Let's Huddle with Ed Cunningham

Oscar and Emmy winning director TJ Martin discusses growing up with parents who were in a pioneering rock band in early ‘80s Seattle, making movies about beer pong, Tina Turner and a high school football team in Memphis, along with his process and goals of storytelling. If you want to prep for or follow up after listening with TJ's work, a good start would be “Last Cup”, “Undefeated”, “LA92” and “Tina”. This episode is meant for a mature audience, and there are discussions of assault and trauma. Last Cup: Road to the World Series of Beer Pong Apple iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/movie/last-cup-road-to-the-world-series-of-beer-pong/id896729444 Undefeated Netflix - https://www.netflix.com/title/70177633 Apple iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/undefeated/id1224302552 LA92 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/movies-and-specials/la-92 Tina HBO - https://www.hbo.com/movies/tina Hulu - https://www.hulu.com/movie/tina-857744f2-d411-486f-a951-69fd70b847e1 Apple TV - https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/tina/umc.cmc.3k1l6zahy3rvbjwouz481gda9 TJ's twitter - @tjmckaymartin https://twitter.com/tjmckaymartin?lang=en

Mexican filmmaker Louisa Merino is an open water, long distance swimmer who met the subject of her documentary, “Jerry's Last Mission”, while training in the pool. The beautiful, deeply moving film is about the fighter pilot who flew the last combat mission over Japan in World War II and was confronted by his enemy decades after the war when his youngest son moved to Japan and married the daughter of a Kamikaze pilot. “Jerry's Last Mission” on Apple – https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/jerrys-last-mission/id1594953155

Emmy winner Patrick McManus has directed just about every sport in America and beyond but it was his desire to try something new that led him to “America Ninja Warrior” and opened up a whole new career path. We discuss his transition to the reality competition format, the challenges of bringing to life one of the most beloved shows on television, and what he is looking for out of a football announcer.

Golf lifer Doug Smith was the first Black player at the University of Louisville and recently worked on an all minority broadcast team covering a tournament for the Golf Channel – a first for a sport still struggling to connect with and promote diverse players and industry professionals. After finally giving up his dream of playing on the PGA Tour, it was the business of golf that pulled Doug into his adult life where he hosts two golf podcasts, works for a golf technology company, and just recently, as a golf analyst and reporter. Doug's story is inspiring and his grit and ingenuity shine through. As they say in golf, Doug is a grinder. He just sort of figures things out. Doug Smith's webpage: https://www.dougsmithgolf.com/ Doug Smith on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDouglasFresh Doug's Golf Channel Podcast: https://www.golfchannel.com/beyond-fairway Article from Undefeated: https://theundefeated.com/features/all-minority-broadcast-team-makes-history-with-the-apga-tour-at-torrey-pines/ Additional resource article: https://www.kentucky.com/sports/college/kentucky-sports/article251596533.html#storylink=cpy Advocacy Professional Golf Association: https://www.apgatour.org/

Longtime sports radio host Doug Franz took his wife to Cooperstown on their honeymoon and then bounced around from market to market as he built his career before a cold tryout with a new partner in Phoenix led to one of the Valleys most successful, longest running morning shows. With “The Doug and Wolf Show” gone, and his wife unwilling to move again, Doug now hosts a podcast, “Doug Franz Unplugged”. He was kind enough to let me borrow this episode, as it was mostly him interviewing me for his show, but we also dug into Doug and his process. He is smart, does good radio and we talk about the Oscars, the NFL, amateur athletics and, of course, The Boz. Doug Franz Unplugged podcast – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doug-franz-unplugged/id1601237058 Twitter – https://twitter.com/UnpluggedDoug @UnpluggedDoug

