Persons of Interest
By Derrick Docket
Persons of InterestAug 08, 2020
Mike Williams
Mike and Derrick discuss the challenges and rewards of working in college sports, balancing family life with professional commitments, and Mike's love for bobblehead collecting. Mike expresses his dedication to team sports, reflects on his 20-year career, and emphasizes the importance of relationships in shaping his journey in sports communication.
Follow Mike on Twitter/X: @ISU_mcwilli
After working as a student assistant, graduate assistant and the associate director of communications at Illinois State, Mike Williams assumed the role of Assistant Athletics Director for Communications in July of 2012 and was promoted to Associate Athletics Director for Communications in January of 2024.
In that role, Williams oversees Illinois State's publicity, promotion and information support efforts for all of Illinois State's 19 sports. He is the primary media contact for the football, gymnastics and tennis programs and manages the athletics communications staff, which includes three other full-time staff members, three graduate assistants and several student interns.
In addition to being a member of the department's senior staff and external teams, Williams serves as staff liaison between the athletics communication office and the athletics development office, the compliance office, and the ticket office. He has also served as media coordinator for several Missouri Valley Conference tournaments hosted by Illinois State including baseball, softball, volleyball, tennis, gymnastics and track and field in recent years.
He currently serves as a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Advocacy Committe and was honored as the 2016 Bud Nangle Award recipient by the organization. Williams and his colleagues were also recognized as the 2018-19 and 2019-20 Missouri Valley Conference Sports Information Staff of the Year for their efforts in promoting Redbird Athletics and the league.
In 2009, Williams returned to his alma mater as assistant director of athletics communications and served in that role for two years, before being promoted to the role of associate athletics communication director. While in those roles, Williams was tasked with supervising the student intern training and development program for the athletics communications office in addition to sport coverage responsibilities.
Before returning to Illinois State in 2009, Williams served as the assistant director of athletics media relations at Indiana State where he was the primary contact for Sycamore men's basketball and cross country for two years, and football for one year. In 2007 and 2008, Williams served as the media coordinator for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships held in Terre Haute, Ind.
Prior to that, Williams worked three years in the Illinois State Athletics Communications office, including the last two as a graduate assistant. During his two years as a graduate assistant, Williams was the secondary football contact and the primary contact for the baseball program.
Chris Schnabel
Chris shares his unique journey from hosting a college radio show to starting his own podcast, originally called 'Offstage Radio,' later evolved into 'Mad Props.' He explains his shift from a rigid, question-answer format to a more conversational and organic approach to podcasting. Chris also talks about the importance of engaging social media platforms in promoting podcasts. Chris and Derrick also discuss their experiences and their favorite podcasts and share stories about their fitness journey.
Mad Props on: Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/madprops/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzZgTD0glM082CA3nvS6g0VWsUcf3xX-e Twitter: https://twitter.com/MadPropsPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/madpropspod/
00:00 Introduction to the Podcast
00:17 Meeting Chris Schnabel: The Man Behind 'Mad Props'
00:54 Chris's Journey into Podcasting
01:21 The Evolution of 'Mad Props'
03:02 The Art of Interviewing and Uncovering Unique Stories
04:37 Promoting a Podcast in the Digital Age
08:02 Securing Big Names and Building Connections
14:19 Navigating the Podcast Landscape
22:22 Chris's Incredible Weight Loss Journey
26:15 The Power of YouTube Premium and Running
26:43 The Unconventional Running Playlist
27:10 The Journey of a Recreational Basketball Player to a Runner
29:10 The Evolution of a Runner's Goals
29:51 Podcasts Over Music: A Runner's Preference
31:09 The Power of Old Pop Music in Running
32:14 The Art of Solo Podcasting
33:01 The Unforgettable Experience of Working at the U.S. Open
39:13 The Art of Guest Acquisition for Podcasts
44:01 The Unexpected Rewards of Reaching Out
46:02 The Journey of a Podcast Host
Steve Wilson
Steve Wilson joins WWU from Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kansas, where he has led the athletic department since 2019. Under his leadership, the Coyotes twice won the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Commissioner's Cup, in 2020 and 2021, and won seven KCAC championships. Kansas Wesleyan also grew its athletic department under Wilson's direction, adding several new coaches and two new sports in men's volleyball and flag football, while excelling in the classroom; 20 of the university's 25 athletic teams received NAIA Scholar Team status while posting a department-wide GPA of 3.01.
Prior to Kansas Wesleyan, Wilson served as Athletic Director at Park University-Gilbert, leading the school's 12-sport athletic department in its inaugural season of 2018-2019 while also coaching the Buccaneers' men's and women's golf teams. Prior experience also includes serving as Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations and Compliance, and Sports Information Director, at Park University's flagship campus from 2007-2018, and serving on the athletic department media relations staff at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.
