1
00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:09,160
Speaker 1: Welcome to Possible Now Stories of Possibilities, the podcast where

2
00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:13,200
Speaker 1: we dive into the leadership frameworks, bold ideas, and personal

3
00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:19,560
Speaker 1: stories shaping the future of marketing, technology, and leadership. Some

4
00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:23,360
Speaker 1: people follow the playbook, others write an entirely new one.

5
00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:26,040
Speaker 1: My guest today is doing both and changing the game

6
00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:29,000
Speaker 1: along the way. I'm Christian Muchen and this is Possible

7
00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:33,400
Speaker 1: Now Stories of Possibilities, the podcast where we explore bold ideas,

8
00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:38,160
Speaker 1: those outstanding personalities and visionaries who are reshaping business, leadership,

9
00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:42,280
Speaker 1: culture and technology. My guest in today's episode is Laura

10
00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:44,880
Speaker 1: Currenti and she is the founder and CEO of Deep

11
00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:48,360
Speaker 1: Blue Sports and Entertainment, the world's first firm dedicated to

12
00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:52,760
Speaker 1: bringing serious commercial investment to women's sports. In less than

13
00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:55,880
Speaker 1: two years, she's launched the Business of Women's Sports Summit,

14
00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,440
Speaker 1: co created the Women's Sports Audient Network with Iart Media,

15
00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,279
Speaker 1: and build a joint venture with Olympic Icon Allison Phoenix.

16
00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:06,800
Speaker 1: Oh and she still finds time to post her own podcast,

17
00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:10,520
Speaker 1: court Side, where she interviews the woman driving the future

18
00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:15,120
Speaker 1: of the industry. Before Deep Blue, Laura was already rewriting

19
00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:18,440
Speaker 1: the rules of advertising a giant spoon, creating first the

20
00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:21,800
Speaker 1: industry had never seen before, the first branded podcast to

21
00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:24,920
Speaker 1: hit number one on Apple, the first live ad on CNN,

22
00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:28,440
Speaker 1: the first single advertiser takeover of The New York Times.

23
00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,479
Speaker 1: Her career has been all about seeing the white space

24
00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,759
Speaker 1: and then filling it with bold ideas that others said

25
00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:37,960
Speaker 1: were not possible. And we all know everything is possible.

26
00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,039
Speaker 1: So today I'm thrilled to have Laura here to talk

27
00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:45,600
Speaker 1: about sports leadership, business and why women's sports is not charity,

28
00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:49,360
Speaker 1: it's good business. A very warm welcome to you, Laura.

29
00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:51,960
Speaker 2: Thank you for having me Christian. Have you ever considered

30
00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,240
Speaker 2: voiceover work? That was fabulous?

31
00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:56,880
Speaker 1: Good to know that there's another career waiting for me.

32
00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:00,120
Speaker 2: I love that. Yes, thank you so much for the warman.

33
00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:04,440
Speaker 1: Laura. I've mentioned your court Side podcast and you always

34
00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:07,680
Speaker 1: start with the one question and let's flip the script

35
00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,359
Speaker 1: and now it's your turn. When did you first fall

36
00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:11,400
Speaker 1: in love with sports?

37
00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:15,280
Speaker 3: I can very, very vividly remember a five year old

38
00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:20,360
Speaker 3: Laura who met under a willow tree with a bunch

39
00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:24,080
Speaker 3: of kids I grew up with in New Jersey, and

40
00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:26,359
Speaker 3: that willow tree was in the center of a large

41
00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,720
Speaker 3: sports complex at the time called Gunnaloval, which is where

42
00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,400
Speaker 3: all great sports dreams in the town I grew up

43
00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:36,760
Speaker 3: in in Carney, New Jersey, were born. And some of

44
00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:39,880
Speaker 3: those kids that I was gathering with in between our

45
00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:41,120
Speaker 3: games probably drinking.

46
00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:43,079
Speaker 2: You who's eating orange slices? For all?

47
00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:46,120
Speaker 3: I remember wearing oversized T shirts I played for Carneo

48
00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:48,639
Speaker 3: Electronics when I was five years old, and I don't

49
00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:51,400
Speaker 3: even remember playing the game Christian. I remember feeling the

50
00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:54,079
Speaker 3: joy of just being with my friends in an environment

51
00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,200
Speaker 3: where I learned at the ripe age the importance of

52
00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:01,880
Speaker 3: community and what it meant to belong And I think

53
00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,280
Speaker 3: so much of what sports has given me is community

54
00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,680
Speaker 3: in a sense of belonging. And what started as I

55
00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:12,560
Speaker 3: would say, quick witted, you know, competitive kid at the

56
00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:14,960
Speaker 3: age of five, has served me well thirty five plus

57
00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:17,440
Speaker 3: years later in the advertising industry. And so I think

58
00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:19,480
Speaker 3: there has been the matics that sports have taught me.

59
00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:22,560
Speaker 1: That's an awesome story. Was it always a kind of

60
00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:24,800
Speaker 1: team sport or different top of sports?

61
00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:25,639
Speaker 2: Oh my god.

62
00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:27,680
Speaker 3: I was such a team sport. I mean, if you

63
00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:30,560
Speaker 3: could play it, I was doing it. But soccer, basketball

64
00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:33,640
Speaker 3: and softball were the sports that I focused on competitively.

65
00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:36,800
Speaker 3: I think basketball was probably my best sport, but soccer

66
00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:38,640
Speaker 3: was my first love. In the town I grew up

67
00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:40,560
Speaker 3: in in New Jersey, I thought the whole world knew

68
00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:42,640
Speaker 3: it as Soccertown, USA. But I came to learn later

69
00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:44,000
Speaker 3: in life that I think that's just what the people

70
00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,560
Speaker 3: I grew up with called it. But playing in soccer

71
00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,880
Speaker 3: town usay, soccer was what you lived and breathed, and

72
00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:52,720
Speaker 3: it was all around you. I remember playing everything from

73
00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:55,600
Speaker 3: kickball in the street to like weekend Manhunt games with

74
00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:57,840
Speaker 3: my neighbors. I just I love to be outside and

75
00:03:57,880 --> 00:03:58,640
Speaker 3: I love to play.

76
00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:00,960
Speaker 1: Yeah, as long as you connect, size and be with others,

77
00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:02,839
Speaker 1: I totally get it. I was the same. So which

78
00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:04,760
Speaker 1: position in the soccer team.

79
00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:07,040
Speaker 3: Well, this won't surprise anyone that knows me. Center, midfield.

80
00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,120
Speaker 3: I had to control the game at all angles.

81
00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:11,960
Speaker 1: I definitely you did and you're still doing. We will

82
00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,160
Speaker 1: talk about this in a second. So I was left defender.

83
00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,559
Speaker 1: So that was my position for years. Yeah, back, let's

84
00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:20,040
Speaker 1: talk about sports as leadership. And of course we now

85
00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:23,080
Speaker 1: have far more data available. And what I found out

86
00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:25,440
Speaker 1: is that we know that ninety four percent of women

87
00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,120
Speaker 1: in the C suite played sports and over half competed

88
00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,880
Speaker 1: at college level, which is impressive. So if this is

89
00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:34,919
Speaker 1: the number, what do you think the wheel guill transfer

90
00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:37,880
Speaker 1: is Is it great? Is it teamwork? Is it resilience?

91
00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:41,080
Speaker 1: Or is it something less or maybe more obvious, you know,

92
00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:43,600
Speaker 1: to learn how to lose and come back even stronger.

93
00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:44,280
Speaker 1: What is it?

