyx of Collectors MD (collectorsmd.com and on IG under collectorsmd) comes onto the pod to share what Collectors MD is all about and why it might be well over due for The Hobby.

What happens after you pull a card of a lifetime with your family while on family vacation?

Chris and Jake from @JakesBreaksUK traveled from the United Kingdom to Orlando, FL and pulled THE product hit - a Superfractor 1/1 Auto of Lamine Yamal from 2023-24 Topps Chrome UCC. Then, they graded it with PSA and sold it on Goldin Elite Auctions.

With that money, *spoiler* they decided to open up a LCS in their neighborhood in Nottingham, England where there is no LCS. Their grand opening is the first weekend of May, which comes close on the heels with the opening of Fanatics & Topps' first ever LCS in London, England.

My summary does not do the story justice! Please enjoy Chris and Jake telling their story and thank you for listening.

We have Ryan on back to back as he has an upcoming show on Saturday May 3 at the Silver Spring Civic Center. We talk way more about Pokemon than either of us wanted to, because the chat wanted to know, and we also get into whether Pokemon collectors are happier than sports card collectors, plans and past experiences with The National, and even whether we think 100 men could beat one gorilla in a fight. Thank you to the lively chat for helping steer the conversation!

Disclaimer:  Nothing that Ryan and I discussed should be construed as legal or tax advice.  As with everything regarding the legal and tax fields, please consult a professional legal or tax advisor, such as a CPA, to help your individual needs.  

One such person you can reach out to is James Skorheim, The Hobby CPA (on Instagram @the_hobby_cpa) and you can also reach out to him via phone at (949) 438-7430.  Let him know Denny sent you!  Neither he nor anyone else sponsored this reply of a special dual live stream episode.

About three months ago, I split two 2024 Panini Prizm NFL Hobby Boxes with a complete stranger on the internet, and we became fast card friends. I have Dan on a second time on YouTube, first time on the podcast, to talk about coming back to the hobby he loved as a kid and how he decided to get back into it with breaking and why.

You can check out our first video here: https://youtu.be/vYICcev2a9g

Dan can be found on Instagram and Whatnot under epic_breaks_

This is NOT sponsored content and I do not have an affiliate code with Center Stage. I get nothing out of having the CEO of Center Stage, John Wie, on the podcast other than a great chat with a kind hobby friend. Center Stage is a free app to scan cards, available in the Apple Store for iPhone users! There are paid memberships, and so it is a freemium model.Here is a link to a FAQ about Center Stage:https://centerstagehq.com/faq/Here is a link to the different membership tiers:https://centerstagehq.com/membership-plans/Thank you John for a fantastic chat! We will have you on again later this year.