Jemele Hill, Staff Writer, The ATLANTIC

12/04/19 • 54 min

On today's show, we are joined by Jemele Hill, staff writer for The ATLANTIC and host of the "Jemele Hill is Unbothered" podcast for Spotify.

After a tumultuous ending to her tenure at ESPN, Hill found herself in a position to "cash in" on her 20+ years of journalism experience and do it in a way that took her beyond sports.

Doing everything from writing to podcasting, Hill has found peace in the craziness of the new chapter of her life.

6:54-8:08 - The intersection of sports and politics

16:32-17:12 - China

18:21-1835 - Freedom of speech

25:07-28:24 - NCAA

29:05-32:30 - The NCAA if she was running it

47:40-48:13 - The future of the sports industry

On today's show, we are joined by Jemele Hill, staff writer for The ATLANTIC and host of the "Jemele Hill is Unbothered" podcast for Spotify.

After a tumultuous ending to her tenure at ESPN, Hill found herself in a position to "cash in" on her 20+ years of journalism experience and do it in a way that took her beyond sports.

Doing everything from writing to podcasting, Hill has found peace in the craziness of the new chapter of her life.

6:54-8:08 - The intersection of sports and politics

16:32-17:12 - China

18:21-1835 - Freedom of speech

25:07-28:24 - NCAA

29:05-32:30 - The NCAA if she was running it

47:40-48:13 - The future of the sports industry

Previous Episode

Erika Nardini, CEO, Barstool Sports

On today's show, we are joined by Erika Nardini, the CEO of Barstool Sports.

In just over three years since she took over as CEO, the company has gone from a regional blog with 12 employees to one of the fastest-growing media companies in the country.

Most recent valuations peg the company at being worth more than $100 million.

As for why, Nardini points to the fact that the company has more creative people than strategies, they don't have to worry about defining themselves and that speed has proven to be their best friend.

0:33-1:20: The chaos of their content creation

5:35-7:41: The role long form shows play in their strategy going forward

11:46-12:38: Barstool vs Barstool Sports

12:49-15:00: Who disrupts Barstool?

15:17-17:27: What if ESPN had kept Van Talk?

19:15-22:30: Inside conversations with partners

22:53-27:10: Content to commerce

42:37-44:25: Being not the typical "CEO"

Next Episode

Howard Mittman, CEO, Bleacher Report

On today's show, we are joined by Howard Mittman, CEO of Bleacher Report.

Since joining B/R just over 2 years ago, Mittman has helped lead the way when it comes to redoing the company's marketing and sales strategy and laying the framework for what Bleacher Report becomes in the future.

As for what it becomes, expect a deeper push into personalities, a continued focus on turning their app into a social platform and finding ways to provide partners with both top and bottom of the funnel opportunities.

3:10-5:45 - Transitioning to B/R

6:03-7:05 - Opportunity for B/R

8:27-10:04 - B/R and the business of pivoting

32:48-34:11 - The role of high school sports in the future

36:44-38:42 - Highlight-driven culture and the impact of it

41:21-48:13 - The app, the app, the app