94
00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:46,520
Speaker 3: And I think it's all the above, definitely a yes

95
00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:48,840
Speaker 3: and question. I think such a wide range, and you've

96
00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:53,200
Speaker 3: mentioned some of them, you know, teamwork, resilience, adversity, down

97
00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:55,200
Speaker 3: to the minu ship, just how to handle feedback and

98
00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:58,880
Speaker 3: constructive criticism, the will to win. I think that athletes

99
00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:01,440
Speaker 3: that are born with this sort of ingrained switch that

100
00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:04,160
Speaker 3: you know how to flip on without the prompting, because

101
00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:05,560
Speaker 3: you need to take it to the next gear and

102
00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,359
Speaker 3: the next level. But I have read something that speaking

103
00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,159
Speaker 3: to that ninety four percent statistic. There was a great

104
00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:13,560
Speaker 3: conversation that happened not too long ago at a conference

105
00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,320
Speaker 3: that Billy Jean King had hosted and Linda Gates was

106
00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:18,279
Speaker 3: featured on a panel, and they were talking about that

107
00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:21,320
Speaker 3: ninety four percent number and the number of female executives,

108
00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:23,440
Speaker 3: many of whom we would know by name, and certainly

109
00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:27,800
Speaker 3: the businesses that they've led, and they created a thesis

110
00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:31,560
Speaker 3: that the great unifier of the connection to sport is

111
00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:33,719
Speaker 3: that it had taught all of these women about failure,

112
00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:36,599
Speaker 3: how to embrace it, how to tackle it, how to

113
00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:39,000
Speaker 3: move on from it. And I think when you look

114
00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:42,240
Speaker 3: at all of the skills you alluded to, in addition

115
00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:45,240
Speaker 3: to that one, I do think it's interesting how being

116
00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:49,200
Speaker 3: unafraid to fail your show is called possible, right, leads

117
00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:53,440
Speaker 3: to so many great possibilities when you're unencumbered by not

118
00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:55,719
Speaker 3: what could happen, but what might happen.

119
00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:58,279
Speaker 1: And also because I would say, I mean we always

120
00:05:58,279 --> 00:06:00,800
Speaker 1: look at the winnows, right, those ones in the front row.

121
00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:03,039
Speaker 1: I mean, this is typically, but there are so many

122
00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:05,680
Speaker 1: and we've experienced this on our own. You have also

123
00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:07,359
Speaker 1: to learn, you know, to be on the sideline for

124
00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:09,320
Speaker 1: at least some time right or to start, you know,

125
00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,080
Speaker 1: when you join a team to watch, toait but also

126
00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:16,200
Speaker 1: to support others. Is that something you still see with

127
00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:18,839
Speaker 1: leaders in the boardroom that they learned from that as well,

128
00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:20,719
Speaker 1: or is it something you would say, no, they have

129
00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:22,640
Speaker 1: to take more over into the business world.

130
00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:25,839
Speaker 3: It's a great question and one that I watch on

131
00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:29,039
Speaker 3: a regular basis just the changing roles in dynamics of

132
00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:31,520
Speaker 3: team members and when you need to step up and

133
00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:33,839
Speaker 3: when you know, oftentimes you need to take a backseat.

134
00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:37,880
Speaker 3: I vividly remember, for the first let's call it ten

135
00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:40,240
Speaker 3: fifteen years of my sporting career, I only knew to

136
00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:42,400
Speaker 3: be the captain and a starter. I didn't even know

137
00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:44,359
Speaker 3: where the bench was, let alone what it felt like.

138
00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,040
Speaker 3: And I remember my transition to playing in college and

139
00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:51,320
Speaker 3: coming in as a freshman who was wildly in shape's

140
00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:53,080
Speaker 3: probably the best shape I'd ever been in, and showed

141
00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:56,040
Speaker 3: up with a very seasoned team. I was a young freshman,

142
00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,440
Speaker 3: a seventeen year old, going up against women who were

143
00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:01,280
Speaker 3: four or five years older than me, way more experience,

144
00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:05,120
Speaker 3: a ton more training, better skill sets, and for the

145
00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:07,880
Speaker 3: first time in my life, I've felt the bench. And

146
00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:11,160
Speaker 3: that is a really jolting experience when you come from

147
00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:13,360
Speaker 3: what you perceive to be as the best at what

148
00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,560
Speaker 3: you do, and then you arrive in different rooms or

149
00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,320
Speaker 3: on different teams and everyone's the best from where they

150
00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:21,920
Speaker 3: came from. And I think that those lessons are so

151
00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:25,119
Speaker 3: transferable in the boardroom coming into the women's sports space.

152
00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:27,520
Speaker 3: From a business perspective, there are people have been in

153
00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:30,320
Speaker 3: this space for decades longer than I have. I may

154
00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:32,400
Speaker 3: be a practitioner and expert in my craft through the

155
00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:35,760
Speaker 3: world of advertising media marketing, I have and still have

156
00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:38,600
Speaker 3: a ton to learn about what's worked, what hasn't, why

157
00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:41,640
Speaker 3: it hasn't, And so I think constantly being open and

158
00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:43,080
Speaker 3: being a student in the game. You know, I talked

159
00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:45,480
Speaker 3: to my team a lot about being coachable. I don't

160
00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:47,760
Speaker 3: think you can ever stop being coachable when you want

161
00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:49,040
Speaker 3: to be the best. And I mean you could point

162
00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:51,240
Speaker 3: to some of the greatest athletes of our time who

163
00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:55,920
Speaker 3: constantly reference the need for incremental gains, so absolutely transferable skill.

164
00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,440
Speaker 1: That's a lesson you just talked about to be still coachable.

165
00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:01,280
Speaker 1: Is that the lesson you still use in your on

166
00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:03,320
Speaker 1: board room, you know, coming from your own experience, or

167
00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:06,320
Speaker 1: is there another lesson you would like to share with us,

168
00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:08,360
Speaker 1: you know, which you can still use in today's business.

169
00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:10,280
Speaker 3: I think being coach was probably one of the most

170
00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:13,840
Speaker 3: important skills. Never satisfied with being satisfied, you know. I

171
00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:16,040
Speaker 3: pride myself in being a student of the game literally

172
00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:18,800
Speaker 3: and figuratively. I think there's always something we can learn.

173
00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:21,080
Speaker 3: I mean, you even see what the industry is going through.

174
00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:25,360
Speaker 3: From an advertising media marketing perspective, From a technology standpoint,

175
00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:27,600
Speaker 3: I mean you host a conference that features so much

176
00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:30,640
Speaker 3: of what the future holds, and so resting on what

177
00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:32,720
Speaker 3: you know is not enough to compete.

178
00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:34,760
Speaker 2: From my vantage point.

179
00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:37,120
Speaker 1: Let's talk about business and let's go over to Deep

180
00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:39,280
Speaker 1: Blue and your vision. When you create a Deep Blue,

181
00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:42,839
Speaker 1: when you would be on our possible stage with all

182
00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:45,280
Speaker 1: these you know, cemos and brand leaders in the room,

183
00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:47,640
Speaker 1: what would be a key message to them.

184
00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:51,199
Speaker 3: So much of the beginning stages of founding Deep Blue

185
00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:55,360
Speaker 3: was about really just having marketers recognize the value. In

186
00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:57,600
Speaker 3: just a short twelve to eighteen months since founding, the

187
00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,199
Speaker 3: company will turn two in December of this year. It's

188
00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:02,559
Speaker 3: now about right sizing the opportunity. I think people are

189
00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:06,600
Speaker 3: very well aware of understanding that there is something happening now,

190
00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:10,520
Speaker 3: how closely they're listening. What I have found to be

191
00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:13,400
Speaker 3: the most important part is making the business case through

192
00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:15,760
Speaker 3: right sizing. I think so much of what we are

193
00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:19,360
Speaker 3: focused on today is this is not apples to apples comparison.

