The Social & Sport Podcast

Welcome to the Social & Sport podcast, once again going back in time a little to the Tables Turned series I first ran last year.The idea is to speak to some of the best interviewers to find out what their secret sauce is and how we can get better at asking the right questions.In this one I spoke to Kait Borsay, one of the first females presenters to be associated with Talksport and has worked for SkySports, Sky News, Arsenal and Chelsea FC TV channels and the Premier League.You may also know her as one third of the highly acclaimed Offside Rule podcast alongside Lynsey Hooper and Hayley McQueen. A show that’s been running since 2012 and is now part of Muddy Knees Media alongside the Totally Football Show.You’ll hear stories of interviews with Phil Neville, Rafa Benitez and a very awkward moment during a chat with Sir Sebastian Coe. You’ll have to listen on to find out what happened there.Thanks again for listening, make sure you subscribe to catch more from this series. And also have a look back at previous lockdown shows from the last few months.Here are some links to what we speak about during the show;Interview with Joe HartInterview with John BarnesThe Exit ListThanks to Tom Yoke from Playfinder for stepping in and kindly hosting us for this recording at their central London office. Playfinder are the UK’s leading search and booking portal for recreational sports, so search for the Playfinder in your app store or head to playfinder.com to find out more.

In a 'new' show as part of Social & Sport I wanted to return to something I put together last year. 'Tables Turned' talked to the interviewers about how they do what they do.In it I spoke with Kait Borsay, Alexandra Legioux, Richard Gillis, Faye Carruthers... and there were a couple I didn't publish which I'll look to do now. Over the next few weeks I'll be publishing a new episode every Thursday, as well as continuing with 'The New Normal' series. But firstly I'm delighted to welcome sports broadcaster, event host and podcaster extraordinaire David Garrido. His interviewing career almost ended before it began with what should have been an opportunity of a lifetime with a Spurs legend. Thankfully for David, and for us, he persevered with his dreams, took the lessons from it and landed an amazing role through BBC Talent at BBC Sport in 2001, staying at the broadcaster before moving onto SkySports in 2011.  We get into how he prepares for big interviews to make sure it looks as effortless as possible. His approach to hosting is so open and engaging that he quickly makes people feel comfortable and is one who tries to make it less of an interview and more of a conversation.David has some fantastic stories around some of the biggest names in sport from David Beckham to a then-newly crowned F1 World Champion, Jenson Button. His love though is for Spanish football which is his main expertise when it comes to football. This led to him creating the weekly La Liga Lowdown podcast to get the lastest from the league.I also mention his famous dance moves when celebrating in the Sheffield Wednesday dressing room after their play-off win back in 2016If you enjoy this podcast please give us a follow, comment, rating, review or just let me know what you think at (Twitter) @danielmclaren or (Instagram) @danieljmclaren.

Audio and the benefits of it are often overlooked, despite the rise to prominence of podcasting and the likes of Amazon's Alexa appearing in everyone's car and home. So this week I spoke with Sophie Hind and Jim Salveson from Voiceworks to discover what the opportunities and challenges are currently, and where the industry is heading. The future of audio, both podcasts and voice, is a bright one and there are many in which it can benefit your team, sport or business. Check out https://www.voiceworks.ai to find out more.This is the time of the 'new normal', let's make it a positive one.

Pranav Soneji is one of the founders of the fantastic agency, LiveWire Sport, who include the ATP, Wimbledon and the Premier League (amongst many others) as clients. Not only does Pranav stay heavily involved in the agency's work but has found time to set up, alongside Head of Marketing & Comms Jason White, the Diversity in Digital Sport programme. At a time when diversity is at the forefront of everyone's thoughts, the programme is one that is more important to our industry than ever and can really help show the way forward. We talk about how it came about, the way in which the programme has had to change due to the lockdown and also what the sports industry can (and should) be doing better to make the current momentum doesn't get lost. So much to get through and it’s such a big topic! So let me know what you think and any feedback on what we discuss either on Twitter or LinkedIn.

"The New Normal" is a new series that moves the conversation on from lockdown and the crisis we've had to face over the last few months. Now with sport back on our screens and restrictions starting to be lifted, what will the 'new normal' look like, and how are we going to have to adapt going forward?In the first of this series I chat to James Dickens. James joined Motorsport Network - owners of Autosport, Motorsport.com and has many other companies under its umbrella encompassing all elements of motorsport. Before that James was Head of Sport at Yahoo UK and then Global Editor-in-Chief at Goal.com - so a great person to speak about sport generally and the publishing side of the business.

