Today, I chatted with Deshaun Harris, CEO at Intrusive Sports Agency. Our conversation flowed through the different aspects of being a Certified NBPA Agent, looking outside the sports realm as a pathway into the industry, and Deshaun's core values. We also talked about diversity, representation, giving back to the community, and the "children mentality" needed to thrive at any activity, not just sports. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a five-star iTunes review.

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"Living like a child is questioning everything (...) Why am I doing this? How can I get better? Who am I? (...) That is something everyone has initially, and society can diminish that for others. But I think living like a child, questioning everything (...) has given me a great attitude as I continue to grow as a person. And understanding the growth is continuous, it's never gonna stop. And that is living like a child as well." - Deshaun Harris.  

Deshaun Harris is doing his PhD in Sports Leadership at Concordia University Chicago. He holds a BA. in Sociology from the University of California San Diego and a MA in Communication and Media Studies from California Baptist University. 

At the beginning of his career, Deshaun had an internship at the National Children's Hospital, which will be a defining moment for him personally and professionally. He learned there about empathy, showing up every day as the best version of himself, and most importantly, he learned a lot about servant leadership. 

After getting his NBPA Agent license, becoming one of the youngest certified agents, Deshaun started his path on his own, without working for any agency. 

We also talked about the Joyce Harris-Cottman Externship Initiative, named after her grandmother, a woman who survived domestic abuse and the mother of six. Against all odds, she decided to pursue a career and become a nurse. Little she knew that her perseverance and ambition changed her family's trajectory and inspired the entire community. 

The Joyce Harris-Cottman Externship Initiative annually provides Historically Black College/Universities (HBCU) and Minority Institutions of Higher Education (MIHE) students externship opportunities. The program is designed to expose, engage, educate and empower students by providing hands-on experiences. 

Tune in and enjoy Deshaun's inspiring view of the sports industry, the world of business, and life.

You can visit Intrusive Sports Agency:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intrusivesports/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5AVWB7V-FobTzGMQFb_Rxw/videosInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/intrusivesports/?hl=esTwitter: https://twitter.com/intrusivesports?lang=esor connect with Deshaun on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deshaun-harris-952672139/

In this episode, we chat with the networking expert Kelly Hoey, author of Build Your Dream Network and podcast host. Kelly is passionate about rebranding, networking, and helping people build networks to achieve their career goals. Kelly kindly shared some nuggets of her experience on interviews, the dos and don'ts of networking, cold outreach, follow-ups, and much more. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a five-star iTunes review.

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"The things that will help you get a job are the ones that expand your mind." - Kelly Hoey.

Kelly Hoey is the author of Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships in a Hyper-Connected World. She has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Business Insider, and Inc. Kelly has been included in the "100 Most Influential Global Leaders Empowering Women Worldwide" list by EWM in 2020.

Kelly hosts the Build Your Dream Network Podcast, where she addresses the frustrations and challenges of networking, teaches how to network "the right way," and shares creative strategies. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from the University of Victoria and a J.D. in Law from The University of British Columbia.

We had a fantastic conversation about common misconceptions on networking, the behavior during interviews, and the right way of approaching people we want to connect with. 

Kelly shared several stories from her vast experience in networking about candidates in different situations, those who impressed her and those who didn't. 

Hop on and enjoy Kelly's networking masterclass. 

• You can visit Kelly's website
• Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn
• Follow her on Instagram 

Book: Kelly Hoey - Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships in a Hyper-Connected World

I've prepared something different for this week; I'm trying these new short and sweet inspirational episodes. Today, I'll share the answer the comedian Jerry Seinfeld gave when someone asked him for advice to become a great comedian. The idea behind this new initiative is to encourage you to keep trying, never quit, and keep pursuing your dream of getting into the sports industry. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a five-star iTunes review.

We will continue with our Q&A episodes; this time, I will answer questions on how to get internships and entry-level jobs at the big four of American sports, the NBA, NHL, MLB, and NFL. We will talk about the right approach to get a response from the recruiters' team, the importance of getting good at online research, and the different paths of putting the foot in the door in the sports industry. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a five-star iTunes review. 

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Doing proper research on Google can get us close to HR people from different organizations. We want to reach out to those people and ask them if they are handling the internships. If they are not, we will ask them to put us in the right direction and tell us who we should talk to. 

Some Questions I Answer:

• How can I get an internship as an analyst with an MLB team?
• What is the best way to get an internship in an NBA franchise?
• How do I get an internship in the NHL?

Today's episode is all about fall internships. I'll answer some of the questions I've received about how, when, and the best way to apply for fall internships. I'll share some of the best advice I've got from the previous guest to the show and some tips about the most effective ways to guarantee an interview for that dream job in sports. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a five-star iTunes review. 

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One of the questions I get a lot is when is the right time to start applying for fall internships, and the answer is NOW is the best time; that is why I've decided to do this episode.

Some Questions I'll Answer:

• Does anyone know any company that is recruiting for fall internships?
• When does the fall 2021 internship season start?
• Is there a specific timeline that companies have to look for fall interns or varies from company to company?

In this episode, we chat with Nate Silverman, Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Social Responsibilities at the Seattle Storms. Nate shared his experiences and funny stories from his internship with the Knicks at the Madison Square Garden and how he got into his dream job with the Seattle Supersonics first and the Storm now. He kindly shared some advice on outreach, interviews for positions in sports, and internships. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a five-star iTunes review.

