Paige Dimakos, CEO, Draft Network

Barney McCoy Author

09/13/2020 Added

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Paige Dimakos, chief executive officer, The Draft Network

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[00:00:00.000]Paige Dimakos, you graduated, what was that?
[00:00:03.300]Three or four years ago?
[00:00:05.140]2013, I appreciate that you think
[00:00:06.725]it was only three years ago?
[00:00:08.176]Three years?
[00:00:10.043]All right.
[00:00:10.876]Yeah, it since been a little longer.
[00:00:12.120]I feel like I was just at UNL,
[00:00:13.600]but 2013 was when I graduated.
[00:00:16.180]So I want you to talk about
[00:00:17.207]the whole Draft Network and boy, talk about timing.
[00:00:21.540]How would you think of the Chiefs last night?
[00:00:23.790]Yeah, it was a good start for Mahomes
[00:00:27.220]not so good for Deshaun Watson.
[00:00:28.830]So as a a Chicago girl
[00:00:32.759]the Trubisky Bowl is always tough for me anyways.
[00:00:36.260]So I was happy to see that Deshaun Watson
[00:00:40.402]didn't put on a show last night,
[00:00:43.680]so I didn't have to be too sad about them not drafting
[00:00:45.574]either one of those quarterbacks.
[00:00:47.540]How important is it to you?
[00:00:50.030]I mean, obviously you're all about the fans, right?
[00:00:52.710]But how important is it to you that the NFL
[00:00:55.020]is actually playing football?
[00:00:57.810]Life altering, to put it nicely.
[00:01:02.460]I think, for us, we at Draft Network
[00:01:06.060]where we came off of our biggest and best year yet.
[00:01:09.537]We were very excited coming off.
[00:01:11.739]Massive free agency is I'm sure everybody
[00:01:15.530]in this zoom knows,
[00:01:17.523]with all the quarterbacks on the move
[00:01:20.900]and Tom Birch changing conferences
[00:01:23.520]and everything that happened this off season
[00:01:25.820]in tandem with a massive draft
[00:01:29.760]and everything that happened virtually.
[00:01:32.620]It was very crucial for us
[00:01:35.030]to continue down a path of growth.
[00:01:36.860]And there was a lot up in the air
[00:01:39.050]with college football and the NFL,
[00:01:40.530]and that would have impacted our business
[00:01:41.793]on top of everybody else's.
[00:01:43.610]So I'm happy to report that, that did not happen.
[00:01:46.544]And we are growing,
[00:01:49.440]we hired this off season, which was phenomenal.
[00:01:51.802]It feels good to be able to do that
[00:01:55.510]in light of the fact that,
[00:01:58.097]a lot of sports media entities are laying people off.
[00:02:01.261]I was able to hire the former editor of Sports Illustrated,
[00:02:05.460]who's now the editor of The Draft Network.
[00:02:07.440]So that's, was a phenomenal hire for us,
[00:02:10.887]a friend of mine that I worked with at ESPN
[00:02:13.332]and was happy to bring him over.
[00:02:15.350]So always a good thing to be able to hire.
[00:02:18.530]It's not a fun thing as the boss to fire anybody,
[00:02:21.720]so happy to be growing.
[00:02:23.190]No it's not, I got tell you,
[00:02:24.769]your growth over the last seven years,
[00:02:27.803]it's just been amazing.
[00:02:28.950]Talk a little bit about graduating from this college
[00:02:31.914]back in 2013 and kind of your whole evolution,
[00:02:35.181]not, and somebody who's in sports media.
[00:02:38.150]I mean, you were the sports nerd here.
[00:02:40.360]You've always, that was part of your DNA from the get go.
[00:02:43.890]Yeah.
[00:02:44.916]But now you're a chief operating officer
[00:02:46.270]of a company that's growing
[00:02:47.618]and increasingly profitable, I assume.
[00:02:50.760]Yap.
[00:02:51.728]And these pieces have really begun to fall into place.
[00:02:55.410]So talk about that evolution, if you will.
[00:02:58.306]So while I in school guys
[00:02:59.813]says, you're gonna probably laugh about,
[00:03:02.880]but, when I was a freshmen in college,
[00:03:07.390]Twitter was not this sports media entity
[00:03:11.290]that it is now, right?
[00:03:12.610]It was just kind of coming into its own.
[00:03:14.700]And Instagram was just starting
[00:03:16.990]and these platforms were not being used for sports media.
[00:03:20.450]And so I, as a student, took an opportunity
[00:03:23.930]to use Twitter and social media to really grow
[00:03:27.610]my brand while I was a student.
[00:03:29.810]And also use that to produce content
[00:03:32.970]with Nebraska football players
[00:03:34.830]and Nebraska volleyball players and softball players,
[00:03:37.190]because we were all the same age.
[00:03:38.990]And so we were all interested in social media
[00:03:41.390]and how it could grow our brands.
[00:03:42.930]And now obviously you guys are
[00:03:44.980]in a completely different stage,
[00:03:46.270]but also a lot of opportunity with NIL changing
[00:03:49.368]and these players being able to use their brands
[00:03:51.870]and grow their brands
[00:03:52.703]and having more of an emphasis there, right?
[00:03:54.916]So that was kind of how things started for me.
[00:03:57.900]I started while I was at the university,
[00:03:59.790]I did everything that I possibly could.
[00:04:02.070]I called games.
[00:04:02.920]I did podcasts.
[00:04:03.940]I did the election stuff.
[00:04:06.078]I did everything that I could to get experience
[00:04:09.029]in really every category that you could have.
