We sat down with Pavel Bains, the co-founder of Bluzelle - the decentralized database for the new internet. The world of crypto combined everything he was interested in - economics, finance, science fiction, distributed computing - causing him to dive headfirst down the rabbit hole and create Bluzelle. Bains explained the crypto ecosystem, touched …

In early May, HubSpot announced that it was launching its very own podcast network which would include six shows that “represent a wide range of business topics and backgrounds.” We sat down with Alanah Joseph, the Senior Marketing Manager at HubSpot who is responsible for marketing and operations of the HubSpot podcast network. She gave us insight…

We sat down with Check My Ads co-founders, Claire Atkin and Nandini Jammi, who noticed a huge increase in brands' digital advertisements appearing on websites that they didn’t intend their marketing efforts to support. They were also alarmed with the role digital advertising played in spreading disinformation. Check My Ads is on a mission to expose…

We sat down with Darren Heitner, founder of HEITNERLEGAL - a sports and contract law firm, and author of How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know. As one of the most respected sports law professionals, Darren Heitner has great, first-hand insight into the recent change in NCAA rules regarding athletes’ ability to earn money fo…

We sat down with Dan Weinsten to get the inside scoop about the future of the creator economy. Weinstein is the co-founder of Underscore Talent, a next-generation talent management company that focuses on helping today’s content creators leverage their talent and influence. He takes a deep dive into what led him, and his partners Michael Green and …

We sat down with ChefPK, who has 274K subscribers, and he shared with us what it’s really like to be a content creator on YouTube, touching on how he continues to weave his hotel chef manager experiences into the wild west of YouTube, sharing major YouTube secrets and insider tips, and giving aspiring creators tools for success.…

We sat down with Craig Hewitt who took a deep dive into what it really means to be a podcast hosting platform, how to succeed with private podcasting, why monetizing podcasts with ads is “garbage” and the value of community within the podcast sphere.

We sat down with John Lee Dumas who gave us a quick look at what he did (and continues to do!) to dominate the podcasting realm. From nailing time management (he literally works a total of 6 days a month) to current trends that can catapult you in the industry, you’ll definitely want to take some notes.…

Get the inside scoop about being a futurist in the bleeding edge tech realm, Wormhole Labs’ pivot from B2C to B2B due to COVID-19, the metaverse future, what brands should do today to get prepared and much much more.

It has been a big year for podcast advertising - US podcast ad spending is set to increase by 38.7% YoY and, in just two years, US podcast ad spending has increased from $701 million to $1.33 billion in 2021. We sat down with Bryan Barletta to get the inside scoop about the current state of podcast adtech, everything from the golden metric to the b…

Andrew Warner, founder of Mixergy, has had his fair share of failed business ventures. But, instead of giving up, he decided to take a closer look at what he did wrong. He had two options: trying to understand his mistakes on his own or open up about his setbacks with other entrepreneurs. Andrew Warner began interviewing successful entrepreneurs wh…

Get the inside scoop about Twitch from James Davidson, their Influencer Relations Manager. Listen to learn what it really means to be a full-time Twitcher, how brands can get started with Twitch partnerships, and much much more.

On this episode of the How to Play the Game Podcast, Darren Heitner is joined by NFL agent David Canter, who just recently sold his sports agency to acquirer GSE Worldwide. Topics include: (1) When David got his start in the sports agency world and what caused him to want to represent pro athletes; (2) How the business of representing professional …

Chase Garrett and Drew Butler joined the How to Play the Game Podcast to break down the first month of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights for college athletes and highlight how their company, Icon Source, has played a role in the explosion of athlete deals during the first four weeks. They highlighted how their platform now has over 10,000 athl…

Scott O'Neil, CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, takes a break from celebrating the Philadelphia 76ers cruising into the 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs to discuss the release of a brand new book called, BE WHERE YOUR FEET ARE. The conversation wasn't about the 76ers success, but instead whether the team is learning as much this year at …

In this latest episode of the How to Play the Game podcast, host Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) is joined by Jock MKT co-founder Dave Isman (@DaveIsman). They discuss Jock MKT's differentiation from other types of more traditional fantasy sports products (buying shares in players and being able to live trade those shares in the marketplace), the c…

On the latest episode of the How to Play the Game podcast, I spoke with New York Mets starting pitcher Taijuan Walker about his own experience dabbling in the world of NFT auctions. Walker very recently completed a five-day auction of a one-of-one digital card that sold for 2.35 Ether, or roughly $4,000. He says that the experience was rewarding an…