Legendary sportswriter E.M. Swift spent over thirty years writing for Sports Illustrated with a specialty in covering the Olympics. It was his coverage of the 1980 gold medal winning USA Olympic hockey team that cemented them and their against-all-odds victory as one of the greatest miracles in sports history. We talk about his background as a college hockey player, how he got started at S.I. and the one article – a retrospective of how a group of amateurs defeated the best teams in the world – that established Swift as a key source for our understanding and appreciation of sports long before the 24-hour news cycle and explosion of outlets covering the games that we play. “A Reminder Of What We Can Be: The 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team” https://www.si.com/olympics/2014/10/28/reminder-what-we-can-be-1980-us-olympic-hockey-team-si-60 SI Vault: “Miracle on Ice” https://www.si.com/sports-illustrated/2014/08/15/si-vault-miracle-ice S.I. vault – E.M. Swift articles https://www.si.com/author/em-swift

Award winning artist John Costacos helped cement sports stars as pop culture icons with inventive, stylized posters of players like Charles Barkley, Mark McGuire, Bo Jackson and Troy Aikman. Leaning into the aesthetics and mass-media sensibilities of the ‘80s and ‘90s, John and his brother's company – the Costacos Brothers – were so good at what they did that they went from chasing deals to having stars call them asking for a poster of their own. We talk about how the company started, some of the biggest names and best photo shoots, their poster series featuring Don James, the legendary college football coach, and my favorite poster – The Land of Boz – which featured the viral-before-viral Brian “The Boz” Bosworth. Twitter for Costacos Collection @CostacosCollect “Walls of Fame: The Unforgettable Sports Posters of the Costacos Brothers” https://www.amazon.com/Walls-Fame-Unforgettable-Costacos-Brothers/dp/1681884046 John's Current Endeavor https://costacoscollection.com/ SB Nation video – “Poster Boys” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY0kh0nxwT8

Three time Emmy winning director Greg Whiteley joins the show to discuss the smash hit Netflix series “Cheer”, and how season two was nearly derailed by the pandemic and then rocked by news that a star from season one was accused and charged with multiple crimes, including sexual exploitation of children. Whiteley and his team, the ones behind “Last Chance U” also on Netflix, pressed on and have created a new season set in the world of competitive college cheerleading that will be talked about and debated long after its release. Warning – the episode includes spoilers from “Cheer” season 2 and has discussions of sex crimes. It is intended for mature audiences. GREG WHITELEY on Twitter - @gregonepotato and https://twitter.com/gregonepotato CHEER – https://www.netflix.com/title/81039393 LAST CHANCE U – https://www.netflix.com/title/80091742 NEW YORK DOLL – the story of Arthur “Killer” Kane https://www.amazon.com/New-York-Doll-Arthur-Kane/dp/B06XRS4DFZ

ESPN's trailblazing broadcaster Beth Mowins – the first ever woman to call play by play for an NFL and NBA game – grew up an athlete in a sports-loving family when she realized that very few woman were working to call games. Rather than seeing closed doors, she saw an opportunity. Now one of the best and most active game callers in the business, the former college point guard – who still leads her school in assists – is a master at setting up the action and her production teammates. Article from Philadelphia Inquirer - https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-hawks-espn-beth-mowins-nfl-cowboys-saints-spanish-troy-aikman-joe-buck-20211203.html Beth Mowin's wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_Mowins      

Ex-Raider and current Raider broadcaster Lincoln Kennedy was my teammate at the University of Washington and went on to an All-Pro NFL career on the field while becoming an entrepreneur and broadcaster off it. Learn about his rough start in the pros, his love of Raider Nation, his close relationship with Al Davis and how he transitioned into media and business. Lincoln's Twitter – https://twitter.com/LKennedy72 Lincoln's Cigars - https://www.instagram.com/el_kcigars/?hl=en

Long time college and NFL coach Keith Gilbertson discusses his work at the University of Washington during a golden era for the Huskies under legendary coach Don James. As a mentor and friend, Gilbertson brought fun and the opportunity to excel at a time when it was desperately needed by me and the entire football program, ultimately leading to a national championship. “Fear No Man: Don James, the '91 Huskies, and the Seven-Year Quest for a National Football Championship”, by Mike Gastineau https://www.amazon.com/Fear-No-Man-Seven-Year-Championship/dp/0295749210