SportsPro Media are one of the best known sport business publishers in the world, with a successful website that brings in 250k visitors a month to big events such as SportsPro Live and the Blackbook Motorsport Forum.This year has seen the events industry take a massive hit and SportsPro were no exception. So it was great to speak to Nick about how they've coped and what new paths this has led them down. One of them is the SportsPro Insider events - a regular online series with great speakers that is free to sign up for. Something that over 20,000 people have done. We also talk about what the new normal is going to be for the sports business and the role in which technology will play within it. Head to https://www.SportsProMedia.com for all the latest news in sports business and make sure you sign up for the coming Insiders series. 

With football, horse racing, snooker and other sports relaunching slowly over the next few weeks, there is still one very British pastime that is missing from our calendars.Cricket was set to start their season just after the lockdown began and there has already been a statement that none will be played until at least the 1st August. Though this could change, who knows in this current landscape.Emily is Head of Sales & Marketing at Surrey County Cricket Club and we spoke about how they’ve had to adjust plans for the season, keeping their 13,000 members engaged, their experience of launching on Tik Tok back in January and the effects this shortened season will have on the game.Do share this video / podcast, depending on where you’re consuming this, and let me know what you think on either Twitter, @danielmclaren, or find me on LinkedIn.Here’s my chat with Emily recorded on Thursday 4th June 2020…,

This week I’m delighted to be joined by a fellow podcaster and one of the most well-known Aussie’s within sports marketing and digital.Sean Callanan is the founder of Sports Geek, a digital consultancy based in Melbourne but is possibly better known over here for his Sports Geek podcast (https://sportsgeekhq.com/sports-geek-podcast/). With 300 episodes and half a million downloads it’s fair to say he’s spoken to everyone you need to hear from.Not only that but he is an esports team owner with Gravitas, securing a position in the Oceanic Pro League that includes 8 top-tier League of Legends pro esports teams. So who better to chew the fat with on the latest goings on within our business?You’ll definitely enjoy this fast paced look at what has been going on in sports over recent weeks from esports to the NRL, and SportsBiz Zoom calls to driving revenue through digital.Loads to get through so here’s my chat with Sean recorded on Tuesday 2nd June 2020.

Welcome to episode 14 of the Social & Sport podcast.The Bundesliga has been back on our screens for a couple of weeks now and recently we heard about the return of the Premier League, Series A and La Liga. Sport is starting to get back to some kind of crowd free normality. So we’re starting to look ahead and not back so much in this week’s episode as I talk to Tom Moxon about all things internationalisation and his tips on working from home. Tom is Business Development Director at Samba Digital. A long-time remote-working agency who help clubs and leagues to develop their global presence across LatAm, the US, Asia and beyond. Clients include PSG, Liverpool, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga. There’s some great examples to go through and we dig deep into the importance of understanding areas and cultures before leaping into a new strategy. And what developing an international presence actually means, isn’t it just translating content for different accounts?Obviously the answer to that is no!We also talk about TikTok and what the approach is that they have taken with clients such as Ligue1, who have passed 1m views already and tapped into a hungry audience. If you enjoy this podcast they do subscribe on your platform of choice and of course leave a rating or review, that would be amazing. I’m trying to find as many great people as I can to share their stories during this COVID-19 crisis to both help and inspire as many people out there as I can. So every little helps.Video on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/DanielMcLaren75My interview with Tom was recorded on Thursday 28th May 2020.

In previous episodes I've spoken to brands, agencies, tech companies and clubs about how they've been coping, but one area that has been missing sports publishing. Asking the questions; How do you cover sport when no live sport is happening? Sam Brown is Managing Editor for Goal.com, the world's biggest football website covering leagues around the world. So how did they go about changing their content strategy and keep website and social media numbers high when sport is under lockdown?It's a fascinating chat talking about their processes, what’s been working for them, the spike for social media platforms including Twitter & TikTok, and looking forward to a return to some kind of sporting normality soon.If you enjoy this podcast they do subscribe on your platform of choice and of course leave a rating or review, that would be amazing. I’m trying to find as many great people as I can to share their stories during this COVID-19 crisis to both help and inspire as many people out there as I can. So every little helps.You can also find the video off this chat on YouTube and by following me on LinkedIn. Links to both are in the show notes.OK, so here’s my interview with Sam, recorded on Tuesday 26th May 2020. 