[00:04:12.250]So that way I could set myself up properly
[00:04:13.819]as I graduated and I started at the ESPN affiliate
[00:04:18.480]out in Phoenix, Arizona.
[00:04:19.680]So I was covering the Arizona Cardinals
[00:04:21.230]and right as I came out,
[00:04:22.558]Bruce Arians took over in Arizona.
[00:04:25.400]And if you know anything about that timeframe,
[00:04:27.360]it was a good timeframe to be covering the Cardinals
[00:04:29.530]because they were really, really good
[00:04:31.020]for the three years that
[00:04:32.350]I was covering the NFL team out there.
[00:04:34.280]And that's how I got my start
[00:04:36.430]and the reason that I got that job was because
[00:04:37.917]I took an internship while I was in college,
[00:04:40.389]moved to Phoenix for a summer, lived with my family,
[00:04:43.049]worked at Fox Sports in Phoenix,
[00:04:45.631]developed as many contacts as I could,
[00:04:48.000]and then went back, finished my last year of school
[00:04:50.204]and basically bothered everybody that I knew
[00:04:54.733]while I was in school,
[00:04:58.040]just to say,
[00:04:58.873]"hey, I'm graduating,
[00:04:59.807]"I'll take any opportunity that is available to me."
[00:05:02.420]And I took a social media manager role out of school
[00:05:06.050]and turned it into a full time radio host,
[00:05:08.910]full time video host job at, at ESPN
[00:05:10.853]that I eventually left and took other opportunities.
[00:05:13.990]But that's kinda how things kicked off.
[00:05:16.020]It started while I was in school
[00:05:17.260]and really led me to take an opportunity
[00:05:20.330]right out of college.
[00:05:21.550]Paige you and then others we've talked to,
[00:05:25.210]you all have the shared trait.
[00:05:28.280]And that is that you're not afraid to try and do new things.
[00:05:32.430]You're not afraid to not be bashful
[00:05:35.690]and, ask them
[00:05:37.967]"hey, who do you know that I can talk to
[00:05:39.907]"about getting a job?
[00:05:40.997]"Who do you know that can do this?
[00:05:43.340]"Can we try this today in our program?
[00:05:46.937]"I have some ideas I'd like to run by you.
[00:05:49.717]"I like to get your feedback.
[00:05:51.364]"I like to have criticism if it's constructive
[00:05:54.767]"and it'll make me better, so lay it on me."
[00:05:57.650]Would you agree with that?
[00:05:59.364]Oh, 100%.
[00:06:00.400]I now as a 30 year old in sports media,
[00:06:04.169]I've been in here and I feel like a veteran,
[00:06:07.110]but I'm just starting off, right?
[00:06:08.540]And from the sports business perspective,
[00:06:10.570]I'm the youngest person in the room,
[00:06:13.000]every time I'm in the room.
[00:06:14.639]Most of the time, I'm the only female in the room.
[00:06:17.900]That's an executive by a long shot.
[00:06:20.210]And so I am always, always trying to get better.
[00:06:24.680]I think that is a commonality,
[00:06:26.530]no matter what any of you guys decide to do,
[00:06:28.610]whether it's sports media or not,
[00:06:30.096]if you cannot take criticism,
[00:06:32.270]you will not survive in this business,
[00:06:34.790]really in any business,
[00:06:36.240]because whether it's, the principles are the same,
[00:06:39.990]if you want to be successful in anything that you do,
[00:06:43.114]you have to be able to listen to people
[00:06:46.080]that are smarter than you,
[00:06:47.444]surround yourself with people
[00:06:49.400]that are better at certain aspects
[00:06:51.216]and listen to them and grow,
[00:06:53.339]but also be strong enough in your conviction,
[00:06:55.755]in the things that you believe to be true,
[00:06:58.156]to be able to stand up to people,
[00:07:00.060]because I've had multiple times where,
[00:07:02.026]people told me I couldn't do something.
[00:07:04.010]People said what I was doing was wrong.
[00:07:05.844]And I had, I went with my gut.
[00:07:07.840]And listen, not every time I was right.
[00:07:10.300]But a lot of the times I was right.
[00:07:11.890]And you have to be able to kind of differentiate
[00:07:14.440]those times and say, I really firmly believe
[00:07:17.820]that this is gonna be great for me and my career
[00:07:21.210]and plant your flag and know that it's a risk, right?
[00:07:25.060]But that's okay.
[00:07:25.893]That's, it's okay to take risks.
[00:07:27.870]You will not be successful if you do not take risks.
[00:07:33.220]I'm sorry.
[00:07:34.053]Go ahead, Barney.
[00:07:34.886]No, go ahead Barney.
[00:07:35.719]Tell us about The Draft Network
[00:07:37.180]and its whole development, if you will,
[00:07:40.833]What does a day in the life
[00:07:43.020]of a Draft Network like right now?
[00:07:44.530]Because you guys are like, you're operating now,
[00:07:47.526]the season is underway and this is business,
[00:07:51.700]so you've gotta get it right.
[00:07:53.190]So what does that look like?
[00:07:54.310]And then what is it like when you have something,
[00:07:55.913]this is your baby, right?
[00:07:57.410]This is The Draft Network.
[00:07:58.530]So tell us about that.
[00:08:00.134]Yeah, every day is different
[00:08:02.680]for me specifically and football season and draft season,
[00:08:08.250]which is post post Super Bowl for us
[00:08:10.882]as we head into Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine
[00:08:15.160]and then the NFL Draft and all the pro days,
[00:08:17.836]we really don't have an off time.
[00:08:21.310]So we, as most businesses do operate in quarters
[00:08:25.900]in how we evaluate things and what we're doing.
