Approaching The Summit is a series of special interviews created in partnership with Point to Point Marketing featuring speakers at the upcoming 2025 BSM Summit in Chicago, IL. Follow along with this series as prominent names surrounding the event coming up on May 8-9 at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) inside the Edlis Neeson Theater and share their insights and expectations for what’s to come in the Windy City.
Danny Zederman is the director of content at ESPN Chicago and has attended the BSM Summit on several occasions in the past. Zederman was named the director of content for ESPN Chicago at the start of 2022, and he was named to the same title for Good Karma Brands as a company last February. Before working in the content roles, he was an executive producer of the Kap & J. Hood morning show and has worked with ESPN Chicago since 2006.
Prior to the BSM Summit in May, Zederman spoke with Barrett Media about his anticipation for the event and topics that he hopes are addressed on stage.
*Editor’s Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.*
BSM Staff: You have attended the BSM Summit various times in the past. What are you looking forward to this year as the event makes its return to Chicago?
Danny Zederman: What I’m looking forward to is, what’s always great about going to the Barrett Sports Media Summit is (a) reconnecting with people that I know in the industry that I haven’t seen in a while or haven’t talked to. It’s always great to meet new people in the industry and have conversations with them and get to know them.
And most importantly, what I look forward to most every year, no matter where it is, is the opportunity to learn, to hear great people in this business talk about what they love, what they know, talk about their passion, and just sit there and absorb it all, take it all in and learn from everybody and the content that they’re providing on those days.
BSM Staff: What is the value for industry professionals to leave the office and attend the BSM Summit?
Danny Zederman: Well, I think it’s important to get out of the office and attend something like this because it’s a think tank. Our industry is at a point where it’s pivoting. Most of us aren’t just doing radio anymore. Radio is just a piece of what we do, and it’s good to get in a room and talk to other people about the way that we’re adjusting to the evolution of this business, the way that we’re adjusting to creating content, the way that we’re adjusting to the different ways of getting that content out to our fans. So it’s important to get out of the office and to talk to people and engage with people and listen and learn.
BSM Staff: How has the BSM Summit evolved over the years amid changing industry trends?
Danny Zederman: Well, I think what’s great is that the Summit – I’ve used this word a lot, but I think what’s great is that the Summit has evolved, right? When I first started going, it was a lot about the radio audience and ratings and PPMs and how to get people to listen for five extra minutes in the quarter hours.
And I think as time went on, we’ve realized radio is just one thing that we do, and we need to evolve and we need to use social and we need to use video and we need to use digital. And the Summit has evolved in ways where they’ve invited people onto the stage to talk about those things and to share their knowledge and their expertise, and I think that is what makes it so special is that as our industry changes, the Summit changes and adapts.
BSM Staff: What do you feel are the biggest current opportunities or challenges that you hope are discussed at the BSM Summit?
Danny Zederman: Well, the biggest opportunity is all the different platforms that there are for us to engage with our fans, right? We no longer are just doing radio shows – we’re doing video, we’re doing social, we’re doing long form, we’re doing short form, and it’s just the different ways that we create content and the different distribution methods that there are and how we all are taking advantage of these things. At the end of the day, that’s how the business grows. It evolves, and that’s how the business thrives.
BSM Staff: How do you feel the subsets of the sports media industry as a whole can continue fostering additional synergy and work together to ensure growth?
Danny Zederman: I think that’s that’s where summits like these come in, right? Like this is where we need to learn, this is where we need to figure out what’s next. We can’t only be doing what’s happening right now, we have to always be looking for what’s next. ‘How can we reach our fans?’ We always have to reach our fans where they are, not where we want them to be, and that’s why we go to these summits to, ‘Alright, where are our fans listening? Where are our fans watching? Where are our fans engaging? How do we do it best to reach them there?’
BSM Staff: As you view the return on investment with the BSM Summit, what do you hope to take away from the event and bring back to your station?
Danny Zederman: Just ideas, just thoughts, the different things that I hear, the way people handle themselves and do things. There are no right or wrong answers, and I think listening to the way that everybody that takes that stage talks about their passion, their love and the way they go about their business is something that I can bring back to ESPN Chicago, could bring back to Good Karma Brands and share with our teammates.
Purchase your tickets to the 2025 BSM Summit here, and for more information, visit BSMSummit.com.
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