Next Up To The Mic

The fifth episode of “Next Up To The Mic” features Alex Del Barrio. Del Barrio is the Sports Director at KRGV in Texas and after has been one of the premiere voices of Rio Grande Valley sports for over a decade. His impressive resume also includes covering the Houston Astros' 2017 World Series run with CBS Radio in Houston, serving as a live event host for WWE Network and working as a national play-by-play announcer for men's and women's college basketball on CBS Sports Network. Del Barrio has also traveled with the Harlem Globetrotters on their European Military Tour. On the latest, “Next Up To The Mic," Del Barrio sits down with hosts Max Kelton and Sam Brief and delves into the machinations of his preparation process, the ups-and-downs of his career and dishes plenty of tips for up-and-coming broadcasters.

The fourth episode of “Next Up To The Mic” brings aboard Emma Tiedemann. Tiedemann is the voice of the Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A, Red Sox) and is one of the original female broadcasters in Minor League Baseball. Her career has also taken her through the Alaska Baseball League, West Coast League and the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball with the St. Paul Saints. Tiedemann joins hosts Max Kelton and Sam Brief and dives into her blossoming career, the challenge of being a female in a male-dominated industry and her “old-school” broadcasting philosophy.

The third episode of “Next Up To The Mic” features Chris Sylvester, the voice of the Cal Poly Mustangs. With Cal Poly, Sylvester provides play-by-play for football, men's basketball, and baseball on AM 1280/FM 101.7 ESPN “The Ticket.” His duties include traveling with the teams, hosting pregame, halftime, and postgame reports. Sylvester also produces and anchors traffic reports on a plethora of AM/FM/Satellite Radio Networks heard across America on the Total Traffic and Weather Network. On the podcast, Sylvester dives into the cold-hard details of his craft, including how he prepares, modulates his energy and stays balanced. He then lends some insight into his goals. "Next Up To The Mic" is hosted and produced by Max Kelton and Sam Brief.

The second episode of “Next Up To The Mic” features Mike Folta, Director of Broadcasting and Communications for the Atlanta Gladiators in the East Coast Hockey League. Folta graduated from Purdue University, where he began as an engineering student before diving all-in on broadcasting. At Purdue, he did extensive work with the Big Ten Network Student U program and has called everything from Purdue Men's Basketball to the Purdue Grand Prix. On the podcast, Folta discusses his first few days on the job in Atlanta, why he eschewed engineering for play-by-play and dives into his broadcasting philosophy, while describing exactly what watching him broadcast might look like. "Next Up To The Mic" is hosted and produced by Max Kelton and Sam Brief.

The first episode of “Next Up To The Mic” features Sam Neidermann, one of the voices of Stony Brook University Athletics on Long Island, New York. Sam's six-year broadcasting adventure calling some of the country's premier amateur sports has explored the Hoosier State, back roads of the US southeast, Cape Cod and now Long Island. He currently calls Stony Brook baseball, softball, and lacrosse on America East TV. Neidermann is the former voice of Indiana University Softball and the Cape League's Cotuit Kettleers. In 2019, he described Cotuit's championship season and called the Cape League All-Star Game on NPR-affiliate, WCAI. For two years, Sam called high school sports for the 47-year old radio tradition at Alexander Broadcasting in historic Selma, Alabama. At age 19, he worked with hall of fame play-by-player Eli Gold, anchoring studio intermission coverage for the Birmingham Bulls in their return to pro hockey in 2017-2018. Sam first hit the air in December 2014 at Fishers High School on the Fishers Sports Network, a streaming network he helped launch with close friends and supportive faculty. A yogi, avid Cracker Barrel fan (with visits to over 30 different locations - latest stop: Bensalem, Pa.), and proud Hoosier, Sam graduated with a B.A. in Media from Indiana University. For more of Sam's work, visit his website, samneidermann.com, and follow him on Twitter, @SamNeidermann. "Next Up To The Mic" is hosted and produced by Max Kelton and Sam Brief.