**********************************************************************"If you want to get into sports, and you are not thinking about sales, I encourage you to try other avenues. But if you are striking out and you are not getting your foot in the door, if there are no other options, you should definitely consider sales." - Nate Silverman on ticket sales "bad reputation" among students interested in getting into sports.

Nate Silverman has vast experience in the NBA and WNBA; he worked for the Supersonics and the Storm as an Account Executive from 2004 to 2007. Now he acts as a Senior Vice President. During his time away from the NBA and the WNBA, he worked at the Seattle Sports Commission, Sync Sports & Entertainment, and Learfield Sports.

During his time at Learfield Sports, Nate developed and sold multi-media assets and managed corporate partnerships on behalf of San Diego State Athletics and the Mountain West Conference.

Nate shared his varied experience in the sports industry throughout this episode and shared some brilliant insights on outreach, cold calling, and, most importantly, on following up. 

We talked about his experiences interviewing candidates, and he highlighted the best attitude an applicant can have and what students should avoid when reaching out to executives and during interviews. 

You can connect with Nate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natesilverman/

Or you can send him an email to: [email protected]

Today, we talk with Zachary Welch, a Cornell University student in his 3rd year of his B.S in Industrial and Labor Relations, Minoring in Information Science and Business, and Director of Training at Sports Aptitude. We spoke about why he decided to get into the sports industry, how he used college to do it, and his approach to networking. In addition, he shared his do's and don'ts of outreach and cleared up some doubts about the NBA draft. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a five-star iTunes review.

**********************************************************************"It seems disingenuous if you hop on a call with someone (already in the sports industry) and say basically, can I have a job?" - Zachary Welch about the dos and don'ts of outreach.  

Zachary Welch acted as Contributing Writer and Co-President of Big Red Sports Network. He also volunteered as Video Scouting Assistant of Women's Basketball for the University of Houston and participated in an internship at the Sports Operations Intern program from The Tatnuck Group. 

A big catalyst for his interest in the sports industry was the blockbuster trade between the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets when Boston send Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry to Brooklyn. He got so curious about the trade that he decided to do everything possible to be part of the NBA, and so he did. 

We had a fantastic conversation about Zachary's experience so far networking and building his path into the industry, what worked for him, and what didn't. 

We also talked about his experience working for the Atlanta Hawks and how consistency and commitment to excellence opened many doors. 

You can find Zachary on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-welch/

This week, we chatted with D.J. Dikitanan, Business Operations Manager of the South Bay Lakers. We talked about D.J's journey starting in the hotels' industry and getting into sports by developing transferable skills. He shared how it was the surreal night where basketball was suspended for the pandemic and how his work has changed. D.J. also shared some advice for students and what he would do if he had to start over as a new grad. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a five-star iTunes review.

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"The sports industry is not big, and since it is so small, do not burn bridges. If you do a subpar job because you are not happy with your boss, that might trickle down elsewhere." - D.J. Dikitanan.

D.J. Dikitanan holds a B.S in Business Administration, Management and Operations from California State University - Long Beach and a Masters' of Arts in Sports Management from the University of San Francisco. 

After working for a couple of years as a Customer Service Specialist, he spent over 10 years working in the hotels' industry at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. In addition, he works as a Player Tracking System Specialist at Zebra Technologies, and he is the founder of Dikitanan Solutions, where he supports brands in optimizing their customer service.

Throughout this episode, he highlighted the importance of developing transferable skills to get into the sports industry. We also talked about being always ready to leave a good impression, whether on an interview or an internship. 

When we talked about reaching out and networking, he emphasized the importance of doing the homework, i.e. informing ourselves about the person we are about to meet, staying connected, and being up to date with the industry's information. 

Connect with D.J:

LinkedIn

In this episode, we talk with Ally Capriotti and Haley McCown from Fanatics, Inc. Ally is a College Relations & Internship Recruiter, and Haley is the Director of Recruiting. We spoke about Fanatics' internship recruitment process, its onboarding process, and what characteristics they value in an internship candidate. They kindly shared Fanatics' sourcing methods and how it was impacted by the pandemic. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a five-star iTunes review. 

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"Rather than saying, I want to be an assistant buyer, find a company you want to target, or a couple of companies and go after those. What always impresses me is when someone wants "this job at Fanatics," not just "this job." It helps when people want the job at your company - Haley McCown. 

Fanatics is a global leader in sports merchandise, changing how fans purchase their favorite jerseys and sports gear. They offer the most extensive collection of timeless and timely merchandise available to shop online, on mobile devices, in stores, stadiums, or on-site at the world's most significant sporting events. 

Ally Capriotti has managed a broad global internship program at Fanatics. She planned and organized several events for 50+ interns, recruited top candidates in merchandising, technology, accounting, marketing, and human resources for internship programs. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Jacksonville University. 

Haley McCown is an experienced Talent Acquisition leader specializing in leading teams and recruitment of eCommerce, Digital Marketing, Technology, Analytics, Operations, Retail, Finance, and Merchandising.

Throughout this episode, Haley and Ally explained Fanatics' sourcing and recruiting process. We talked about what candidates should pay attention to before applying for an internship and what to avoid. 

They also shared their best advice for students interested in being part of Fanatics, what they look for in candidates during interviews, and what makes Fanatics' internships different from the rest of the apprenticeships. 

Resources:

Fanatics Careers

Connect with Ally:

LinkedIn

Connect with Haley:

LinkedIn

In this episode, we will talk about summer internships. I'll share some tips to start the internship journey during the summer. We will go through some options for those interested in marketing and the industry's business side. We will discuss the importance of freelancing, starting our projects, and outreach. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a five-star iTunes review.