194
00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:22,280
Speaker 3: I'll give you an example. In twenty twenty four, the

195
00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:25,439
Speaker 3: NWSL to the National Women's Soccer League reported that they

196
00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:28,920
Speaker 3: generated seventy five million dollars in sponsorship deals. Now you

197
00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:31,640
Speaker 3: would say that's a tremendous increase sixteen percent year over

198
00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:36,480
Speaker 3: year growth, continuing to show trajectory on the upward swing. However,

199
00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:38,200
Speaker 3: as somebody who grew up in the media industry, it's

200
00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:41,400
Speaker 3: really important to dimensionalize that number. Well, that number split

201
00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:44,520
Speaker 3: across four hundred and forty one brand partners. When you

202
00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:47,680
Speaker 3: do basic division, that means the average value of an

203
00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:50,560
Speaker 3: annual deal is one hundred and seventy thousand dollars. So

204
00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:52,720
Speaker 3: when you hear that as an advertiser, you're like, oh,

205
00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:55,480
Speaker 3: this is accessible, this is efficient. But then I take

206
00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:57,959
Speaker 3: it a step further and you really start to speak

207
00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:00,160
Speaker 3: media math and get under the hood with advertisers who

208
00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:02,320
Speaker 3: have to make the business case and are like, well,

209
00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:04,160
Speaker 3: is that a lot? Is that a little? What do

210
00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:06,640
Speaker 3: I even get for that? And when I quickly explain

211
00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:08,760
Speaker 3: to them, well, let's talk on average and what you

212
00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:12,000
Speaker 3: spend in sports. From a men's perspective, the average thirty

213
00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,080
Speaker 3: second spot in the Super Bowl last year was seven

214
00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,240
Speaker 3: to eight million, So for seven eight million, you could

215
00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:20,040
Speaker 3: own the whole damn thing. Further, microscopic example, a thirty

216
00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:23,320
Speaker 3: second spot in the Major League Baseball World Series with

217
00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:26,160
Speaker 3: no specific guarantees is four hundred and fifty to five

218
00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,160
Speaker 3: hundred and fifty thousand dollars. So for a fourth of

219
00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:31,439
Speaker 3: the price you pay for thirty seconds of television time

220
00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:33,839
Speaker 3: during Major League Baseball World Series, of which you know,

221
00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:37,040
Speaker 3: if it's a blowout, you might not even see, one

222
00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:39,080
Speaker 3: hundred and seventy thousand dollars, I can own eight months

223
00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:42,080
Speaker 3: worth of inventory. That's the way we like to explain

224
00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,079
Speaker 3: it to advertisers. And so I think we're way past

225
00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:48,280
Speaker 3: the charity recognizing opportunity, and now how do you make

226
00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:50,760
Speaker 3: it so that it's an easy yes to get to

227
00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:53,520
Speaker 3: in terms of evaluating it as a real, tangible opportunity.

228
00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:57,160
Speaker 1: You've mentioned that this came up in twenty four, this dator,

229
00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:59,320
Speaker 1: you found a deep blue in twenty three. So what

230
00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:02,839
Speaker 1: they're another key moment that you said, okay, now it's

231
00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:06,040
Speaker 1: time to do it. Were you approached by your network,

232
00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:09,400
Speaker 1: you know, mentors, whoever you knows that Okay, this is

233
00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:11,560
Speaker 1: something you have to do though, because you're the only

234
00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:13,680
Speaker 1: one you can do it. What was the moment maybe

235
00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:16,319
Speaker 1: or was it a process over the years that you decided, Okay,

236
00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:17,160
Speaker 1: now it's time to do it.

237
00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:19,520
Speaker 3: Sure, there was a light bulb moment. It actually goes

238
00:11:19,559 --> 00:11:22,600
Speaker 3: back far beyond twenty three. It was pre COVID twenty nineteen.

239
00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:25,160
Speaker 3: During the Women's World Cup at twenty nineteen in France,

240
00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:27,880
Speaker 3: the US women's national team had lifted the trophy for

241
00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,160
Speaker 3: the fourth time, and it was also the same year

242
00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:32,800
Speaker 3: that they had sued their employer in US Soccer for

243
00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:36,480
Speaker 3: equal pay and won. And there was this climatic moment

244
00:11:36,559 --> 00:11:40,400
Speaker 3: where the crowd starts chanting equal pay instead of USA.

245
00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:42,960
Speaker 3: And I tell this story often about how the broadcasters

246
00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:48,360
Speaker 3: were really excited, but the advertising community didn't budge. I

247
00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:51,120
Speaker 3: was very curious as to why, for the second time

248
00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:54,480
Speaker 3: in as many decades ninety nine and now in twenty nineteen,

249
00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:59,000
Speaker 3: you're seeing consumer demand but advertisers paying little to no attention,

250
00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:01,520
Speaker 3: let alone interest and investing or getting under the hood.

251
00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:03,880
Speaker 3: And what we quickly realized, Christian is it wasn't a

252
00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:07,240
Speaker 3: story issue. The narratives were there, It wasn't a product

253
00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:09,560
Speaker 3: issue that US women's national team alone had been one

254
00:12:09,559 --> 00:12:11,680
Speaker 3: of the best to ever do it for decades.

255
00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:13,280
Speaker 2: It was a systems issue.

256
00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:17,679
Speaker 3: We had advertisers evaluating women's sports on the same currency

257
00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:21,079
Speaker 3: and metrics, which is reach and efficiency as they were mens.

258
00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:23,040
Speaker 3: And so if you have a dollar to spend and

259
00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:25,480
Speaker 3: your tasked with finding as many eyeballs as possible, as

260
00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:28,040
Speaker 3: efficiently as possible, and I present you Sunday Night football

261
00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,000
Speaker 3: versus the WNBA Playoffs, you don't have to justify one

262
00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:33,480
Speaker 3: of those decisions. And that's where your money's going nine,

263
00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:35,480
Speaker 3: if not ten out of ten times. And so it

264
00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:37,959
Speaker 3: was a systems issue, one of these things I'm sure

265
00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:40,200
Speaker 3: as an entrepreneur you can relate to. You go to

266
00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:43,080
Speaker 3: sleep thinking about, you wake up thinking about, and it's like,

267
00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:45,440
Speaker 3: I've got to put this to the test. And so

268
00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:48,480
Speaker 3: fast forward to twenty three. I ended up posting the

269
00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:51,160
Speaker 3: Business of Women's Sports on at the first annual in

270
00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:54,080
Speaker 3: April of that year, not knowing if anybody would even

271
00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:56,959
Speaker 3: show up, but knowing this could be a determinant as

272
00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:59,240
Speaker 3: to whether or not the advertising market would respond.

273
00:12:59,559 --> 00:13:01,360
Speaker 2: Not all these did people show up. We sold out

274
00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:02,000
Speaker 2: the room.

275
00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:04,400
Speaker 3: Marketers were flying from all over the country, and you

276
00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:07,400
Speaker 3: know this, to spend your own money and fly cross

277
00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:10,000
Speaker 3: country to spend a day on a subject matter that

278
00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:13,760
Speaker 3: isn't necessarily part of the mainstream, right, you know, there's interest,

279
00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:16,240
Speaker 3: there's intrigue, and so it was one of those I

280
00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:18,280
Speaker 3: walked off the stage and it was like, how much

281
00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:21,720
Speaker 3: more validation and signaling do I need to take a swing?

282
00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:24,360
Speaker 3: And so got to work, dusted off a business plan

283
00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:27,920
Speaker 3: and within six months, following a deep listening tour, launched

284
00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:31,320
Speaker 3: the business and thanks to the Final Four tournament in

285
00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:34,360
Speaker 3: April of twenty four when the world met Caitlin Clark

286
00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:37,640
Speaker 3: and Angel Reese, it's been lights out ever since. And

287
00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:40,360
Speaker 3: so a lot of work went into the founding of it.

288
00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:43,080
Speaker 3: But I don't think anyone, whether you were new or

289
00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:45,720
Speaker 3: in the space, could have predicted the trajectory of what

290
00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:47,800
Speaker 3: would have happened over the last eighteen months.

291
00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:50,760
Speaker 1: What a great story, and I think you agree. Sometimes

292
00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:53,400
Speaker 1: it's not necessary to come up with the brand new

293
00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:56,560
Speaker 1: idea the world hasn't seen yet, But it's about timing, right,

294
00:13:56,600 --> 00:13:58,240
Speaker 1: and to come up with one hundred percent that year

295
00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:00,800
Speaker 1: about timing and you did it. You did it. What

296
00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:03,640
Speaker 1: is the hottest myth to break when you started to

297
00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:06,800
Speaker 1: talk to people and brands and decision makers, is it

298
00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:09,920
Speaker 1: that women's sports don't have the audience. Is it that

299
00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:12,800
Speaker 1: there is no money connected to this? What was the

300
00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:15,840
Speaker 1: hottest or the biggest hurdle to convince people to get

301
00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:16,559
Speaker 1: into the game.

302
00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:18,200
Speaker 2: How much time do we have?

303
00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:21,440
Speaker 3: All of the above, and I think again comes back

304
00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:24,880
Speaker 3: to well, what do you typically equate success with? And

305
00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:27,760
Speaker 3: then what are the barriers to achieving it? It's very

306
00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:30,440
Speaker 3: hard to say. And in classic chicken EG scenario, well,

307
00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:33,320
Speaker 3: you know women's sports, there's no money coming in. Well,

308
00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:37,000
Speaker 3: advertising dollars and media rights are determined based on audience.