"Steve brings a wealth of knowledge having been with the NAIA as a coach, an SID, and athletics administrator; along with his experience working at the NAIA," said Tracy Gastineau, Interim Director of Athletics and a member of the athletic director search committee. "As an added bonus, he is familiar with William Woods and the AMC. His interactions with the athletics staff during the interview process was energetic and exciting and we look forward to working with him as our department continues to grow."
A graduate of both Kansas St. University (bachelor's - 2004) and Park University (masters – 2013), Wilson is married to Juli Wilson and has one daughter.
Martin Kilcoyne
In this podcast, Martin talks about the Morning Grind and his radio experiences, the relationships he's developed with various coaches and athletes his own podcast projects and more.
Martin's bio from Fox2Now.com:
Martin Kilcoyne is the Sports Director at FOX-2, a position he’s held since 2002. He joined the station as a Sports Reporter in July, 1997.
He is a 5-time Emmy Award winner, including twice as the Mid-America top Sports Anchor (2006, 2008). At FOX-2, he’s covered the Cardinals in the World Series four times, and two Super Bowls with the Rams. The biggest event/party he says he’s ever covered was the Blues winning the 2019 Stanley Cup.
Since 2007, he has provided nightly commentary with TKO: The Kilcoyne Opinion during the 10:00 pm newscast. Martin has also been a fixture on local radio and is currently heard with daily segments on KTRS “The Big 550”.
Martin is a St. Louis native and graduated from CBC High School before going to college at Marquette University. Previous tv stops were KNAZ-TV in Flagstaff, Arizona; WJFW-TV in Rhinelander, Wisconsin; and WISC-TV in Madison, Wisconsin.
Shelby Hild
I didn't realize it until Shelby said it while we were recording, but I've known her for 10 years now.
This episode is a little different because I'm having a conversation with someone that I know but we still discuss some things about each other that we didn't know.
Shelby works at Baylor University in the athletic department, serving as director of communications. We spend some time catching up, talking about how and why she works in sports, her various career stops, and more.
Snubbed: Bears Basketball Roundtable
In this special episode, Derrick is joined by fellow Missouri State alums Kevin Agee, Kevin Grogan, and former Bears Basketball player Anthony Shavies. Their discussion focuses on the 2005-06 Missouri State Men's Basketball team that was left out of the NCAA tournament with a 21 RPI.
Corey Riggs
I think of Corey Riggs as a "swiss army knife" of sports broadcasting. He has experience on TV and radio, on and off the screen, in front of and behind the camera. From his own Twitter/X bio, he is a "Sports Announcer/Prod/Dir in SWMO. Proud Webb City native & Missouri State grad (SMSU on my diploma). Find me on ESPN3, MC22, MAVTV, Missouri State radio & more"
In this episode, Corey talks about his experiences calling Missouri State football, basketball, soccer and more. We also take a brief look at the upcoming seasons for the football and basketball teams.
Eric Wieberg
Eric's bio via NABC.com
Eric Wieberg joined the NABC staff in May 2016. As Director of Communications and Digital Media and as the primary NABC spokesman, Eric leads all public and media relations efforts for the NABC including strategic messaging, press releases, media appearances, member communication, and event media operations. He also oversees the NABC’s digital, content creation, and brand marketing initiatives.
Eric supports the NABC’s advocacy work alongside various NABC committees in developing legislative proposals and policy positions for the NCAA and other governing bodies. Additionally, he manages the NABC’s awards program and oversees the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Regional Advisory Committee. Eric assists with the NABC’s sponsorship activation efforts and is a member of operational teams for various events including the Hall of Fame Classic and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Celebration.
Before coming to the NABC, Eric spent two years leading football communications and digital media as an Assistant Commissioner at the Colonial Athletic Association, and three years managing communications, marketing and digital as an Assistant Commissioner at the South Atlantic Conference. Prior to those positions, he was an intern with the NCAA Division I men’s basketball staff, primarily serving media operations roles for the 2010 and 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championships. Eric holds a master’s degree from the University of Texas and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas. He resides in Olathe, Kan. with his wife Katie and two daughters.
Jeff Bidwell
About Jeff Bidwell (via RacerBasketball.com)
"I started covering the Murray State basketball programs in 2002. After 20 years of following the Racers around, I retired from my television career. Now I’m back and ready to pick right up where I left off — and hopefully be better than ever.
My greatest athletic achievement is being accused by a viewer of jumping on the dog pile at the NCAA Tournament after Danero Thomas’ game-winning shot to beat Vanderbilt in 2010.
I love the Philadelphia Eagles. Steve Prohm despises them. Upon further review, this entire project could be an uphill battle."
In this episode, Jeff discusses his time working in TV, when he knew it was time to move on, covering Murray State Basketball and his new project, RacerBasketball.com.
