Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo was recently on the red carpet at the London premiere of “A Complete Unknown,” the new movie about award-winning musician Bob Dylan. The invite came after star Timothée Chalamet reposted a screenshot of Russo complaining about his not being invited to the New York premiere of the movie during an episode of First Take on ESPN. Russo had been purportedly discussing the movie to colleagues over the last several months, and he had several commentaries about it within his weekly “What Are You Mad About?” segment.
While Russo was abroad, the show rebranded the segment to “What Are You Glad About?,” during which featured commentator Stephen A. Smith played a clip of Colin Russo talking about having to watch his father’s house rather than going to London. Russo claimed that it was him who sent his father information about the movie and suggested he talk about it on First Take. Smith expressed that Russo did not have enough attitude and ended up joining the ESPN West Palm afternoon program to elaborate on his opinion.
“I just want to inform you – you have to be very nice and very kind to me,” Smith said, opening his segment on Russo & Rizzo. “I’ve never said this to a radio host interviewing me before, but within the last hour, I was just on FaceTime with both your mommy and daddy, so you don’t have a choice but to be nice.”
Russo presumed that Smith may be afraid and thought that he would play hardball after having challenged him on the air. Smith replied by explaining that he is not afraid and that he was contacted by Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo rather than calling him. Colin Russo then asked Smith if he was displeased not to have been invited to the premiere either, to which he articulated that he had better things to do. Moreover, Smith divulged that he pulled some strings to make sure people got in touch with Chalamet to make sure this happened.
“Have you listened to your daddy open his radio show?,” Smith asked Russo. “‘And good afternoon everybody!,’ going crazy, and then he’s complaining all the time, ‘What’s the matter with the chair?,’ everything else, and you come on sounding all normal. I’m like, ‘Wait a minute. It’s Mad Dog Russo. If this is the son of Doggy, we expect some fire,’ and I didn’t get that yesterday.”
Russo understood that he did not meet Smith’s expectations, but he also conveyed that the clip was only part of the two-hour afternoon radio show from Tuesday. Smith explained that the show producers shared the clip with him and that was all the information he had. Co-host Michael Rizzo then added that Colin does not need to act like his father on the radio and is his own person.
“I didn’t say go on the air and be the same kind of radio host your daddy is,” Smith outlined. “I said that if you are upset that your dad didn’t come through or that you were left out of a pseudo-family gathering, a premiere in London – I mean the son of Mad Dog Russo, if he says he’s a bit salty and upset, we expect more fire than that. No one would disagree – no one would disagree with me about that.”
Russo denoted that he was in Connecticut doing laps around his local high school to ensure that the dogs were doing okay and having water. Smith did not think Russo was overreacting in being omitted from the trip, averring that Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo could have found a way to make sure he was there as well. Furthermore, he added that there are times when he is surprised Russo is allowed back home with the way he discusses his family on the air. Colin Russo then offered to come to the Seaport Studios in New York City to show up his father if he wanted.
“I might have to do that,” Smith said. “I might give you a second chance and let you come on to the studio and do a, ‘What Are You Mad About?’ segment on him, and list your top five reasons about what you’re mad about when it comes to your dad.”
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FOX Sports has announced a multiyear media rights agreement with LIV Golf, providing coverage of the competition to viewers in the United States starting this February. As the league prepares to enter its third season, over half of its 14 events will be airing on either FOX or FS1, while select rounds will also be on FS2, FOX Business and the FOX Sports app. This equates to approximately half of the 210 hours of competition within LIV Golf. Details surrounding the exact television arrangement for competitions within LIV Golf will be revealed at a later date.
The CW has been the U.S. television media rightsholder for LIV Golf over the past two seasons, but the league stopped reporting viewership data after struggling with ratings. Prior to this agreement, LIV Golf had been broadcast on YouTube in the United States. Under this new deal, all coverage of the golf tour will be streamed on the FOX Sports app and LIV Golf+. Whereas The CW reportedly had an advertising revenue sharing agreement, FOX Sports is said to be paying the entity a media rights fee.
“We are thrilled to partner with FOX Sports, one of the preeminent broadcast networks in the world,” Scott O’Neil, chief executive officer of LIV Golf, said in a statement. “LIV Golf is getting bigger and bolder, and this relationship signals the next phase of growth as our League joins the company of the nation’s premier sports leagues and conferences.
“I want to thank the FOX Sports team who share our vision for the future of golf, a new model that is redefining how the sport is experienced. LIV Golf is drawing a younger, more active and tech-savvy fan base, and as our players and teams prepare for LIV Golf’s biggest season yet, this agreement will take our broadcast to new heights.”