309
00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:40,360
Speaker 3: But if the thing isn't on TV broadcast, let alone

310
00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:42,560
Speaker 3: in prime time, how do you develop the audience to

311
00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:45,720
Speaker 3: bring the money? And so it really had to require

312
00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:49,120
Speaker 3: champions who believed in the product, could see the vision,

313
00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:52,680
Speaker 3: could see the opportunity, who were listening to the rabbit

314
00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:55,360
Speaker 3: fans who have been part of this ecosystem for decades,

315
00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:58,560
Speaker 3: to play some early bets, and there were advertisers who did.

316
00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:01,160
Speaker 3: I always give credit to Andrew Brimmer and the team

317
00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:04,080
Speaker 3: at Ally Financial for placing a bet when this wasn't

318
00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:06,640
Speaker 3: the popular thing, saying a few years back, we're going

319
00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:08,440
Speaker 3: to commit for every dollar we spend in men's we're

320
00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:10,720
Speaker 3: going to spend in women's on an equal footing within

321
00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:13,560
Speaker 3: a determinate amount of years, creating a real tangible number

322
00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:16,280
Speaker 3: that they needed to achieve. Andrew tells us all the time,

323
00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:18,880
Speaker 3: you get into the space and there's actually not enough

324
00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:22,040
Speaker 3: inventory to buy, and so you know you've got this

325
00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:26,920
Speaker 3: systemic challenge that is multi layered and multifaceted that I

326
00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:31,200
Speaker 3: think really just require dedicated attention. When Andrew placed that bet,

327
00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:32,920
Speaker 3: you could probably hear a pin drop.

328
00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:34,160
Speaker 2: People didn't really react.

329
00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:37,400
Speaker 3: Were they're reacting Now you can't even get in and

330
00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:38,640
Speaker 3: that's just a few years ago.

331
00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:41,440
Speaker 1: Who else is following this example? Are these more than

332
00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:43,880
Speaker 1: your brands? The younger brands? Is that the mix of

333
00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:45,800
Speaker 1: bose Do you see a difference in terms of how

334
00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:46,600
Speaker 1: they behave.

335
00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:47,680
Speaker 2: A mix of both.

336
00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:50,160
Speaker 3: So there have been legacy brands who have I would

337
00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:52,840
Speaker 3: say always been and we're early believers in the space.

338
00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:55,920
Speaker 3: Although those brands now recognize they can't rest on their

339
00:15:55,920 --> 00:15:59,000
Speaker 3: first mover position. There is so much new money coming

340
00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:01,720
Speaker 3: in that's saying I here first or I was here early,

341
00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:04,480
Speaker 3: is no longer enough to keep up with the pace

342
00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:06,680
Speaker 3: in trajectory, especially when you have so many new and incremental

343
00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:09,840
Speaker 3: fans coming into the space. So those brands who were

344
00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:12,960
Speaker 3: there early you see really thinking about innovation and ingenuity.

345
00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:15,800
Speaker 3: How do they find incremental gains, new ways of showing

346
00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:18,400
Speaker 3: up to meet the modern market, the new market as

347
00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:20,520
Speaker 3: well as the new fans. And then you're seeing a

348
00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:23,080
Speaker 3: great number of net new brands, I would say, non

349
00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:26,120
Speaker 3: endemics to the women's sports or maybe sports space period

350
00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:30,080
Speaker 3: who are recognizing this growth, recognizing the get in price

351
00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:32,680
Speaker 3: of where they can align Today. I talked about that

352
00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:35,200
Speaker 3: one hundred and seventy thousand dollars to be a league sponsor.

353
00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:38,680
Speaker 3: You're not getting that type of inroad in men's sports.

354
00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,280
Speaker 3: We work with brands like Vagisil who first time ever

355
00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:43,320
Speaker 3: spending in the space. We broke it to deal with

356
00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:45,640
Speaker 3: them with the New York Liberty and the WNBA. The

357
00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:48,480
Speaker 3: same thing with Bumble last year as they were coming

358
00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:50,080
Speaker 3: in and around the w as well. And so these

359
00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:53,200
Speaker 3: are brands who had historically not spent in women's sports

360
00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:56,160
Speaker 3: and were now recognizing that not only was it part

361
00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:59,080
Speaker 3: of the cultural zeitgeist, that there were real tangible returns

362
00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:01,640
Speaker 3: in terms of the audience being there. I think everybody's

363
00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:05,520
Speaker 3: really trying to figure out the best opportunity to find

364
00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:08,640
Speaker 3: their lane and do it with staying power in.

365
00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:11,040
Speaker 1: Terms of media and media coverage and media business. And

366
00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:12,960
Speaker 1: you have a great experience in this as well. So

367
00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:16,320
Speaker 1: now is all the athletes having their own platforms and

368
00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:20,080
Speaker 1: media companies doesn't mean a massive change for your daily

369
00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:22,879
Speaker 1: work with them not being you know, just with a

370
00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:25,360
Speaker 1: single person in the room, but dealing with a whole

371
00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:28,440
Speaker 1: bunch of team members and probably different opinions.

372
00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:31,240
Speaker 3: With athletes in particular. It's really interesting for a number

373
00:17:31,240 --> 00:17:33,879
Speaker 3: of reasons. So when you think about us living in

374
00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:37,399
Speaker 3: a media era where I would argue it's individual over institution,

375
00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:40,800
Speaker 3: the athletes absolutely hold the influence and the impact and

376
00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:43,280
Speaker 3: comparison to the leagues and the teams. I often cite

377
00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:45,840
Speaker 3: numbers like Angel Rees for example, has four point five

378
00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:47,960
Speaker 3: plus million followers on Instagram alone.

379
00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,439
Speaker 2: I think the WNBA has less than a third of that.

380
00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:54,040
Speaker 3: So when you look at the sheer scale size and influence,

381
00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:56,840
Speaker 3: and these athletes, many of them because they have had to,

382
00:17:57,440 --> 00:17:59,639
Speaker 3: not many maybe because they wanted to, but it's how

383
00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:02,200
Speaker 3: they're bilding their businesses and their brands off the court,

384
00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:07,719
Speaker 3: are leveraging and disintermediating traditional media to bypass. Less than

385
00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:10,359
Speaker 3: fifteen percent coverage of total sports goes to women's sports.

386
00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:12,480
Speaker 3: So if you're not getting the airtime, you have to

387
00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:15,359
Speaker 3: create it, and they're going to platforms like social to

388
00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,600
Speaker 3: do so. That coupled with this next generation who I'm

389
00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:21,719
Speaker 3: so enamored by, who is taking the reins on the

390
00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:25,160
Speaker 3: nil ruling and running with it in every which direction

391
00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:28,480
Speaker 3: to maximize their returns during their college and now high

392
00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:31,320
Speaker 3: school years. It is interesting to see how you have

393
00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:34,080
Speaker 3: so many of these young, up and coming emerging athletes

394
00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:37,480
Speaker 3: who are becoming multi hyphenates before they become professionals. That's

395
00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,800
Speaker 3: very exciting because what it presents our athletes who have

396
00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:45,920
Speaker 3: business sensibility. They understand the value of partnership, sponsorship, building community,

397
00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:46,879
Speaker 3: building fan base.

398
00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:49,160
Speaker 2: They know what their fans are looking for.

399
00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:51,760
Speaker 3: There's a level of authenticity that they demand and that

400
00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:54,879
Speaker 3: makes for sharper advertising and more effective outputs.

401
00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:08,680
Speaker 1: Do you think it's more for brands to get even

402
00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,520
Speaker 1: better familiar with the newer platforms or the modern platforms

403
00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:13,520
Speaker 1: or the state of the air platforms, however we call it,

404
00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:17,840
Speaker 1: or is it still a kind of misunderstanding how to

405
00:19:18,119 --> 00:19:22,080
Speaker 1: actually connect with fans through women's sports. In other words,

406
00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:25,639
Speaker 1: do you see brands need to still learn about the

407
00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:29,479
Speaker 1: difference between you know, fans supporting women's sports than men's sports,

408
00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:31,679
Speaker 1: or is it more about the new platforms in general.