[00:08:28.860]Our summer was executing at a high level
[00:08:31.390]to make sure that when slash,
[00:08:33.920]if we inevitably did not get college football, right?
[00:08:37.050]Which was the lens we were operating under,
[00:08:39.780]we were going to prepare without it
[00:08:42.960]using the 2019 tape, to come into this season.
[00:08:46.100]So we had 450 scouting reports done
[00:08:49.311]for this upcoming draft class in the middle of July
[00:08:53.200]to prepare so that we could kind of the lens
[00:08:55.900]move over to pro scouting and be prepared.
[00:08:58.342]As of right now, what we're doing every single day
[00:09:01.360]is we've got the guys, we've got a full scouting department
[00:09:05.466]where I have four people that all have the NFL experience,
[00:09:09.140]all former NFL scouts
[00:09:10.520]and a couple of other guys that started
[00:09:12.349]their own scouting department about a decade ago,
[00:09:15.450]that work in that department.
[00:09:18.330]And they are producing content around athletes
[00:09:21.440]that are going to be draft eligible.
[00:09:23.080]And then we have our content team and our social media team
[00:09:25.825]who are taking what the scouting department is,
[00:09:29.260]funneling it into a digestible media outlet, a podcast,
[00:09:34.300]video, social YouTube videos.
[00:09:36.850]I mean, we're, we produce probably hundreds
[00:09:40.110]of different pieces of content every week.
[00:09:41.910]And we've got different people
[00:09:43.640]in their different departments doing that all year round.
[00:09:46.460]But right now as obviously,
[00:09:47.820]we're very happy to have NFL kickoff this weekend
[00:09:50.840]with some fantasy football and sports gambling
[00:09:53.070]and everything that we're gonna be handling
[00:09:53.903]over the weekend.
[00:09:55.300]Zach Edwards kind of picked up on your comments
[00:09:57.110]about having to really contingency plans and everything.
[00:10:00.060]But here it was his question.
[00:10:01.410]How stressful has it been to have a career
[00:10:04.140]where you have to make predictions
[00:10:05.190]about hundreds of different players performances,
[00:10:07.196]especially considering how unpredictable
[00:10:09.857]the events have been on any given day
[00:10:12.477]at any given game any day and now of course, COVID?
[00:10:16.101]Yeah, no, stressful is right.
[00:10:18.599]What I would say is that,
[00:10:21.003]you know that your hit rate is not gonna
[00:10:22.831]be a hundred percent,
[00:10:24.010]because the NFLs hit rate is not a hundred percent, right?
[00:10:26.700]So nobody's perfect.
[00:10:28.080]There's a lot of variables as you go in.
[00:10:30.310]The thing that's most important to me
[00:10:32.510]as the leader of the company is to ensure
[00:10:34.530]that I have the best people possible
[00:10:36.920]doing the best work possible.
[00:10:39.250]And I know that,
[00:10:41.349]I will, at the end of this,
[00:10:43.020]give you guys all my information
[00:10:44.500]and I hope to hear from some of you
[00:10:45.980]and maybe especially from those of you
[00:10:47.597]who are really interested in the draft.
[00:10:49.528]And I have an excellent scouting department who,
[00:10:52.644]between all of them have worked
[00:10:54.581]with Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick and Anthony Lynn,
[00:10:59.088]and some of the best minds in the NFL.
[00:11:01.840]And the best thing about them
[00:11:03.637]is that they've taken all the great things
[00:11:05.980]that they've learned from the NFL
[00:11:07.390]and all their pieces.
[00:11:08.228]And they've funneled it into one department.
[00:11:10.471]And so they trust each other, they respect each other,
[00:11:13.358]they battle with each other about these prospects,
[00:11:16.210]but it comes from a place of respect,
[00:11:17.900]which is really good and very important.
[00:11:20.000]And at the end of the day, there's no ego.
[00:11:21.116]And that's the most important part because in the NFL,
[00:11:24.530]there's a lot of ego.
[00:11:26.580]And it gets in the way of being right
[00:11:30.160]about some of these prospects,
[00:11:31.420]but you're never gonna hit a hundred percent.
[00:11:34.680]You're gonna make mistakes,
[00:11:35.810]but you're gonna put in the most amount of work possible.
[00:11:38.840]So that means calling the coaches,
[00:11:40.250]getting a feel for the player off the field,
[00:11:42.158]and then watching the tape.
[00:11:43.790]'Cause a lot of the analytics that have focused, PFF,
[00:11:48.992]and some of these other places,
[00:11:50.849]have really taken a toll on watching
[00:11:54.833]the overall game
[00:11:56.120]'cause analytics don't tell if you can tackle,
[00:11:58.620]if you can tackle, you can tackle.
[00:12:00.340]There's no analytics for that.
[00:12:02.250]So we always go back to watch the tape
[00:12:04.645]and that's a pretty good indicator for us of being able to,
[00:12:08.720]to try and have the highest hit rate we can.
[00:12:11.230]And, you talked about the human factor
[00:12:13.180]that goes along with the analytics.
[00:12:14.430]Olivia Rainmaker did wanna know,
[00:12:15.980]what kind of analytics or models
[00:12:17.410]are you using to try and make
[00:12:18.630]scoring predictions for players?
[00:12:20.680]Yes, so we have two guys on our staff
[00:12:23.392]who actually built out their own analytics model
[00:12:26.379]that we use that is a part of our Mock Drafts Simulator,
[00:12:30.660]which is our tech front facing gamified experience
[00:12:34.080]that allows you to draft like you are a GM in the NFL.
[00:12:37.700]So if you haven't checked that out,
[00:12:39.300]it's the biggest aspect of what we do
[00:12:41.570]is we fund all our scouting reports
[00:12:43.200]into the Mock Draft Machine.
