Makers Of Sport Podcast

“You should start spending a half-hour a day learning Cinema 4D to advance your design repertoire. It's not hard, it will make you better.” ESPN College Football, Mike & Mike, NBA on ESPN, the 2014 World Cup—do these brands ring a bell? Our guest this week is Tim O'Shaughnessy, broadcast art director at ESPN, and has worked on graphics packages for each of these TV brands. We discuss Tim's undergrad degree in psychology and how it aids him in his work as an art director and empathizing with his intended audience or designers he art directs. Music is an art that influences many designers. Tim is no different. We chat about why designers tend to either be musicians or appreciate music so much, including recognizing creative patterns and applying them to their own work. We touch on the trend of amateur animaged GIFs in college sports and what makes an actual "animation" vs. turning off a layer in Photoshop. Lastly, Tim gives us deep insight into some of the processes the broadcast department uses at ESP

“The best designers are always problem-solvers...[our] job is to figure out how to make this [project] the best it can be.” On this week’s podcast, freelance sports designer Brian Gundell joined the show to discuss his career working in a few different limbs of the sports industry. From agency side to Nike to the MLB to college football recruiting, Brian has an varied history in this niche of design. Brian touches on the importance of SportsLogos.net to his entry into sports design, as well as the importance of networking and building relationships with folks in this very small industry. We laugh about the ridiculousness of college football recruiting graphics and Brian elaborates on this newest position for designers in sports. Lastly, we touch on the lack of upward mobility in college sports and Brian leaves us with some insight into his move to full-time freelance. Mentions include: Brian on Twitter Episode 52: Chris Creamer of SportsLogos.net Episode 67: Aaron Masik, Upper Deck How Magazine Print M

“You can always learn from anyone — you can learn from people older than you, you can earn from people younger than you — always be open. Always be open to critique.” On this week’s podcast, Mekale Jackson from St. John's University athletics joins us to discuss working for New York's college hoops program. Mekale gives us some insight into his background prior to St. John's where he discovered graphic design & Photoshop in college as an English major at the University of Michigan by stumbling across a fraternity flyer. Detroit, Mekale's hometown, is a place of inspiration for creativity and art despite the negative stereotypes the Internet & media says about the city and Mekale shares his love for the city with us including a few fav artists he follows. We also discuss Under Armour's relationship with St. John's basketball, its value to the school for recruiting and brand recognition, as well as that one time Steph Curry practiced in their facilties. Lastly, Mekale explains why he chooses to sel

“When you get to work in pro sports, these players are their showcase...the message, putting people in the seats, getting people interested in the team and buying merchandise comes before cool graphics.” On this week’s episode, Aaron Masik joined the podcast. Aaron is a senior graphic designer at The Upper Deck Company. Prior to Upper Deck, Aaron had stints in-house at the San Antonio Spurs and the San Diego Padres before making the move into consumer products. We discuss Aaron’s big break into the sports industry, what it’s like working in a consistently winning organization such as the Spurs (including an interaction with Coach Pop himself), as well as the differences between working with the NBA versus the MLB. We touch on some of the pain points working in sports as a creative person and have a very real & raw conversation on the frustrations that are prevalent when one makes the decision to work in team sports; including the way our personal and career values change over time and how sometimes it

"Everyone is trying to find their own 15 minutes online with their channel...it's not about that 15 minutes, it's about that 15 years and what are you doing right now to build something that lasts..." On this week's episode, Director of Brand Marketing for Adidas Football & Baseball joined the podcast, Jeremy Darlow. Jeremy is also the author of the book Brands Win Championships. Jeremy brings a psychology background to the world of branding and gives us some insight into how important it is to build a brand and tell your story over the long haul, including digging into your brand's past. We touch on how a smaller athletic program can use the same principles as big schools to build their brand and how sometimes being "second best" isn't so bad in the world of marketing. Lastly, we discuss the importance of design in the world of branding and more specifically, why design deserves a role at the executive level on teams and in college athletic departments. You can buy Brands Win Championships here. Me

