The CUSP Show

Tom is joined by Randy Eccker, the CEO of Eccker Sports and one of the leading digital media and technology figures in the sports industry. Eccker talks about navigating the early stages of his illustrious career, his critical role in the growth story of XOS Digital Technologies, and how his learnings early on about using data to create value in the broader ecosystem were crucial in starting Eccke...

In this podcast, Joe and Tom discuss the best practices and the future of business intelligence in the sports industry with our guests. This is an increasingly important topic, as the capabilities of data gathering and analytics in the sports industry grow every day. Enjoy this exciting episode on The CUSP show. The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia Universi...

Joe is joined by Elizabeth Motta, Vice President of Insights and Analytics at WWE. A major in Sociology, Liz started her career at Horizon Media to support traditional media planning and buying before getting involved with Horizon’s Social Media Intelligence arm. She discusses her move to WWE in 2013 and her pivotal role in introducing the use of data and analytics in the organization, focusing on...

Joe and Tom are joined by Morgan Randolph, current Columbia University Sports Management student and former Communications Coordinator for the North Melbourne Football Club. In this episode, Morgan discusses her unique path into the sports industry, starting with a non-profit migrant and refugee group in Australia, transitioning into the Australian Football League, and ultimately coming back to th...

Joe and Kyle dive into Kyle’s career history at the Minnesota Timberwolves, La Clippers and New York City FC. Kyle also talks about his current work at the Major League Soccer, and the state of business intelligence in the sports industry. Enjoy this exciting episode on The CUSP show. The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch wit...

Joe and Tom are joined by Boris Gartner, who is the CEO of LaLiga North America, a joint venture between Relevent Sports, a multinational media, sports, and entertainment group, and LaLiga, Spain’s top-flight soccer competition, and professional association. In this edition of the CUSP Show, Joe and Tom talk with Boris about his stellar media career with Univision and Televisa before joining the s...

Joe is joined by Nicole Jeter West, CEO of Underdog Venture Team, a hybrid VC fund and marketing services business with a mission to promote investment in businesses founded by women and people of color. Prior to Underdog, Nicole has worked at the New York Knicks, USTA, Legends, LA 2028, and more. In this episode, Nicole talks about her start in the sports industry and how she has combined her ent...

Brian has a long standing career in college football, having held positions in the coaching staffs of many different universities. In this podcast, we delve into various aspects of coaching college football, such as how coaching has changed, coaching gen Z, the mental health of athletes, and the impact that NIL changes will have on athletes. Enjoy this exciting episode on The CUSP show. The CUSP S...

Joe and Tom are joined by Jorge Urrutia del Pozo, VP of Football (Soccer) at Dapper Labs. Prior to his time at Dapper Labs, Jorge worked at AOL, HuffPost, and the NBA, and is also a Columbia University Sports Management Graduate (‘20). In this episode, Jorge talks about his start in the sports industry and provides an introduction for NFTs. Additionally, Jorge dives into some of the underlying own...

Joe and Tom are joined by Jillian Quinn, a current Sports Management Graduate Student at Columbia University, and her twin Quinn, a professional soccer player for the Canadian National Team and NWSL club OL Reign. Quinn, a member of the Canadian soccer team, became the first trans athlete to win a Gold medal at Tokyo 2020 Olympics and a Bronze medal at Rio 2016 Olympics. A graduate of Duke Univers...

In this episode of the CUSP Show, Brian, Tom and Joe explore mental health in sports, how the new NIL regulations will change the industry for better or worse, and how Brian Dawkins has managed to make an impact both on and off the field. Enjoy this exciting episode on The CUSP show. The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with...

Joe and special co-host Tom Cerny are joined by Justin Grandenetti who is a Teacher and a Football Coach at Jack Britt High School, Justin talks about what spurred his passion for coaching, his experience coaching high-school football, and his desire to give back to the coaching community. During the pandemic, Justin hosted live online Zoom clinics produced by and for coaches around the world. The...

Joe and Tom are joined by Dane Rogers, Columbia University Sports Management graduate ‘19 and current Director of Partnership Services at the Real Salt Lake MLS team. In this edition of the CUSP Show, Dane talks about his time at Columbia, working at the XFL as it shut down amid COVID-19, and his new position at Real Salt Lake. Additionally, Joe, Tom, and Dane discuss the future of sports ownershi...

