The CUSP Show

Joe and Tom are joined by Alysse Soll, a sports industry veteran, who is currently president of NewModel Advisory. Alysse tells the amazing story of how a decision to swap her figure skates for hockey skates while at Cornell University ultimately landed her a job in grassroots fan acquisition for the San Jose Sharks, followed by a decorated career in fan developement and marketing at the NHL. The...

Joe and special guest co-host Aliyah Funschelle are joined by La Vida Baseball’s accomplished TV Host/Sports and Entertainment Broadcaster Julie Alexandria to discuss women in sports media as well as the passion of Latino baseball’s past, present, and future during National Hispanic Heritage Month. Before her career as a sports journalist and sideline reporter, Julie performed in numerous stage pr...

Lou DiBella, long-time veteran of the sports industry and founder of DiBella Entertainment, joins Joe and Carla to discuss his career as one of the most prominent promoters in the boxing industry. In an interview that casts light on the dark side of the industry, Lou wrestles with the current state of boxing and how his 32-year career has played out. Having been inducted into the International Box...

Joe & Tom are joined by Phenix’s Chief Marketing Officer Jed Corenthal to discuss real-time sports streaming. Phenix is a real-time streaming technology platform that can deliver synchronous streams with sub-half-second latency while maintaining broadcast quality and scale. Its proprietary platform is essential for delivering content in real-time to better engage audiences and deliver interactive...

Joe and Tom are joined by Charlie Shin, Columbia Sports Management Lecturer and VP of Data Strategy & Analytics for the Indianapolis Colts, to discuss data strategy, monetizing digital assets, and more.  Charlie Shin is a seasoned sports executive with more than 20 years of experience in customer strategy and marketing.  Prior to the Colts, Charlie worked in Major League Soccer for 14 years.  Whil...

Joe is joined by Scott Rosner, Director of Columbia University Sports Management. They  discuss last year's unprecedented school experience for students, staff, and professors, as well as the most recent Sports Business rankings. Scott concludes by previewing the incoming cohort of students and professors following a record-setting year of applications and acceptances. || @scottrosner @CU_SPS_SM |...

Joe and Tom are joined by Dinn Mann, partner at Turn 2 Equity Partners and former long-time executive at MLB Advanced Media. A journalist at heart, Dinn rose through the ranks at several renowned newspapers before joining MLBAM and helping to spearhead one of  sports' most successful digital pioneering efforts as head of media. The group shares some of their favorite stories and discusses some of...

Jene Elzie, Chief Growth Officer at Athletes First Partners, joins Tom and Joe to talk about her career in sports marketing. As a former economics major and gymnast at Stanford University, Jene's interest in sports and organizational behavior helped her cultivate a decades-long career in understanding what helps (and hurts) to build strong cultures, particularly in a remote setting. As a "curious...

Joe and Tom are joined by the Senior Vice President of the WNBA Washington Mystics & NBA G-League Capital City Go-Go, Alycen McAuley, to discuss purpose-driven sports and delivering value to the community.  Alycen leads the business operations efforts for these two Monumental Sports franchises.  For both franchises, but in particular the WNBA Washington Mystics, her team is focused on not only pla...

Joe and Tom are joined by David Chadwick, founder of RealResponse, to discuss how his risk management platform trusted by over 1,500 athletic organizations across the country is giving athletes a safe space to use their voice. As a DI basketball player, Chadwick realized that many athletes lacked the support necessary to ensure that their health and safety was secure in an environment in which suc...

Joe and Tom sit down with Buzzer Founder & CEO Bo Han to discuss how he became an entrepreneur after being the Director of Live Content at Twitter.  A Columbia Business School Alum, Bo is leading Buzzer to deliver the sports moments that matter to fans the most.  Buzzer simplifies the discovery and access to live short-form “lightning-in-a-bottle” moments in sports tailored to your preferences wit...

Joe is joined by former NFL kicker and Amazing Yoga's Sean Conley. As a DIII kicker who overworked his body to get to Pitt and eventually the NFL, Sean's career was cut short by injury. His discovery of yoga and drive to share his experience with others led Sean to co-found Amazing Yoga with his wife and to write the Amazon Best Seller, Amazing Yoga. Sean shares stories and lessons of his time pla...