[00:12:44.590]And if you're a Kansas City Chiefs fan,
[00:12:46.520]you can go in there and draft
[00:12:47.980]like you are the Chief's GM, right?
[00:12:50.390]And it's an incredible experience.
[00:12:54.070]And we have AI that plays a part in that
[00:12:57.340]we have analytics that plays a part in that.
[00:12:59.350]And the biggest aspect of that is that
[00:13:01.110]we are always, always continuously developing that
[00:13:05.630]and going to people in the tech space,
[00:13:07.790]in the analytics space that are smarter than us
[00:13:10.400]and listening to them and taking feedback,
[00:13:12.380]but also knowing when we say, hmm,
[00:13:15.126]that doesn't match with what we see on tape
[00:13:17.900]and being, being okay, saying, that's,
[00:13:20.820]we're not going to listen to that.
[00:13:21.990]We're gonna go with what we see with our eyes.
[00:13:24.950]And more often than not, the eyes are right.
[00:13:27.920]So that's been helpful listening to it
[00:13:30.554]and having it be a supplemental piece,
[00:13:32.740]instead of focusing all of our emphasis on that.
[00:13:35.480]Paige mentioned, Lohmeyer wants to know
[00:13:37.335]at a time where some of college football's top players
[00:13:41.268]have opted out of the season or not playing,
[00:13:44.630]they can't play right now because of COVID.
[00:13:46.404]How does The Draft Network try and prepare content
[00:13:50.060]without some of those key players
[00:13:51.280]that otherwise would be there?
[00:13:53.470]Yeah, so what we did is we have the scouting reports
[00:13:57.338]and everything done based off the 2019 tape,
[00:13:59.927]because we wanted to make sure that we had
[00:14:01.783]if said player, and there's a couple of guys in our top 10
[00:14:06.164]that are not playing college football this season.
[00:14:09.060]And so we had to prepare without it.
[00:14:11.510]The other thing that's really crucial for us
[00:14:12.985]is we have a partnership with EXOS,
[00:14:14.950]which is the training facility that does many, many
[00:14:18.060]of the workouts with these players in the off season.
[00:14:20.580]They do all of the NFL Combine training at the Combine
[00:14:25.610]and the preparation and everything that goes into that.
[00:14:27.930]And so we will have exclusive content
[00:14:30.504]of these players working out throughout this off season.
[00:14:34.040]So one of the things you guys will see
[00:14:35.980]if you check out the Draft Network
[00:14:37.035]in the next couple of weeks is
[00:14:39.332]some of these video series with these players
[00:14:41.880]who are not playing college football
[00:14:43.390]and their workouts and their nutrition
[00:14:45.140]and how they're going to prepare
[00:14:46.515]for football without football,
[00:14:49.120]because it's going to be very difficult.
[00:14:50.760]It's gonna be very difficult for these players.
[00:14:53.380]But we've seen players take a season off
[00:14:55.201]and be pretty, pretty damn good,
[00:14:57.320]I.e the Bolster brothers.
[00:14:58.224]So if you know, you've been able to watch them
[00:15:00.609]take a season off and his injury
[00:15:03.550]and be able to come in
[00:15:04.610]and be an absolute monster in the NFL.
[00:15:07.350]So, some of these guys that are gonna end up,
[00:15:09.694]they've shown enough in their 2019 tape to be a top,
[00:15:14.940]top 100 pick, they're gonna be fine.
[00:15:17.500]It's the guys that I think need to showcase more,
[00:15:21.750]that needed the 2020 season to be able to rise.
[00:15:25.180]I think of, if you know anything about Joe Burrow,
[00:15:27.760]Joe Burrow might not be in the NFL right now,
[00:15:30.020]if he didn't have his 2019 college football tape.
[00:15:33.700]And that's a tough pill to swallow because
[00:15:36.160]that means that we're gonna miss out on some of these gems.
[00:15:40.130]And that's hard, because you're not gonna learn
[00:15:42.990]as my favorite coach always says,
[00:15:45.207]"You're not gonna learn anything about a player in shorts."
[00:15:47.670]You just don't.
[00:15:48.503]You're not gonna learn anything.
[00:15:50.150]It's really hard to transfer a workout video
[00:15:53.376]to a guide plan football.
[00:15:56.420]It's just not the same.
[00:15:57.350]And so you're going to have to rely
[00:15:59.670]on the best tape that you have available
[00:16:01.930]and do your due diligence about what their,
[00:16:03.969]how they're using their time without football
[00:16:07.170]to prepare to play in the NFL.
[00:16:08.990]By the way, who is that favorite football coach of yours?
[00:16:11.763]Bruce Arians.
[00:16:12.930]So I'm very close to the Arians family,
[00:16:15.960]I host a podcast with Jake, his son,
[00:16:19.156]and he's become like a pseudo uncle for me.
[00:16:23.410]So he and I talk all the time and he's a big proponent
[00:16:26.260]of women in sports.
[00:16:27.240]And also just one of the coaches who's done
[00:16:31.300]a phenomenal job in adding minorities
[00:16:33.461]and adding women to his coaching staffs
[00:16:35.590]for such a long time.
[00:16:36.423]So he's my favorite for a lot of reasons,
[00:16:39.190]but he's also my favorite cause he's about as blunt
[00:16:41.920]as they come.
[00:16:42.753]And I appreciate just getting right to the point.
