Joe and Tom welcome Matt Hill, CEO of SPAT Media, to discuss how his company is revolutionizing digital imagery. SPAT Media transforms any image on the internet into an interactive, commerce-enabled asset, offering IP holders such as the NFL and MLS innovative ways to deepen fan engagement and monetize their content. Matt also reflects on his extensive career in the sports industry, including key roles at the NFL in communications and sponsorship, leading global marketing at Adidas, and driving business development at MLS.

The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR) and produced by Karthik Iyer (@bykarthikiyer), Freddie Walker (@freddiewalks), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with social media efforts led by Pragna Prasanna, Breah Banks, and Lissa Ruiz.

Links:

https://www.spat.media/

matt@spat.media

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Tom and Mike welcome Michael Dresner, digital media strategy and business development expert and veteran. Michael is the Founder of Forward Media Partners, was COO of CineSport, SVP Media, Sports and Entertainment Marketing at Digitas, and Vice President in various sponsorship and sales roles at the NBA. With Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson capturing millions of eyeballs on stream and socially over the past week, the CUSP crew dissect the current creator economy, where influencers are king and queen, and profit is priority. They also discuss how traditional broadcast media giants are now playing catch-up to OTT platforms. 


The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR). The show is produced by Mike Schretter (@mikeschrett1), Karthik Iyer (@bykarthikiyer), Freddie Walker (@freddiewalks), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with Pragna Prasanna, Breah Banks and Lissa Ruiz managing social media efforts.


Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dresner-92528/

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Joe and Tom welcome Amanda Kraus, CEO of USRowing. Amanda details her career journey, and the development of Row New York. She also talks about the progression of olympic success of rowing from 2020 to 2024, and the successes she is proud of as a CEO, and the vision moving forward. Amanda also talks about the structure of a National Governing Body, and the media partnerships they have developed. She also speaks about the importance of youth and collegiate rowing and the potential concerns of the changing landscape of collegiate sports on rowing. Amanda also talks about evolving technologies used for rowing, and the impact of the LA28 Olympics on US Rowing.  The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR). The show is produced by Mike Schretter’25 (@mikeschrett1), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with Mike Schretter’25 and Lissa Ruiz managing social media efforts.



 

Links:

usrowing.org

amanda.kraus@usrowing.org

 

Hashtags:

#CUSP

#sportsbiz

#sports management

#usrowing

#amandakraus

#olympics

#storytelling

#sportscareers

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Joe and Mike welcome Marc Riccio, CEO of USA Lacrosse. Marc goes through his sports career, his successes and how it landed him at USA Lacrosse. He also explains the value of NGB’s, and developing the game of lacrosse in the US. Marc also speaks to international lacrosse,the business of it, and getting lacrosse into the Olympics. Marc talks about changes to his leadership style, the impact of rule changes, the indigenous roots of lacrosse and their successful history in lacrosse. He also talks about the growth of the game and participation. The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR). The show is produced by Mike Schretter’25 (@mikeschrett1), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with Mike Schretter’25 and Lissa Ruiz managing social media efforts.



 

Links:

usalacrosse.com

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Joe and Tom welcome Carla Varriale-Barker, Shareholder at Segal McCambridge, and Lecturer at Columbia. Carla talks about the rights of publicity, and the legal issues with NIL. She also talks about the state of trademarks and IP. Carla also speaks to how schools could try and claim rights to players that transfer and the antitrust concerns with that. She talks about the legal issues that the NCAA will deal with in the future. Carla also talks about foreign investment in American sport. She also talks about the challenges of deep fakes and legally protecting athletes, and the big impact of Artificial Intelligence on sports and sports law as a whole.  The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR). The show is produced by Mike Schretter’25 (@mikeschrett1), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with Mike Schretter’25 and Lissa Ruiz managing social media efforts.