Welcome to episode 12 of The Social & Sport Interviews...This weeks first guest is the CEO of PT Sportsuite, a UK sports tech company aiming to transform sports organisations into media powerhouses.Rich Cleary joined me from sunny South Africa, where he has been since the start of lockdown. His company launched a remote content creation app during this period and are working with Hashtag United and Bristol Sport to help them collect content from players and staff stuck at home.We talked about how he manages to company from so far away, how this period is accelerating digital disruption within sports organisations and how clubs are utilising player content to help boost their own content needs.If you enjoy this podcast they do subscribe on your platform of choice and of course leave a rating or review, that would be amazing. I’m trying to find as many great people as I can to share their stories during this COVID-19 crisis to both help and inspire as many people out there as I can. So every little helps.You can also find the video off this chat on YouTube and by following me on LinkedIn. Links to both are in the show notes.OK, so here’s my interview with Rich, recorded on Thursday 21st May 2020. 

To finish what is week 6, and almost a dozen episodes, of this series, we have a cracker with the Head of Football Content & Strategy but Budweiser UK & Ireland, Amar Singh, joining me. The company is the biggest sports sponsor in the US and last year took on major partnerships with both the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga. So sport coming to a sudden halt in March has meant a major rethink in their content strategy, with all their fantastic plans for the end of their first season now put aside.We speak about how they have shifted their approach and what the thinking behind it has been, and what some of those new campaigns have included.It’s really interesting to hear from a major brand at this time and get their side of the story. I’m sure you’re really going to enjoy this one.If you enjoy this podcast they do subscribe on your platform of choice and of course leave a rating or review, that would be amazing. I’m trying to find as many great people as I can to share their stories during this COVID-19 crisis to both help and inspire as many people out there as I can. So every little helps.YouTube video - https://youtu.be/pFRTC9sVpO0LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmclaren75/

To start this new week off my chat is with someone who has worked on content strategies in the UK, US, Far East and Middle East.After leaving Arsenal in 2015 where he was Managing Editor, Rich Clarke went on to become Senior Director of Digital Media and Communications at MLS side, Colorado Rapids.Since then he’s been content consultant to leagues across the world as well as writing his influential blog at mrrichardclarke.com and his must-listen to podcast Sports Content Strategy.So what better person to speak to about the current situation, how clubs and leagues have been handling it and what he would advise on doing as we start to see light at the end of the tunnel.If you enjoy this podcast they do subscribe on your platform of choice and of course leave a rating or review, that would be amazing. I’m trying to find as many great people as I can to share their stories during this COVID-19 crisis to both help and inspire as many people out there as I can. So every little helps.Watch the interview on http://www.youtube.com/c/DanielMcLaren75And follow me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmclaren75/

This week on my chat heads states side with a look at the NFL with the help of NFL UK’s Senior Manager for Social Media & Content Strategy, Jamie King. One of the bright spots for sport over recent weeks has been their Virtual Draft, an event that saw some 55m viewers tune and it was all put together in around two weeks. A huge technical and logistical effort. We also covered the not so bright news that this year’s London Games will not be happening, not a surprise to anyone. So what does this mean for Jamie’s planning for the upcoming season and how they engage with UK fans.If you enjoy this podcast they do subscribe on your platform of choice and of course leave a rating or review, that would be amazing. I’m trying to find as many great people as I can to share their stories during this COVID-19 crisis to both help and inspire as many people out there as I can. So every little helps.You can also find the video off this chat on YouTube and by following me on LinkedIn. Links to both are in the show notes.OK, so here’s my interview with Jamie recorded on Tuesday 12th May 2020.