Follow Jeff on Twitter: @AKAJeffBidwell
Jim Benson
Jim Benson recently wrapped up a 42-year career as a sports writer. He spent all of his years writing for the Bloomington Pantagraph (Bloomington-Normal, Illinois).
In this podcast, Jim discusses a few moments and people from his time as a writer, including covering the University of Illinois men's basketball team making two Final Four runs, getting to interview Michael Jordan, covering Illinois State men's basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference and prep sports in central Illinois.
Follow Jim Benson on Twitter: @Pg_Benson
Tariq Ahmad
Tariq Ahmad has been on the forefront of all things sports marketing and sports management. He has been hands-on working in social media for several companies in addition to serving as an adjunct instructor in sports management. Recently, Tariq has turned his attention to the world of Name, Image and Likeness and educating others about the topic in addition to student-athlete representation.
In this episode, Tariq and Derrick reconnect with each other to catch up on the latest and also dive into Tariq's NIL work and an upcoming NIL webinar hosted by Tariq.
Follow Tariq:
- Twitter: @tariq_ahmad
- Twitter: @_sportscourt
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/_sportscourt
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tariqahmad1/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sports.court
- NIL Fundamentals Webinar registration (Thursday, March 30. 2023, 7:00 pm ET/6:00 pm CT)
- NIL Newsletter
Ben Fredrickson
Ben Fredrickson is a sports columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He also contributes on the radio for The Big 550 KTRS. He grew up in Sedalia, Missouri and attended college at the University of Missouri. In this podcast, Ben shares the story of his career path, writing opinion articles, working in the digital media age and more.
Dr. Liz Gross
Bio courtesy of CampusSonar.com
Founder and CEO
Liz specializes in creating entrepreneurial social media strategies in higher education and has a passion for empowering others, which she brings to colleges and universities as the founder and CEO of Campus Sonar.
Liz is an award-winning speaker, author, and strategist who was named a 2018 Mover and Shaker by Social Shake-Up Show and a finalist on GreenBook’s 2019 GRIT Future List. She has delivered top-rated talks at SXSW, SXSW EDU, the American Marketing Association Symposium, the Carnegie Conference, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, and others; and is the author of two indispensable guides for higher ed: The Higher Ed Social Listening Handbook and Fundamentals of Social Media Strategy: A Guide for College Campuses.
Liz has more than 15 years’ experience in higher education, spanning the private and public sector (including the University of Wisconsin campuses in Milwaukee and Waukesha). Since 2013, she’s focused on driving social listening forward as a source of business intelligence in higher education. She received a Ph.D. in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service in Higher Education at Cardinal Stritch University, a master’s degree in educational policy and leadership from Marquette University, and a bachelor’s degree in interpersonal communication from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Follow/Connect with Liz:
Follow Campus Sonar:
Wyatt Wheeler
Wyatt Wheeler returns for his fourth appearance on the podcast. In this episode, Derrick and Wyatt discuss the upcoming 2022-2023 Missouri State Men's and Women's Basketball Seasons and also touch on Art Hains, Wyatt's co-host on Sports Talk who is battling West Nile Virus.
Joe Pott
Follow Joe on Twitter: @Joe_Pott
Joe Pott's Bio, courtesy, SIUE Athletics:
Joe Pott has been the "Voice of the Cougars" since 2008. The native of St. Louis, Missouri, oversees all communications and broadcasting operations for SIUE athletics.
He is the radio voice of Cougar men's basketball and baseball on 88.7 the Sound, all home broadcasts on ESPN+ and also has appeared on FOX Sports Midwest as part of the Cougars' basketball television coverage.
He has called nearly 400 SIUE men's basketball games and more than 400 Cougar baseball games in addition to several hundred more soccer, volleyball, softball, and women's basketball games, while also serving as the host and emcee at many Cougar athletics special events throughout the year.
Pott also manages the student video crew responsible for the live production of SIUE Athletics events online. He recently oversaw the transition of Cougars broadcasts from the OVC Digital Network to ESPN+.
Off the air, he heads the Athletic Communications Department and is the primary media contact for men's basketball, baseball, men's soccer and golf. Away from SIUE, Pott joined the sports staff at KMOX Radio and serves as a host on the station as well as the St. Louis Cardinals Radio Network.
Prior to coming to SIUE, Pott served as the radio play-by-play voice for the Gateway Grizzlies, a member of the Frontier League of professional baseball in Sauget, Illinois, from 2001-2010. The three-time Frontier League Broadcaster of the Year also served as a guest speaker and emcee at a number of public events promoting the baseball Grizzlies.
He was a play-by-play voice for the game of the week for football and basketball for Team 1380 and FOX Sports Radio 1490 in St. Louis from September 2007 to March 2008. He worked as the voice of the Edwardsville Tigers during the 2003-2004 boys’ basketball season on WAOX radio.