LIV Golf broadcasts will be produced by the in-house team that will maintain elements viewers have come to expect, including the live leaderboard, statistics-driven graphics and a faster pace. The on-air announcing team for the league will return with play-by-play voice Arlo White, analysts David Feherty and Jerry Foltz and on-course reporters Dom Boulet and Su-Ann Heng. Pre- and post-round shows will be hosted by Christian Crosboy and contain contributions from the aforementioned analysts and on-course reporters, along with former professional golfer Rachel Drummond. Tournaments within LIV Golf are composed of 54 holes that are played over three rounds with shotgun starts, which has teams commence play at the same time on different holes.
“FOX Sports is excited to broadcast the LIV Golf League, showcasing athletes at the top of their game competing at an elite level for viewers across the nation,” Jordan Bazant, executive vice president of FOX Sports, said in a statement. “The addition of LIV Golf is a natural fit for FOX Sports’ prominent slate of big events, world-class names and premium sports coverage.”
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The NFL and Warner Bros. Discovery-owned Bleacher Report and House of Highlights have reached an agreement on a multiyear content partnership, it was announced on Thursday morning. The digital subsidiaries have received rights to use NFL game footage for original content on Bleacher Report social media channels and owned and operated platforms. Moreover, these entities also receive the ability for access-driven content from games throughout the season, along with access to cover tentpole events such as the Super Bowl, NFL Draft and NFL Scouting Combine. This deal began before Wild Card Weekend, which gives fans a new way to view highlights and game recaps on these outlets.
“We are excited to launch our content partnership with Bleacher Report,” Brent Lawton, vice president of business development and strategic investments for the National Football League, said in a statement. “By aligning NFL content with Bleacher Report’s digital-first content platform, we can expand the reach of our sport and deliver the content fans crave on a new level.”
Throughout the NFL season and at key events, fans will be able to watch highlights and full game recaps utilizing the Bleacher Report app. New content surrounding these league proceedings will be available on the Bleacher Report app and on social media. Moreover, the digital platforms will aim to continue providing sports content that is both comprehensive and interactive towards its viewing public. According to a report from Mollie Cahillane of Sports Business Journal, this is a three-year content partnership that will give the platform access to players and coaches for content as well.
“Bleacher Report and House of Highlights’ partnership with the NFL creates a powerful synergy between one of the best on-field products in sports and the largest digital footprint of next-generation sports fans,” Bennett Spector, general manager of Bleacher Report, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to deliver a unique, social-first NFL experience, unmasking players and personalities across the league.”
Dallas Cowboys linebacker and four-time Pro Bowl selection Micah Parsons signed a multiyear contract extension with Bleacher Report last May and was subsequently named the president of the B/R Gridiron division. Parsons will reportedly record a live edition of his show, The Edge with Micah Parsons, from Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, La. The company also works with San Francisco 49ers wide receiver and former Pro Bowl selection Deebo Samuel on a digital show, which he will reportedly host from Media Row ahead of “The Big Game” next month.
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NBC News has announced it is adjusting the roles of several White House reporters ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump next week.
The network announced that Capitol Hill reporter Garrett Haake will move to the White House beat as a senior correspondent. He has spent four years working in the Capitol before covering Donald Trump for the network for the past two years.
Additionally, Yamiche Alcindor and Vaughn Hillyard will serve as White House correspondents during Trump’s second term. Like Haake, Hillyard has covered Trump for the past two years, while Alcindor worked the White House beat for NBC News during the first Trump administration.
The outlet will keep Peter Alexander as its chief White House correspondent. He’ll be joined by senior correspondents Kelly O’Donnell and Gabe Gutierrez.
Other White House reporters for NBC News to begin Trump’s second term include Monica Alba and Aaron Gilchrist.
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WBAP host Chris Krok is no longer with the Cumulus Media Dallas station after more than 12 years with the station, sources close to the situation confirm to Barrett Media.
Krok hosted the 8 PM-Midnight show at the station. He had previously spent two years in afternoons at sister station KLIF before moving to WBAP.
His exit coincides with a recent social media post that received pushback. Krok shared a meme about the wildfires in Los Angeles that said “LA County: 72 genders, 0 operational fire hydrants.”
In addition to his time at WBAP and KLIF in Dallas, Chris Krok also has hosted at WSB in Atlanta and KSTP in the Twin Cities, among other stops.