[00:16:44.918](laughs)
[00:16:46.050]You talked about what a different year this has been
[00:16:49.357]and how you had to think about, fallbacks
[00:16:51.553]and different things here,
[00:16:53.920]not just what players are doing
[00:16:55.530]and training camp, draft
[00:16:57.612]on the field when they're competing,
[00:16:59.780]but really thinking now about those players
[00:17:00.893]that maybe are playing right now, the nutritional aspect,
[00:17:04.207]what their training regimens are like,
[00:17:05.877]while they take a year off,
[00:17:07.910]because they wanna come back stronger than ever.
[00:17:09.530]They still wanna be marketable.
[00:17:10.780]They still wanna have some presence in the NFL, if they can.
[00:17:13.566]Do you think, this is a transitional year in sports media?
[00:17:19.250]And as it is,
[00:17:20.740]how do you think it will be different
[00:17:22.170]than what you've done in the past?
[00:17:23.650]Yeah, it's definitely gonna be a transitional year
[00:17:27.010]for sports media, it already has been, right?
[00:17:29.040]You've already seen many companies laying people off
[00:17:31.610]trying to figure things out.
[00:17:32.897]I think the reality is that
[00:17:35.060]we've been headed in this direction for a long time
[00:17:37.242]and the companies that were not preparing
[00:17:39.864]for the digital experience
[00:17:44.150]to be the biggest part of this experience
[00:17:46.520]are just gonna be left behind.
[00:17:48.373]And so, some of the best blend that I can give you
[00:17:52.110]from the business side, is we are a sports media company,
[00:17:56.560]but we're also a tech company.
[00:17:58.280]And the companies that do not have high level tech
[00:18:01.500]will not survive,
[00:18:03.211]because people that are under the age of,
[00:18:07.130]honestly, my age and younger,
[00:18:08.940]we expect high level digital experiences
[00:18:13.050]in everything that we do.
[00:18:14.940]And from a consumption standpoint,
[00:18:16.560]if you don't have something to draw that audience in,
[00:18:19.228]you are now left behind.
[00:18:21.490]And, so this is a massive transitional year for everybody
[00:18:25.730]because you're trying to figure out
[00:18:27.810]how to engage with fans without the in arena experience,
[00:18:32.090]which is forcing brands to be quite frankly,
[00:18:34.760]way more creative.
[00:18:36.451]But if you know anything about football,
[00:18:39.180]you know this has been happening for a long time, right?
[00:18:42.410]'Cause if you play fantasy football,
[00:18:43.970]what do you like to do?
[00:18:44.803]You like to sit at home, you like to watch Scott Hanson,
[00:18:47.670]you like to watch RedZone
[00:18:49.060]and you have your phone in your hand,
[00:18:50.500]or you have your laptop
[00:18:51.530]and you're watching your fantasy team
[00:18:52.990]while also watching, the plays
[00:18:56.240]and the highlights and everything,
[00:18:57.330]and the football experience is excellent on TV.
[00:18:59.820]And it has been for a really, really long time.
[00:19:01.980]So the in game experience has been dwindling for a while.
[00:19:05.550]And people, whether it's the NFL teams in and of itself,
[00:19:09.720]trying to figure out how they're gonna generate
[00:19:11.210]that revenue in different capacities
[00:19:13.110]and also how they're gonna grow their fan bases.
[00:19:14.908]That's been happening for a while.
[00:19:17.100]And you can tell who's been focusing on it pre-COVID,
[00:19:20.630]'cause they look like they're running a race
[00:19:22.450]that the other teams aren't in
[00:19:24.140]and they're prepared with some excellent partnerships
[00:19:27.380]and sponsorships that are really gonna put them ahead
[00:19:29.676]of the game.
[00:19:30.509]And that's gonna be hard for other teams
[00:19:33.420]to catch up for sure.
[00:19:35.190]When you're looking ahead here, Paige,
[00:19:37.830]where do you see
[00:19:38.958]the future trend lines going?
[00:19:42.110]I really didn't talk about the issue of social justice
[00:19:44.730]and professional sports as phase two,
[00:19:46.280]which I think it's just never been so dramatic,
[00:19:50.540]never been so impactful as it's been this year,
[00:19:54.540]for lots of different reasons.
[00:19:55.640]But what are your thoughts about that?
[00:19:57.680]Yeah, I'm a proponent of the players.
[00:19:59.747]I've always been that way when I started,
[00:20:02.506]when I was in school,
[00:20:04.129]back at Nebraska and more so now
[00:20:07.010]I have had many conversations with guys that
[00:20:10.260]I was in school with
[00:20:11.240]whether it's Kenny Bell or Jeremiah Searles,
[00:20:14.010]or Will Compton or Lavonte David,
[00:20:16.460]we're (indistinct) all guys that have always had my back
[00:20:20.250]and I've always had their back.
[00:20:22.394]And that's, the Nebraska connection is super strong
[00:20:25.101]and we help each other out in sports media,
[00:20:28.200]and that's been super impactful and helpful
[00:20:31.220]and guys like Blake Lawrence and (indistinct)
[00:20:33.131]have built out open doors in what they've been doing
[00:20:35.920]and how they've helped built brands and players.
[00:20:39.670]And I think the teams were blind to think
[00:20:41.980]that this wasn't coming,
[00:20:43.060]because if you're an NBA fan,
[00:20:44.520]you've been watching the players
[00:20:46.080]be more powerful for quite some time.
[00:20:48.210]And although a 53 man roster is not the same as,
[00:20:52.300]a 12 or 13 man roster.
[00:20:54.900]This has been coming for a long time
[00:20:57.090]and the players needed their voice
[00:20:59.622]and the owners needed to listen.
[00:21:02.320]And it has been very impactful
[00:21:05.130]and it's been very, it's been very good.