Pott earned a bachelor of arts in communication in 2000 from the University of Dayton, where he worked as an Athletics Communication Assistant, called many sports on radio, and served as a play-by-play voice for local telecasts of Flyer volleyball and soccer. He remains a tried and true Flyer basketball fan.
Matt Chittim
Matt also shares a brand new project he is launching called Relay. Relay is a group of elite runners and running content creators publishing the most creative and collaborative running content on the internet.
Follow Matt and his podcast:
Website: theramblingrunner.com
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Twitter: @rambling_runner
Instagram: @rambling_runner
YouTube Rambling Runner on YouTube
Strava: Matt Chittim
Follow Relay:
Twitter: @Relay_site
Instagram: @relay_site
Patreon: www.patreon.com/relay
Kevin Agee
Kevin Agee returns for another episode. This time, we talk about his career change, leaving his content strategist position at Missouri State University to begin a new role at an agency. Kevin discusses his time at Missouri State, what he learned on the job and what he's looking forward to in his new position.
Lyndal Scranton
Lyndal Scranton is a Springfield native who has covered sports in the Ozarks for more than 35 years, witnessing nearly every big sports moment in the region during the last 50 years. The Springfield Area Sports Hall of Famer and live-fire cooking enthusiast also serves as PR Director for Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri, co-hosts The Sports Reporters on Jock 96.9 FM, 99.9 FM and 1060 AM on Monday mornings with Ned Reynolds and is co-host of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast.
Anthony Shavies
Anthony Shavies currently serves as a Mortgage Loan Officer at Central Bank of the Ozarks. His professional experience in helping others repair their credit led to a personal goal to help clients reach homeownership. He is a former Missouri State basketball player and earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from Missouri State University. He returned to Springfield, MO after playing professional ball overseas. In this episode, he discusses how he landed at Missouri State, the current Bears Basketball team, and his current role with Central Bank.
Matt Hackman
During the college basketball season, Matt Hackman spends time creating spreadsheets of interest to college basketball fans. He generates conference tournament seeding probabilities for several conferences in advance of their conference tournaments. In this podcast, Matt discusses how he started doing the spreadsheets, the process behind the work and more.
Follow Matt on Twitter: @mjhackman
Greg Bussmann
Greg Bussmann curates a free marketing email newsletter called "The Growth Mindset." From his website:
- As a curator, I aim to weed out the signal within the noise. Every Sunday, you get a carefully curated list of the most interesting content I find each week.
- As a writer, I try to add my current thoughts on various marketing topics to help you direct your attention to the best of the best resources.
- If you are curious and enjoy discovering new things that help to sharpen your mind, you’ll love it. Join all the other curious people and subscribe to The Growth Mindset.
Content discussed in the episode:
Visit Greg's website/subscribe to his newsletter:
https://gregbussmann.com/
Follow Greg on Twitter:
@gregbussmann
Joey Hawkins
A member of the Missouri State Baseball program from 2012-2015, Hawkins was part of the 2015 club that won the Missouri Valley Conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals. He was named the 2015 MVC Defensive Player of the Year and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. After his stint in the minor leagues, his career has now turned to coaching and he was recently named the hitting coach for the Peoria Chiefs ahead of the 2021 season. In this podcast, he discusses his time at Missouri State, playing in the minor leagues, his interest in coaching, and more.
Follow Joey Hawkins on Twitter: @J_Hawk12
Chris Hagstrom-Jones
Chris' Bio courtesy of the South Bend Cubs Website:
Chris Hagstrom-Jones joined the South Bend baseball franchise in January of 2014. As Assistant General Manager for Marketing and Media, Hagstrom-Jones’s primary focus is leading the Marketing, Media Relations & Broadcast, Production, and Community Relations departments. Hagstrom-Jones was instrumental in the organizational rebranding to reflect the Cubs affiliation and design element of the 2019 Midwest League All-Star Game.
Prior to his arrival, Hagstrom-Jones served as the Director of Video Services for Saluki Athletics at Southern Illinois University. His primary responsibilities included producing all live events at Saluki Stadium and the SIU Arena, developing content for Saluki All-Access on SIUSalukis.com, and teaching a course on Sports Production with the College of Mass Communications and Media Arts. He also laid the groundwork for the future Valley on ESPN3 partnership.
Prior to arriving at SIU, Hagstrom-Jones was the Director of Production, Entertainment, and Promotions for the Southern Illinois Miners Professional Baseball Team from 2007 to 2010. While working for the Miners, he was also the broadcast engineer for Saluki Sports Properties. His responsibilities included producing and engineering of all Saluki Football and Basketball games for the radio network and occasionally fill in as a broadcaster for Saluki Baseball and Softball. Hagstrom-Jones received his bachelor's degree in Radio and Television from Southern Illinois University in 2007.