The Internet has given us an uncanny ability to connect to others that share our passions in different regions of the world. Joining online communities is vital for networking purposes, cultivating relationships and professional growth. It has been a long time coming, but today I'm excited to announce the launch of the Makers of Sport Community. Benefits include: Halftime episodes (all will be accessible to community-only from this point forward), transcriptions of those episodes, monthly Google Hangouts, private Q&As with future & former guests and an invitation to the Makers of Sport Slack channels. Support the podcast by joining today. Mentions include: Slack Halftime: Cultivating Relationships Halftime: Working Remotely Twitch Under Consideration's Brand New SportsLogos.net Seanwes Community My next guest is going to be Jeremy Darlow. As digital brand marketer for Adidas football and baseball, Jeremy works with numerous college athletics programs around the U.S., including some professio

"There's a lot of talented people out there. A lot of smart people. A lot of great writers. A lot of great editors. You gotta work... [Ben on side projects & growth]." On this week’s episode, it's basketball, sneakers and hip-hop as Ben Osborne, Editor-in-Chief of SLAM Magazine joins the podcast. Having been a subscriber of SLAM since 1994, Adam geeks out with Ben on the founding and history of the magazine, as well as how it worked to gain credibility in the world of sports journalism. The two discuss the publication's swagger and its role in pioneering sneaker culture. As well as SLAM's long-time existence as a thorn in the NBA's side as it regards to portraying players as who they are, rather than who the league wanted them to be leading them to many epic cover shoots. Ben elaborates on his role as Editor-in-Chief, design's importance to the magazine and Adam even reads a letter he wrote to the magazine that was published in 2006 reflecting on how SLAM shaped much of who is he today. Lastly, Ben d

The world is about relationships. Plain and simple. We have relationships with family, friends and even objects. In our professional lives, building relationships are vital for growth both fiscally and skill-wise. In today's Halftime, I discuss why cultivating relationships over time is extremely important and why the "hard sell" is a downfall of creatives in the digital economy. Mentions include: ENFP Personality Richard Branson, Virgin 8 tips for relationship building in business Slack My next guest is going to be Ben Osborne. Ben is the Editor-in-Chief of SLAM Magazine, a longstanding basketball publication that has cemented itself in basketball and hip-hop culture since the early 90s. Sign up for the weekly email newsletter for updates, discounts on future products and exclusive content for subscribers. Did you enjoy this episode? Then please rate and/or write a review of the show on iTunes. Also, be sure to follow show host, @TAdamMartin and @MakersofSport on twitter and Dribbble.

"I take a lot of pictures...I think for designers, drawing and taking photos is so, so important because you can go back to those photos and find some inspiration and find some great idea." On this week’s episode, Michelle Cruz, Senior Art Director of the New York Red Bulls, joins the podcast to talk about her long career in sports design. Being Puerto Rican born, yet raised as an Army brat in Germany, Michelle brings a unique perspective to sports design drawing inspiration from her time in Europe visiting art galleries and watching BBC and Spanish television. We discuss Michelle's long tenure at ESPN as a broadcast designer, creating 1000s of broadcast graphics, some of which are still in using today and working across multiple sports such as Nascar, Cricket, Soccer, the NFL and the NBA. Michelle gives us some insight into the difference between a motion designer and an animator, and touches on the breadth of work she worked on when she first to moved to NYC to become an art director for the New York Kn

Design is about communication. It is about articulating decisions made from a professional perspective in order to sell something, or have a user do something. Other than speaking verbally, writing is the most important skill set to have when communicating ideas or opinions. On this Halftime, I discuss why the people that are the best at their craft are also good writers and why writing is designing words. In order to be great at what you do, you also MUST be a good communicator. Being able to articulate and construct your ideas in written form are very important to our growth as creatives and as human beings. Mentions include: Slack Medium Basecamp Richard Branson, Virgin Warren Buffett Jillian Michaels Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook Dave Ramsey Tina Fey Mark Ecko Jeffrey Zeldman, Happy Cog Founder A List Apart Jeremy Keith, Clearleft Pencil vs. Pixel podcast Todd Van Horne, Nike GIG Google Design Episode 59: Subjective vs. Objective Episode 25: Interception Show Joe Bosack, Joe Bosack & Co. My