409
00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:34,920
Speaker 3: It's a great question, the multi faster one. So what's

410
00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:39,160
Speaker 3: interesting about men's sports versus women's is there's actually relatively

411
00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:41,439
Speaker 3: low overlap. I just had the opportunity to go on

412
00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,760
Speaker 3: Alex Rodriguez's podcast, The Deal, and he asked a similar

413
00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:48,879
Speaker 3: question as the new owner of the WNBA Links in Minnesota,

414
00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:50,960
Speaker 3: and he was surprised to find out it was single

415
00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:53,520
Speaker 3: digit crossover between his men's and women's team. So there's

416
00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:55,760
Speaker 3: a lot of education that has to happen. And with

417
00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:59,280
Speaker 3: that lack of crossover, the need to understand, well, then,

418
00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:02,600
Speaker 3: who is this ninety percent plus debt new audience that

419
00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:04,960
Speaker 3: I'm going to achieve, perhaps in the same market of

420
00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:07,160
Speaker 3: a men's team I'm invested in. So I think yes,

421
00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:10,199
Speaker 3: learning the consumer, their habits, their likes, their dislikes. The

422
00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:13,639
Speaker 3: women's sports community is a very unforgiving one. These are

423
00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:15,639
Speaker 3: people who are rabid fans that have been here before

424
00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:18,439
Speaker 3: this was popular, and they drive accountability from those who

425
00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:21,840
Speaker 3: are coming into the space, holding brands to a level

426
00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:25,920
Speaker 3: of understanding that I haven't seen in many other industries

427
00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:28,720
Speaker 3: and verticals. So I think that's part one, and then

428
00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:31,040
Speaker 3: part two, how they're showing up in different capacities and

429
00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:34,840
Speaker 3: how these athletes are now leveraging the broader ecosystem. I'm

430
00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:37,399
Speaker 3: starting to see more female athletes on LinkedIn in the

431
00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:39,399
Speaker 3: last six to nine months than I've seen in my

432
00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:41,480
Speaker 3: entire life, and I think that's a signal.

433
00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:42,000
Speaker 2: It's interesting.

434
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,000
Speaker 3: And the content that you see them engaging with their

435
00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:47,160
Speaker 3: and how they're trying to connect with the advertising community

436
00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:50,040
Speaker 3: or the business community wildly different than what they're doing

437
00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:52,280
Speaker 3: when they're dancing on TikTok. Right, it's not a one

438
00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:55,120
Speaker 3: size fits all, like anything, I think learning the audience

439
00:20:55,160 --> 00:20:57,159
Speaker 3: and what they're after. But then how do you segment

440
00:20:57,200 --> 00:20:59,880
Speaker 3: your messaging and your activation across the platforms to best

441
00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:01,200
Speaker 3: connect with the fan bases.

442
00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:04,280
Speaker 1: Which platform do you use most for your own kind

443
00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:08,199
Speaker 1: of content or sharing information? Is it LinkedIn?

444
00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:11,000
Speaker 3: It is LinkedIn? I'm not on TikTok, I am not

445
00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:13,080
Speaker 3: TikTok dancing. I don't think anybody wants to see that,

446
00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:15,800
Speaker 3: but obviously, as somebody in this industry, I'm very well

447
00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:18,520
Speaker 3: versed on all the different facets. But when I look

448
00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:20,080
Speaker 3: at what we're trying to build Deep Blue as a

449
00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:22,520
Speaker 3: B to B company, and so it's important for us

450
00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:28,000
Speaker 3: to support our community and our industry with as much thought, leadership, insights,

451
00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,640
Speaker 3: and guidance and examples as possible. And so I'm regularly

452
00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:34,000
Speaker 3: on there sharing what we're seeing in real time and

453
00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:36,240
Speaker 3: hopes that for someone that may be the difference between

454
00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:37,960
Speaker 3: spending nothing versus spending something.

455
00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:41,040
Speaker 1: We talk about new brands, whether it's more the established brands,

456
00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:43,280
Speaker 1: but definitely the are brands coming into the women's sports

457
00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:46,680
Speaker 1: world now coming from different industries, right, not the traditional

458
00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:49,800
Speaker 1: linked industries. For could be finance, could be beauty, of course,

459
00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:53,800
Speaker 1: do they reshape the type of stories and campaigns we

460
00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:56,720
Speaker 1: are seeing because of their business background? Is that a

461
00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:00,119
Speaker 1: big shift because of their products and services to the

462
00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:01,119
Speaker 1: fans of women's sports?

463
00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,040
Speaker 3: One hundred percent. And I'll even stay within a category

464
00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:06,520
Speaker 3: that has been endemic. So financial service is probably one

465
00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:09,399
Speaker 3: of the biggest most active categories in sports period, but

466
00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:12,240
Speaker 3: particularly in women's sports. It's definitely one of the higher

467
00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:15,760
Speaker 3: spending categories. I think many of them have shown up

468
00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:18,560
Speaker 3: historically in the space with the tried and true playbook,

469
00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:21,119
Speaker 3: and we know what that is, right, it's presenting sponsorships,

470
00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:24,800
Speaker 3: it's naming awards, it's showing up on led boards around

471
00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:28,240
Speaker 3: the court. But again, hard pressed to recognize that this

472
00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:31,720
Speaker 3: is a different audience in a different environment, certainly cultural

473
00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:34,400
Speaker 3: time that we're in. I had the opportunity to work

474
00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:37,000
Speaker 3: with mass Mutual on a campaign earlier this year. Mass

475
00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:40,760
Speaker 3: Mutual one hundred plus year olds financial institution focus on

476
00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:43,719
Speaker 3: protecting the ones you love and insurance, and came across

477
00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,560
Speaker 3: an insight that an alarming number of women.

478
00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:48,080
Speaker 2: Do not have financial confidence.

479
00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:50,960
Speaker 3: And when you marry that with the cultural zeitgeist, and

480
00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:54,040
Speaker 3: how do you take a statistic that's jarring but really

481
00:22:54,119 --> 00:22:56,000
Speaker 3: humanize it and bring it through in a way that

482
00:22:56,080 --> 00:23:00,560
Speaker 3: is relatable and accessible. Women's sports presents that approachability. I

483
00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:03,040
Speaker 3: think even unlike men's sports, there's a level of access

484
00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:05,800
Speaker 3: that exists in women's sports where you could get up

485
00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:09,080
Speaker 3: close to the athletes in ways that you know historically

486
00:23:09,119 --> 00:23:12,040
Speaker 3: in the sports industry we have not, and so it's disarming.

487
00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:15,680
Speaker 3: And so instead of coming out with your classic approach

488
00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:19,199
Speaker 3: to highlighting that number and talking about products and Services.

489
00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:22,240
Speaker 3: We went a different direction and we engage three athletes

490
00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:24,720
Speaker 3: at three different parts of their career, one being an

491
00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:28,200
Speaker 3: emerging collegiate superstar and Flage Johnson, who plays for LSU,

492
00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,439
Speaker 3: who's not only a basketball player, she's also a recording artist,

493
00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:33,600
Speaker 3: a true multi hyphen in every sense of the word.

494
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,840
Speaker 3: We also had Madison Keys, who's been on the tennis

495
00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:39,960
Speaker 3: circuit for quite some time, who had just come off

496
00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:43,560
Speaker 3: the Australian Open victory, her first Grand Slam win, as

497
00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:45,560
Speaker 3: well as Kristin Press, who's been a veteran on the

498
00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:48,680
Speaker 3: US women's national team, a current player for Angel City,

499
00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:51,520
Speaker 3: and we start talking about the different stages of financial confidence,

500
00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:54,080
Speaker 3: the growth, the team that you need, and instead of

501
00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:57,199
Speaker 3: again coming out with a classic financial service ad, we

502
00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:02,040
Speaker 3: created something so cinematic that Parawai's these women for their journeys,

503
00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:04,600
Speaker 3: the work that they put in, the outputs that they achieve,

504
00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:08,879
Speaker 3: to demonstrate that through the rise of their careers, the

505
00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:11,560
Speaker 3: team that they would need to achieve their success not

506
00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:13,760
Speaker 3: only on the field or on the court, but off

507
00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:15,600
Speaker 3: of it as well, and that extends to their finances

508
00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:17,960
Speaker 3: as many of them are increasing their earning potential as

509
00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:21,120
Speaker 3: the space continues to grow. So we hired an incredible director,

510
00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:24,200
Speaker 3: We had an all female production team behind the scenes

511
00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:26,159
Speaker 3: and obviously in front of the camera with our talent,

512
00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:29,359
Speaker 3: tell this story in a way Christian that you know

513
00:24:30,119 --> 00:24:32,560
Speaker 3: you just hadn't seen done. And also to recognize that

514
00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:34,879
Speaker 3: this wasn't a women's sports ad. This was a brand

515
00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:37,800
Speaker 3: ad that featured female athletes, and so it didn't just

516
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:41,320
Speaker 3: run in women's sports content. It ran across NCAA, March

517
00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:44,200
Speaker 3: Mandness tournament in general men's and women's competition. It was

518
00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:47,520
Speaker 3: on business platforms, news platforms, sports platforms all the way

519
00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:49,960
Speaker 3: through the NBA Finals, And it was really to send

520
00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:53,760
Speaker 3: a message in normalizing the conversation, certainly around the female

521
00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:57,840
Speaker 3: financial confidence gap, but to also leverage the influence of

522
00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:01,280
Speaker 3: these athletes not just because they were women who play sport,

523
00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,479
Speaker 3: but because they are talented athletes and business people on

524
00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:06,400
Speaker 3: a journey. And so I think that was just such

525
00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,280
Speaker 3: a great manifestation of what we're talking about and going

526
00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:11,119
Speaker 3: a layer deeper and developing strategy.