Emmy winner Jack Arute discusses his long, fascinating broadcast career where he nearly won the Baja 1000 as a reporter/navigator, survived a plane crash while covering the Iditarod, witnessed the immense respect of college football coaches for Hall of Fame broadcaster Keith Jackson and overcoming his fear of heights to learn how to hang glide for a story. And how it all started at his families' race track, when he gave up his job as the flag waver to become the public address announcer. Jack Arute's Wind Tunnel on Apple podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jack-arutes-wind-tunnel-presented-by-advance-auto-parts/id1551723582 Twitter - https://twitter.com/jawindtunnel Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/JAWindTunnel

Canadian filmmaker David Bitton began filming a sport called Chessboxing – a professionalized mix of boxing and speed chess – over a decade ago and still finds the subculture fascinating and inspiring. With the release of his documentary, "By Rook or Left Hook: The Story of Chessboxing", we look back on the connections and similarities to "The King of Kong", discuss a sport and its participants that are surprisingly relatable, and he recounts the epically long production that included being mugged and having all of his gear stolen right before the project was to begin. “By Rook or Left Hook: The story of Chessboxing” – David's documentary links: iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/movie/by-rook-or-left-hook-the-story-of-chessboxing/id1595879839 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/By_Rook_or_Left_Hook_The_Story_of_Chessboxing?id=R2kuP5f1kgY.P Vimeo on Demand: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/chessboxing ++++ Film & David's Social Media -  Facebook:  @ChessboxingDoc Twitter:  @Pineappleprods +++++ “Parking Space” – David's short horror film link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7iQIGPLZR8

NFL Hall of Fame reporter Sam Farmer  of the L.A. Times and Emmy winner Jeff Chadiha of the NFL Network talk about their long careers as beat writers covering the sport, how modern and social media have changed their jobs, and their reasons for picking a story and the responsibilities that come with that choice. The chat begins with how Sam and Jeff met while covering the Oakland Raiders, and Sam shares how Jeff was relentless about getting stories during a tumultuous time for the franchise. We discuss how the beat writer's job has changed from being ‘just up in the press box,' to now down in the locker and meeting rooms, and how access to athletes has tightened over the years, especially during a pandemic. Many of the stories are from when physical newspapers broke the news, on fixed, daily schedules, so we dive into how social and digital media has changed the game for a couple of veterans of the business. Finally, we dig into how and why they choose stories and the responsibilities you have as a reporter, with Jeff sharing how he handled exclusive access to a college athlete who came out as gay. Episode links Sam Farmer LA Times - https://www.latimes.com/people/sam-farmer Twitter – https://twitter.com/LATimesfarmer?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Jeff Chadiha NFL.com - https://www.nfl.com/author/jeffri-chadiha-0ap3000000508550 Twitter - https://twitter.com/jeffrichadiha?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Links for the show Website – https://bleav.com/shows/lets-huddle/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/letshuddlewith Please DM us via twitter with any feedback or suggestions  

Legendary radio personality Jaime “Spike” O'Neill was a sports reporter, impressionist, writer, singer and key cast member of “Bob Rivers Twisted Radio” -  the number one rock radio show in Seattle from the height of grunge through the collapse of web 1.0. Two east coasters, who arrived in Seattle about the same time and met when Spike offered Ed his first broadcasting gig, reminisce about how O'Neill had backstage passes to a golden era for arts, culture, business and sports and he takes us on a tour of his out-of-nowhere gig as a willing and able representative of Twisted Radio. The chat begins with us discussing a couple of East Coast outsiders first moving to Seattle and how we met when Spike was looking to do a weekly radio segment with the Washington Husky football team. A lifelong friendship developed, and Ed takes Spike through his time in Twisted Radio, as O'Neill became the de facto ‘man about town' for the show. From rock stars jumping off his deck into the pool, to keeping the crowd excited in a video shoot for Pearl Jam, Spike shares his recollection of one glorious era in Seattle, while breaking down why and how Twisted Radio connected with so many fans – men and women alike – through their morning drivetime show. Episode links Spike O'Neill Band's Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/spikeandtheimpalers Bob and Zip show - https://bobandzip.com/ Twisted Tunes - https://bobrivers.com/ Show links Website – https://bleav.com/shows/lets-huddle/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/letshuddlewith Please DM us via twitter with any feedback or suggestions    

