Sports Business Classroom Audio Experience

In today's episode we sit down with Shea Dawson, Director of Athlete & Community Relations for the incredibly popular sports network Overtime. Prior to joining Overtime, Shea was the manager of player programs and team services for the Philadelphia 76ers, a position where she frequently interacted with NBA superstars such as Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Jimmy Butler.In this episode we discuss:What Shea calls the "Shea Dawson Experience" How she jump-started her career in the NBAHer “year of YES” and how this impacted herHow being intentional can lead to new opportunitiesShea Dawson is a strong operations professional with a Bachelor's degree in Sports Management from Robert Morris University. Shea is skilled in Player/Athlete Development, Interpersonal Skills, and Servant Leadership. She is devoted to giving her clients and peers the “Shea Dawson Experience”, and also posts #Sheahacks on her social media platforms to give motivation to anyone who needs the inspiration. Her mentors consist of George Raveling, Gary Charles, Liron Fanan, Elton Brand, Todd Wright, Warren LeGarie, Albert Hall, and Sergio Millas. Connect with Shea on social to follow her journey @overtimeshea!

In today's episode, we sat down with your favorite NBA player's favorite photographer, Cassy Athena.In this episode we will talk about:How she turned her passion into her career in the world of basketballThe importance of building genuine relationships to stand out & how to maintain themHow social media shaped her business which has led to some of the biggest stars reposting her picturesTalks about how she found her purpose by building her brand Cassy's daily grind and what it takes to make it in the industry Cassy Athena is a professional NBA photographer and entrepreneur, & has overcome some pretty remarkable things along the way. Her work has been published in Sports Illustrated, Samsung, Billboard, Red Bull, Fox Sports, Dime Magazine, Slam Magazine, NBA, Under Armour, Nike, Jordan Brand, Monster Headphones & more. She has worked exclusively with the biggest NBA athletes & has helped with branding/marketing to many athletes and entertainers. It wasn't only LeBron James, who drew nearly two million likes on Instagram for balling out at Chris Brickley's basketball runs in New York City; Cassy Athena was there, like always, capturing the magic. She even followed Steph Curry & his family at the 2016 NBA Star Game in Toronto for Under Armour. Connect with Cassy on social and follow her journey @cassyathenaphoto!

For our second episode, we sat down with the Director of Communications of the Los Angeles Clippers Dennis Rogers!In this episode, we will talk about:Dennis’s rise from graduate basketball assistant at Mississippi State to Director of Communications of the Los Angeles ClippersThe importance of being willing to do whatever it takes to work in sportsThe many roles Dennis has experienced in basketballDennis’s day to day lifestyle with the ClippersDennis is currently the Director of Communications of the Los Angeles Clippers. He also worked with the Clippers’ digital media team as Digital Media Director. Prior to that, he served as the Director of Communications with the New Orleans Hornets from 2003-2012. He has also been assisting with the NBA Summer League since its inception in 2003 as a Communications and Digital Media Specialist.

In our very first episode, we sat down with motivational speaker, bestselling author, and sports entrepreneur Jake Kelfer.  In this episode, we will talk about:Jake's journey to working in sportsHow he wrote 2 bestselling books by 25The importance of defining success on your own termsThe "Go Big or Go Home" mentality that led to Jake creating a secondary NBA combine that has helped over 70+ draft prospects sign their first contractWhy Jake speaks on happiness and successTips on how to stand out in the job market and elevate your sports careerJake Kelfer is a lifestyle entrepreneur and life elevator. He is the bestselling author of Elevate Beyond and Elevate Your Network, a high-energy motivational speaker on a mission to inspire millions of people to achieve personal success and happiness. He is the founder of the Professional Basketball Combine which helps NBA draft prospects turn their dreams of playing pro basketball into their reality. He and his work have been featured on Forbes, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, NBC Sports, USA Today, Bleacher Report and many other major media outlets. Connect with Jake on social @jakekelfer!