On social media, Krok confirmed his departure.
“Friends and family, I’m no longer with WBAP 820 AM. It’s been an amazing 15-year run at the biggest news/talk station in America’s 4th largest market,” he wrote. “We’ve gotten to know each other so well and I can’t wait to share the airwaves again, doing what God made me to do — tell stories, react to life, and have fun together.”
The Cumulus Media Dallas station has yet to publicly address the departure.
The news of Krok’s departure was first reported by RadioInsight.
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NBA TV is a veritable buffet for the basketball fan. With pro games from across the Association, a variety of studio shows, documentaries, features, and profiles, there is nothing left on the table once the dinner line ends. One of the best things about the network is its incredibly diverse roster of basketball literate analysts. Included in this group are Basketball Hall of Famer Vince Carter and former NBA stalwart Channing Frye. This pair joins host Lauren Jbara on one of the top programs on NBA TV, NBA GameTime.
This nightly series looks back on the day’s slate of games with highlights, commentary, stats, and focus on key players and plays. The fast paced action of the show features the pretty passes, dynamic dunks, thrilling three’s, and tremendous teamwork that make the NBA perhaps the most exciting sport on television.
Today’s NBA has certainly taken some shots with many people reducing the game to three point shots and slams. There is no question that the current game lacks the physicality and angry rivalries of bygone years, but it does boast a bevy of young talent on both established and emerging teams. When top teams like the Celtics, Knicks, Cavaliers, Nuggets, or Thunder do battle, the game remains riveting.
The NBA may not have the raw toughness of the NHL, the collision-based grit of the NFL, or even the strategy of MLB, but those sports do not have the NBA’s frenetic speed, grace, and non-stop action. From elder statesmen like LeBron James to exciting young players like Anthony Edwards, the NBA still offers a blitz of action, and NBA GameTime captures this action as well as any daily show on television.
The program features a vibrant opening with colorful team logos blended in with players from those teams. I caught the January 14 edition of the program hosted by Lauren Jbara alongside Carter and Frye. This on air crew is emblematic of how NBA TV constantly mixes and meshes its talent roster together for different perspectives.
Jbara is a rising and versatile star in sportscasting. Her extreme competence both in studio and as a reporter in the field across the sports landscape is notable. Jbara’s national resume includes work at Bally Sports and TNT, as well as coverage of MLB and the 2024 Paris Olympics. She has also forged a strong social media impact. Jbara consistently combines pleasance and presence in her on air work.
On this edition of NBA GameTime, Jbara offered a light exchange with her panelists then immediately moved to highlights of the Spurs at Lakers game. As with all of the game highlights, NBA GameTime eschews the traditional highlight narration. Jbara takes on a sort of play-by-play role with Carter and Frye as color analysts.
Jbara calls the action, then pivots by asking a question to Carter or Frye in a very casual and conversational style. Both former NBA stars then interject their thoughts on a particular play. The Spurs-Lakers commentary largely focused on Victor Wembanyama, the dynamic young player for San Antonio.
The style of the show is pretty much three people watching highlights of an NBA game and sharing a nice exchange. Jbara brings a crisp and concise style to her work, recognizing that Carter and Frye are the basketball experts and giving them space to talk. She also does a good job of providing key game stats intermittently in the conversation.
I like the rhythm and pace of NBA GameTime. Following the game highlights, the show returned to the studio with Carter and Frye taking a deep dive into what we just watched. Frye had a telling take, commenting on how the Lakers go into a negative mode once they fall behind in a game. He also gave credit to veteran point guard Chris Paul for raising the collective games of his San Antonio teammates.
Jbara has a great sense of timing, knowing when to push the show from one area of discussion to another. She ended the Spurs-Lakers talk and moved the proceedings to analysis of the Grizzlies-Rockets game in Houston – again asking direct questions to both Carter and Frye. The production team at NBA GameTime does a nice job supporting the video highlights with graphic box scores of the game featuring leading scorers and individual statistics. The show will also periodically feature postgame interviews with players offering their takes on the night’s action.
NBA GameTime is a huge promotional tool for the Association, and Jbara and company are sure to mention upcoming NBA games on TV across all networks. As with most sports networks now, the lower third NBA TV graphics crawl provides constant hoops news and promotes upcoming NBA programming amid the commentary.
Jbara, Carter, and Frye really work well together and have similar styles. Jbara provides upbeat and enthusiastic highlight setups thereby raising the games of Carter and Frye as they jump in with their thoughts. During a look at the Pistons at Knicks game, Jbara highlighted New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, respectively. Both Carter and Frye chimed in with some high praise for both players.