[00:21:08.250]The conversations that I have been present for
[00:21:10.923]have been uncomfortable,
[00:21:13.120]they've been impactful and I mean uncomfortable
[00:21:16.670]in all of the right ways, right?
[00:21:18.300]Where you are forcing people to talk and think about things
[00:21:21.386]and be empathetic to people that they don't understand.
[00:21:26.100]And that is so important now more than ever before,
[00:21:29.950]for people to understand what it's like
[00:21:31.650]to deal with things that you don't deal with
[00:21:34.190]and be empathetic towards that.
[00:21:36.167]And I think the teams that are having these conversations
[00:21:40.870]are going to gel and the chemistry is gonna be better
[00:21:43.640]than ever before.
[00:21:44.700]Because if you feel like your brother in the locker room
[00:21:47.740]has your back in a way that you've never felt before,
[00:21:51.175]you're gonna be more ride or die than ever before
[00:21:54.260]on a football field.
[00:21:55.260]And that raw raw kind of military esque behavior
[00:21:59.190]exists in a football locker room already.
[00:22:01.300]And it's kind of banding a lot of these teams together
[00:22:04.100]even more so than before.
[00:22:05.540]So what I've seen has been excellent.
[00:22:07.550]I'm a big proponent of the players.
[00:22:09.190]I'm a big proponent of these conversations.
[00:22:11.240]And I think it's been really amazing
[00:22:14.380]to watch the change that I've already seen happen
[00:22:17.050]in such a short period of time,
[00:22:18.490]'cause these players are very, very powerful
[00:22:21.110]and using their power to impact positive changes
[00:22:23.791]is a really great thing to see.
[00:22:26.000]You certainly saw that last night
[00:22:27.299]in the pregame ceremonies living up
[00:22:29.584]to the Chief's, Texans game,
[00:22:32.250]by not just teams getting together.
[00:22:36.640]We're talking about sports (indistinct)
[00:22:39.290]we're talking about Major League Baseball, NBA, WNBA, NFL
[00:22:47.030]college players here, I mean,
[00:22:48.260]have you ever seen that type of unity before
[00:22:50.475]around social justice issues like we're seeing, right now?
[00:22:53.752]No, and that is the most exciting part
[00:22:57.630]of what you're seeing right now, I think to me,
[00:23:00.070]because you're seeing players
[00:23:01.707]across all of professional sports leagues,
[00:23:04.780]realize that there's power in unity.
[00:23:07.475]And when you put a bunch of people together
[00:23:10.471]and a bunch of influence together,
[00:23:12.860]there's a lot better opportunity for them
[00:23:15.210]to make change than there is if there's one or two
[00:23:17.820]of them standing, trying to make the change,
[00:23:20.010]because you're forcing people to listen to a conversation
[00:23:23.540]that they're not comfortable having.
[00:23:25.270]And that is hard to get people to listen and to empathize
[00:23:28.144]with things that they don't have to deal with.
[00:23:30.580]And that is what's happening right now is,
[00:23:32.558]people are being forced to empathize with others
[00:23:37.109]and understand others and listen to others.
[00:23:39.908]And that's needed to happen for a very, very long time.
[00:23:44.610]And I'm happy to see that the players
[00:23:46.128]are banding together to force people
[00:23:49.293]into some of these conversations
[00:23:51.181]that they otherwise would not be having.
[00:23:53.489]What will it say?
[00:23:55.210]Do you use think, is it even possible
[00:23:56.854]that Colin Kaepernick will play
[00:23:58.544]professional football ever again?
[00:24:01.890]I don't think so, I think there's so many dynamics
[00:24:04.621]that exist there with Collin,
[00:24:07.520]mostly that it is nearly impossible to not play football
[00:24:12.390]for four years and come back and play football
[00:24:14.780]at a high level.
[00:24:16.227]It's just very hard.
[00:24:17.680]It's, the NFL is a non,
[00:24:20.350]it stands for Not For Long, for a reason.
[00:24:23.894]And it is a game that is not forgiving in your body,
[00:24:28.370]you take that much time off,
[00:24:30.810]it's very hard to come in
[00:24:32.197]and take those hits and be in that shape.
[00:24:37.230]'Cause it's not just about being physically fit
[00:24:39.210]it's about being football fit.
[00:24:40.740]And that means your body is prepared
[00:24:42.890]to take hit after hit after hit.
[00:24:45.350]And I just don't think that his body
[00:24:47.230]could quite frankly handle that at this point.
[00:24:49.680]And I think his influence is stronger off the field.
[00:24:53.240]I don't think he needs to be on a football field
[00:24:55.890]to continue his message.
[00:24:57.100]I think what he did started the conversation four years ago,
[00:25:00.640]and now it's on the players that are present
[00:25:02.820]and on our own rosters to continue that message
[00:25:06.889]and have him continue to do what he's doing off the field
[00:25:10.220]to help bridge that gap and have conversations.
[00:25:13.810]So I don't think he's gonna play on an NFL,
[00:25:16.800]I think because there's just, there's so much there,
[00:25:19.880]whether it's the media attention that it would take
[00:25:22.132]or everything else that's happening.
[00:25:24.450]But I think most importantly,
[00:25:25.609]trying to play football for him
[00:25:28.184]after sitting out all this time.
[00:25:30.143]Like, I don't think that's a very good idea
[00:25:32.810]for his physical wellbeing.
[00:25:34.230]It's a very hard thing to do.
[00:25:36.070]And I don't think it would go well.
[00:25:39.440]So I think he's got just as much influence
[00:25:41.600]off the field now.
[00:25:42.560]And I think that's what we'll end up seeing
[00:25:45.240]is him continuing to do that and partnering
[00:25:47.300]with players that are in the league right now.