527
00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:14,560
Speaker 1: Talk about opportunities. Do you see or would you like

528
00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:18,879
Speaker 1: to see a complete new sponsorship opportunity and format to

529
00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:22,840
Speaker 1: be introduced using women's sports platforms which doesn't exist yet.

530
00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:23,800
Speaker 1: Do you have something in mind?

531
00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:25,080
Speaker 2: So I'm glad you asked this.

532
00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:26,440
Speaker 1: Quite okay, what is it?

533
00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:29,199
Speaker 3: Okay, we talked about the media model not serving the

534
00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:32,080
Speaker 3: current ecosystem in terms of where women's sports are today.

535
00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:33,520
Speaker 2: Historically haven't had the reach.

536
00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:36,639
Speaker 3: Historically, haven't had the technology, the data, all of the

537
00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:38,800
Speaker 3: things that we need to make the business case from

538
00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:41,920
Speaker 3: a media buying perspective. And so you're like, okay, well,

539
00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:44,679
Speaker 3: if it's not a CPM basis, what is it? And

540
00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,040
Speaker 3: something I would really love to push the media industry

541
00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:50,560
Speaker 3: on is right sizing the opportunity not just in terms

542
00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:53,000
Speaker 3: of what we're selling, but how we're selling it, and

543
00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:56,359
Speaker 3: thinking about ways we can engage advertisers to come in.

544
00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:59,199
Speaker 3: Perhaps it's through a flat fee, an engagement based model,

545
00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:02,200
Speaker 3: a product lead model. I would just love to see

546
00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:06,480
Speaker 3: ways that we can step outside the box and recognize

547
00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:08,919
Speaker 3: that we cannot sell something for what it inherently cannot

548
00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,720
Speaker 3: deliver on if you're going to gate keep it behind paywalls,

549
00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:13,720
Speaker 3: if you're not going to put it in prime time,

550
00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:16,639
Speaker 3: if the argument is we need more audience than it

551
00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:19,600
Speaker 3: needs to come from behind those barriers, and if it's

552
00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:22,040
Speaker 3: that there's not enough ad dollars coming in. Well, perhaps

553
00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:24,320
Speaker 3: we need more content and so just finding ways to

554
00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:28,040
Speaker 3: work with advertisers that goes beyond the system. That is

555
00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:30,120
Speaker 3: a very quick and easy sell that we're all very

556
00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:33,399
Speaker 3: comfortable and know in this industry to really create the

557
00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:36,399
Speaker 3: value versus just transacting in the limited version of it.

558
00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:39,960
Speaker 1: Have you already identified those advertisers who are keen to

559
00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:42,120
Speaker 1: do this and to join you on this, Johnny.

560
00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:42,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, I give you a great example.

561
00:26:43,119 --> 00:26:46,359
Speaker 3: We're going to be premiering a documentary called the Fastest

562
00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:50,600
Speaker 3: Six Weeks in Sports that Deep Blue co produced with Ensemble,

563
00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:53,440
Speaker 3: which is a company co founded by Ray focus on

564
00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:55,920
Speaker 3: the creator economy as well as Religion of Sports, which

565
00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:59,399
Speaker 3: best in class sports production company, and the heart and

566
00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:02,040
Speaker 3: fast rule. You have to put together brief and you

567
00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:03,560
Speaker 3: have to go get at finance. Then you have to

568
00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:05,440
Speaker 3: find a distributor. By the time you make the thing,

569
00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:08,359
Speaker 3: we are all the way over here. So in a

570
00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:11,199
Speaker 3: sort of roundabout way, understanding the brand market and the

571
00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:14,240
Speaker 3: desire for brands to get around more content and be

572
00:27:14,320 --> 00:27:17,200
Speaker 3: able to influence and shape it as well as their

573
00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:20,399
Speaker 3: narrative within it and alongside it, we decided to go

574
00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:22,439
Speaker 3: a different route, and that was to work directly with

575
00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:27,159
Speaker 3: brands and executive production roles to underwrite and finance the projects.

576
00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:30,000
Speaker 3: So now we are able to make the thing while

577
00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:35,240
Speaker 3: simultaneously meeting those production dollars with media dollars to ensure

578
00:27:35,359 --> 00:27:37,960
Speaker 3: not only we're making it, but that it's discoverable, so

579
00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:41,399
Speaker 3: that we're promoting it, we're driving tune in, building ancillary

580
00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:46,040
Speaker 3: content around it, et cetera to increase the likelihood of viewership.

581
00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:48,560
Speaker 3: So our first doc, The Fastest Six Weeks, which is

582
00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:51,760
Speaker 3: an incredible story about collegiate athletes coming from the final four.

583
00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:54,720
Speaker 3: There's literally six weeks between the time they finish that

584
00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:57,320
Speaker 3: tournament to the time they enter the league for the

585
00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:00,560
Speaker 3: WNBA tip off, which is just incredible. And thanks to

586
00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:03,160
Speaker 3: the brand partners we're working with on that, which include

587
00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:06,720
Speaker 3: Uncrustables as well as door Dash and a couple of

588
00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:09,080
Speaker 3: others will be announcing soon that have come on to

589
00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:12,240
Speaker 3: support that, and Roku who was quick to support as

590
00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:15,199
Speaker 3: a distribution partner alongside YouTube and a few others. So

591
00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:17,919
Speaker 3: just an example of ways to get and market quickly

592
00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:20,920
Speaker 3: with ideas and not be encumbered by legacy systems.

593
00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:23,960
Speaker 1: Do you feel that women today have more freedom all,

594
00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:27,760
Speaker 1: let's say flexibility, or feel more pressure to share multi

595
00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:32,800
Speaker 1: dimensional stories off the field, like around motherhood, activism, mental health.

596
00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:34,840
Speaker 3: Oh, I don't think they feel pressure at all. I

597
00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:37,480
Speaker 3: think they're asking for the microphone. I think that these

598
00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:39,840
Speaker 3: are stories that are inherently part of who we are.

599
00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:43,600
Speaker 3: I've heard so many athletes say sports aren't who I am,

600
00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:46,520
Speaker 3: It's what I do, and it's just one piece of

601
00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:50,600
Speaker 3: the layers of the people that we're talking about. Many

602
00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:53,200
Speaker 3: athletes are embracing the opportunity to tell your stories, and

603
00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:56,640
Speaker 3: there's been so many great examples athletes starting podcasts, starting

604
00:28:56,680 --> 00:29:00,680
Speaker 3: full on media companies, making sure that they are showing

605
00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:04,320
Speaker 3: the different dimensions of who they are as people off

606
00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:07,520
Speaker 3: the court, because the reality is, the on court component

607
00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:09,959
Speaker 3: of it has limitations. Currently where we are today, there

608
00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:13,160
Speaker 3: are real stealings in terms of the income earning potential

609
00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:17,200
Speaker 3: for female athletes as competitors off the court.

610
00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:18,400
Speaker 2: Whole different story.