Broadcasting and ESPN legend Mike Patrick spent over thirty years at the World Wide Leader and helped usher in the era of non-traditional NFL game times while serving as the first host of Sunday Night Football. He discusses growing up in West Virginia and how he stumbled into broadcasting, his life's work, while in college. Get to know one of the best ever play by play announcers in his own words, including his open heart surgery that nearly derailed it all while he was at a pinnacle in his career.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The NY Times bestselling author, Yahoo! Sports columnist, screenwriter, producer and podcaster Dan Wetzel has just about seen it all and gladly shared his take, but nothing has him leaning into the laptop more than the financial schemes and inequities baked into the NCAA's handling of the athletes who make up their work force. We discuss how the amateur sports we watch on all the big networks are not contractually legal, how the greed of administrators finally reversed the flow of value and revenue back towards the amateurs and why covering the Olympics during a pandemic sucked. Yahoo!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AP Sports Writer of the Year Janie McCauley discusses how Ichiro Suzuki and the 2001 Seattle Mariners helped her grow as a sports writer, why Dusty Baker was the perfect manager for the scandal-plagued Houston Astros and how collecting and handing out foul balls during the 2020 MLB season helped fans, unable to attend games in person, stay connected to the sport.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Emmy winning broadcaster and former NFL player Solomon Wilcots discusses how the Jon Gruden email leaks revealed bigger issues within the league, his new, misunderstood podcast partner Adam “PacMan” Jones, and how he got started in journalism.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A clip from an interview with Ex-Raider and current Raider radio broadcaster Lincoln Kennedy who played for Jon Gruden and shares how betrayed, hurt and confused he was by the horrible, hateful emails Gruden sent while a broadcaster at ESPN that led to the coach's resignation. When we spoke, Lincoln was still raw, processing what happened and how to feel about Gruden, and importantly, how to share how he feels with his teenage sons. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ex-Raider and current Raider radio broadcaster Lincoln Kennedy played for Jon Gruden during Gruden's first stint with the organization and has covered him on the air since Gruden returned. Lincoln had fully bought into what the coach was selling, and he went so far as to defend the coach on-air when things didn't start off well. Nothing prepared Lincoln for seeing the horrible, hateful emails Gruden sent while a broadcaster at ESPN that led to the coach's resignation. When we spoke, Lincoln was still raw, processing what happened and how to feel about Gruden, and importantly, how to share how he feels with his teenage sons. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Olympic Gold Medalist Erin McLeod plays for the Orlando Pride in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Canadian National Team, which won the gold this summer in Japan. However, the medal comes late in Erin's career, and after some struggles with injuries, bad coaches and a family move in her teens from Canada to Indonesia that nearly derailed her whole plan, she sees the gold as an accomplish but not a reflection or validation of her and who she has become. One note – this was recorded before a prominent coach in the NWSL was fired for abusive and predatory behavior. Please learn more about what is happening in the NWSL and support the players who are fighting for a safe work place.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“Let's Huddle with Ed Cunningham” is an interview and storytelling podcast at the intersection of sports, media, Hollywood and pop culture featuring people who tell and participate in the biggest, craziest and most meaningful stories on the playing field and off. Intimate with a celebratory and comedic tone, the series' core is deep dive interviews, along with commentary and scripted episodes, that all share personal growth and connections through our best sport meets life moments. Host and Executive Producer Ed Cunningham is an award-winning filmmaker, broadcaster and former NFL player who produced “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” and the Oscar-winning “Undefeated.” On the field, Ed played at the University of Washington, and for the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks, while off the field, he began producing and working in radio and television during his playing days and started his network career at CBS before moving to ESPN and ABC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.