Here is the latest trio of Columbia University Sports Podcast (the CUSP Show) that we have had in the past few months. Here we go from the business of Snapchat to talking security and the business of Clear to a look at Special needs hockey during Hockey Week in America this week. These were again compiled by colleague Jessie Leeds Grant…
You can see a list and log on to all of the over 130 episodes from myself and my cohost Tom Richardson by clicking here. Take a listen, almost all are 45 minutes or even less.
Snapping With Anmol Malhotra
Tom sits down with Anmol Malhotra, who currently works for the Sports Partnership department at Snapchat, Inc. A career changer from the finance field to sports partnership, listen to his story from the University of Notre Dame, his time in financial institutions, to how Snapchat is shaping their sports partnerships with leagues, teams and athletes and connecting with Generation Z and all demographics.
Some key points to listen for…
“We closed a deal with the NFL for a story on Sunday, we closed a deal with the NBA for All Star Weekend, the Preakness, the Kentucky Derby”
“We realized there was a space to cover everything else on our platform, the pregame, the postgame, the fans, the locker room what it feels like to actually be there.”
“Our goal with Snapchat is to make it experiential and attract a different kind of fan”
“We just started selling ads a few years ago, in the overall of lifecycle of monetization we are still very young”
“We want to develop long term strategic relationships, if you produce great content, more eyeballs watch that content, more time is spent on that content and you have a much more engaged and retained audience”
You can here the fill conversation here.
Jen O’Brien, American Special Hockey Association
Here is another recent one with Executive Director, Jen O’Brien, of the American Special Hockey Association. Jen and her team recently welcomed the UAE Women’s National Hockey Team to New York City, where they hosted a second on-ice clinic for ASHA players. The clinic took place at Lasker Ice Rink with the Central Park North Stars, a diverse special hockey team based in New York City that includes players from several continents.
Some key things to listen for…
“American Special Hockey Association had to really redefine itself over the last few years. We’re like a chamber of commerce, we’re there to help sustain and support these small little non for profits who are just trying to serve.”
“We don’t really go for a lot of national sponsorships because we would be competing with the NHL, AHL any of the professional teams.”
“Special hockey is a great partner, they are competitive and a great ambassador for sportsmanship and community and how sports can connect everyone regardless of borders and boundaries.”
You can hear the full episode here.
Learning about Clear
One from last summer, we spoke with Ed O’Brien, Head of Sports for Clear, who discusses his path from college, through the New York Jets and to Columbia University. Clear, a company that allows you to skip the lines at stadia and airports by confirming your identity with the tap of a finger or the blink of an eye is one of the fastest growing security platforms in the nation still. Ed discusses how he got into the field and how this technology is redefining the fan experience.
Some key points to listen for…
“As security was becoming a lot more prevalent in sports stadiums, the stadiums started to look like airports, and have the same customer experience challenges.”
“The San Francisco 49ers, the New York Yankees, and the Colorado Rockies were our first partners, now we’re about to be over 16 sports partners.”
“Our whole vision is for a fan to able to walk into a stadium or arena and do everything you can currently do, show your ticket, pay for merchandise, pay for a beer, and be able to do all of that without pulling anything out of your wallet.”
“In this day in age everyone wants everything instantaneously, we think biometrics can help take those transactions down to one or two seconds.”
You can listen to the whole episode here.
Happy listening!