Carter lauded Cunningham saying that he is excelling at all levels and in all aspects of the game and should be an All-Star this season. Jbara pointed out that the Pistons rose to two games over .500 for the first time since 2019 and that they had an 8-1 record since January 1. The pace of gametime fits the pace of the NBA itself. While the commentary on each game is insightful, there is no wasted time nor words as Jbara moves the discourse forward.
The trio did a nice job whipping through the Wolves-Wizards matchup and highlights of the tilt between Golden State and Toronto. The best part of NBA GameTime is you don’t have to wait around too long to see highlights and analysis of your favorite team. For those fans who happened to miss a night’s action, the show provides a comprehensive way to get caught up on all the news and scores.
Prefacing highlights of the Heat at Clippers game, Jbara mentioned the LA Strong theme as the NBA, its teams, and players continue to support those suffering through the devastating wildfires in Southern California. She offered a subdued style in calling highlights of the game, while Carter and Frye focused on the high-level play of the Clippers’ Norman Powell and the sharp shooting of Miami’s Tyler Herro. Following the Miami-LA highlights, Jbara circled back to the wildfire relief efforts showing an NBA Cares graphic and urging people to contribute to the cause. Carter reflected on his personal experiences with such disasters in Florida, and Frye revealed that several of his family members have been displaced by the current wildfires.
This was a fitting end to this edition of NBA GameTime, a show that is all about the word relevancy. The show is a thorough and complete package for NBA viewers meting out a perfectly prescribed dose of highlights, analysis, news, and previews.
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Ever start reading about one topic or watching something on YouTube, and then you fall down a rabbit hole with a related topic?
Needless to explain, I ended up learning more than I ever knew I needed to know about 19th-century French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and something he’s quoted as saying inspired me. “I don’t give up easily. My advice to young painters? Feel. Be true to yourself and your vision, and don’t let critics or trends dictate your choices. Paint what you love and love what you paint.”
First, I believe there’s something important to remember in this era of radio defined by layoffs and cutbacks. Just like acting, singing, improv, writing, or any highly defined skill that, when done well, motivates and moves masses, radio hosts create art. Art is a craft, and it is the body of work the talent gives and ultimately leaves behind.
One of the failings of content being created for radio today is how bland, if not inane, it is in many instances, particularly on music radio stations. The ever-common “DJs talk too much” listeners love to sling, I’ve always taken to mean, “I am not entertained by the jocks I hear.”
No one ever complained about being overly entertained. For far too long, radio has been micromanaged and controlled, with too little freedom for creative talent to create or, worse, put forth preconceived babble totally unlike and unreflective of the talent’s true personality.
While every QB needs a head coach, and every team needs a strategy with plays to run to have a shot at winning the game, you’ve got to let players do what they do and not overly interfere (looking at you, Bill Belichick).
Additionally, talents are being stretched thin and expected to host multiple full shows in multiple places. That’s commerce, not art. Cousin Brucie once noted, “This used to be the radio business and it has become the business of radio.” What Brucie is referring to is the Wild West, where talents like Alan Freed and Wolfman were not only groundbreaking in their delivery but in the music they broke.
Guardrails and direction are important, but talent should create art that is true to them and reflects them. It’s on both them and their coach to recognize when a situation is a fit; there are casting directors and editors for a reason, another facet of performance radio has routinely missed.
Perhaps young creators might seek to bring their talent to terrestrial radio rather than streaming or podcasting if they had that kind of support and freedom coupled with radio’s still vast and massive reach.
Creators, create! Listen and absorb coaching, research, advice, and ideas, but ultimately, just create radio content for yourself. Enjoy it, give of it, and hang up what I call “the coat knowledge” at the door; if you wear it while performing, it’ll restrict and interfere with your art.
The more talent tries to appeal, or to do, or be something, the less authentic they are and the less likely they are to connect with people they are, create, and it’ll find an audience, with some luck and focus a large one. Much like a Renoir hanging on the office wall…
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Radio still, for some reason, insists on doing remote broadcasts. We have all been to that client location trying to explain away the crowd that only showed up for the free hotdogs.
When I was working for then Entercom Madison, we found a way to create a huge remote crowd, deliver prospects to the client, and create a fun atmosphere.
Every salesperson was tasked with taking $100 from every remote package sold. That went into a jackpot pool, creating a progressive prize that listeners had the opportunity to win.
