Hot Coffee, Cold Beer - Career Growth and Sports Stories Podcast.

Have you ever seen your local sports team advertise something like "Tomorrow's game is 'Dogs at the Park' night OR 'Indian American Heritage' night? Ever wondered who creates that

Imagine being responsible for 60+ of those events each year. The planning, the marketing, the back-end ticket registrations...and now imagine being the ONLY person for an entire department for a Major League Baseball team left responsible to do all this....well, Liz McCloskey is that woman.

Liz has spent her entire career with the Mariners, and also her entire career in the group events space of the sports industry. You'll learn about all that goes in to putting this nights of unity together and how to make decisions based on what DOESN'T feel like work.

Matt Stocker is an industry-leading talent acquisition professional in the sports industry leading employee  recruitment for one of the most exciting brands in the world.

Don't know a lot about FC Cincinnati? That's okay...outside of the sports business industry, many don't. But inside the walls of sports jobs we widely recognize "FCC" as a growing, exciting, and ground-breaking brand in the industry. FC Cincinnati is playing the role of "innovator" and "disruptor" inside of how teams operate as a people-driven business.

Matt tells a wonderfully detailed story of how he left the world of sales for the NHL's Florida Panthers to work in the department of employee endeavors. After 4 years of grueling and hard-core sales for the Southern-most hockey team in the NHL, Matt converted from the Panthers sales team to human resources.

This is a fairly rare transition in the industry and shows the beautiful story of somebody BREAKING INTO the industry, then finding their best use of their skills in another department.

In early 2021, Matt made the move over to FC Cincinnati to play a larger role in their talent acquisition efforts, hiring over 400+ people as the brand expanded.

Episode Thirty Two: The NFL is BIG BUSINESS, and if you want a chance in with an NFL team out of college....Joey Meredith is your gatekeeper. Joey trains, hires and develops the future industry leaders of the world for the $2.3B that is the Tennessee Titans.

No relation to former NFL Wideout Cam Meredith.

Episode Thirty One: Welcome BACK to Season 2! We bring out the big brand to break back into the new season. 

The bigger the brand, the more successful team...the harder to get the job! The Pittsburgh Penguins are no exception. Devin Beahm is on the Partnerships team for arguably the most prestigious brand in hockey! From championship rings to legacy brands, hear from one of the best to do it in our industry. 

Episode 30: Season 1 Finale.

Over the past season of "Hot Coffee, Cold Beer" we've asked our guests to focus on how they built their sports careers and avoid the topic of Covid-19 altogether. This episode however, we address the elephant in the room as we sit for coffee or beer with one employee of each core-4 American sports to talk about exactly what unfolded in their offices. This is the peak behind all core-4 major American sports handling the hurricane of chaos this virus unfolded. 

You'll hear from Chelsea Herman (NBA's Philadelphia 76ers), Stefan Driedger (NHL's Minnesota Wild), Tyler Starkey (MLB's Colorado Rockies) and Michael Lineman (NFL's Los Angeles Chargers). 

Episode Twenty-Nine: The heart-breaking and heart-warming story of Joel Adams, Vice President of Premium Sales for the Los Angeles Clippers. In early 2021, Joel begins opening the Clippers new stadium: Inglewood Basketball & Entertainment Center. Opening "IBEC" is one of the most coveted upcoming roles in the sports industry.

Joel is a cancer survivor and previously worked for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Dolphins and is now in his 3rd year with his hometown team. 

Episode Twenty Eight: The NBA Salary Cap is more complicated than the American tax code or quantum physics, so we sit down for coffee with Eric Pincus, an NBA Salary Cap Expert. Eric had a 20+ year career as a Chief Information Officer at a wedding and events company while being an aspiring writer on the sidelines. He is now the Lead Writer for the Los Angeles Lakers on Bleacher Report and teaches classes on understanding the NBA's Salary Cap.

https://twitter.com/EricPincus

Episode Twenty Seven: It's a 2020 NBA Finals re-match, as Miami HEAT Director of Corporate Partnerships Casey Dellapenna shares a coffee or beer with our host who sells Lakers Premium. Casey spent 14 years in New York City advertising before leaving the "Mad Men" life behind to work in South Florida Sports. Casey is a former Associate General Manager for the University of Miami before moving over to the HEAT. 

Episode Twenty Six: Fresh off their trip to the 2020 World Series, Dan Newhart of the Tampa Bay Rays sits down for a beer chat about 13 years spent with one of the most employee-first organizations. Be ready to have your pre-conceived notions about the Rays and Tropicana Field challenged after this episode. 