In this latest edition of How to Play the Game podcast, Darren Heitner interviews Jason Howarth, vice president at Panini America. They discuss Panini America's commitment to digital trading cards and building on the blockchain, how he views the rise of non-fungible tokens (NFT) like NBA Top Shot, what makes him most optimistic about further growth…

Former National Football League vice president Casey Schwab left the union in 2020 to create Altius Sports Partners. Since then, his company has signed LSU, Texas, and the University of South Carolina to assist the schools with preparations for when college athletes will earn the right to make money off of their names, images, and likenesses. In th…

When Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a 14-year, $340 million deal with the San Diego Padres, he was happy, his family was happy, his agents were happy, and so was a guy named Michael Schwimer. He is the founder of Big League Advance, which gave Tatis Jr. money when he was in the Minors in exchange for equity in his future playing contracts. It will pay o…

Today’s episode is my participation on a recent Sports Law and Negotiations Panel at the Sports Industry Networking & Career (SINC) Conference. I discussed how COVID-19 has affected my practice and Sports Law in general; my biggest piece of advice for someone looking to break into Sports Law; what I think will be a hot subject area in Sports Law mo…

What is NBA Top Shot? What are NFTs (non-fungible tokens)? What is digital art? All of these questions and more are answered by guest Justin Herzig, owner of $400,000 worth of Top Shots and co-founder of the Own The Moment podcast. Justin answers a lot of important questions about the craze surrounding Top Shot, NFTs, and digital art, including wha…

Today we are shifting gears from the world of YouTube and podcast marketing and turning our attention to Instagram.I am sitting down with Jay Desai of Trend, the leading destination for Instagram creators to produce content for the world's fastest-growing brands. Jay gives me his insider insight into the world of IG sponsorships.…

On November 12, Darren Heitner was asked to provide the California SB 206 Working Group with a presentation on the topic of economic implications associated with name, image, and likeness (NIL) compensation for college athletes and the impact of related state-based legislation. Darren was asked to briefly describe his role in drafting language for …

I recently did an interview with the Building This Community podcast to touch upon my transition from agent to attorney, the advice I'd give people looking to break into the Sports Law industry, how I run my law firm unlike traditional law firms, the ongoing name, image, and likeness issues in college sports, whether I see the U.S. ever transitioni…

On today's episode, I had a great time chatting with Sherell Dorsey, founder of The Plug. The Plug is a distinctive, Black tech news and insights platform covering Black innovators in tech, venture capital, future of work policy, and more. Tune in to hear how she was able to start The Plug and why it is such an important publication.…

I referenced the 44 NBA players who have signed free agent deals for more than $1.1 billion and looked into whether their deals are truly, completely guaranteed as many claim the contracts to be for the players. While the contracts are certainly more player-friendly than those found in the NFL, there are still ways that NBA players can screw up the…

Darren Heitner, Florida Representative Chip LaMarca, and University of Miami athletics director Blake James discuss many issues surrounding college athletes' publicity rights. The topics included: The inspiration for Florida's name, image, and likeness (NIL) law as well as the motivation for proposing it within the state; main priorities of Florida…

Darren Heitner and Professor Michael McCann, who also writes at Sportico, do a deep dive on name, image, and likeness (NIL) issues. The conversation specifically focuses on whether the federal government or the NCAA should be trusted to put something together that is better than what Florida plans to enact on the subject as of July 1, 2021. Darren …

I chatted with Sports Business Journal writer and Forbes 30 under 30 winner, Mark Burns, about his provocative tweet concerning breaking into the business of sports. We discussed his path to where he is today, at the age of 31-years-old, and the advice he gives to people who want to follow in his footsteps or otherwise work in sports. If you like i…

There is hardly a day that I don't have a student reach out to either interview me as a class assignment or otherwise ask me about my past and how I got to where I am today as a lawyer with a niche in Sports Law. I asked a University of Miami student who recently reached out for a class project whether he would allow me to record the interview so t…

Darren Heitner discusses how he became part of the effort for Florida to pass the most envelope-pushing college athlete name, image, and likeness (NIL) legislation and the process of changes being made to the bill prior to its ultimate passing, including a shift from an effective date of July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021. The financial literacy and life…

Darren Heitner discusses the 5 states that have passed legislation, as of November 2020, allowing college athletes to begin monetizing their names, images, and likenesses (NIL). The discussion includes aspects of Nebraska's law and New Jersey's law. It also goes into the 3 federal bills that have been proposed by members of Congress, including thos…

Are you hungry? If you are then today's episode is right up your alley as I am sitting with one of the biggest food challenge stars on YouTube, Erik The Erik The Electric. We discuss how he got his start, how he stays fit, and how he is able to do all those incredible challenges.

