Behind The Sports Story

Melinda Travis, CEO and Co-founder of Mile 44, discuss her work in sports PR and authentic sports production, her passion for working with athletes, building a business with and for younger generations, and much more.

Sarah Flynn, CMO at Thirty Five Ventures joins the show to talk about working with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman to build an investment and content brand, the role of the athlete voice in sports media, investing in Gotham FC and women's sports, candle-making and much more!

Corey Leff, aka "JohnWallStreet' of Sportico, on Newsletters, the Sports Business Boom and NFTs in Sports

ESPN Associate Producer Daniela Marulanda joins the show to talk about her career creating impactful, long-form storytelling in sports, Spanish language sports broadcasting, thoughts on the MLB lockdown and more!

Rishi Chadha, Twitter's Head of Creator and Gaming Content Partnerships joins the show to talk about the future of gaming, where younger generations can find opportunities, gaming business models and much more!

Megan Reyes, creator of "More Diverse Voices in Sports" talks to Dave about the creation of the campaign, her upcoming mental health focused podcast and the opportunities for young creatives on social media.

Dan Lust discusses the thought process behind building the Conduct Detrimental brand with fellow lawyer and co-host Daniel Wallach as well as his take on sports law issues of the day including NIL legislation, the Cleveland Guardians naming fiasco and the pending cases against Trevor Bauer and Deshaun Watson.

Joe Favorito, Sports PR/Marketing legend talks to Dave about his work connecting sports to audiences over three decades, his time with Knicks PR, his relationship with David Stern, and the craft of storytelling.

Bo Han joins Dave to discuss how Buzzer is reconnecting fans with the live sports experience during a time when more and more people are cutting the cord and watching highlights. He also shares the inspiration and progress of Buzzer's "Strive" initiative to drive positive change and outcomes in our society.

Anthony Caponiti joins Dave to talk about the creation and evolution of Hashtag Sports, how event-based businesses can succeed year round and how initiatives like Creators of Color elevate the next generation of diverse creators.

Jabari Young, CNBC's national sports business reporter joins Dave to talk about his path from being a sports fan and good writer as a teenager to covering sports around the country. He discusses the importance and impact that mentors and great journalists have had on him and why it is necessary to perform once you are given opportunity.

University of Pennsylvania Professor of Japanese History Frederick Dickinson discusses Japan's long history with the Olympics and engaging the global community. He also talks about the present day politics around the Tokyo Olympics during COVID.

SBJ NFL reporter Ben Fischer talks to Dave about his career in sports business, what its like to change focus areas as a reporter and how the NFL continues to lead the sports world in monetizing its business.

Dave talks to fellow sports PR Pro Tyger Danger, Director of Brand and Culture Communications at Turner Sports & Bleacher Report about the sports media PR business, where sports media continues to change and how to empower more voices in sports. They also discuss their sports media pet peeves, and picks for the NBA championship.

Dr. Lindsay Krasnoff talks to Dave about her career as a historian, author and consultant on sports diplomacy, the role sports has historically played as a soft power for nations and the evolution of basketball on the African continent.

Ashley Besecker RDN is the founder of Functional Performance Nutrition and is the nutritionist for athletes at the highest level of numerous professional sports. In this episode, Ashley talks to Dave about how she built such an impressive roster of professional clients, how to apply nutrigenetics & nutrigenomics to training, the interplay between mental and physical health as well how to be a good sports parent.

Jen Choi, Atlanta Hawks Director of Impact & Innovation joins the show to talk about her journey from Silicon Valley to an NBA front office, what innovation means in sports and her thoughts on AAPI activism in the NBA.

On the first episode of season 2, MLBPA Certified Player Agent Lonnie Murray talks to Dave about her path to owning her own agency, her experience as one of the only black women in the sport and how the MLB community can improve on issues around race and mental health

On Episode 8, Dave talks to Mean Circle Ventures Founder Albert Sye about his work partnering with and advising athletes like Shaquille O'Neal and Richard Seymour on brand deals, his approach to connecting players and entertainers with companies, as well as his thoughts as a Morehouse grad about the future of HBCU athlete commitments.

On Episode 7, Front Office Sports Founder and CEO Adam White, talks to Dave about building a sports business media company, keeping up with the evolution of the digital media business model, and how to reach audiences where they are.

On Episode 6, Dave speaks with Angel City FC's Head of Partnerships Jess Smith about her journey in sports, how she is bringing her unique approach to sponsorship to Angel City and the NWSL, and how Angel City is building a team with purpose and impact as core to its foundation.

On Episode 5, Dave talks to C.J. Toledano, founder of creative sports studio Follow Through and former head writer and creative director at House of Highlights about the world of sports social media—what makes a good (and bad) social strategy, how legacy brands have been forced to embrace social media and the new generation of creators. They also give theirthoughts on this past week's events in social media and what defines responsible, authentic social content during crisis.

Episode 4 features NOLA.com Sports Producer Jeff Nowak who talks to Dave about covering multiple sports in the New Orleans market, how he and his paper had to adapt to COVID, as well as his thoughts on Zion, Coach O and the Saints.

Episode 3 features The Athletic Editor Hannah Withiam who joins Dave to talk about their alma mater, how sports media is falling short on women's sports as well as how the WNBA is building on a decades-long legacy of fighting for justice.

For Episode 2, veteran, award-winning Kansas City Star Reporter Blair Kerkhoff joins Dave to talk about the dynamic between local and national media when the hometown team gets really good.

For the first episode of the Behind The Sports Story Podcast, Dave talks to former ESPN PR Vet Keri Potts about the evolution of sports programming.