Dan is a sports business icon with legendary experience. 

Episode Twenty Five: Everyone in the sports industry know about the Association of Luxury Suite Directors' once per-year conference where premium teams across all North American sports gather to present trends in the Premium operation of the sports business. We sit down for coffee or beer with the President of ALSD, Amanda Verhoff. 

"Premium" refers to the high-end, luxury seating in sports often including private seats, front-row seating and "club seats". Amanda shares over exactly how the teams uses her conference to not only grow THEIR business, but all of our ours. 

Amanda tells us about her sports life of working for a sports conference her entire professional career. Going from interning with the conference in college, to now serving as president. 

ALSD corporate offices are based in Cincinnati, Ohio and the conference partakes in different cities each summer. You can learn more and apply for registration at ALSD.com 

Episode Twenty Four: The man behind one of the most popular sports podcasts in the world steps in front of the mic to share a coffee about podcasting 101. Amjed Osman is the Executive Producer of "Inside The Green Room", one of the most popular sports podcasts in the United States with over 20 million lifetime listens.  

Amjed, Harrison Sanford and NBA Player Danny Green started their podcast with the story of Danny being traded from San Antonio to Toronto, and have turned it into a cutting-edge sports and pop culture informational program. 

"Jed" is an immigrant from the country of Sudan and a proud alumni of Ohio State University. 

https://www.insidegreenroom.com/   Available on Spotify, Apple, Google Play and YouTube. 

Episode Twenty Three: If you ever got yelled at by your parents for playing video games, THIS is the episode for you. We share a coffee with a rising star of the eSports and gaming category, Sunghwan Kim of ESL Gaming. We learn about the trends and evolution of eSports that has turned into a billion dollar business. 

Sunghwan relives the trauma of working for the then-NBA worst Philadelphia 76ers and reflects on how the marketing slogan of "Trust The Process" was truly adopted throughout the entire organization. He went from sharing a small, studio apartment in New York City to being one of the top performers for the Philadelphia 76ers,  and is now one of the rising stars of the eSports subcategory. "Sung" is a proud Syracuse University alumni and diehard Philadelphia Eagles fan. 

Episode Twenty Two: Coffee AND beer are shared with Sports Foundation superstar, Shannon Hearne. Padres Pedal The Cause is official cancer charity partner of the San Diego Padres.

Shannon joined the Padres’ charity after attending one of their events while making a living in season ticket sales. Padres Pedal has a unique charity model where 100% of all money raised is given back to 4 core cancer hospitals in San Diego and only if they all file TOGETHER.

You can find out more about how to get involved nationwide at GoPedal.org.

Episode Twenty One: Brock shares a championship-themed beer with world-champion Washington Nationals employee Chris Weiner. Enjoy the pain of a diehard New York Mets interviewing a Washington Nationals representative. Chris shares the story of moving up and often being forced to move DOWN to stay in one city for your career. Similar to the professional athletes on the field, employees of the sports industry often have less say on which city they reside in with constant relocation. Chris is an anomaly of the industry being able to stay in his hometown for the entirety of his sports life.

The rarity in Chris’ story runs deeply, from the unique accomplishment of spending an entire career in ONE market and earning TWO masters degrees in an industry where many don’t pursue higher-education.

Chris is a proud University of Maryland and Georgetown University alumni.

Episode Twenty: Brock shares a hot tea with rule-breaker Divya Goel, the Senior Director of Global Advertising for Relevant Sports Group. Relevant is one of the premier international soccer events and media companies known in parts for their creation of the Guinness International Cup which is attracts over 150 Million views annually.

Divya first made a name for herself in the industry by being on the ground floor of the NFL opening social media accounts  for their teams. Divya opens up about why she can’t drink coffee anymore, how a deal with her dad around covering the Olympics accidently started her career, and we here a new take on work-life balance.

Divya is a rising star, a young accomplisher in the sports industry and is wise beyond her years.

Episode Nineteen: Brock shares a beer with world-champion Armaan Ahluwalia, responsible for the business intelligence for the Kansas City Chiefs’ partnership division. Armaan shares the the worst meeting of his career, how he got the nickname “CIA” while working in sports, and the how the basic nature of human connection has driven his career.

Brock shares his secret dream to run away from his sports career to live in Rhode Island and open a diner off the grid.

Episode Eighteen: Brock sits down for his toughest conversation yet, with his own boss, Emmanuel “Manny” Jacobo. This episode features some adult language and content including difficult conversations about Manny’s rough upbringing, the difficulties of being a minority in sports, and racism in the workplace.

