The Evolution Podcast

This weeks guest is a captivating entertainer & businessman who from an early age was given permission by his biggest supporter to succeed in anything he put his mind to. That might seem like a cliche, but Jimmy Dunne as a person is anything but that. He's a family man with a midwestern foundation who has made a name for himself in the entertainment industry through his gift of writing and unwavering expectations of success always striving to do what he loves!

On today's episode, I get a chance to sit down with someone who means a little bit more to me than most of my guests. He's family and is my moms cousin who has been an all in supporter of this podcast from the get-go! He's someone who I've confided in about my hopes and dreams of what I wanted the podcast to be, and I've made sure to garner his professional feedback about how I can continue to evolve as an interviewer in the entertainment world! So not only am I grateful for the time I get to spend with George Bloom, but I get a chance to help tell his seldom heard story to our loyal listeners of The Evolution Podcast!

Today you get introduced to one of the most successful brand managers of one of the most well recognized brands around the globe. Sal Melilli is a man who grew up in his family owned New Jersey Deli not having a clue that one day he would help create one of the most distinct brands in restaurant & food history! As the Chief Operating Officer of Hooters, Sal Melilli has been the man behind the brand for over 26 years and continues to push the envelope, finding new ways to evolve while maintaining the foundation of what has made Hooters a worldwide success for so many years! What is vary apparent to me is that, the balance in Sal's life between his work, family, faith & community makes him one of the most likeable real dudes you'll ever meet!​

This weeks guest is one of those guys that oozes with passion, positivity and someone who has a tremendous amount of perspective! Cody Toppert is one of the hottest coaches on the rise in professional basketball most recently taking over as the Head Coach of the Phoenix Suns GLeague Team. He credits his upbringing in Albuquerque, NM, emphasis on academia, his time in the corporate financial world to reconnect with his passion, his family that introduced and supported his growth in the game of basketball coupled with a work ethic & a positive and energetic personality ultimately leading to doors that have opened for him on his up and down journey to the NBA! ​

Today you are going to get an introduction to one of the youngest presidents in all of professional sports! Jake Reid, is soft spoken but confident leader who from a media perspective has flown under the radar. But I think you'll find on today's episode of The Evolution Podcast, that it's the relationships, care for his craft and the people around him that have helped him rise through the ranks in the sports world becoming a 33 year old President of a professional the powerhouse Sporting KC Soccer Club in the MLS that has set him apart from the rest! ​

Tyler Hansbrough is widely recognized as one of the toughest and most gritty players in the history ACC basketball, after tallying up the most points and rebounds of all time in arguably the best college basketball conference historically & becoming a 3-Time Consensus All-American and National Player of The Year, allowing him to hang in the University of North Carolina Tar Heel rafters next to the likes of Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Antwan Jamison. While, his small town midwestern roots as a middle child have provided him with that toughness, it's his humble perspective that leave one to believe, he might be one of the nicest, more reserved, relaxed and quiet guys with this level of success I've ever been around. With the spotlight brightly shining on his journey along the way, Tyler has maintained that he keep his circle tight and only allow the people closest to him to really get that inside look at what makes him tick. And our goal today is to give you that glimpse.

Today you are going to get an inside look into the life of a late bloomer who grew up in a town more passionate about Outer Space than the game of basketball. This skinny kid who was once 6'4" and couldn't even dunk and was cut from his basketball team at age 13. Will Perdue, then went on to become the SEC Athlete of the year, was picked 11th in the NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. He later made stops in Portland with the Trailblazers as well as winning his 4th NBA Championship ring with the San Antonio Spurs. You'll hear about a few people stepping into his life, shaping the fundamentals of success for a future in a game that continues to reward him as he is now a radio and tv commentator for the Chicago Bulls as well as other basketball outlets providing knowledge of the game that he acquired over 13 seasons in the NBA.

The Founders of Marhar Snowboards Nate Morse and Josh Skiles. It's been 11 years since I've had a chance to catch up with my college buddy and I couldn't be more proud of his efforts and the success of his business. The son and grandson of Notre Dame football legends, Nate Morse took a different path and found his own nitch as an artist. After reeling in his businessman childhood best buddy Josh Skiles, these guys have been able to take the snowboard world by storm with their innovative boards and groundbreaking applications allowing the rider to design and define their own destiny on the slopes! As a midwest based snowboard company with the odds stacks against them, both Nate and Josh looked a little bit deeper and have matured into real movers and shakers in the snowboard industry!

With the College football season getting kicked off this week. I thought it might be worth our while to get it started with a bang! Let's start out with The Ohio State Football! If you are familiar with college sports and the upper echelon programs, you know it's all about the brand, their image and finding new and creative ways to recruit the countries top talent to your university! With that being said, arguably the most recognizable brand, image and recruiting program in College Football is The Ohio State University and Our guest this week, Sammy Silverman is known as the guy behind the brand!

Today, you will get to meet both Don DiPetta and Chris Distefano. You might recognize Don DiPetta from the award winning YouTube series, "We're Not Friends". You will need to keep your eyes peeled for his 2nd season coming soon. You will also get introduced to Chris Distefano, who you might recognize from his 3 year run on "MTV's Guy Code", "Girl Code", "Guy Court" as well as his Netflix Series, "Benders". Both guys are hilariously funny and getting the both of them together in the same room was a trip!

