WH100 Today Atul Prashar welcomes Raabia Shaafi who is ALL things: Culture Strategist, Executive coach and Master Facilitator for Senior Leadership. They go deep on what is required to be an effective leader.  We discuss that a leader does not need to be the smartest person in the room, win/win strategies, correcting your blind spots and the notion that everything is “figureoutable”. We also explore our love of Music and Culture and draw leadership and organizational lessons from none other than famous rock group U2. Part of the Prof P Series. | Howler Head Monkey (banana flavor) provides the sips.

Act 2 as this dynamic duo joins us once again! Adam Behnke, COO, DC Pickleball, was introduced to Atul Prashar’s Financing New Media Ventures class this Spring via student MATTHEW BRIMO. We discuss all things Pickleball, from the game rules to the celeb investors to league growth and expansion, higher prize money and so much more. There is an upcoming draft this summer and National Matches taking place in Atlanta, Palm Springs and San Clemente this Fall so get prepped here and get in the game!

Sports and more importantly sports media rights are on the rise in the US and globally. What is the current macro/microeconomics of sports considered vulnerable to external pressure? Formula 1, MLB, and MLS (hello Messi!) going through major changes. Tiger’s new indoor tech-based golf league is gearing up to hit Prime Time, Saudi’s influence on a legacy sport brings PGA + LIV + DP brings golf under one roof.  Sports media rights may have a dawn in 5+ years, but right now they are red hot. We discuss it all on today’s episode. Old Forester provides the sips.

We return after a small hiatus, well, most of us. The Bobby Brown (Clyde) of Whiskey Hue was missing due to "unforeseen" circumstances but was there in spirit at home drinking spirits. The fellas catch up and get right back to hot topics: Pat McAfee’s new deal, Nikola Jokic whooping everybody in his path, present and future of NFL, NBA, MLB and Nike’s influence all get debated. Dalmore 12 Year provides the sips. #GameOn

00:00 Intro, Kids + Cookouts + Failed Workouts

11:42 Sports Media, Pat McAfee’s new deal

17:57 Nikola Jokic whooping everybody

23:21 Stern’n Silver (NBA David vs Adam), Big 10, SEC

31:01 NFL is a Superior Product

35:25 NIKE’s Influence on Sport

44:00 Growth of the NBA

50:09 SYSK

Things the pod loves: British accents – a WH first - along with Lauryn Hill, Common, and even Kanye get mentions (shhh!). Shivali Bhammer joins Atul Prashar to discuss her many accomplishments: Investment Banker, Sony Recording Artist, Global Speaker and perhaps her most refreshing quality: Spirituality. Shivali unabashedly drops nuggets like “The Lotus Blooms in the Dirtiest of Ponds”, Mental Strength, Make more time for those who elevate you and are elevated by you. We go deep on this latest entry of ‘Prof P’ series. Shivali’s new album, ‘The Bhajan Project 2’, streaming everywhere.  (Note: audio quality is lower in portions of this recording).

00:00 Intros (Real Musicians + ‘Fake’ Bankers)

03:12 Success on your terms (Passion, Solving Markets Gaps, Taking Risks led to a Sony Records Deal)

08:00 Spirituality: Devotional Voice + Righteous Living

16:46 Kanye= nope, “But ‘Lauryn Hill’ can get down with my Bhajans”

19:00 Power of Association
31:00 Relationship with Self & God / Maturing through Adversity / Being your Light through Darkness

‘Prof P’ Series continues with Jason Park and Siddhant Tayal, Investment Lead & Investment Associate, respectively, at Alignment Credit. Their discussion in our FINANCING MEDIA VENTUREs class at Gabelli recently went so well, we had to record it for the masses. We discuss Venture Debt, SVB, Risk Management and how Management and Specialized Banks can responsibly mitigate risk in volatile times. WOTD: Old Fashioned and White Claw (hello Chitown!)  

‘Prof P’ Series continues with Russ Fink, Sr. Director, Programming & Content Analytics, SNY, on all things Media and Sports. We discuss current streaming rights and future opportunities layered on a bed of NFL, NBA and MLB History (why is the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, OH??), Steve Cohen, George Steinbrenner and Jerry Jones’s pivotal role in growing their sports. We go everywhere in sports on this one. Russ is a fellow Adjunct at Fordham Gabelli School of Business. WOTD Macallan 15 Double Cask. 

05:12 Mets & Jets get some love

07:18 MLB ‘Light’

09:10 NFL $$

10:25 Media Fees & Rights, Fan Relationships

23:00 Load Management: Player vs League.

28:12 $$ Shaping the Game

33:10 Jerry Jones changed the NFL + some NFL History

42:35 Olympics

44:36 TAM SOM in NFL, MLB

49:00 MLB’s Big $$ Cohen

53:05 Private Equity coming for Sports rights.

1:02:19 SYSK: Breaking Bad to Chris Rock

Why are Dr. Dre, Bruce Springsteen, Justin Bieber and other top artists selling their Music Catalogs these days? Who is buying them and why? And how is Taylor Swift rocking the ship and still winning? Greg Bergida joins Atul Prashar for the ‘Prop P’ series to discuss all the 100 millions of dollars shaping entertainment, how royalties are calculated per song and how tech is shaping the future. DOTD: BRLO Beer.

00:00 Intro

05:20 Drink of the Day: BRLO Beer

07:45 Music Acquisitions: Why Now?

21:28 Democratization of Media Distribution

28:00 Elvis Movie

33:10 Taylor Swift: own yo’ isshh

44:30 Living vs. deceased artists

50:30 Royalty Splits: Writer & Publisher

55:00 Blockchain models in Music

1:03:18 RRR: Nattu Nattu

1:05:25 Our Musical Tastes

01:13 BRLO recap

1:15:25 Zucasa

1:18:40 SYSK: Section 230, Andy Dunn, Bonobos

‘Prof P Series’: Chris Yeh, Author with a side-hustle of being a VC, joins Atul Prashar to discuss Unicorns, VC, Elon-ification situations, and more. Chris has co-authored several books with LinkedIN co-founder Reid Hoffman, including, ’The Alliance’ & ‘Blitzscaling’.

We talk Unicorns

Chris Yeh Interview

00:00  Intro

05:22  His books

12:08  Evolving VC World (size of funds)

15:20  “Fake Life Is Better”, Big Tech.

19:44  Blitzscaling

24:00  Trimming the Bloat

27:00  Great & so-so collaborators

34:30  Elon-ification

46:35  Funding & Check Sizes

49:30  Building Businesses

53:00  Disruptive Forces & Chris-isms

57:40  Whiskey of the Day

1:01:01 (Ted) LassoCon