Each year when I build the BSM Summit, I try to take a moment or two to appreciate how the final picture looks once the full lineup is assembled. I’ve been fortunate the past few years to attract many successful personalities, executives, GM’s, PD’s, and media professionals to share perspectives on different layers of the industry. That’s what makes the show a huge benefit for those in attendance. If you work in the media business and haven’t yet bought your ticket, this is the final week to do so. You can reserve your seat by visiting https://bsmsummit.com.
For our New York show on February 26-27, we’ve once again assembled a powerful group of speakers, but the news I have to share with you today I’m especially excited about. I love learning from successful people, and giving those who attend our conference an opportunity to do the same. When you look at the past 5 years in media, few brands have made a greater impact than Barstool Sports. Leading that movement alongside Dave Portnoy has been CEO Erika Nardini, and I’m thrilled to announce that on Wednesday February 26th at the 2020 BSM Summit, Erika will join me on stage for a 1 on 1 conversation at the 2020 BSM Summit.
Since joining Barstool Sports in July 2016, Erika has led Barstool to explosive brand and business growth as one of the fastest growing companies on the internet. It is the 6th largest podcast platform in the world with the number one sports podcast and female podcast, and the 10th largest distributed media company in the US. Barstool Sports drives 1.6 billion social views and 26 million video views monthly and 11.9 million listeners across its platforms, owning the 18-34 year old demographic.
But that’s not all.
In less than 4 years, Nardini has grown the company’s employees from 15 to 201, and its revenue to nearly 100 million. She’s helped launched over 35 brands, including breakout franchises in entertainment, sports, and sports betting.
Perhaps even more impressive, Barstool has seen its valuation increase from 10-15 million in 2016 to 100 million in 2018 to 450 million in 2020 when the company recently sold a 36% ownership stake to Penn National Gaming for $163 million in cash and stock. The casino company will pay another $62 million in three years to increase its stake to 50%. Penn National will also have the ability to buy controlling interest in Barstool at that time for an amount to be determined.
Nardini’s work has led her to be named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People and one of the Most Powerful Women in Sports by AdWeek and Forbes Magazine. Prior to joining Barstool, she held several notable positions at top internet companies such as AOL, Demand Media, Yahoo! and Microsoft.
Barstool is known for its original takes and unfiltered view, and that approach has helped the brand become a driving force in comedy, sports, entertainment and culture. But running a company of this size with an army of critics and diehard fans requires the right vision, strategy, flexibility, and conviction. I’m looking forward to spending time with Erika and picking her brain on the present and future of the industry, and learning how she navigates the various challenges associated with operating Barstool’s business. The session is sure to be one of our Day 1 highlights, and I’m sure our attendees will take away a number of gems from the conversation.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