611
00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:21,800
Speaker 3: I truly believe today women's sports is more valuable off

612
00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:24,120
Speaker 3: the court that it is on. And so when you

613
00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:27,480
Speaker 3: think about the need to create those exposure and access

614
00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:30,800
Speaker 3: points to bring in new fans, certainly but new brand

615
00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:34,600
Speaker 3: partners especially, I think it's a necessary part of the model.

616
00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,600
Speaker 1: When scouts are looking for athletes, are there looking for

617
00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:42,120
Speaker 1: their voices and values as much as for their performance.

618
00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:43,480
Speaker 1: Is it Bose?

619
00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:47,239
Speaker 3: It's such a great question and one that's interesting and

620
00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:48,320
Speaker 3: dependent by market.

621
00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:50,560
Speaker 2: What we see in the US is one that.

622
00:29:50,600 --> 00:29:54,840
Speaker 3: Is highly highly commercial driven, and so on paper, the

623
00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:57,760
Speaker 3: ones that are driving the biggest stats aren't necessarily the

624
00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:00,840
Speaker 3: ones that are leading the charge commercially and vice versa,

625
00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:03,120
Speaker 3: and so it is interesting to think about what and

626
00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:06,000
Speaker 3: how athletes use to develop their business. I mean, look

627
00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:09,360
Speaker 3: at Alana mare Usa rugby. This is not a sport

628
00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:11,000
Speaker 3: in the US in particular that is part of the

629
00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:14,440
Speaker 3: mainstream cultural zeitgeist. Well, lon O mar got everybody thinking

630
00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:17,960
Speaker 3: about rugby and how she has leveraged that opportunity in

631
00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:21,640
Speaker 3: the Olympics in Paris to build a platform for herself

632
00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:25,760
Speaker 3: which is so multifaceted. This is a fantastic example of

633
00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:29,560
Speaker 3: where I think athletes who are commercially minded recognizing hey,

634
00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:31,960
Speaker 3: there's a shelf life to this thing. Women are showing

635
00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:34,360
Speaker 3: up and controlling the controllables by using their platforms and

636
00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:37,720
Speaker 3: their narrative to build their businesses is phenomenal different in

637
00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:39,680
Speaker 3: other parts of the world, you know, where you see

638
00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:43,160
Speaker 3: like football is Life, to quote one of my favorite shows,

639
00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:45,840
Speaker 3: Dead Lasso. But in the European markets, which I would

640
00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:48,280
Speaker 3: say at a different phase in terms of the commercialization

641
00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:53,200
Speaker 3: of the women's game performance rules above all else, I

642
00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:55,440
Speaker 3: think that is changing. I think the athletes are demanding

643
00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:58,040
Speaker 3: it and particularly keen to watch what happens in the

644
00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:00,000
Speaker 3: Women's Super League this year in Europe in the US

645
00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:02,960
Speaker 3: in their football season, soccer season for US in the

646
00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:06,760
Speaker 3: States to see how these athletes, particularly those who are

647
00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:09,400
Speaker 3: coming off winning the Euros and the Lions's that are

648
00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:11,760
Speaker 3: in that league, are going to use this platform in

649
00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:15,680
Speaker 3: this moment to absolutely build their off pitch brands and

650
00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:19,160
Speaker 3: commercial opportunities. Accordingly, I think it's a domino effect that's

651
00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:21,280
Speaker 3: happening across the world. I think the US has led

652
00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:23,880
Speaker 3: the way for so long, but thanks to social media

653
00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:26,440
Speaker 3: and the wide range of knowledge share that is happening

654
00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:30,440
Speaker 3: freely across the Internet and the networks that exist, I

655
00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:32,840
Speaker 3: do think you're going to see a continued rise that

656
00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:35,080
Speaker 3: will expand far beyond the borders here.

657
00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:38,880
Speaker 1: So I've mentioned Allison Felix and your partnership with her.

658
00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:42,120
Speaker 1: In my intro did a John venture was Always Alpha,

659
00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:45,000
Speaker 1: which is a company? Tell us about that, you know,

660
00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:46,800
Speaker 1: what do you have in mind with this partnership and

661
00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:48,440
Speaker 1: where will it be in New Year's time.

662
00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:52,320
Speaker 3: Always Alpha was founded by Alison Felix, as you alluded

663
00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:56,200
Speaker 3: to USA Track and Field Icon, along with her partners

664
00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:59,920
Speaker 3: West Felix and Cassette Chaput, and their ambition was to

665
00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:02,880
Speaker 3: create a talent management firm that was exclusively dedicated to

666
00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:06,320
Speaker 3: the needs of female athletes. When they came online earlier

667
00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:10,040
Speaker 3: last year, it presented a really interesting proposition in terms

668
00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:12,680
Speaker 3: of basically cornering the market. For lack of a better

669
00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:14,800
Speaker 3: way of saying it, Deep Blue was really focused on

670
00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:17,120
Speaker 3: the commercial side deal flow, thinking about how we get

671
00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:19,800
Speaker 3: brands involved in the space. And as somebody's in the industry,

672
00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:21,720
Speaker 3: you control the money, you control the market, and so

673
00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:25,320
Speaker 3: inasmuch as we could influence as well as educate where

674
00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:27,880
Speaker 3: brand investment was going, we would have a seat at

675
00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:30,640
Speaker 3: the table. Well, the other side of that coin is

676
00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:33,400
Speaker 3: influence and who's driving that, as we talked to earlier

677
00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,480
Speaker 3: in this episode, are the athletes. And so if you

678
00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:40,400
Speaker 3: could maintain a world where you had a vantage point

679
00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:43,600
Speaker 3: that included both where dollars were moving but also where

680
00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:47,800
Speaker 3: influence was commanding. Now, all of a sudden, you have

681
00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:50,560
Speaker 3: a vantage point in this industry in particular that has

682
00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:53,160
Speaker 3: never coexisted, and so it was a bit of a

683
00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:56,040
Speaker 3: no brainer after a series of conversations with the Always

684
00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:59,160
Speaker 3: Alpha leadership team to say, hey, not only can we

685
00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:01,200
Speaker 3: support you with deal flow strategy all the things that

686
00:33:01,240 --> 00:33:04,240
Speaker 3: we're seeing from a commercial perspective, you can also help

687
00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:07,520
Speaker 3: inform the way those deals are moving based on the influence,

688
00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:11,760
Speaker 3: trends and first looks that your athletes are seeing that

689
00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:13,960
Speaker 3: very few have the opportunity to do.

690
00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:15,120
Speaker 2: In a first person basis.

691
00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:18,120
Speaker 3: So we formed a joint venture Shook Hands, with the

692
00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:22,280
Speaker 3: intent to become the world's largest firm dedicated to servicing

693
00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:26,520
Speaker 3: the women's sports commercial industry alongside the female athlete talent

694
00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:27,400
Speaker 3: management business.

695
00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:30,040
Speaker 1: Wow, that's an ambitious goal and I'm sure you will

696
00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:33,160
Speaker 1: be there very soon, sooner than later. Talk about partnerships

697
00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:35,840
Speaker 1: also with ATHLETs. Is there a dream partner could be

698
00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:37,880
Speaker 1: an athlet, could be maybe a brand or a leak.

699
00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:40,240
Speaker 1: Is there a dream partner for Deep Blue? You know

700
00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:42,680
Speaker 1: you're looking for you would like to partner with.

701
00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:47,000
Speaker 3: For me, it's not individuals specific in as much as

702
00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:50,720
Speaker 3: it's about innovation and ingenuity, and it's finding and aligning

703
00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:53,440
Speaker 3: with partners who are going to push the bounds on

704
00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:57,239
Speaker 3: what confines the industry today. Really those who are not

705
00:33:57,320 --> 00:33:59,360
Speaker 3: just interested in getting in it for the short term,

706
00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:02,200
Speaker 3: but really vested in finding ways to extrapolate it for

707
00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:04,880
Speaker 3: the long term. And there's some great examples of athletes

708
00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:07,080
Speaker 3: I mentioned Flaje Johnson earlier.

709
00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:08,040
Speaker 2: Who're just doing it different.

710
00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:11,640
Speaker 3: There's a very real path for this woman where she

711
00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:14,239
Speaker 3: could have a number one single and be a number

712
00:34:14,280 --> 00:34:17,040
Speaker 3: one draft picked in the same year. That is pushing

713
00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:19,880
Speaker 3: the bounds on how we think about the world and

714
00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:22,160
Speaker 3: influence of talent as it relates to the sports and

715
00:34:22,239 --> 00:34:24,320
Speaker 3: entertainment industry. And then when you look at some of

716
00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:26,279
Speaker 3: the brands that are in and around the space who

717
00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:30,120
Speaker 3: are actively looking again not just to transact, but to transform.