In addition to his duties with the Cubs, he is also a Producer and Director for live events at the University of Notre Dame and Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment. He currently resides in South Bend with his husband Zach and their two dogs Rally and Remington.
Follow Chris on Twitter: @chrishagstrom
Follow The South Bend Cubs:
Benjamin Hochman
Benjamin Hochman is currently a sports columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He grew up in the St. Louis area, attended college at the University of Missouri, and has previous career stops in New Orleans and Denver. In addition to his sports columns, he has also written several books. In this podcast, Ben shares the story of his career path of journalism and writing, what's he's enjoyed covering at each of his career stops, and details on the books that he's written.
Read Ben's work at STLToday.com
Follow Ben on Twitter: @Hochman
Jakob Eliason
In his own words from JakobEliason.com, here's a bio of my guest in this episode:
"Right now I’m living, working and spending all my free time in downtown Memphis.I left my 9 to 5 job in November of 2019 to pursue work that I was passionate about. My wife and I sold our house in August of 2020 to ride out the pandemic from our favorite place in the world. Here’s a few things I’m involved with:
- Mem10 Consulting – We’re on a mission to bridge the gap between influence and impact by helping individuals and organizations build better brands by investing in the power of good.
- Be Known – An online marketing agency for course creators and coaches. We take away the stress of online marketing, advertising and PR so you can scale your business past seven figures doing what you do best.
- The Jakob Eliason Podcast – (Official Description) “The Jakob Eliason Podcast is one twenty-something’s look at life, work and sports. Entertaining commentary. Insightful conversations. New episodes every week!
- I was recently elected to serve as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the South Main Association in Downtown Memphis. Big things coming!"
Follow Jakob on Twitter: @JakobEliason
The Jakob Eliason Podcast:
Wyatt Wheeler
Springfield News-Leader Sports Reporter Wyatt Wheeler makes his return to the podcast to discuss Missouri State Football, Bears Basketball and Lady Bears Basketball. We also discuss:
- How he handled the fall high school sports season
- A new program he has in place mentoring college students
- Joining Art Haines as co-host of "Sports Talk"
Follow Wyatt on Twitter: @WyattWheeler_NL
Charlie Marlow
Charlie Marlow is a sports anchor/reporter who joined the FOX 2 News team in April of 2008.
He came to FOX 2 from WLNS-TV, the CBS affiliate in Lansing, Michigan where he was a sports anchor/reporter for two years. Prior to that, Charlie worked for WLUC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Marquette, Michigan as the weekend sports anchor. He has won or shared in winning 4 Michigan Association of Broadcaster Awards.
Charlie graduated magna cum laude from Bradley University with a double major in communications and history. He also played baseball during his first two years of college.
Charlie’s hometown is Toledo, Ohio and he still roots for his beloved Buckeyes from The Ohio State University.
Drew Richards
Drew Richards bio via UNCPBraves.com
After leading Lander to its most regular-season wins in 20 years, as well as a Peach Belt Conference Tournament title, as the head coach of the Bearcats in 2019-20, Drew Richards returned to Pembroke in March 2020 as the 16th head coach of the Braves.
It will be the second coaching stint at UNCP for Richards, who helped guide the Braves to a 113-43 (.724) record and four NCAA Tournament appearances as an associate head coach from 2014-19. The Braves compiled a 72-29 (.713) record against conference foes over that span, and captured the PBC regular season and tournament championships in both 2016-17 and 2017-18.
In his lone season with the Bearcats in Greenwood, S.C., the nine-year college coaching veteran helped lead the program on a 10-game turnaround from an 12-17 clip in 2018-19 to a 23-8 mark in 2019-20. The Bearcats concluded the 2019-20 campaign with a 15-1 mark at home, and rolled through the PBC Tournament on the way to a conference championship and the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Richards began his collegiate coaching career at Missouri State-West Plains, where he helped lead helped pace the Grizzlies to a cumulative 63-30 record in two seasons, as well as the 2012-13 NJCAA Region XVI regular season title. His 2011-12 team finished ninth nationally in field goal percentage defense while also setting a program record for fewest points allowed in a season.
As a player, Richards spent four seasons at Missouri State, where his Bears teams averaged 20 wins per season and made three trips to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). He played in 118 games, making 69 starts, including 56 over his final two seasons. He led the team in blocks each of his final three campaigns and currently ranks third in program history in career blocks.
Richards played professionally for one season with Erdgas Ehingen Steeples, where he finished ninth in the league in blocked shots and 12th in rebounds per game during the 2008-09 seasons.
Richards earned his bachelor's degree in public relations from Missouri State in 2008, while also earning his master's degree in sports science from the United States Sports Academy in 2013. He and his wife, Caeli, have two children, Knox and Benton.