Manny shares the hardships in his story from being raised by a single mother in the projects of the Bronx, New York to now being a Vice President of one of the busiest sports and entertainment venues in the world.

Episode Seventeen: Brock sits down for coffee with Tyler Potts, a senior member of the Los Angeles Rams Corporate Partnerships team. This episode is an introduction to life in NFL sponsorship, a 1.47 billion dollar division.

Before his time with the Rams, Tyler was a part of the division that sold the naming rights to the new Las Vegas NFL Stadium. Allegiant Stadium, the new home of the Raiders. Tyler reflects on his time opening Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, and breaks down the 4 pieces of IP that made forming partnerships with the Raiders a first-of-it’s-kind in NFL history.

Get an in-depth look at how big brands like the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Rams operate.

Episode Sixteen: Brock sits down for coffee and beer with someone who doesn’t drink either one, Lara Brown of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. MLSE Is the ownership group of 7 sports entities across Toronto including the Toronto Raptors (NBA), Maple Leafs (NHL), Argonauts (Canadian Football League), Toronto FC (MLS) and more. Lara works as the top contributor for the Raptors and Maple Leafs Premium Sales team.

Hear as two Philadelphia Eagles fans share the story of hardship unlike anything you’ve heard before, as Lara tells the intimate details of being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016.

Episode Fifteen: Brock shares a recovery coffee with a dream guest- Heather Brooks Karatz- one of the first female Presidents of a professional football team in American sports history. Heather played a key role in the early days of the LAFC franchise of Major League Soccer, and has fascinating milestone stories including helping end the NHL lockout, working for the NFL during Michael Vick’s infamous arrest and being an intern for the Michael Jordan-era of Washington Wizards basketball.

Heather gives us a peel behind the curtain on the final days of the XFL and it’s surprise closing. Being a 2019 W.I.S.E “Woman of Inspiration Award” winner, HBK opens up for conversation and advice on how we as an industry can do a better job of creating more equality in sports business for women.

Also featured is the importance of enjoying the moment and not worrying about the future. The origin of why every guest is asked “who is your favorite female athlete of all-time” and how growing up a New York Giants fan in Washington D.C. taught Heather about building toughness and thick skin.

Heather is a proud New York Giants fan and alumni of Vanderbilt University, Fordham Law and UCLA Law School.

UPDATE: Since recording, the XFL has reached a bankruptcy agreement with a group of investors including Red Bird Capital, Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia.

Episode Fourteen: Brock shares a mystery beverage with Taylor Lagace, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Kynship, an athlete and brand marketing agency. Taylor was a UCLA Football team captain who noticed a problem for former division-one athletes after leaving college and started a company to give athletes an opportunity to use their name as micro-influencers for positive momentum in life post-sports. Kynship serves as a modern-day solution house to reoccurring problems for athletes and player agencies, and created Taylor’s different kind of sports life.

Episode Thirteen: Brock shares a beer with the pride and joy of the Cleveland Indians, Anna Powell. Anna is a shining star of the sports industry and the perfect example of blending work-life balance in an industry where it feels impossible to have both. She shares with us the stories behind the next days of Progressive Field after the heartbreak of the 2016 World Series loss, how chasing a ring in sports lead her to different ring and the most fulfilling event of her career…There are a lot of family ties and pride in Anna’s story that go beyond a life of sports sales.

Anna lives in the Cleveland suburb of Chadron with her fiancé Jess and their two dogs: Koda and Remy.

UPDATE: In July of 2021 the franchise has since rebranded to the Cleveland Guardians. 

Episode Eleven: Brock shares a Chargers-themed beer with one of the top producers with the Chargers at SoFi Stadium. New stadiums will often use a company called “Legends” who specialize in NFL openings, and Legends employs William to sell the Chargers seat licenses at the team’s new joint-stadium with the Los Angeles Rams. William worked in Vegas nightclub sales before happening into a sports career. 

Episode Ten: Brock shares a California-local beer with the Chief Product Officer of OneTeam Partners for an exploration of the world of sports gaming. OneTeam Partners is an innovative and cutting-edge sports licensing company with a niche in the world of gaming.

This episode contains a reference to being “team Sarah”, Brock’s ex-girlfriend who never believed in him and a hail mary to a different sports podcast, Bronx Pinstripes.