718
00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:32,440
Speaker 3: Speaking back to that ally example, I mean there's so

719
00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:34,839
Speaker 3: many others who are thinking creatively.

720
00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:36,839
Speaker 2: Love to partner with them.

721
00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:38,640
Speaker 3: Also looking at people who are not just trying to

722
00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:41,239
Speaker 3: come in for a season, but really thinking about multi

723
00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:44,239
Speaker 3: year deals I think is important to drive longevity and

724
00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:47,000
Speaker 3: then just those that have complete abandon for doing things

725
00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:49,360
Speaker 3: the way they've been done. Great example of this is

726
00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:52,440
Speaker 3: what Nofisa Collier and Brandi Storret had built with unrivaled

727
00:34:52,640 --> 00:34:56,160
Speaker 3: feeling a real business need to create opportunities for their

728
00:34:56,200 --> 00:34:59,000
Speaker 3: peers in the WNBA and professional basketball to not have

729
00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:01,440
Speaker 3: to go overseas in the off season, not have to

730
00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:04,800
Speaker 3: leave their families to supplement their income, and in doing

731
00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:08,239
Speaker 3: so created a product that surpassed every metric they set

732
00:35:08,239 --> 00:35:08,560
Speaker 3: out to.

733
00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:09,560
Speaker 2: Achieve in Your one alone.

734
00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:12,000
Speaker 3: And so the amount of innovation and blank canvas that

735
00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:15,280
Speaker 3: exists here is what excites me. Christian and anybody who's

736
00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:16,840
Speaker 3: willing to come along for that ride.

737
00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:18,520
Speaker 2: We're absolutely game to lock in with.

738
00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:21,279
Speaker 1: I love it. So we talked a lot about what

739
00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:24,839
Speaker 1: you're currently doing and looking back, you've built platforms, You've

740
00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:28,279
Speaker 1: built podcasts and summits and even soccer clubs. I mean,

741
00:35:28,320 --> 00:35:31,520
Speaker 1: what a range once one thing which is still missing

742
00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:34,600
Speaker 1: in women's sports that you would love to intend maybe

743
00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:37,120
Speaker 1: as part of D Blue, maybe outside of D Blue,

744
00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:38,160
Speaker 1: is anything else?

745
00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:38,920
Speaker 3: Oh?

746
00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:40,120
Speaker 2: I intend to own teams.

747
00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:44,239
Speaker 3: I absolutely love the idea of an endgame being not

748
00:35:44,239 --> 00:35:47,720
Speaker 3: just building a portfolio of assets, whether that includes content, media,

749
00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:52,560
Speaker 3: certainly consulting, business and services, but the ability to get

750
00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:56,440
Speaker 3: back on the pitch, be around the athletes, to influence

751
00:35:56,520 --> 00:35:59,280
Speaker 3: the game day experience, really be part of the fabric

752
00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:02,800
Speaker 3: of what influencing from the outside right now. But building

753
00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:05,600
Speaker 3: it from the inside out is something that is not

754
00:36:05,719 --> 00:36:07,759
Speaker 3: just a matter of if. It really is a when

755
00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:10,959
Speaker 3: and so for me, it's a through line that isn't

756
00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:13,200
Speaker 3: just a vertical in nature. It's one that we absolutely

757
00:36:13,239 --> 00:36:15,920
Speaker 3: are thinking horizontally in terms of getting in and around

758
00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:19,000
Speaker 3: other ways we can impact and demonstrate proof of concept

759
00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:21,000
Speaker 3: to show the true tangible returns of what we believe

760
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:22,960
Speaker 3: this industry delivers on Laura.

761
00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:25,640
Speaker 1: Let's say in five years time, when a young woman

762
00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:28,080
Speaker 1: is asked when she first fell in love with sports,

763
00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:31,240
Speaker 1: what do you hope her answer says about the future

764
00:36:31,440 --> 00:36:34,480
Speaker 1: you've built, we've built altogether for women's sports, Will it

765
00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:35,720
Speaker 1: be a different answer than today.

766
00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:38,440
Speaker 2: It's fascinating that you asked this question.

767
00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:42,680
Speaker 3: I literally just posted or reposted a quote from Alex Morgan,

768
00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:45,600
Speaker 3: who is just on the Call Her Daddy podcast. Alex

769
00:36:45,640 --> 00:36:48,840
Speaker 3: has a young daughter, and she talked about how she

770
00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:51,560
Speaker 3: hopes one day when her daughter is of age and

771
00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:55,040
Speaker 3: asked that question, presumably she will only ever have known

772
00:36:55,040 --> 00:36:57,400
Speaker 3: a world that is equal. I get chills saying that

773
00:36:57,440 --> 00:36:59,239
Speaker 3: out loud, because I think when you look at the

774
00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:02,360
Speaker 3: numbers today, but the steady progression of where they're moving,

775
00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:04,840
Speaker 3: and the conviction of what the women's sports industry and

776
00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:08,200
Speaker 3: community is committed to, and you'll hear it endlessly anybody

777
00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:10,880
Speaker 3: you ask, it's leave it better than we found it.

778
00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:13,839
Speaker 3: It very much is a pay it forward mentality, one

779
00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:15,920
Speaker 3: that certainly didn't start with Deep Blue. I mean, you

780
00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:18,759
Speaker 3: can go back fifty plus years thinking about all of

781
00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:21,439
Speaker 3: those who came before us and making bets and doing

782
00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:24,960
Speaker 3: the hard thing to ensure that the next generation has

783
00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:26,719
Speaker 3: what they need to be set up to succeed. And

784
00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:30,400
Speaker 3: so that quote that Alex shared sums it up quite beautifully.

785
00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:33,560
Speaker 1: All Right, thank you so much for this exciting and

786
00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:36,279
Speaker 1: super inspiring conversation. It was so much fun for me

787
00:37:36,360 --> 00:37:39,319
Speaker 1: and I'm sure everybody who's listening, and you know, you

788
00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:42,399
Speaker 1: remind us that women's sports isn't just about equally at time,

789
00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:45,600
Speaker 1: for sure not. It's about unleashing leadership. It's about rewriting

790
00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:49,000
Speaker 1: business models. It's about building movements that last. And you

791
00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:51,440
Speaker 1: are superstar and you're such a big mentor for so

792
00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:55,120
Speaker 1: many people, especially women. Of course, Thanks again for your

793
00:37:55,160 --> 00:37:57,480
Speaker 1: vision and voice, and to my audience out there. Keep

794
00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:01,240
Speaker 1: questioning the playbook, keep pushing the boundaries as Laura does,

795
00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:04,400
Speaker 1: and above all, keep turning possibilities into reality. This is

796
00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:06,880
Speaker 1: all about I see you all soon back for the

797
00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:09,800
Speaker 1: next episodes. Thank you so much, Laura, Thank you Christian,

798
00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:16,080
Speaker 1: Thanks thanks for tuning in everyone. Once again, I'm your host,

799
00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:19,360
Speaker 1: Christian More. If you have a question or suggestion to me,

800
00:38:19,719 --> 00:38:22,440
Speaker 1: reach out, send me the m on LinkedIn. If you're

801
00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:25,640
Speaker 1: curious to learn more about Possible, sign up for our newsletter,

802
00:38:25,960 --> 00:38:27,680
Speaker 1: or if you want to join us at the Possible

803
00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:32,360
Speaker 1: Show in Miami, visit possibleevent dot com. Possible Now is

804
00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:36,600
Speaker 1: a co production of iHeartMedia and Possible. Our executive producers

805
00:38:36,640 --> 00:38:40,640
Speaker 1: are Ryan Martz and Yasmin Melendez. Our supervising producer is

806
00:38:40,719 --> 00:38:44,480
Speaker 1: Meredith Barnes. Special thanks to Colleen Lawrence Mac from our

807
00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:48,680
Speaker 1: programming team. Our theme music is composed by Anthony Keatcoli.

808
00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:52,840
Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeart app Apple

809
00:38:52,880 --> 00:38:55,800
Speaker 1: podcast or wherever you listen to your favorite shows,