Follow Drew Richards on Twitter: @DrewT_Richards
Katy Winge
Katy Winge works as an analyst, reporter, and host for Altitude TV and the Denver Nuggets. She previously was the in-arena reporter and an associate producer at the Pepsi Center, hosting the pregame and halftime show Courtside Countdown.
Basketball became Katy's passion in 3rd grade. Through her early playing years, a dream to play in college developed - and blossomed after Illinois State University offered her a scholarship. After roughly 15 years, Katy saw her decorated career on the court as a Division I athlete come to an end. That marked the beginning of her new journey as a broadcaster.
Thanks to her background, Katy loves breaking down the game. She cares about being the connection between the team and the fans, and likes telling stories that go beyond simply the score.
With a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University, Katy worked as a sideline reporter and host for Comcast SportsNet Chicago and FOX Sports Wisconsin. She also did analyst work for Big Ten Network’s StudentU Productions. In addition, she worked as a local sports anchor, producer, and reporter at KTTC/FOX 47 in Rochester, MN.
A tomboy at heart hailing from Minnesota, Katy is a lover of family, friends, food, and traveling. She enjoys all things outdoors, especially hiking and skiing, and adventuring around the Mile High City.
(via Altitude Sports.com) LINK: https://www.altitudesports.com/on-air-talent/katy-winge
Steve Wilson
Graphic Design has been an interest of mine for a long time so it was only a matter of time before it became a podcast topic for me. My guest in this episode is Steve Wilson from Clarksville, Tennessee. Steve is a graphic and web designer and brand specialist that has done his share of design work over the years. In addition, he’s also written a book titled “The Why of Sports Design.” Steve and I discuss our graphic design beginnings, skills, software, and the inspiration behind his book.
Follow Steve Wilson on Twitter: @ScoreCreative
Check out Steve's website: https://www.scorecreative.net/
Check out Steve's portfolio on Behance: https://www.behance.net/sawdesigns
"The Why of Sports Design" by Steve Wilson on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1987402472
Nafis Ricks
The name Nafis Ricks might sound familiar to some of my Missouri State friends because he was the starting point guard on the 2010-2011 Bears Basketball team that won the regular-season Missouri Valley Conference championship. But his story isn’t just about basketball. Nafis made the most of his opportunities to get an education while also overcoming personal struggles. In this podcast, he describes how he landed at Missouri State, his connection with coach Cuonzo Martin, playing abroad, working as a graduate assistant at Mizzou, and what he hopes to achieve in the future.
I encourage you to read this story about Nafis: LINK - https://rvls.co/3e1kXF2
Matt Gardner
Matt Gardner has made the most of his career in sports. Working in Tennis, NBA, and currently the Vice President, Digital Media & Emerging Technology for the St. Louis Blues, he shares some insight into how he got started working in sports, how technology has shaped his career, and developing relationships with the athletes to tell their story. Matt also discusses the work of the St. Louis Blues digital team and the content they produced during the 2018-2019 season as the team won the Stanley Cup.
Julie Smith
The “official” Julie Smith description: Julie has been teaching media literacy and media-related classes at the university level since 1997. She holds her B.A. in Public Relations from the University of Tulsa and her M.S. in Mass Communication from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville. Julie is currently on the faculty at Webster University in St Louis.
She is the author of “Master the Media: How Teaching Media Literacy Can Save Our Plugged-In World” and over the last three years has traveled all over the world helping teachers and parents with media literacy, digital citizenship, classroom engagement, and social media. Julie is currently working on a book advocating for more engagement in the college classroom. (via HeyJulieSmith.com)
Watch-Along: Loyola Ramblers vs. Miami Hurricanes (2018 NCAA Tournament)
My guests in this podcast are Bill Behrns, Ryan Haley, Austin Hansen, and Jeremiah McCallie. These four gentlemen were part of Loyola’s run to the final four, serving as part of the athletic department staff in communications, social media, and video content. Together we watched the Ramblers take on Miami and the guys shared stories and thoughts about the game and the run to the final four.
Watch the game with us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-cYN73rU3s
Chester Lampkin
Chester Lampkin first joined WUSA 9 in December 2019. Chester comes from KSDK-TV in St. Louis, Missouri, the sister station of WUSA 9. As a child growing up in St. Louis, Chester has always had a strong interest in weather. While growing up, he experienced some big weather events, including the "blizzard" of 1982 and the Great Flood of 1993.
Chester spent three years at KSDK-TV as weekend morning meteorologist. In 2015, Chester left KSDK and the United States for an adventure Down Under. He worked for two years as a meteorologist for MetService New Zealand, which is basically the New Zealand equivalent of the National Weather Service. In April 2017, Chester returned to KSDK-TV as weekday morning meteorologist.
While in St. Louis, Chester covered the costliest hailstorm in St. Louis history in 2012, major flooding in 2019, along with multiple winter storms and tornado events through the years. In New Zealand, Chester helped provide coverage for Cyclone Winston, one of the most devastating and intense tropical systems ever recorded in the southern hemisphere.