We had a six-foot-tall “Super Prize Machine,” a bigger-than-life slot machine. However, it’s not necessary to have a prize machine to execute this just a good, fair, random game of chance.
In our case, when the slot machine hit three station logos, the listener won the prize pool.
The Saturday at the car dealership, when the jackpot had grown to over $3,000, the line to play was 400 deep. Were all those people in the market for a car? No, but we did our job and delivered prospects to the lot.
Just one word of caution. Make sure you adhere to NO PURCHASE NECESSARY so you don’t run afoul of your state’s gaming laws.
Breakfast At Mom’s
Solicit entries from people who would like your morning show broadcast from Mom’s kitchen on the Friday before Mother’s Day.
Bring a local chef from a well-known breakfast restaurant in your market with all the groceries needed to cook breakfast during the morning show broadcast.
Let the winner invite all their friends. You’ll be surprised how many will drop by during the broadcast.
At the end of the show, a cleaning service comes in to clean up the kitchen and announce that they are providing the same service for an entire year.
The sales team can sell sponsorships that give Mom gifts that can be opened throughout the broadcast.
Dinner With Dad
It works basically the same, except it’s an afternoon drive and outdoors with a new grill that you bring and leave behind.
Work with a local meat shop to bring the grilling items and give Dad a significant gift card so he will have something to grill all summer.
Get a logoed pop-up tent to stage the event and leave that as well.
Don’t forget to invite your local television station to attend both events.
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Over the last decade, the marketplace for broadcast rights surrounding sports leagues and properties has flourished despite cord cutting and innovation focused on digital media. This past year, the NBA signed 11-year media rights contracts with The Walt Disney Company, Comcast and Amazon collectively worth approximately $77 billion. As the new rightsholders search for on-air talent, agents like Matt Kramer are actively presenting potential fits. While portions of the new talent rosters have been revealed, there are still openings that have yet to be determined.
Kramer, who serves as the co-head of the sports broadcasting group at Creative Artists Agency, has spoken with NBC Sports and Amazon’s Prime Video as the conglomerates prepare for NBA broadcasts next fall. While the talent market has fluctuated throughout the years, he references an analogy made by Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones in 1994. In signing John Madden to form an esteemed announcing duo with Pat Summerall, Jones emphasized that FOX had already purchased the steak, referring to NFC rights, and questioned why the company would go cheap on the accompanying sauce.
“I think the thing that we understand is that we recognize that sports media talent valuations are predicated in some way, shape or form on the sports media rights landscape,” Kramer said. “So certainly, at most of the networks or some of the networks, NFL football, college football and NBA basketball, by virtue of how large their media rights deals are, are the most important and/or impactful sports on those networks. So, when you have that, that means that the sports media talent associated with those sports demand and expect the largest salaries.”
Kramer provided an example in ESPN deciding to pay a premium for Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, both of whom are CAA Sports clients, to form its Monday Night Football broadcast booth. Discerning the paradigm shifts within sports media, he and his colleagues look to keep their clients satisfied and understand their needs and desires. Part of being successful for clients can involve taking meetings with networks to better understand what they are looking to achieve, providing insights and perspectives for the negotiation process.
“I think every network, after they acquire a right, they have to make a determination for how they want the look and feel of their product to be,” Kramer said. “Our job is to help them with our clients [and] identify which of our clients are the right people to help them hit the goals that they want.”
CAA Sports has a deep roster of experienced sports media professionals among its clientele, including Grant Hill, Doris Burke, Tony Romo, Adam Schefter, Ian Eagle and Kevin Harlan. At the same time, the company is trying to add people it considers rising stars in the business, some of whom Kramer divulged as Laura Rutledge, Noah Eagle, Ryan Ruocco and Malika Andrews. The agency possesses a roster of clients who are at different stages in their professional careers in different occupations, and Kramer remains aware of how the talent marketplace is affected by various factors.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter their age, and it doesn’t really matter how many years they’ve been in existence,” Kramer said. “We want to represent the very best of the best. It just so happens that we have a great group of established clients and a great group of young, up-and-coming stars.”
Relationships with both clients and executives at media companies is what Kramer considers sets CAA Sports apart from other media groups at talent agencies. Although he is cognizant that they work for their clients, the company wants to ink deals that both parties can feel good about, something that he affirms can only happen with strong relationships. Kramer is hopeful that networks would say the same thing pertaining to the company and its negotiations.