In this edition of the CUSP Show, Joe and Tom talk with Aaron about the importance of mental health in sports, the impact of NIL provisions on college athletes, and overcoming adversity as an athlete. To top it off, Aaron ends the podcast with a postscript where he offers powerful life advice. Enjoy this exciting episode on The CUSP show. The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Mana...

Joe and Tom are joined by Sameer Ahuja, President of GameChanger, a technology company that builds simple and powerful products for youth sports teams and their communities owned by Dick’s Sporting Goods. The company’s premier service is an app that includes scoring and streaming capabilities for youth sports leagues. In this episode, Sameer discusses his start at JP Morgan Chase, creating the Spo...

Joe and Tom are joined by Davyeon Ross, President and Co-founder of ShotTracker Inc, a revolutionary sensor-based system that delivers statistics and analytics to sports teams, to discuss ShotTracker’s solution to measure and enhance performance of competitive athletes, personalize fan engagement and much more using real-time data insights. In this episode, Davyeon discusses his move to the US fro...

Tom is joined by Sarah Flynn (@flynnwaslike), Chief Marketing Officer at Thirty Five Ventures, a venture capital and multi-media company founded by the two-time NBA Champion Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman. Sarah got her start at Roc Nation in 2013, running their music and sports marketing ventures before joining Thirty Five Ventures in their nascent stages. In this episode, Sarah discusses her care...

Joe and Tom are joined by the "King of NBA Twitter” Josiah Johnson to discuss his road to success on social media and with other sports and entertainment projects. Josiah’s Twitter account @KingJosiah54 specializes in basketball memes and currently has over 200,000 followers. His Twitter has received widespread praise from NBA stars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Before his success on social...

Eric is a passionate and motivational speaker who is a source of inspiration for many others. The conversation dives into Eric’s unique road to success, the trials and tribulations he faced along the way, as well as current trends that sports entrepreneurs should be on the lookout for. || The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch...

Joe & Tom are joined by The CUSP Show Co-Producers Taylor DeBernardo & Ben Walsh to discuss their favorite moments and insights during their time working behind the scenes prior to graduating from the Columbia University Sports Management Program. They dive into their personal and professional backgrounds, favorite episodes, and talk about the biggest surprises in the sports industry. Enjoy this s...

Joe and Tom are joined by Eddie Mensah, Managing Director of Right to Dream Academy, to discuss the organization's holistic and purpose-driven programs to develop talent. With a wealth of educational experience in the US, Eddie joined the Right to Dream team in Ghana to ensure the successful implementation of the organization's model and to expand in new geographies. The foundation of the organiza...

Chioma Atanmo, Community Programs Manager at Sporting Kansas City, T.J. Winfrey, Chief of Partnerships at Detroit City FC, and Patrick Rose, Director of Strategy at For Soccer Ventures, join Alidu Salifu '22 to discuss issues related to Black soccer participation and fandom in the United States. In addition to discussing their career journeys within soccer, Chioma, T.J., and Patrick identify barri...

Tom is joined by Conrad Cornell, Co-Founder & CEO of Press Sports App, to discuss digital media, entrepreneurial start-ups, and more. As a former student-athlete as a baseball star at Mercer University Stetson School of Business, Conrad started Press Sports, The Sports Social Network, with one of his closest friends, Drew Williams. They created the platform to empower athletes, engage fans, and he...

Joe and Tom are joined by Sab Singh, founder of Sports Doing Good and future professor at Columbia University's Sports Management Program. Sab discusses his career transition from consulting to education, having worked at PwC before finding his love for teaching sports management at NYU, St. Johns, and Farmingdale State University, where he currently serves as Chairperson of the Sport Management P...

Joe and Tom are joined by Santa Brito, Director of Communications at ESPN, to discuss the passion and authenticity of Hispanic Heritage storytelling, ESPN Deportes, the evolution of consumer expectation, and much more. Santa is an award-winning, bilingual Marketing and Communications executive experienced in branding and strategic marketing with 14+ years of experience in multicultural marketing,...