On Tuesday, Jason Barrett gave The BSM Summit the official green light. No more guessing. No more speculation. The show is on for March 2 and 3 in New York City.
It’s a relief to many, seeing as so many high-profile names will be in NYC for the event. Some will speak on a panel for their third or even fourth time. Others, such as Kevin Jones, founder and CEO of Blue Wire, will be speaking about their brand for the first time ever.
There’s a lot of anticipation for what Jones is going to share at The BSM Summit. That’s to be expected when you look at the incredible success Blue Wire is having in the podcast space. That success includes adding several high-profile athletes, both current and retired, to the network and even a partnership with Wynn Resorts and WynnBet to put a podcast studio inside its Las Vegas hotel lobby.
Times are really good for Blue Wire and Jones is excited to share ideas with others in New York City to help make everyone better. That’s one of the reasons he decided to attend The BSM Summit.
“I think it’s important to interact with all organizations focusing on audio and exchanging ideas and be as collaborative as possible,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of partnerships that can be done and a lot of knowledge to share. We definitely like sharing ideas with people.”
Amongst other things, Jones will be speaking about the revenue opportunities that exist in podcast networks that don’t in radio clusters. Needless to say, with so many in the podcast space fighting for dollars, it’ll be a fascinating panel to listen to.
But it will also be interesting to hear Jones talk about Blue Wire and how he managed to strike a deal with Wynn. Having a podcast studio inside of the most renowned hotels in Vegas is no small feat. In fact, the news of it caught the eye of everyone in sports media, especially those in the podcast space.
How it’s boosted the profile of Blue Wire will be interesting to hear, as well. It’s more than likely going to help draw more national talent, seeing as the network recently added Road Trippin’ with former NBA stars Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, as well as multiple Emmy winner Allie Clifton.
A location in Las Vegas has even helped the seven podcasts that regularly record in the Wynn attract big-name guests. Some of those include Mike Krzyzewski stopping by the studio for an interview, as well as Carl Nassib making an appearance to do his first interview after coming out as gay last summer.
“It’s incredible,” Jones said. “We have a residency in one of the best hotels in Las Vegas. We’re treating it just like we’re Marshmello the DJ or Katy Perry or a comedian. We have seven podcasts that are recorded there regularly. I have five full-timers on the ground and we negotiate deals there.
“It’s not the flagship center of where we create all of our best content, most of our content creators still create it from their home. But we have people there for the NBA Summer League, the NFL Draft, we have people coming for the Pro Bowl this weekend, it’s almost brand marketing for Blue Wire.”
Jones has made it clear that his intention is to openly share new ideas and strategies with others in New York City. Given what Blue Wire has accomplished, that’s fantastic news for others attending The BSM Summit. But when he’s on the stage, what does Jones hope people take away from the panel?
“I hope that people find it entertaining,” he said. “I’m a storyteller at heart, so hopefully we’re able to tell my story and how we got Blue Wire to where it is today, from a little bit of money that I had to 10 million in venture capital and all these athletes. I think there’s a lot of big-timers there and I’m more of a first-timer. I’m happy to share how to go from zero to 60 quickly digitally.”
More than anything, it’ll be refreshing to have The BSM Summit back after it was canceled last year due to Covid. The event is incredibly healthy for our industry, especially when you can feature names such as Jones, who’s open and ready to share unique ideas. That’s why it’s important to have it every single year. To give the opportunity for sports media folks to network and help make the industry better. Everyone leaves The BSM Summit with new and fresh ideas.
“There’s not enough specialized conferences in sports,” Jones said. “There’s a lot on the sales side. I think exchanging ideas encourages growth for all companies. We’re really all on the same team, because we want to grow and get more people to listen to more sports content. Learning from each other, ultimately, will help each other. “
Who knows, by the time March rolls around, maybe Jones and Blue Wire will have even more news to share about the network. Judging by the past few months, it wouldn’t be a shock if another huge opportunity comes his way before he takes the stage in NYC.
Regardless, having Jones share his thoughts on the podcast space is a great addition to The BSM Summit.
“I think our style is entrepreneurial,” Jones said. “We’re attracting podcasters who are entrepreneurial in nature and we’ve created a home for entrepreneurs, who want to mostly own their own content.
“We’re working with Richard Jefferson, his brand Road Trippin’ is established. We’re not going to purchase his brand, but we want to work together. We need more national faces and there’s more Chris Longs, Richard Jeffersons, who are really fun, emerging voices that are recently retired and looking to build their audience, themselves, but to have a partner like Blue Wire to help with sales and marketing. It’s a good combination.
“We’re working with Maxx Crosby from the Raiders, Lolo Jones, we’re working with all these Tik Tok personalities, it’s definitely been a big climb. What’s exciting to me is we’re trying to make a huge menu. When I go on Amazon or Netflix or any platform, I’m going for new content or content that I like. As we expand our offerings, we’re just attracting a bigger audience.”
Tyler McComas is a columnist for BSM and a sports radio talk show host in Norman, OK where he hosts afternoon drive for SportsTalk 1400. You can find him on Twitter @Tyler_McComas or you can email him at TylerMcComas08@yahoo.com.