We are back for season 2 of the ThoughtLeaders podcast and what a way to start. This is a man who needs no introduction, except maybe for SUPA SETS. That's right Mike Tornabene, or as most of you know him Dom Mazzetti of BroScienceLife is here.

Representatives Gonzalez (R-OH) and Cleaver (D-MO) have proposed a new piece of legislation to prohibit the NCAA and universities from restricting college athletes from participating in intercollegiate athletics because such athletes enter into endorsement contracts. I explain why I think this is the best federal proposal to date, break down its pr…

Nebraska actually has the most envelope-pushing name, image and likeness law for college athletes. The law, signed by Governor Rickets, allows any postsecondary institution to allow college athletes to enjoy these rights as soon as TODAY. "The U of Nebraska can implement the Act at any time—now, during this pandemic, would be great," says Nebraska …

The sport of bodybuilding is back to reclaim its glory days. It's on Netflix, it's on YouTube, Instagram, and everywhere you look. This is no coincidence though and we have two men too thank for this, Edwin Mejia & Vlad Yudin. Hear how they came together to create GenerationIron and have helped propel bodybuilding back to its rightful place atop th…

If you have been on Facebook recently, then I can almost guarantee you that you have seen some of JungleCreations content. They are the brains behind, VT., Twisted, Craft Factory, LVL and Four Nine. New Business, Director, US Will Hamnett joins me on the show and gives us a glimpse of how it all comes together.…

There are a lot of players and factors to the content world that you might not realize on a daily basis, but they play a huge role in helping we the viewers get the best possible content. One of those players is Similar Web, the worlds leading web analytics platform. I am chatting with Donna Dror, to get an understanding of how it works!…

When it comes to influential media companies, Complex Media is right at the top of that list and it's time to meet the man who started it all, Rich Antoniello, CEO and Founder of Complex. I got the inside story of how Complex did things the right way and morphed from their humble beginnings into the powerhouse they are today.…

Ever wonder about how Hollywood and Tech interact and collide? David Bloom is a journalist, podcaster, and consultant addressing exactly that issue. David and I are chatting all things content, from the streaming wars to brands shifting away from traditional TV advertisements and turning to YouTube and podcasts instead. Finally, we attempt to look …

In this episode of the How to Play the Game Podcast, Darren Heitner engages in a short discussion with Dennis Gilbert, an extremely successful former baseball agent who negotiated many professional sports contracts including the oft referred to lengthy contract signed by Bobby Bonilla. For the last 20 years he has worked with the White Sox working …

Art, fashion, and advertising always seem to converge and today, Donna Adi is bringing it all together for us. Donna is a digital mixed media creator, who has taken Instagram and Pinterest by storm. She has worked with some of the biggest names in the fashion world, including Michael Kors, Dior, and Puma. Donna walks me through her creative process…

It is very rare that you get to talk to someone who is partially responsible for creating an entire genre on YouTube. Today I have that pleasure as I sit down with Terry Adelman, the founder of MENfluential Media. If you have ever watched a men's how to, style, fashion, or lifestyle video on YouTube, then you can thank Terry and the guys over at ME…

I react to hearing that Reggie Bush, the former University of Southern California running back who accepted impermissible cash under the table when he was a college athlete, told Playboy that paying college athletes will destroy some people. I dive into the concern about athletes receiving financial literacy and how that’s actually being addressed.…

Joe Rogan signs a $100 million deal with Spotify, and you are asking yourself what did I miss here? Every time you watch your favorite channel on YouTube or listen to a podcast, there is some awesome brand advertising there and you are asking yourself why? Yup, this episode is exactly for you as Dan Conn and I get down to basics about branded conte…

NFL players DeAndre Baker and Quinton Dunbar find themselves defending against serious criminal charges and potential NFL suspensions. Yet, taking center stage this week is a public battle between their lawyers. Attorney Daniel Lust joins the podcast to discuss these issues.

Drew Rosenhaus, owner of Miami-based Rosenhaus Sports Representation, talks about how this year has been very different from his prior 31 years in representing professional athletes. We also discuss his belief that college athletes deserve to earn money of their names, images and likenesses, the legacy of coach Don Shula, best practices for breakin…

On today's episode, I am sitting down with the one and only Simon Whistler. Simon is the host of 8 youtube channels with over 6 million subscribers, with channels including Today I found Out, Biographics and TopTenz. We had a great time talking about everything from how Simon broke into YouTube to his role as a teacher to millions around the world.…