GameDay Media Plays On

After losing every one of his clients when Covid broke out last spring, John Largent had to put his business on hold and rethink his direction. When he launched GameDay Media for sports podcasts in 2017, things got off to a great start. But, last spring he moved into new studios, and then…

“Panic and concern,” Largent said.

But the downturn didn’t last long for GameDay. The same pandemic that had put Largent’s regular business on ice created new opportunities: Managing Zoom meetings for large organizations, audio book recordings, remote podcasts and even new business from places like New York, where business is completely shut down.

“We found that there are opportunities we never considered,” Largent said. “People are excited to get back to work.”

“We treat them like rock stars. They fly in. We put them up at a RiverWalk hotel. Send a car for them… It’s a six-minute ride. And they spend two days with us recording,” Largent said.

He has major local clients, such as David Robinson who does an inspirational podcast with his son, also David. “The Fundamentals” focuses on the “pillars” of the George Washington Carver Academy, which Robinson founded.

“David (senior) is a master ad-libber; and the dynamics of the father and son is intriguing,” Largent said.

Former city manager Sheryl Sculley recorded her recent book, “Greedy Bastards,” at GameDay studios. Largent said audiobooks have become a focus for his company during the pandemic.

“The core of all podcasts is storytelling,” Largent said. “These people are great storytellers and the audience wants to hear it in the author’s own voice.”

Kathy Kersten, a certified “strengths finder” coach produces her popular “Obey Your Strengths” podcast with Largent, and he also has a couple of California clients who enjoy his quality and price. “Judging Meghan” features conversations about salvaging relationships and developing new ones. And a dentist has a program that targets kids 15-22 and their parents about hard work and integrity. That program features A-List guests, such as Anthony Hopkins, Paula Abdul and Kathy Bates.

Largent said he encourages all his podcasters to produce a transcript and turn that into a blog. He said he has had clients produce books entirely from those transcripts.

The key to keeping the podcasts alive, according to Largent, has been finding innovative ways of getting quality recordings with remote guests. The studio may always be the best place to record, but Largent said necessity has forced them to adapt, finding the techniques, hardware and software to make it possible to achieve high quality while keeping his clients safe.

Next steps…  “We are in conversations about ways to add content to live events,” Largent said. “People are relying on us for entertainment and education. In listener reviews, people tell us they couldn’t get through this without us.”