Believe it or not we are just four weeks away from the 2023 BSM Summit in Los Angeles. If you work in the sports media industry and haven’t made plans to join us, you’re missing out. This event has grown a ton over the years, and brings together the best the sports media business has to offer. Given how competitive our industry has become, and how vital relationships are, there’s much to be gained by being in the room. If you’re still looking to attend, everything you need to know is available on BSMSummit.com.
Over the years I’ve tried to start things off by announcing a few heavy hitters for the show. We did that this year again with the announcements of Colin Cowherd, Jim Rome, Mina Kimes and Joy Taylor joining our lineup. Equally as important though is energizing our attendees with a few final announcements, and today I’ve got one that I know will excite those making time to be with us.
It is my honor to announce that two-time WWE Hall of Famer and Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, Shawn Michaels will be with us in Los Angeles for the 2023 BSM Summit.
For those who follow the world of professional wrestling, Shawn’s work in the ring and on the microphone is legendary. He’s headlined WrestleMania’s, held numerous championships including the world title four times, and is considered by many to be one of the best in-ring performers in the history of the wrestling business. I could easily spend hours discussing The Heartbreak Kid’s accomplishments in the ring but it’s what Shawn is currently doing that I thought would be of significant value to those attending the Summit.
As the head of WWE NXT, Shawn is charged with developing talent, teaching them the WWE way and making sure the storylines they’re involved in are strong enough to capture an audience’s attention. He’s involved in every aspect of creating superstars from teaching the do’s and don’ts inside the ring to building each week’s television show to working with his staff to create unique characters, which covers everything from developing the right look, entrance, finishing move, catch phrases, and more.
When you think about that, consider how it relates to the sports media industry. Aren’t our executives responsible for finding and developing new talent? Teaching them the tricks of the trade to produce compelling content that generates ratings? Creating the right type of promos and imaging inside of a show to help them stand out?
When done right, the audience becomes excited, time spent consuming content across multiple platforms increases, and advertisers seek to be included in it. The more success the brand has, the stronger its reputation becomes, which in turn makes it more valuable to those looking to be associated with it. As a result, the top performers get compensated better, and if things are really clicking, those top acts even open doors to additional revenue streams such as merchandising, additional content partnerships or endorsements and on-site appearances and activations.
Finding an individual with talent to help a brand is the first step, but it’s the vision, strategy, content, coaching, and creative that we provide them with that can turn a good performer into a top superstar. WWE has shown us that those performers can sell out 90,000+ stadium venues, dominate the film industry, become a huge part of pop culture, and earn reputations as some of the biggest stars on the planet. It’s a process that WWE takes seriously, and it’s one that the sports media industry can learn a lot from.
Shawn Michaels has been a top star himself. Now, he’s responsible for developing the future of the wrestling business. Many industry decision makers wrestle with protecting the present while preparing for tomorrow, and I’m sure Shawn will have a lot to add when we sit down to chat next month in LA. I can’t wait to guide 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.
