The Exchange Podcast

For this episode, I am so grateful to be joined by Savanna Hamilton. Savanna is currently a Sideline Reporter for the Toronto Raptors on Sportsnet.

She wears many hats, as she is also a radio, broadcast and digital host for shows under Sportsnet and MLSE - also known as Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. As if that isn’t impressive enough, Savanna is also a producer for Toronto sports teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, TFC, The Argos, and of course, the Toronto Raptors.

A former basketball player herself, Savanna has carved out a decorated career at the intersection of her interests: sports and media. 

In our conversation, we spoke about her playing career, her preparation process as a host, and the importance of representation in media. 

For this episode, I am so grateful to be joined by Sarah Irby. Sarah is a veteran cosmetics marketer, with over 20 years of experience at companies like Unilever, Coty, Fresh, and Estee Lauder — at the latter, she spent over a decade helping lead marketing efforts for the Estee Lauder Brand, Bobbie Brown and Tom Ford. 

Sarah attended Spelman College and received her MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business, and has spent her professional career in New York City. 

With strong skills in brand management, multi-media marketing, luxury goods, consumer products, and innovation — Sarah has become a successful marketer in the beauty space. 

In our conversation, we spoke about the Mele brand that Sarah co-founded while at Unilever, her varied experiences in the industry, and her new role at Coty Beauty. 

For this episode, I am so grateful to be joined by Ashley Johnson, a Social Media Manager at Beats by Dre. Prior to working for Beats and Apple out of Los Angeles, she worked for the fashion retailer JustFab, the cosmetics brand Function of Beauty, and a talent agency called Talent Resources. Ashley spent her early career working in New York City for luxury fashion houses like Gucci, Max Mara, and Dolce&Gabanna. A seasoned social media marketer, Ashley has a plethora of experience in the fashion, beauty, and tech spaces. 

In our conversation, we talked about social media marketing, how her job has changed with the rise of video content and influencers, and how she leveraged her fashion background in the tech world. 

For this episode, I am so grateful to be joined by Tyler Robin, who is an NBC Page in New York. For anyone who doesn’t know, NBC is a major American television network, owning shows like Seinfeld, Friends, This is Us, the Today show, as well as many other news and sports programs. Perhaps most notably, NBC operates its famous late-night shows out of 30 Rockefeller Plaza (known simply as “30 Rock”) including the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live, and Late Night with Seth Meyers.

The prestigious Page program at NBC provides pages exposure to a range of shows in their portfolio on a rotational basis. Tyler has worked on various assignments, including at the Today Show, SNL, USA Today, E!, and the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

In our conversation, we spoke about Tyler’s experience in the program and within NBC, the entertainment industry at large, the value of networking, and how she pivoted out of a health sciences path into entertainment.

For this episode, I am so grateful to be joined by Sydney Sakwa, who is currently a Global Partnerships Executive at Klutch Sports Group in New York City. Founded by sports agent Rich Paul, Klutch is an American sports agency representing some of the world’s biggest athletes. Prior to working at Klutch, Sydney held roles at the WNBA, the talent agency William Morris Endeavor, Roc Nation, and more. In her career, Sydney has worked across sports and entertainment in areas like partnerships, business development, and sales.

In our conversation, we spoke about Sydney’s career trajectory, her experiences in sports and entertainment, and her advice for those looking to enter these spaces.

For this episode, I  was grateful to be joined by Dr. Kate Bancroft, a current lecturer at King’s College London where she researches Formula One and women’s equality.

Kate received her PhD in the Sociology of Gender in 2021, and has taught at a number of schools across West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. At the university level specifically, she has worked at Leeds Beckett University, Newcastle University, and most recently King’s College London.

As a lifelong sports and physical education fan, much of Kate’s work and research has centred around women’s equality within professional sport, specifically Formula One.

She has written papers on some of the most prolific names in the sport, including George Russell and Toto Wolff of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Through her research, Kate is seeking to make F1 a more equitable space.

In this episode, I spoke to creative strategist and marketer, Tyshaia Earnest. Tyshaia currently works for a think tank in NYC called Pink Cornrows, which is a public policy, communications and social impact firm with clients like the Obama Foundation and the New York City department of health.

We spoke about the two accounts Tyshaia manages: The Fashion Scholarship Fund and the Virgil Abloh Post-Modern Scholarship Fund, the latter of which Virgil Abloh founded before his passing to uplift black fashion industry professionals. 

We also spoke about solo-travelling, grappling with having many interests, and what Tyshaia is excited about in the future of fashion.

In this episode, I spoke with serial entrepreneur and angel investor, Alex Ikonn. Alex has founded numerous businesses with his wife Mimi, including Luxy Hair, Love Hair, and Intelligent Change — the latter of which has created products like the Five Minute Journal and Productivity Planner. In this conversation, we discuss Alex's humble beginnings in Russia, his departure from the corporate world, and his experience as a successful entrepreneur.