99. Rob Mullens - University of Oregon

Umar Hussain – Head of Media at Navigate – on his experience negotiating multibillion dollar deals down to the smallest detail. He also talks about launching ESPN+ and the direct-to-consumer platform for NBA TV.   Listen to the full episode here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=85a49c2005d45c7def8aca7dbc9d0504   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Daniel Lamarre - Executive Vice-Chairman of the Board at Cirque du Soleil - on the origins of one of the world's most creative performances, the challenges they've overcome, including going from $1B in annual revenue to $0 overnight during the pandemic in 2020.   He also discusses the meeting with Paul, George, and Ringo that led to Cirque's collaboration with the Beatles.   Details: 2:00 - Cirque’s origin 6:00 - Taking the reigns 8:10 - Working with The Beatles 12:30 - The largest employer of former Olympians 14:10 - Taking private equity financing 15:30 - The crisis during the pandemic 18:25 - Shifting into his current role 20:40 - Continuing to push the envelope 23:55 - The One Drop Foundation 25:00 - Rapid Fire Questions   Shownotes: One Drop Foundation Ferreira Café   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Alex Martins – CEO of the Orlando Magic – on leading both the business and basketball sides of an organization.     The mission statement for the Magic is "to be world champions on and off the court, delivering legendary moments every step of the way." But due to the cyclical nature of the NBA, you have to be find ways to succeed as a business, even when the team is isn't competing for a championship.     One area where the Magic has found success, is in group ticket sales, where they've led all NBA teams for nine consecutive seasons. Now that their young team is emerging as a threat in the Eastern Conference, the sky is the limit.     Listen to the full episode here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=86be8dbe20a590a9ef9422581400fac8     For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Michael Alford - Vice President and Director of Athletics at Florida State - on the current and future challenges surrounding college sports.   He discusses the role of analytics in projecting future revenue streams, and the possibility of private equity investment into athletic departments.   Details: 3:55 - The role of analytics in collegiate athletics 6:35 - Pro sports vs. college sport 9:40 - Private Equity in college athletics 15:35 - Mixed-use development 18:05 - How to build a successful athletic department 21:30 - Performance-based incentives 29:40 - Rapid Fire Questions   Books Recommendations: Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson Taking London Tallahassee Restaurant Recommendations: Blue Halo Shell Oyster Bar   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Greg Sankey - Commissioner of the SEC - on balancing what’s best for his conference with the long-term goals of Division I at large.   He emphasizes the role of automatic March Madness bids as a key motivator for conferences wishing to maintain the current system.   His opinion is that the responsibility to guide college athletics into the next era doesn’t rest solely on the SEC and Big Ten.   Listen to the full episode here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=0412aa087274a120752cd355ef29f8ad   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Umar Hussain - Head of Media at Navigate - joins our second ever internal podcast. He shares stories from his previous roles at ESPN and the NBA, along with predictions for the next era of sports media.   He and Anne also discuss the biggest stories of the day including the NFL on Netflix and the NBA/WBD lawsuit.   Details: 1:50 - Umar’s background 11:35 - A new role at Navigate 14:35 - The value of live sports media rights 18:00 - Outlook on traditional broadcasters 20:40 - The biggest sports media stories 31:25 - Sports betting companies getting more involved in media rights? 34:10 - Rapid Fire Questions   Umar's Restaurant Rec: Le Great Outdoor   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

"We've always had to do things differently to be able to compete at the level that we want to compete, which is at the highest level."   Rob Mullens – Athletic Director at Oregon – on the move to the Big Ten and what it means for the Ducks' future.   Oregon athletics has become a global brand through years of creative planning and strategic investment. Still, they are an underdog in many ways compared to some of their new peers when it comes to resources. Mullens highlights the role of Phil Knight and Nike in authentically maximizing the incredible opportunity to join the Big Ten   Listen to the full episode here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=491790ced6fe9fa794178bc0ed7f7c47   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Alex Martins - CEO of the Orlando Magic - discusses what it's like to oversee both the business and basketball operations of the organization.   He started with the Magic at the inception of the franchise in 1989, and has worked on some of the biggest project types in sports business, like the development of the Kia Center. He shares how the Magic maintain a partnership with Disney World to train their staff on providing best-in-class experiences for all of their fans.   Details: 3:00 - The launch of a new NBA franchise 6:00 - Building the Kia Center 10:55 - The path to being a team CEO 20:20 - Overseeing both the business and basketball sides 24:45 - Rapid Fire Questions   Restaurants: The Ravenous Pig Kadence Books: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Atomic Habits   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Jeehae Lee – Founder & CEO of Sportsbox AI – on how leveraging the world's largest database of golf swing data unlocks new techniques for training and improving anyone's golf game.   Her team can even predict how Bryson DeChambeau is going to play on a given day, using the data from hundreds of his warm up swings.   Listen to the full episode here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=4a7dd8f42e57d619a6405627e65f9975   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

For our 100th episode, we invited back one of our very first guests for an update on the conversation that he and AJ had in 2020.   Greg Sankey - Commissioner of the SEC - discusses what it's been like to lead his conference through arguably the most unpredictable era of college athletics. He shares his vision for the future, and how he's setting out to tackle the challenges in front of him.   Details: 2:30 - The current reality of collegiate athletics 19:35 - Unique organizational strategies 24:50 - Greg's dirt track racing fandom 27:30 - Objectives for the future 37:25 - Rapid Fire Questions   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.