Brandon has grown up with basketball. While he asserted himself as a collegiate-level player after grabbing the second-most rebounds of any player in Illinois as a Wheaton Academy senior, Brandon chose to attend the University of Notre Dame as a non-athlete, where he studied finance and developed a passion for the business side of sports. As a Notre Dame freshman, he founded the Mercury Elite basketball program with his parents, Dave and Holly. Only a few years later, the Mercury Elite has grown from one team to nearly forty, making it one of the largest boys' programs in the midwest. Brandon brings half a decade of recruiting experience from his time at the Mercury Elite. Having built the club's recruiting infrastructure independently, he created Dark Horse Sports Recruiting in 2016 in an effort to to take his expertise and serve a larger group of students.

Robby Klein is an entertainment and advertising photographer hailing from New Orleans, LA, currently based in Nashville, TN. Often found surfing in Los Angeles or eating bagels in NYC, Robby has widely become recognized as the photographer to the stars!

Host Michael Spartz sits down to catch up with one of the worlds most recognizable adventure photographers, Chris Burkard for a quick update episode. Chris is busy touring the globe promoting his documentary film, Under An Arctic Sky.

A world renowned Speaker, Author, Coach who has spoken in front of, inspired and coached millions. Created B.A.M. Method (Bold Achievement Method)

Jessy Schram has been a natural performer since early childhood. At the age of 10, her "intangible star quality" was recognized by the Stewart Talent Agency in Chicago, which signed her as both an actress and fashion model. She immediately established herself as one of Chicago's most successful child models by booking numerous commercials, print campaigns, voice-overs, and television work.

James "Buster" Douglas is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1990, and 1996 to 1999. He is best known for his stunning upset of Mike Tyson on February 11, 1990 in Tokyo to win the undisputed heavyweight title. As a son of an accomplished boxer, Buster never thought he would be one, but realizing it was his destiny his world changed forever becoming an American Boxing Hero.​

Jim Fannin is the Worlds #1 Coach of Champions. Jim has coached more champions in sports, business and life than anyone on earth. As a mental performance coach to some of the worlds top athletes and most successful company CEOs, he has been called the Change Your Life Coach. His thought management system has transformed tens of thousands of peoples lives by teaching them to reduce and manage their thoughts putting them in a Zone mindset.

Named "The Virologist" by The New Yorker, Emerson Spartz is one of the world's leading experts on internet virality and has been featured in major media including the Wall Street Journal, Inc, CBS, CNBC, CNN, and many more. Spartz was named to both Forbes' and Inc Magazine's "30 Under 30" lists. Spartz is the CEO of Dose, one of the world's fastest-growing digital media companies with a monthly audience of 50 million people. Dose, the company behind Dose.com and OMGFacts.com, has raised $35 million in funding. At the age of 12, Spartz founded Mugglenet, the #1 Harry Potter site and one of the internet's largest communities. By the age of 19, Spartz became a New York Times bestselling author after publishing his first book.

Steve Schanwald, former EVP of Business Operations of the Chicago Bulls.His story is a true testament of hard work a little bit of luck and a real passion for sports all while utilizing his gift of creating true genuine business and life friendships! Learn how all of that lead to 7 professional championship rings and some great memories along the way.

Bobby Frasor, a former McDonalds All-American High School Basketball Star, who decided to take his talents to University of North Carolina(Chapel Hill). He later went on to win a National Championship and play professionally overseas. With a passion for the game of hoops, he has settled in at his Alma Mater, Brother Rice High School, leading his team as the Head Men's Basketball coach to a Regional Championship in arguably one of the toughest Sectionals in the globally recognized powerhouse city of Chicago Hoops. After being recognized as the Coach of the Year in the City of Chicago by the DailySouthtown and one of the Hottest coaches in the Midwest by USA Today. Get to know more about Bobby's story.

Mike Small, Head Men's Golf Coach at University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign). Get to know his story and the people a part of it that have helped shape and guide him to now become the ultimate mentor and steward of young golfers! After punching his ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th straight year, rattling off his 10th straight Big Ten Title, earning Hall Of Fame honors as both a coach and player with his 22 professional wins, find out what makes Mike Small such a great coach and how that helps him succeed still as a champion golfer. Get to know the man who has consistently over the last decade, lead the top men's golf program in the country!

Betsy Johnson, Founder SwimZip & Shedo Lane. Get to know her story of when life handed her a bundle of lemons and how she decided to turn them into Lemonade! Her hard work and support system catapulted her into a tremendous amount of success as an entrepreneur and even catching the eye of ABC's hit show Shark Tank. Get to know how her brands SwimZip & Shedo Lane got there start and her vision for the future!

Mike Whan, the commissioner of the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association). Get to know his story and the secrets to his success in finding balance and true happiness as a seasoned business leader of arguably one of the most recognized brands in women's sports around the world.

Chris Burkard is an accomplished explorer, photographer, creative director, speaker, and author. Get to know why he travels to the ends of the earth to inspire all of us!

Episode one of the Evolution Podcast. Michael Spartz takes us on an exciting preview of the coming and the amazing line up of interviews to come. We look forward to our launch on May 1st of 2017!