“We’re interested in creating a win-win situation where the client feels like he or she got the absolute best deal possible, but at the same time, the network feels very good about the deal that we did on behalf of not only our clients, but for them,” Kramer said. “These deals never work long term if one side feels like they absolutely destroyed the other side in a contract negotiation, so we’re very clear with our clients.”
Upon graduating from the University of Michigan, Kramer started his career working in public relations for the San Francisco 49ers, NFL Europe and the Atlanta Falcons. After nearly two years, he decided to join Career Sports and Entertainment, a boutique talent agency in Atlanta, where he pitched journalists stories about clients and doing other communications work. One reporter with whom Kramer was in frequent communication was Adrian Wojnarowski, who focused his coverage on basketball insights and breaking news.
“One day Adrian said to me, ‘Hey, would you introduce me to a television agent somewhere? I’m looking to be represented, and I need somebody to help me at one of the agencies,’” Kramer recalled, “and for some reason, a little bit of a lightning-bolt moment, I said to Adrian on the phone, ‘I’ll represent you.’”
Wojnarowski subsequently pointed out that Kramer did not work as a media agent but still allowed him to work on his behalf in negotiations with Yahoo Sports. On the phone, Kramer had pointed out how valuable Wojnarowski was to Yahoo Sports, articulating instances when he was breaking news about clients that those at the agency did not know about. This launched Kramer’s career in representation, and he eventually became the vice president of broadcasters and new media personalities at the firm.
“Adrian, for a number of years, was a professional and personal advocate of mine, and it opened up so many opportunities for me to be able to represent sports media personalities all across the globe, and I owe so much of that to Adrian,” Kramer said. “And obviously, Adrian retired from the journalism industry a couple of months ago, but he had such an impact on my life, and he was the reason why I became a sports media agent.”
Wojnarowski remained a client when Kramer moved to CAA in 2015 and joined the television department, and he has continued to expand his client roster within the sports media business. In his role, Kramer works alongside Tom Young, who he contends has different skillsets and understands how to collaborate to assist their clients and colleagues. Other agents within the sports media group include Kevin Belbey, David Koonin, Sydney Lipsitz and Matt Olson, all of whom contribute to fueling growth and success.
“[At] the end of the day, our clients expect and demand great service, and if each of the agents can provide great service, then becoming a manager or leading them is a lot easier,” Kramer said. “We just want to make things simple for our colleagues and for people that we manage, which is, ‘We just want you guys to be able to be the best agents that you can be.’”
More athletes have assimilated into sports media while they are still playing through starting podcasts or seasonal work with media entities. For example, New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and forward Josh Hart, both of whom are represented by CAA Sports, co-host the Roommates Show where they discuss topics pertaining to their careers, sports and pop culture. The division also maintains contact with sports agents spanning multifarious disciplines in order to position their clients to receive broadcasting opportunities should they be interested.
“Tom Young had been working with Tony Romo’s player-agent for over a decade and was ready to activate on behalf of Tony as a media personality,” Kramer said. “Or when you look at a number of other clients who have come through our list, it starts with the relationships that we’re trying to build with our colleagues at CAA Sports where they’ve trusted us that when their player’s career or coach’s career end, that we’ll help them transition into great sports media personalities.”
Content production and dissemination continues to evolve within the industry, and CAA Sports has looked to remain situated on the cutting edge. Dude Perfect, the hit sports and comedy group that started on YouTube, is represented by the agency and recently unveiled new headquarters in Frisco, Texas in a star-studded video filled with unique trick shots. Kramer perceives the group as a paragon of what the next generation of industry personalities could resemble.
“I’m super, super excited about our next generation of sports media talent and who’s going to be the next big star,” Kramer said. “I don’t know who it’s going to be yet, but we hope that it’s somebody from the CAA Sports Media stable.”
Congratulations to our client @DudePerfect on their landmark capital raise to fuel their next chapter as the world's leading family-friendly content platform!
CAA Evolution served as financial adviser to Dude Perfect throughout this historic process. pic.twitter.com/I5z0hw7krr
No matter the client, those working in the sports media division at CAA Sports seek to foster strong representation with the best resources. With an avidity for growth and development, the company is investing more into its international venture while maintaining its commitment to domestic clients and properties. As sports media continues to adapt to altered consumption habits and new technology, Kramer and his colleagues CAA Sports are embedded within the service business and look to keep delivering for stakeholders.
“I think no matter how long I do this job, that’s going to be the biggest concern,” Kramer said. “It’s never going to be about an individual sports media rights deal or an individual talent contract deal. The concern is always, ‘Are we making sure we’re providing the best value every day for our clients?’”
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