Joe and Tom are joined by Mary Wittenberg, President of Commercial EF Education First Pro Cycling, to discuss working under Richard Branson, the current pro cycling scene, marathons, and more. Mary helps position the team for future success and promotes EF’s mission of opening the world through education by encouraging people to step outside of their comfort zones and explore the world. Her experi...

Roman Tirone joins the show to talk about how Virtual Human Studio's ZED.Run is pioneering the future of breathing NFT's in the form of horses that can be bought, sold, bred, and raced on the Ethereum blockchain. As Head of Partnerships for VHS, an NFT project studio exploring the boundaries of entertainment by experimenting in emerging tech in gaming, art, sport, and digital collectables, Roman s...

The CUSP Show is joined by Jessica Berman, Deputy Commissioner & Executive Vice President, Business Affairs at the National Lacrosse League to discuss trailblazing as a woman in sports, lacrosse culture, and much more. Formerly a VP with the NHL, Jessica now provides strategic direction on all growth initiatives and legal matters facing the NLL. Among her areas of responsibility, Berman oversees h...

Bryant McBride, CEO & Co-founder of Burst, joins for an insightful Juneteenth episode. With over 20 years of experience as an executive and entrepreneur, Bryant has focused on building and nurturing technology businesses where family and sports have been strategic growth drivers. As VP of Business Development for the NHL, he led the evaluation and creation of new businesses including international...

Michael Lombardi joins Joe to talk about a lifetime working in the NFL and media alongside legends Bill Walsh, Bill Belichek, Jim Nance, and George Ravel. Reflecting upon his many successes and failures, Lombardi shares his thoughts about personal growth, dealing with loss, transition, and learning to give. As the author of Gridiron Genius: A Master Class in Winning Championships and Building Dyna...

Coming on the heels of Mental Health Awareness Month and Naomi Osaka's withdrawal from the French Open, The CUSP Show is joined by Eric Kussin, the Founder of We’re All A Little “Crazy”, to discuss mental health in sports. Eric is a 15-year professional sports executive who brings together Athletes, Celebrities, and Expert Practitioners. After a successful career that started at the NBA League Off...

Tom and Joe chat with Deadspin founder Will Leitch about his career in sports journalism. As a pioneer in the sports media space, Leitch heavily influenced the outside-of-the-box style of sports commentary, which is now a staple of the sports media industry industry. Now a columnist for MLB, contributing editor for New York Magazine, and writer for Medium, Leitch recently released his fifth book,...

Joe is joined by Justine Siegal to talk about her pioneering work as a professional baseball coach and serial disrupter. Justine discusses her journey to become a coach at the NCAA and MLB level, and how her leadership with Baseball for All is empowering girls and women to play, coach, and lead. -- The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can ge...

Joe and Tom are joined by Omar Raja, House of Highlights Founder and ESPN Digital & Social Content Commentator, to discuss the rapid growth of sports digital media.  From founding House of Highlights while attending college at UCF to currently growing ESPN's digital fanbase, Omar's passionate journey to becoming one of the youngest pioneers in the industry is informative and inspirational.  Omar s...

Caroline Shaw of E. & J. Gallo Winery joins Joe to talk about her experience as the Senior Director of Corporate Brand and Marketing Communications at the largest winery in the world. Having led communications and media relations outreach across multiple industries including the NBA, the Olympic Games and the United Nations, Caroline shares her unique perspective working at the crossroads of the b...

Jabari Young, Sports Business Reporter at CNBC, joins Joe and Tom to discuss sports journalism in today's new digital sports landscape.  Jabari Young is a sports journalist best known for his coverage of the San Antonio Spurs and the NBA.  He joined CNBC in October 2019 as a national sports business reporter.  In his return to The CUSP Show, he discusses lessons learned from Stephen A. Smith and K...

Tom speaks with Tony Grillo, VP of Business Development at GreenPark Sports, about the newest digital space for fans -- the virtual sports metaverse. Tony explains how GreenPark is creating a mobile proving ground for fans, allowing "Greenies" to represent for their team in a series of mini-games, game predictions, customized avatars, and more. While still in the Beta stage of development, Tony's...

Zack Weiner, Co-Founder & President of Overtime, joins Joe and Tom to discuss the new Overtime Elite League, a transformative new sports league that offers the world’s most talented young basketball players a better pathway to becoming professional athletes while engaging and inspiring a new community of digitally native fans.  From beginnings with Zion Williamson to amateur athlete empowerment, Z...