How Did That “Happen”? Hard Work and Relationships…

Last week I was doing my usual quick study on key pieces to pull for our weekly newsletter when I came across a great, in-depth piece on US Men’s Cricket team in…GQ. This past weekend I was flipping through the New York Times Magazine…the old-fashioned print edition…and there was a massive feature…on cornhole. Not just cornhole, but pro cornhole.

Now for those on the outside these may seem like random stories…somebody hears about an idea or some buzzworthy moment, pitches to an editor and a call or text is sent and it just happens.

Not really.

Sometimes sure, especially when you are around Coach Prime or Caitlin Clark, or Aaron Judge or Lionel Messi or Alex Morgan, the opportunities are largely inbound, and those involved get to swat away even some of the bigger ones with a broom handle.   Or maybe they are so busy they never return the calls or the emails, especially from random media types they may not know.

But when you see a niche property grab a big spot, like the two mentioned above, you smile and fire up the high five, because they take lots of work. And it’s hard.

Now I say that having spent a long time in and around the storytelling game and loving every minute of it both in the mainstream and on the place, I enjoy most, what one of my former bosses used to call “The lunatic fringe.’ Regardless of where you reside, if you are in a proactive storyteller’s mode, the relationships…real– call someone, know their kids’ names, where they went to school, where they worked and what they have covered relationships—are so critical to have and maintain. Maybe they are not easy all the time, people are busy, sometimes you don’t have something even remotely interesting to them, sometimes they lose the role they were in and can’t work with you at the time like they did in the past, but they are essential to being in the right place when that moment works out for whatever story you have.

Two interlinked themes…relationships and building bridges, not walls (I have spoken about this ad nauseum because it’s a problem with high level storytelling more than ever I believe) were key themes at last week’s Sports PR Summit in Chicago. Those on the media panel… J.A. Adande – Director of Sports Journalism – Medill School – Northwestern University, Michele Steele – ESPN reporter & SportsCenter anchor and Gene Wojciechowski – Former ESPN reporter – Author – Faculty – Sports Journalism – University of Tennessee…all talked about the trusted relationships that had been developed across the years, and how those relationships led them to getting stories bold and useful done, while also working with those they had developed relationships with to work through challenging and difficult coverage as well. The people they knew and had spent time with were usually the ones who became valued humans, not just work colleagues, throughout the years. Is it always fun in challenging times? No. But it is a constant learning experience for all, and the evolution of that experience can be very gratifying personally and professionally.

Back to GQ and The Times Magazine stories I found this week and how they happened. In the case of GQ, the story came about because the person working for the ICC at the Cricket World Cup, our colleague Mark Jones, was able to get a request and find a way in a very crowded and busy time during the World Cup, to facilitate everything that was needed. He got the call, thought through the process, figured out what was possible in a very limited time, explained the opportunity and built the trust to make sure everything played out so that those covering had the best chance possible at delivering a unique message to the audience.

In the case of the NYT Magazine story, the American Cornhole League’s longtime communications pro, our friend Marlon LeWinter, was the on constantly leaning in. He built a case story for cornhole time and again with outlets big and small, constantly matching storylines to media members he had cultivated with calls, texts emails and in person, for years. He had also built the trust with ACL leadership to deliver access and opportunity very proactively to keep a unique but niche sport constantly in the news flow. Those storytelling opportunities became cumulative with each leading to the next while at the same time proactively beating the trails to find media members whose work matched the interest level for the property. Sometimes it would be inbound…someone read or saw a story and was intrigued, but more often than not it was outbound follow-up and a steady progression that didn’t always lead to results. It took time and timing, and none of it happened overnight. The relationships built led to a large payoff, one which is a textbook example in making things happen on the storytelling side by a third party.

Now it seems recently we are seeing a flood of niche properties looking to cash in on a perceived or actual market. Multiple volleyball leagues, pickleball, 3 on 3 basketball and hockey, the coming of flag football, professional rugby and cricket, at least two new track and field properties, pro table tennis and the like all testing the very deep and tenuous waters of sports startup properties. Often times those at the top look at media success elsewhere and think it’s replicatable right away. The reality is that maybe…maybe it is…if you have the right people with the right relationships…but maybe those stories, even with “celebrity” investments and a blue ocean path take a great deal of time to develop. Sometimes the right relationship hits the right person at the right time, sometimes it takes literally years to pull off for various reasons. However, without that trusted relationship part, the storytelling, which can be put forth quite blindly by people who don’t have those relationships, stands on a really difficult path to success.

Are there overnight sensations? Sometimes. Is the reality more that it takes hard work, cultivation, refinement, knowing the audience and a little bit of luck to hit the right spot. Yes. Cornhole and cricket, all about the timing and the people, congrats Mark and Marlon, such a great payoff for the time and effort.