 

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-varriale-barker-she-her-6536342/

https://www.segalmccambridge.com/attorneys/carla-varriale-barker/

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Joe and Tom welcome Jackie Dubrovich, Gold Medalist in Fencing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Entrepreneur, and 2016 Columbia Graduate. Jackie speaks about her memories of Coach Michael Aufrichtig and making fencing a team sport, not individual. She talks about the process of qualifying for the Olympics, the experience and winning Gold. Jackie expands on her long and successful fencing journey, how she got started, and how she became an elite fencer. She also talks about her new fencing club she and her fiance are opening. Jackie also talks about improving wearable tech in fencing and the importance of financial backing to fencing to help them continue their sport, and the little NIL resources given to fencing.  The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR). The show is produced by Mike Schretter’25 (@mikeschrett1), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with Mike Schretter’25 and Lissa Ruiz managing social media efforts.



 

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackiedubrovich/

https://www.polarisfencing.com/

https://www.instagram.com/jackiedubrovich/?hl=en

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecuspshow.substack.com

Joe and Mike welcome Andrew Maraniss, Best-Selling Author and Special Projects Coordinator at Vanderbilt University. Andrew speaks about how he became an author, the topics he picks and the lessons he learned from his dad David Maraniss. He also speaks about the power of storytelling, the challenges of shorter attention spans and how his books can help remedy this issue. Andrew also speaks about his work in collegiate athletics, navigating the challenges of a constantly changing industry of college sports, and the power of showing up. Lastly, Andrew speaks about Nashville’s impact on sports and how he conducts research for his books.



Links:

http://andrewmaraniss.com/

​​https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-maraniss-9737252/

https://vucommodores.com/vanderbilt-sports-society-initiative/

andrewmaraniss@gmail.com

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Joe and Tom welcome Megan Griffith. Megan reflects on her 9 seasons at Columbia and preparing for this upcoming season with all of these changes in college basketball. She also speaks to how she positions the program with NIL and the impact NIL has on students. Megan also speaks about the positive attention on women’s basketball, how we got there and how the future of the game. She also speaks about how the transfer portal affects Columbia and how sustainable this NIL system is. Megan also talks about the training, equipment, performance metrics  in women’s basketball and wearable technology they use. She also talks about the impact of Abbey Hsu and Kaitlin Davis being drafted into the WNBA and why this is what she coaches for. The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR). The show is produced by Mike Schretter’25 (@mikeschrett1), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with Mike Schretter’25 and Lissa Ruiz managing social media efforts.



 

Links:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/culionswbb/?hl=en

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-griffith-2545133/

Coach’s Bio: https://gocolumbialions.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/megan-griffith/3165

Link to conference: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-columbia-university-sports-management-conference-registration-942111369467?aff=oddtdtcreator

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Joe and Mike welcome Allen Lumpkin, Executive Director of Team Logistics for the Philadelphia 76ers. Allen talks about his unique path to get to his current role, and the evolution of his job over time. He also speaks to his passion for basketball, being in Philly and building authentic relationships. The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports and Instagram @cu_sps_sportsmanagement. The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR). The show is produced by Mike Schretter’25 (@mikeschrett1), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with Mike Schretter’25 and Lissa Ruiz managing social media efforts.



 

Links: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/allen-lumpkin-a46a67100/







 

Sports Management Conference: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-columbia-university-sports-management-conference-registration-942111369467?discount=EBStudent24

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Joe and Tom welcome Scott Lewis, Vice President of Business Intelligence at NYCFC and Faculty Member at Columbia. Scott talks about his current role at NYCFC, the history of business intelligence in sports, and their purpose at sports organizations. He also speaks about what this department looks like for different teams. Scott also discusses the difference between first, second, and third-party data and how various sports properties evaluate it. Additionally, Scott talks about the dedication of NYCFC’s fandom. He also talks about ROI and how his department evaluates data from multiple departments to generate proper measurements. Scott also talks about how team success and AI impact his department. He also talks about his passion for teaching. The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports and Instagram @cu_sps_sportsmanagement. The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR). The show is produced by Mike Schretter’25 (@mikeschrett1), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with Mike Schretter’25 and Lissa Ruiz managing social media efforts.



 

Links: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-lewis-1a55b02/






Sports Management Conference: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-columbia-university-sports-management-conference-registration-942111369467?discount=EBStudent24

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecuspshow.substack.com