The CUSP Show

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 abo...

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...

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 d...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 to...

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 Conten...

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 happin...

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 pipeli...

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 th...

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...

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 partn...

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...

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 commissi...

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 Univers...

Joe and Tom welcome Yussuf Khan, CEO and Founder of the Khante Group and First and Pen. Yussuf speaks about his career, specifically, starting at ESPN and taking more of an entrepreneurial path later on. Khan further explains the importance of learning sales after transitioning from a banking background and the basic DNA of sales. He then speaks about First and Pen and brings back original storyte...

Joe and Scott welcome Mason Gordon, Co-Founder of Slam Ball. Mason goes through his career development to end up at Slam Ball. He talks about how he chose to present the league to build its popularity, and reinvent himself as a storyteller for people to invest in him and his team. He speaks about what he learned from season one of Slam Ball. Mason also speaks about how they manage health and safet...

Joe and Tom welcome Stephanie Marciano, Head of Sports and Entertainment at Ally. Stephanie Marciano speaks to the success and frenzy of women’s sports and goes into her successful career to get to Ally. She speaks to growing the brand of Ally and the athletes she partners with, including her thoughts about NIL. Stephanie also speaks to social media’s impact and how it helps Ally become more inclu...

Joe and Tom welcome Todd Ehrlich, Founder and President of T-Line TV, 5-time Emmy Award Winning and Author of the Book, The 20 Greatest Moments in New York Sports History. Todd speaks to the concepts of debate being the inspiration of his new book and his desire to expand the book into the media sphere. He expands on the process of writing and his career path. Todd speaks about the surprises he fo...

Joe and Tom welcome Sandrine Nzeukou, Founder of Playbook. Sandrine speaks about her background in sports and her success in basketball and how it led to her current status as an entrepreneur in sports. She also talks about the size and scope of BAL, and the status of their league. Sandrine expands on the growth and education side of sports in Africa and what that looks like. She also speaks about...

Description: Joe and Tom welcome Gary Warech, Global Leader, AI for Sports & Entertainment to speak more about sports and AI. Gary goes through his career and the diverse experiences he has been a part of. He speaks about AI and the education side of it. Gary speaks about AI’s impact on the business and the consumer side with AI technology in sports. He also speaks about the difference between ope...

Tom and Mike welcome back Layden Williams, Senior Manager of Athlete Marketing at LIFT Sports Management. Layden gives his background and how he ended up joining LIFT. He also discusses marketing the different athletes he works with and the parallels from his brand marketing work to athlete marketing. Layden goes on to discuss more about LIFT, their growth as an agency and LIFT Media. Lastly, Layd...

Joe and Scott welcome Brian Michael Cooper, President and COO of American Flag Football. Brian Michael Cooper talks about his career journey and becoming the President of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA G-league, being in the XFL, and Flag Football. He also talks about learning the different components of running and league and the status of American Flag Football. Brian compares his other...