Football players, both current and ex, have been making the most of their new found time at home by getting active on social media. Whether it's Patrice Evra with The Players Tribune, Andy Robertson on Twitter or Nathan Redmond on Tik Tok. Players are getting creative and having some fun.During my look at who is doing what and how on social media these past few weeks, one area has stood out and I wanted to find out more. Just what are players doing, and how do companies such as Ten Toes Media help them make the most of their time?In this chat with the agency's founder, Ben Weisfeld, we cover some fascinating topics including; how their working with their clubs to help fill content gaps, the pressures from sponsors and how their overcoming them and of course the rise of gaming content.Subscribe for more great chats in the coming weeks. See the video at https://youtu.be/lJV8yBtVkMU or follow me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmclaren75/

Threepipe have developed an idea alongside tech company AMCO, Moonshot, a staff engagement agency, and rEvolution, a sports marketing agency, to bring thermal imaging to stadiums to help in enabling sport and entertainment to bring fans back to see the action. After a chance meeting in the park with an old friend, Alistair has helped to bring interested parties in and have been working free of charge - as have thew other agencies - and the imaging technology is being supplied at cost.It's a great idea and one that could really help. In this chat we discuss how it came about and just how it will work when it's being used. We also talk about his agency, Earnie, and how it has been coping during the COVID-19 crisis.You can read about the project as well in this report https://www.provokemedia.com/latest/article/pr-agencies-launch-covid-19-initiative-for-sports-eventsSubscribe to hear more and do check out my previous interviews with some top people in the industry.

Welcome to the Social & Sport podcast, to kick start a busy week I’m talking to the Director of Digital Media, and Editor in Chief, at MLS team Portland Timbers. It’s been a big challenge for Brian Costello and the team after months of planning for the new season, it was suspended after only two matches. Since then they’ve been utilising everything they have to engage fans and keep spirits high.Brian is always an engaging guest and I’m sure you’ll be able to take a lot out of what he has to say.If you enjoy this podcast they do subscribe on your platform of choice and of course leave a rating or review, that would be amazing. I’m trying to find as many great people as I can to share their stories during this COVID-19 crisis to both help and inspire as many people out there as I can. So every little helps.You can also find the video off this chat on YouTube and by following me on LinkedIn.Thanks again and enjoy this chat with Brian Costello of the Portland Timbers…

This week I’m talking to someone I first interviewed on my old Digital Sport podcast back in early 2017, not long after he’d set up his agency, Dark Horses. From then he’s seen great success and developed a close-nit culture within the company.  One of our main topics which is very timely is the NHS Charities Together Cup - a FIFA esports competition run over a week that includes sporting and entertainment,ent celebrities including F1 driver Lando Norris, actor Paddy McGuinness, cricketer Ben Stokes and many others.If you’re listening before Sunday 3rd May 2020 then make sure you tune into their YouTube channel, Celebrity Esports, to watch the Final.We cover much more than this including on a personal level for Simon as both he, and more critically his son, caught coronavirus. He’s doing great now, which is great to hear, as you can see from the viral video that Simon’s brother in-law Toby posted of him. You can see it here https://twitter.com/tobymarriott/status/1246061924984344577

It's not just the teams and federations we're looking at. After spending most of my career agency-side it's an area I've been very interested in and have been working through with my current company.Luca Massaro started WePlay, a performance-driven sports marketing agency, back in 2012. Moving through organic social media production and strategy to delivering measurable outcomes now.With clients that cover mass participation sports, high-profile football clubs and sponsor brands, the current crisis has obviously had ramifications for the business, as it has for everyone involved in the industry.But it's how you deal with the setbacks, work with clients and find new ways of working that determine how you will come out the other side. Luca has never been one to shy away from those decisions and there are some great lessons for us all to take on board from what had to say.If you have any questions or comments, leave them in the comments below or get in touch on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DanielMcLaren).

In episode 3 of Social & Sport I talk to Jim Lucas from The FA about how they've been coping with the COVID-19 challenges that have been thrown at them. Only a few weeks ago they were 100% planning for international friendlies and this summer's UEFA European Championships. This has now been pushed back to next year, leaving a huge content sized hole in Jim and his teams plans. We talked about how they've been adjusting to remote working (and how this will change the way they work forever) and the types of content they initially started to use after going quiet for the first week or so of lockdown.They have since launched the 'Football Is Staying Home' campaign that acts as an umbrella for many different strands and helps to provide some structure to their content. They have also worked closely with their many commercial partners to embed them as well, ensuring that rights are at least in part being made up for the lack of live events. It's a fascinating insight into how social media (and wider content) teams are working at the moment. They have so much going out across all their platforms that it's well worth checking out.Take a listen to our previous episodes with ONE Championship and Blinkfire Analytics. More to come soon.Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/danielmclaren