“You need to sketch...you just need to doodle…don’t even go to the computer until you absolutely know you’ve flushed it out in your head and run through every iteration you possibly could…the computer and Illustrator and Photoshop are just tools…the solution comes from your head, not from the pixels.“ On this week’s episode, Eric Bodamer joins the podcast to give us some insight into his career as uniform designer for the NHL. Having worked at major brands Nike, Abercrombie & Fitch, The Gap, Target and now Adidas; Eric sheds some light on apparel design and especially uniform culture. From breaking into the uniform design industry by answering an open call from Nike in an L.A. newspaper, to creating iconic Hall-of-Fame uniforms for the Czech Republic, to designing the most recent Stadium Series uniforms for the last year of Reebok's NHL contact, Eric has had an extensive and interesting career in uniform design. He is truly one of the pioneers in the industry. We discuss the public’s obsession with uni

Oftentimes, we creative people run into debates with clients or other stakeholders due to both inserting subjective opinions on the work at hand. These converations are extremely unproductive in all honestly, hard to win when you are not paying for the work. Opinion versus opinion leads to conversations that tend to go nowwhere. In this episode of Halftime, I discuss the difference of being objective versus being objective and why even though as creative people, we tend to have better taste than most, we should approach business and conversations about business with the latter. Mentions include: Saul Bass Massimo Vignielli Milwaukee Bucks branding Panic over Patience: A [Clippers] Logo Story My next guest is Eric Bodamer of Reebok/Adidas. Eric is a Uniform Designer for the NHL divison of the brand, and over his career has created some of the most iconic hockey uniforms in the history of the sport. Should be an insightful look into the world of uniform design. Sign up for the weekly email newsletter fo

"Yearly campaigns shouldn't be a reinvention of who you are. There should be a core of what you are & what you stand for & what you look like." On this week's show, Surf Melendez joins me to discuss his non-traditional path to the Miami Dolphins where he is Managing Director of Content & Creative for the team overseeing a group of talented creatives that are working with ownership to build an in-house agency. From an architecture degree at Florida, to a career in the restaurant industry & finance, we touch on Surf's eventual landing at ad agency Crispin Porter Bogusky where he launched into the creative world. Due to the crazy hours of advertising and having kids, Surf tell of life change and a passion for sport that lead to Adidas where he created for running, training & football. The want to move back home pointed him to the Miami, where they were wanting to build an in-house agency and serendipitously, the CMO used to be at CP+B client BK. We discuss the team's moves to cultivate a creative

"When you're more of a creative thinker you think differently...the language you use is a lot different and sometimes there is a disconnect when you're trying to conversate about what you're trying to accomplish. As a designer you have to remember that you are solving a problem...is this going to benefit your brand, is this going to serve the purpose? You could create this beautiful piece of work, but if it doesn't accomplish what somebody was intending to do, then it's not going to be a successful design." For this week's episode, I traveled to Starkville, MS for the Kentucky vs. Mississippi State football game. The game wasn't the only reason I was in town though, it was just a perk. The real reason I went to Stark Vegas was to interview Ashley Strauss, the Bulldogs' talented Director of Creative Services. You'll hear Ashley and I post-BBQ coma speaking on-location in her office about her path to Mississippi St., the painful similarities between playing sports and pushing yourself as a creative person, an

"It's not just how sports and technology intersect, but also the way that sport unites us as humanity, and what kind of impact it has on our culture, and what kind of impact our culture has on it... " In 2011, I attended South by Southwest Interactive in Austin, Texas. It was one of the greatest experiences of my professional life. In recent years, SXSW has launched a new convergence track called SXsports, a sports focused track on tech, business, data, media and more. On this week's episode, Head of SXsports Rebecca Feferman joined the podcast to talk SXsports and the future of sports & technology. We touch on Rebecca's past as a PR pro in Hollywood before moving to ATX during the recession & landing at SXSW. Rebecca gives us the low down on the history of SXSW and specifically where the idea for SXsports came from. We discuss the involvement of athletes & coaches in tech, VC and innovation when it comes to the #sportsbiz and learn about SXsports' mission to bridge sport & culture. Last