Episode Nine: Brock shares a coffee with his once-boss, Nick Mann. Nick is formerly of the STAPLES Center, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA Soccer. You'll hear a brutally honest conversation of the mistakes and lessons from coaching a young-Brock Hendricks who started his premium career with 100+ meetings before negotiating his first deal.

Nick is now the Associate Vice President for the Kraft Group in Foxborough, Massachusetts, who own the New England Patriots (NFL), the New England Revolution (MLS) and multiple other entities. Nick is known as a leading-expert in the industry on the topic of business-to-business sports sales. Beyond selling to the average fan, Nick has found a niche in the sports world as a contemporary of cutting edge business negotiations.

Episode Eight: Brock shares a coffee or beer with the founder of Sports Business Solutions, Bob Hamer. Sports Business Solutions is an athletics consulting company that helps over 140 professional sports team across North America with through training and development, new business implementation, hiring and recruiting, and more. You’ll hear about the added layers of difficulty within sports entrepreneurship from Bob’s story of leaving a Vice President role with the Phoenix Suns organization for an uncharted path.

Bob now resides in Phoenix, Arizona, is a proud University of Arizona alumni and one of the industry leaders in mental health awareness.

Episode Seven: Brock shares a COLD coffee with a woman with 4+ sports jobs at once, Alicia Jessop. Alicia is a Sports Law Professor for Pepperdine University, a writer for The Athletic and Washington Post, and founder of her own sports consulting company "Ruiling Sports". The rest of her positions include a seat on the Board of Directors for a half-dozen charities including the Sport and Recreation Law Association and NFL Star Melvin Gordon's “Beyond the Flash Foundation”. 

Episode Six: Brock sits down with Sean Reilly, creator of the popular Instagram sports page “Pick.6”. What if posting on your Instagram became your full-time sports job? You can find more about Sean’s page and career in sports podcasting at Thepick6.com or @Pick.6 on Instagram. 

Brock and Sean dig into a different element of sports: Professional graphic design and social media account management. You'll get a peak behind the curtains of what it's really like to run a popular sports Instagram page. Sean tells the story of manufacturing your own career by taking advantage of your best personal skills. They’ll discuss the origins of sports fanhood, and the lessons learned along the way of creating your own opportunities to find a unique sports job.

Episode Five: Brock sits down for coffee or beer with Matt Thome of the Sacramento Kings Premium and Event Sales team. Matt is recognized as an industry leader & influence in the sales system referred to as “Social Selling” which allows him to be one of the most creative sellers in the country.

Matt has previously worked in Minor League Baseball with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Boston Red Sox spring training facility before moving to Sacramento. He is a proud Carthage College alumni and is currently pursuing his Professional Masters of Sports Administration from Ohio University.  

Episode Four: Brock sits down for a soul-searching and humorous conversation with Kelsey Kraskian of the Adidas Marketing department. Kelsey puts her brand management skills to the test by giving us advice on how to develop our own identities, and  how to find yourself inside or outside of your work.

Kelsey previously worked for the Golden State Warriors from 2016-2018, including for the record-breaking 73-win season and two world championship teams. Her sports experiences include marketing roles at both Adidas and Nike, along with Major League Soccer with the San Jose Earthquakes. She now resides in Portland, Oregon as a closeted-Californian.

Episode Three: Brock sits down for coffee or beer in the brew capital of the world, Green Bay, Wisconsin, to chat with Packer Premium Sales Executive, Reece Oliver. Reece is responsible for negotiating millions of dollars worth of suite contracts in his role with one of the most prestigious teams in all of sports. 

Reece held positions with the San Francisco 49ers, NFL On-Location Experiences and the Oakland Athletics before joining the Packers and is  a proud alumni of the University of Southern Indiana.

Episode Two: Brock sits down for coffee or beer with Daniella Baltazar, an Account Executive for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Daniella relives scary moments in her career, including having an established career for a company that goes bankrupt and the 2017 Dodger's inside sales class where she met our host. Daniella and Brock take a trip down memory lane on one of the most unique experiences in sports where 15 people fight for 1 position with the Dodgers, and the bond they formed while being in the trenches together as teammates and competitors simultaneously. 

Episode One: In our pilot, Brock sits down for coffee or beer with Danny Pietrafeso, the Director of Premium for the Denver Broncos. Danny has previously spent time with Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons, and started his life in sports as an intern FOR the Broncos Premium Department back in 2012. 

Danny provides a fresh, and hopeful perspective out of his widely-experienced lenses. Danny is originally from Las Vegas, Nevada and a graduate of College of Southern Nevada.