[00:25:50.360]You said as CEO of The Draft Network,
[00:25:53.060]that oftentimes you're not just the youngest person
[00:25:56.490]in the room only,
[00:25:57.323](laughs)
[00:25:58.156]the only female in the room as well.
[00:26:01.090]Esther Michael wanted to know,
[00:26:02.630]are there a lot of women who are working
[00:26:04.990]at the level that you have in sports media?
[00:26:09.414]No, which is unfortunate,
[00:26:12.620]but that's one of the things that
[00:26:14.220]I'm most excited to change.
[00:26:18.290]I am the biggest thing that I am a proponent and passionate
[00:26:22.439]about is women in sports.
[00:26:24.863]I have been that way for a very, very long time.
[00:26:28.210]And it's very important to have the diversity of thought
[00:26:31.790]and conversation inside these rooms.
[00:26:34.480]And for a long time, it wasn't,
[00:26:38.220]there's many sideline reporters are predominantly women.
[00:26:41.670]There's a lot of hosts that women,
[00:26:43.470]there's a lot of specific jobs,
[00:26:45.000]but one of the things that you guys will see this year
[00:26:47.056]on my social media is I'm partnering
[00:26:49.440]with On Her Turf to deliver a content series
[00:26:52.930]called "Football is Female."
[00:26:54.260]And it's going to showcase all the different women
[00:26:56.586]of the NFL.
[00:26:57.840]So, someone like Darcie Glazer,
[00:27:01.070]who's the owner of the Buccaneers.
[00:27:02.684]So quite frankly, the highest level that you can be
[00:27:05.491]as someone in football
[00:27:07.695]and the CEO of the Philadelphia Eagles, who's a woman
[00:27:11.200]and the head strength and conditioning coach
[00:27:13.030]in Washington, who's a woman
[00:27:15.930]and showcasing that there is a place
[00:27:18.340]in every aspect of football
[00:27:21.540]that women can play a part
[00:27:22.860]and the best coaches are listening and hiring
[00:27:27.780]for diversity of thought and opinion
[00:27:30.310]because there's a lot of qualified people
[00:27:32.340]that exist that haven't been getting those opportunities.
[00:27:34.592]And I'm very passionate about that.
[00:27:37.388]And it's been exciting to see more women
[00:27:40.520]inside these conversations, but it's not,
[00:27:42.886]I'm definitely when I'm at the Combine,
[00:27:46.280]I'm definitely one of the few.
[00:27:48.990]And that's gonna take a little while to change, but.
[00:27:52.105]Hey, Paige let's play lightning round, okay.
[00:27:55.939]Okay, yeah, good.
[00:27:57.320]We have about five minutes left.
[00:27:58.460]So I'm gonna fire you that these questions from students,
[00:28:00.950]give me your best 25 second answer
[00:28:04.590]and I'll fire another one.
[00:28:05.570]Perfect.
[00:28:06.403]Okay.
[00:28:07.236]So Austin wants to know,
[00:28:08.070]your most viable thing you learned in our college.
[00:28:11.951]Ooh, to try everything and learn everything
[00:28:14.521]and get as much experience as you possibly can,
[00:28:18.380]while you're allowed to make mistakes.
[00:28:20.510]What challenges did you face
[00:28:21.880]after you got out of the school?
[00:28:23.460]Trying to get into the business
[00:28:24.338]that's from Courtney Sivanka.
[00:28:27.049]I was very lucky to have a job right out of school, right?
[00:28:30.970]So the challenges that existed were really just
[00:28:34.197]taking my first job and owning it
[00:28:37.160]and really trying to be able to,
[00:28:40.639]kind of put my fork in the ground and say,
[00:28:43.010]okay, I know how to do this
[00:28:44.330]because it's hard to be that confident in yourself
[00:28:46.707]when you're 22 years old,
[00:28:48.232]but you just kinda gotta manufacturer that confidence
[00:28:51.214]and know that not everything is gonna be perfect.
[00:28:53.660]And that's okay.
[00:28:55.120]All right, Peyton Kot, what do you think was the spiel
[00:28:58.490]of this past year's draft and who do you think
[00:29:00.670]will be the biggest blast?
[00:29:02.737]The spiel of this draft,
[00:29:04.210]we saw on Thursday Night Football ladies and gentlemen,
[00:29:06.689]Clyde Edwards-Helaire being there
[00:29:08.670]for the Kansas City Chiefs was a man, oh man,
[00:29:11.860]we should not have allowed Andy Reid
[00:29:13.450]to have that opportunity.
[00:29:14.370]So that was one of the ones that we were very excited about.
[00:29:18.550]A couple of third round guys that we are really
[00:29:21.254]excited about as well.
[00:29:22.550]But it's hard to go away from that,
[00:29:24.740]'cause Andy Reid should not have been allowed
[00:29:26.850]to have that in the arsenal.
[00:29:28.100]That's just not fair.
[00:29:29.390]Amazing player.
[00:29:30.223]Well, that's exciting, I try to jump on my Fantasy Board
[00:29:33.695]and see if I can still pick them up last night
[00:29:35.560]after I saw him start to ride, he was gone.
[00:29:37.405](laughs)
[00:29:38.238]No, he's a top 10 guy
[00:29:39.845](Barney laughs)
[00:29:40.678]that was, there was no way he was available.
[00:29:42.290]And if he was, then I would like to join that league.
[00:29:44.156]So. Yeah.
[00:29:45.750]Fell Picard, after you got out, graduated from here,
[00:29:49.382]did you have to look very hard for a job
[00:29:52.030]or were there opportunities out there for you?
[00:29:54.890]So I bullied, is the right word.
