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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

Joe and Tom welcome Beth Marshall, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications for Augusta National. Beth details her career and the evolution of his career through working at organizations like the Atlanta Braves.  She speaks to what excited her Augusta. Beth discusses the size of her staff, and gearing up for an event like the Masters. She also discusses Augusta’s relationship with different media outlets, the process of finding media, the use of social media, and the multi-view access...

Joe and Mike welcome Adam Tropper, Co-Host of Motorsports Today Podcast and current graduate student at Columbia to talk about his NASCAR media  journey. Adam talks about how he got involved in doing a NASCAR Show, his co-hosts idea to create a show and his fandom of NASCAR. He also talks about the things he learned from getting media access, and creating his own media style. Adam talks about the process for getting media credentials and those who helped him along the way. He also speaks to...

Joe and Mike welcome Carlos Fuentes, student in the incoming class for Columbia's Sports Management Graduate Program. Carlos talks about his unique basketball journey including playing for FC Barcelona when he was 13 and traveling to the USA alone to play basketball when he was 15. He expands on his successful high school career and the adversity he faced to play at Denver. Carlos talks about his passion for NIL, the challenges for international athletes in the US with NIL, and how he was the...

  Joe and Tom welcome Mary Scott, Senior Associate Director-Career Services at Columbia Sports Management to speak about her career and transition to Columbia. Mary gives insight into her background and how she found a passion for education and career guidance for students. She also talks about what she learned as a student-athlete at the University of Massachusetts, and how her business experience helps with her educational work. She also speaks about leader’s involvement on social media to...

Joe and Tom welcome Ricardo Fort, Founder of Sport by Fort Consulting and one of the top voices and thinkers in brand marketing and innovation. Ricardo Fort talks about his passion for marketing, his transition to brand marketing in sports, and how his background helped him get a holistic view of sports. He expands on how the sponsorship business has grown in sports, the demands of sponsorships today, and the impact of media on sponsorships. Ricardo also speaks about the metrics brands look...

Joe and Tom welcome Corey Leff of JohnWallStreet. Corey talks about his transition from finance into sports, and the creation of JohnWallStreet. He also expands on how he found a passion for sports finance and startup space, and the importance of bringing a focus on quality over quantity with his content. He also discusses the four pillars of his business, his investors and his focus on B2B Content. The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You...

Joe and Mike welcome Chris Petroff, Founder of the Glove Lab. Chris discusses the origin of Glove Lab and how he got the passion for repairing, lacing up gloves and how the business took off. He discusses how his business is a niche, what makes Glove Lab so unique and the growth of the company. Chris expands on his passion for entrepreneurship and repairing baseball gloves gave him the most happiness. He talks about the stories of the customers and the importance of relationship building....

Joe and Mike welcome Ben Kaplan, Co-Author of Pipeline to the Pros. Ben dives into the success former Division 3 basketball players and coaches now have in the NBA, specifically Brad Stevens, Jeff Van Gundy, and Sam Presti. He also talks about the value of playing Division 3 basketball and the success of retired Amherst Coach David Hixon. He also discusses the book's value and the potential pipeline for women’s basketball. The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at...

Joe and Mike welcome Dedra DeLilli, Group Manager of Sponsorships for Toyota-North America. Dedra dives into her career journey and how she ended up at Toyota. She discusses how creating the first sports sponsorship practice at TD Ameritrade helped her at Toyota. Dedra goes into Toyota’s partnership with the NFL, Flag Football, and what goes into these specific partnerships. She also dives into the critical importance of the Paralympics to her and the team at Toyota. She also discusses the...

Joe and Mike welcome RJ Kranz. They discuss RJ’s experience growing up in Guam, the state of Guam sports, and his passion for basketball. RJ discusses being a member of their national team and how it led to Yale, where he managed the team. He dives more into the skills he picked up at Yale, and how he wants to use sports to give back to Guam. The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can contact the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports and...

Joe and Tom welcome Bronwen O’Keefe, Head of Global Brand Marketing and Content at the Harlem Globetrotters. Bronwen walks through her unique path to get to the Harlem Globetrotters. She discusses how she led in the accelerated world of content distribution and media and delivering entertainment value. Bronwen discusses Nickelodeon's jump into sports developing content and engaging in sports partnerships with leagues to get more youth fan engagement, and the importance of the NFL doing this...

Joe and Tom welcome Bronwen O’Keefe, Head of Global Brand Marketing and Content at the Harlem Globetrotters. Bronwen walks through her unique path to get to the Harlem Globetrotters. She discusses how she led in the accelerated world of content distribution and media and delivering entertainment value. Bronwen discusses Nikeloden’s jump into sports developing content and engaging in sports partnerships with leagues to get more youth fan engagement, and the importance of the NFL doing this to...

Joe and Mike welcome Taylor Esoldi, Master’s Student at Columbia, Former Navy Officer and intern for Williams Racing. Taylor speaks to his background, the lessons he learned in the Navy, and what he brings to a job like Williams. Lastly, he talks about keeping an open mind with his career change and the mentors he had that got him to where he is today. 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...

Joe and Tom welcome Joshua Schuab, the Comissioner of the American Association of Professional Baseball. Joshua Schuab speaks about his journey and affiliate baseball. He speaks more about stadium construction, the increased media content with Fubo partnership, ownership structure and entertaining fans. Josh also speaks about expansion.  Lastly, he speaks about the hardest part of being a commissioner and gives some great advice. The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports...

Joe and Scott welcome Vince Papale and Eric Swann to the CUSP Show. They both begin to speak about their journeys with football and to the NFL. They also discuss their upbringings and how it drove them to be around sports. They also talk about never letting others tell you that it isn't possible to be successful. 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...