His broadcast career began in Grand Junction, Colorado, as the morning meteorologist at KJCT News 8. Chester also worked at KRCG-TV in Jefferson City, Missouri, as both the morning and chief meteorologist, and at KTSM-TV, the NBC affiliate in El Paso, Texas, as the morning meteorologist.
Chester earned a bachelor's degree in meteorology from Saint Louis University and completed post-graduate work in geography at the University of Missouri.
Aside from the weather, Chester has an interest in geography, media, music, jogging, travel, baseball, and college basketball. Chester lives with his family in the Maryland suburbs, but can be found exploring the entire DMV with his partner and son.
You can contact Chester at clampkin@wusa9.com and follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Paul Suellentrop
Highly respected sports journalist Paul Suellentrop joined Wichita State as a senior communicator to provide comprehensive coverage of the Shockers' momentous first season competing in the American Athletic Conference and beyond.
Suellentrop's stories, podcasts, and videos on WSU sports will be posted primarily on GoShockers.com and will also be made available to news media outlets and through social media.
Lou Heldman, vice president for Strategic Communications, said: "Paul is already well known to Shocker Nation through more than a decade as the primary reporter covering WSU athletics for The Wichita Eagle and Kansas.com. We've asked him to use his journalistic talent and knowledge of our teams, coaches, supporters, and history to develop new approaches to reporting on athletics and other university activities."
Suellentrop said: "I grew up in a Shocker family. My parents first bought season men's basketball tickets for Levitt Arena in the 1960s. My own Shocker sports memories go back to early childhood.
"In recent years," Suellentrop said, "I've gotten to be an eyewitness to many great moments in Shocker sports, including men's basketball cutting down nets in Madison Square Garden, Staples Center, Scottrade Center, and Koch Arena. I'm looking forward to increased access to teams and coaches in my new role."
Suellentrop's new role is a collaboration between WSU Athletics and Strategic Communications. He'll also be communicating about university-wide topics such as applied learning and innovation.
Matt Turer
Earlier this year, The Springfield Cardinals announced the promotion of Matt Turer from Public Relations Coordinator to the organization's newly created position of Public Relations & Digital Media Specialist. Matt joined the team in November 2017, leading the social and digital media efforts, serving as the team’s public relations contact and digital marketing copywriter. In this podcast, Matt and I discuss his career path that led to the Springfield Cardinals, his experience thus far, and more.
David Kvidahl
David Kvidahl covers prep sports in the St. Louis area for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and STLHighSchoolSports.com. In this podcast, I talked with David about his time covering prep sports in town, some of his favorite prep sports memories, and the recent all-decade team selections that were a hot topic on social media.
Joel Adam
Joel Adam has been a physical education teacher and coach at Holt High School, Wentzville Middle School, and Wentzville South Middle School in the Wentzville School District for 30 years. He has coached baseball, softball, basketball and football, winning conference championships, district title and reaching state finals on multiple occasions. The longtime educator and coach was recognized as Holt High School teacher of the year this year and will retire at the end of the school year. In this podcast, Coach Adam reflects on his time at Holt at a teacher, shares stores about coaching his own children, and being the high school baseball coach for eventual major league players Ross Detwiler and Tim Melville.
Jon Poorman
Kansas City native Jon Poorman has worked to be a writer since high school and carried his goal forward to college, writing for the student newspaper and eventually serving as news and sports editor and the editor in chief. Now, he’s the sports editor for The Courier of Montgomery County daily newspaper, that serves Conroe, Texas, located just north of Houston. He leads the coverage of prep sports in the area and in this podcast, we discuss how Jon discovered his interest in sports journalism, his experiences writing in college, what his career has been like so far, and more.
Follow Jon on Twitter: @JonPoorman
Conroe Courier Sports: @ConroeSports
John Servizzi
John Servizzi is Chief Technology Officer at Tupelo Raycom. Servizzi founded WebStream Sports in 2006, bridging experience in high-level sports television production and high-quality, low-cost digital production methods.
WebStream was acquired by Raycom Media in 2015 and merged with Tupelo-Honey in 2017. The combined Tupelo Raycom has offices in New York, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Nashville, and Los Angeles. The company develops new programming and delivers live events, music specials, and branded features for broadcast, digital, and in-venue entertainment.
Prior to forming WebStream Sports, Servizzi was an instructor at Butler University, leading courses in video production, multimedia development, and professional development. While at Butler, Servizzi oversaw student-produced coverage of athletic events.
(Bio Courtesy, College Sports Video Group)
Tom Ackerman
Tom Ackerman is Sports Director at KMOX, overseeing a department that serves as the flagship station for the St. Louis Cardinals. He is also the lead sports anchor on KMOX’s “Total Information A.M.” and a host on the Cardinals Radio Network.
