Friends With Ben

Meet DJ Skee , a cultural architect who's been credited by artists such as Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone as the first to give them a break in the music industry, and is now focusing on transforming the collectibles industry as founder and CEO of The Realest.

Meet Chris Van Vliet , a 4-time Emmy Award winning TV host and content creator, and host of Insight with Chris Van Vliet.

Meet Gary Trent, a former professional basketball player, who played in the NBA for 9 years, and is the father of current professional basketball player, Gary Trent Jr. Originally recorded February 8, 2022.

Meet Muggsy Bogues , a former professional basketball player, who played in the NBA for 14 years, and at 5'3", is the shortest player in NBA history. Originally recorded February 3, 2022.

Meet Jerome Williams , aka "Junkyard Dog" or "JYD", a former professional basketball player, who played in the NBA for 9 years. Originally recorded January 28, 2022.

Meet James Marsters , best known for his roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Smallville and Dragon Ball Super. Originally recorded October 21, 2021.

Meet Troy Rike , who in 2021, was a professional basketball player in the Philippines, who was also a part-time sports card content creator. Originally recorded July 23, 2021.

Meet Jayevan Foster , a Vanier Cup-winning wide receiver from Queen's University,, and former provincial track and field star, who is now a CFL agent and owner of EMPIRE MGMT. Originally recorded September 25, 2020.

Chris McGill of Card Ladder joins the podcast to talk about growing up collecting Michael Jordan, and eventually becoming a Luka Doncic collector. He also talks about how his love for the hobby and background in music production evolved into creating hobby content and the formation of Card Ladder.

Jeff Hoferer of PackGeek joins the podcast to talk about his love for storytelling turned him into one of the first sports card content creators on YouTube. He also talks about his favourite set and insert, as well as his biggest pull of all time - a 2017 Flawless Patrick Mahomes rookie card numbered to five.

Ryan Nolan of Breakout Cards joins the podcast to talk about his hobby content journey, creating sports card show vlogs. He also provides an in-depth history of baseball cards, as well as how to spot fakes and the current state of the hobby.

Jeremy Lee, the host of Sports Cards Live, joins the podcast to talk about his hobby journey of over 40 years, as well as the importance of enjoying the said journey and process. He also provides a crash course on hockey cards, and shows off some of his Precious Metal Gems.

16-year old sports card phenomenon Sam Conrad joins the podcast to talk about how he got into sports cards, as well as creating content for the hobby. Ben and Sam get into heated arguments over who should win Defensive Player of The Year (recorded before awards finalists were announced), as well as their divided takes on Panini Select.

The story of how one of the youngest coaches in college basketball history transformed into one of the most beloved sports personalities in Canada. Longtime Toronto Raptors broadcaster Jack Armstrong joins the podcast to tell his story.

The story of how a man's drive, determination and love for calling sports led to an illustrious career in broadcasting. Former Toronto Raptors play-by-play voice, and current Chicago Bulls radio announcer Chuck Swirsky joins the podcast to tell his story

The story of a college football player's rise through the world of professional sports game presentation and entertainment. Russell Kovshoff - director of game entertainment for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and former game presentation coordinator for the Toronto Raptors - joins the podcast to tell his story.

The story of how a man used his strong support system, and love for the game of basketball, to carve out a ten year career in the NBA. Former Toronto Raptors point guard, Alvin Williams joins the podcast to tell his story.

The story of a creator's journey through the world of creating content online. Josh Santiago - full-time YouTube video editor - joins the podcast to tell his story.

The story of how a kid from Toronto transcended the world of interviews through his humor and creativity. The legendary Cabral "Cabbie" Richards joins the podcast to tell his story.

The story of a hip-hop dancer's journey through creativity and how he won the most important battle of his life - his battle with Burkitt Lymphoma. Michael Stoddart - professional dancer, entertainer and multimedia specialist - joins the podcast to tell his story.

The story of a quiet introvert's evolution into an outgoing leader, who evokes inspiration and hype in front of thousands. Jonathan Joubran - financial executive by day, and flag guy for the Toronto Raptors by night - joins the podcast to tell his story.

The story of the art of not giving a f*ck. Jake Brennan - actor, comedian, and arguably the funniest guy I know - joins the podcast to tell his story.

The story of how one spontaneous decision can lead to the creation of something special. Marryl Smith - actress and artist - joins the podcast to tell her story.

The story of embracing who you are, and how far you can go with an infectiously energetic personality. Ivan Derakhshani - professional hypeman, emcee, and content creator - joins the podcast to tell his story.

The story of how what you study in university, doesn't always have to end up being what you do with your life. Kris Galang - economics major, turned photographer, videographer and accidental TikTok star - joins the podcast to tell his story.