The word brand is very complex, yet it is thrown around a lot these days; most of the time carelessly or in complete ignorance as it regards to what a brand is. In this episode of Halftime, I discuss the origins of branding, its definition according to the American Marketing Association, as well as dive deep into the semantics of the word and what it means in the modern era. I also give specific examples of brands in the sports context such as Kentucky Basketball, Oregon Football and the New Zealand All Blacks, as well as discuss the complexity of a college athletic department's brand in relation to an individual program's team brand. How much do brands have to do with a team being picked in the College Football Playoff? I touch on a recent article by ESPN's Heather Dinich and elaborate on the importance of trust and equity when it comes to brands. Lastly, I discuss color, it's signifance in branding and share why there are more important things than a logo when it comes to branding. Mentions include: W

"If you are gonna wake up every day and you are gonna go to a job that you truly love and you're truly passionate about and it makes you happy, then it doesn't matter if you're pigeonholed." Alexandra Mount is a lady of many talents. Not only do those talents include design, but also athleticism (she played D1 lacrosse), a sense of humor and resilience. On this week's episode, Alex joins the podcast to discuss her rise in an extensive and ambitious sports career to the biggest sports brand in the world where she's currently an art director for the Consumer Product division of the NFL. Alex tells her story including playing lacrosse at Boston University while majoring in graphic design to her chance meeting while teaching sailing classes to what happened to be the wife of SME Branding's Ed O'hara. Her career lead her from SME to an ambitious and persisitant sports design job search which included walking directly into MLB Advanced Media in Chelsea Market in Brooklyn. Alex discusses her search, perseverance

Imitation is an unfortunate thing that happens oftentimes in our industry. Especially in the creative side of the sports business. We often see popular designers getting ripped off by Instagram "sports edits" or see colleges or professional teams steal taglines from other teams. Imitation is a natural human trait, yet there is a proper way to imitate and not be a theif. In this Halftime episode, I discuss the differences between imitation and inspiration, how to think outside the box to get inspired, subconscious inspiration and when to imitate for learning purposes. I also touch on the work of Jonny Ive and how he was influenced by famous industrial designer and minimalist, Dieter Rams. Mentions include: Tinker Hatfield, Nike Air Jordan 14 The Art of Manliness, How To Become a Better Writer: Copy the Work of Others Johnathan Ive, Apple Dieter Rams My next guest is Alexandra Mount. Alex is an art director for the NFL's consumer product line. Prior to the NFL, Alex had stints at SME Branding and Madiso

"I know you say you (designers) are not curing cancer but you affect people. You affect people positively and negatively (with your work)." Our second Canadian guest comes aboard the podcast this week as Chris Creamer, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of SportsLogos.net joined the the show to tell the story of one of the most influential sports logo and uniform sites on the Internet. The site was started in 1999 when Chris was only 14 years old and has survived throughout his high school, college years, attacks from hackers and even the Web 2.0 era. Chris and I nerd out about being some of the older tech guys on the web in our 30s and mixing that with our love of both tech and sports. Chris tells a few stories about the growth of the website, its early rebellious nature, the infamous forums and the sites move from archiving sports logos to daily content and news. We also discuss breaking new logo stories and Chris has been able to develop relationships within the media and sports executive community to get fi

"By faling to prepare you are preparing to fail." – Benjamin Franklin Preparation is often overlooked in regards to success. But those that are the most successful, have definitely taken the time to prepare and develop processes over time to allow them to react instead of overthinking obstacles in their career. An example is Chris Fowler, former College Gameday host of 25 years. Chris works hard to prepare developing notes, storylines and more, all while leading his comrades as QB of Gameday. On this episode, I discuss the importance of preparation and give you some tips on how to learn from the masters in regards to it. Mentions include: Chris Fowler on Twitter College Gameday on Twitter College Gameday reminisces about Chris Fowler's 25 years on the show. The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football Toughness by Jay Bilas My next guest is Chris Creamer, founder and editor-in-chief of SportsLogos.net. SportsLogos.net is a news and historical covering logos and uniform updates of profes