In 18 years at KMOX, Ackerman has worked as a host, play-by-play announcer, anchor, and reporter since beginning his career at the radio station in 1997. He’s interviewed the biggest names in sports, covering Super Bowls, World Series, All-Star Games, and Final Fours.
For the past decade, Ackerman, 40, has called college basketball play-by-play for the University of Missouri, the Missouri Valley Conference and various national rivalry games, including Syracuse-Georgetown, Kansas-Kansas State, and North Carolina-N.C. State. He’s also handled play-by-play duties for the Missouri Valley Conference.
In this podcast, Tom describes how he was introduced to the world of broadcasting, developed an interest in radio and TV and some of his favorite moments that he’s seen.
RJ Abella
RJ Abella arrived at South Carolina University in the spring of 2013 as an assistant coach for the indoor and beach volleyball teams and In 2015, he transitioned to full-time beach volleyball assistant coach. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach for the Wichita State Volleyball program. In this episode, RJ and I discuss a few of the ins and outs of beach volleyball, recruiting, national competition and more. We also dive into our shared interest in barbecue and the process of smoking meat.
Follow RJ on Twitter: @CoachRidge
Tommy Lynch
When I first started this podcast, the intent was to share stories of people that would hopefully provide some inspiration to others. The background of my guest in this episode checks that box. He’s the first in his family to make it college. And when get got there, he had to figure things out. In the process of figuring it out, he found things he was passionate about. My guest in this podcast is Tommy Lynch, currently an admissions coordinator at Indiana State University.
Follow Tommy Lynch on Twitter: @ISULynch
Juan Wilson - 2020 MLK Event Keynote
The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 20, 2020, marked the 25th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the life and legacy of MLK. This year in Wentzville, Missouri, the community Celebration of MLK featured keynote speaker Juan Wilson. Juan is currently the coordinator of diversity and awareness for the Fort Zumwalt School District, implementing diversity and awareness training for students and staff. He uses the unique power of video to tell stories and I encourage you to visit his YouTube channel and the FZiam YouTube channel to see his work.
I recorded Juan’s speech using my iPhone as I was sitting in the audience so I apologize for the audio quality but I hope you can get past that to take in his words.
Follow Juan Wilson:
Twitter -- @squarejuan
YouTube
FZiam YouTube
Ryan Fagan
Ryan Fagan covers Major League Baseball and college basketball for the Sporting News. He has seen many notable events in person and as a member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, he also votes for the MLB Hall of Fame. In this podcast, Ryan discusses his background, how his career got off the ground, some of the events he's covered and the current state of journalism (sports and others).
Follow Ryan on Twitter: @RyanFagan
Read Ryan's work online: Sporting News
Marcus Wilson
Marcus Wilson serves as the Executive Director of the Monsanto Family YMCA in the heart of St. Louis but before that, he was part of the men’s basketball staff at Saint Louis University as the video coordinator. And before that, he had a phenomenal college basketball career that became a pro career overseas. We discussed his past, present and eventual future in a previous episode that I’ve uploaded so be sure to check out the Flashback podcast. In this episode, I caught up with Marcus to find out what was new with him as he has found a new interest as a college basketball on-air analyst, his thoughts about the current state of college basketball and much more. We also touch on a new project he is working on for 2020.
Follow Marcus Wilson on Twitter: @CoachWilson5
Flashback: Marcus Wilson
Two years ago, Marcus Wilson came into the MVC Office to record a podcast interview to reflect on his past, present, and future. This episode from 2017 is republished from that interview where he discusses his career at the University of Evansville, winning the 1999 MVC Player of the Year Award, playing overseas and his current role as Executive Director of the Monsanto Family YMCA in St. Louis, MO.
Follow Marcus Wilson on Twitter: @CoachWilson5
Mark Adams
If you’re a college basketball fan like myself, chances are you’ve watched a game or two on ESPN and you’ve heard the voice of my guest in this episode. Mark Adams has been an ESPN analyst since 1999 and I had the opportunity to work with him during my tenure at the Missouri Valley Conference. During our conversation, Mark and I discussed his coaching career, how he got into broadcasting, we re-visit the last decade of Valley basketball, we talk about the current landscape of college basketball and more. It was a fantastic discussion and if you’ve heard Mark on TV or follow him on Twitter, you know that he is very opinionated and he even shared some stories that he doesn’t often discuss in the public.
Follow Mark on Twitter: @EnthusiAdams
Amanda Moody
The Wentzville School District has a fantastic technology team that includes a group of Instructional technology coaches. These individuals play a unique role in connecting technology with education. Amanda Moody is one of those tech coaches and she is my guest in this episode of Persons of Interest. We had a great conversation about how she found her career, her interests in education, technology, social media and more.
Follow Amanda on Twitter: @TechMoody