[00:29:58.568]The people that I worked with at Fox Sports
[00:30:01.360]for the entirety of my senior year, that's the best.
[00:30:04.360]Like I mean that I sent an email probably once a week
[00:30:08.470]to every single person that I met
[00:30:10.607]while I was interning in Phoenix,
[00:30:12.750]because I had one track mind,
[00:30:14.400]I'm leaving Nebraska, I'm going to Phoenix
[00:30:17.033]and I'm going to have a job.
[00:30:18.558]And I'm telling you, there's something
[00:30:20.550]to just picking a specific goal and manifesting it
[00:30:24.330]and doing it and that's what I did.
[00:30:27.340]And by the time I graduated in May,
[00:30:29.730]I had that job lined up.
[00:30:31.400]But the work that went into that,
[00:30:33.922]was an entire year of breaking down walls
[00:30:37.129]to where I think they were just tired of hearing from me.
[00:30:39.800]So I was going to get an experience
[00:30:41.760]whether they liked it or not.
[00:30:43.115]So making those connections was the most important aspect
[00:30:46.150]to making sure I had that job out of school.
[00:30:49.680]And persistence pays right?
[00:30:51.551](laughs)
[00:30:52.490]Yeah, persistence, correct.
[00:30:53.630]Michael Ernest, what's the best way
[00:30:54.590]to grow your brand on social media.
[00:30:57.670]Doing things, just everybody asks me these questions.
[00:31:00.340]And there's a lot of people that talk about things
[00:31:02.227]and there's not a lot of people that do stuff,
[00:31:04.144]execute, reps, pick a plan, do it consistently.
[00:31:08.705]And instead of talking about it, be about it, do it.
[00:31:13.750]'Cause I hear a lot of great ideas
[00:31:16.010]that never hit the execution button.
[00:31:17.700]So as Bill Belichick says,
[00:31:19.617]"do your job, it's the easiest way to do it."
[00:31:21.855]Pick something and just do it
[00:31:24.170]and do it over and over and over again
[00:31:26.670]until you get really good at it.
[00:31:28.140]Maddie Peterson, what's been your favorite experience
[00:31:30.780]in your current job?
[00:31:33.290]Oh, favorite experience has been transitioning
[00:31:38.770]from being the talent to watching the talent grow,
[00:31:41.876]which it was an unexpected joy that I've had
[00:31:46.990]over the last year, which is,
[00:31:48.620]I'm so used to being the host or the person
[00:31:52.870]that's kind of executing the content and instead now
[00:31:56.060]I'm the one who is watching and fostering
[00:31:58.820]and picking people.
[00:32:00.010]And that has been the most rewarding aspect
[00:32:03.940]of my job is, going from, hey, I'm on this side to
[00:32:07.534]now I'm on the side where I'm leading and watching people
[00:32:11.444]get to execute their dreams.
[00:32:14.970]And it's exciting watching people and get to live out
[00:32:17.610]what they've wanted to do for a very long time.
[00:32:19.660]So that's been the most rewarding part of my job.
[00:32:22.300]Would you say I'm interjecting here that
[00:32:25.580]sometimes the most rewarding things
[00:32:27.404]can also be the toughest things?
[00:32:30.040]Oh yeah, there's a reason that it is right?
[00:32:33.667]Being the leader means you have to do the tough things.
[00:32:36.960]And it also means you get to do the really things,
[00:32:40.320]letting people go, making tough decisions,
[00:32:44.240]running, making budget cuts, reallocating funding,
[00:32:49.449]telling people, giving people criticism,
[00:32:52.810]even when they don't want it.
[00:32:53.900]Those are the things that are very, very difficult,
[00:32:56.200]'cause you never want,
[00:32:57.240]people don't wanna disappoint people regularly,
[00:32:59.833]but you have to be able to lead and give that criticism
[00:33:04.350]and know how to inspire people
[00:33:06.290]because every person works and operates differently,
[00:33:09.300]much like a teacher has to teach.
[00:33:10.934]Each kid has different trigger points
[00:33:13.680]and that's the same way that it exists in the working life
[00:33:16.906]because everybody works differently.
[00:33:20.820]So very much very challenging, but also very rewarding.
[00:33:24.410]Carolyn Frankie wants to know,
[00:33:25.920]what was your dream job when you were younger
[00:33:28.310]and how has that changed or stayed the same
[00:33:31.346]since you got out of college?
[00:33:33.282]So I always wanted to be a sideline reporter
[00:33:37.590]and then I became a sideline reporter
[00:33:39.565]and I hated being a sideline reporter.
[00:33:42.470]So this is an example of you think a job is one thing
[00:33:46.280]and then you do it and it's not, right?
[00:33:48.310]Because I always said, I actually know sports.
[00:33:53.700]I love sports and I know sports.
[00:33:56.393]And one of the things I hated about being
[00:33:59.010]a sideline reporter is that I didn't get the opportunity
[00:34:02.960]to showcase my knowledge that I had in sports
[00:34:05.400]because I was fed a stupid question into my ear,
[00:34:08.400]into my IFB that I had to ask,
[00:34:10.400]that I knew Bo Pelini was not gonna answer, right?
[00:34:14.050]And I knew he was gonna be a jackass
[00:34:16.324]and I felt bad because I was like,
[00:34:19.820]I don't wanna ask this question Bo, but I have to, right.
[00:34:22.535]And that was kinda my learning was,
[00:34:26.880]I can't really showcase what I love or what I can do
[00:34:30.760]in this job.
[00:34:31.640]So I don't wanna do this.
[00:34:33.170]And I quickly got over the version of my dream job
[00:34:37.133]that I had in my head and moved along.
[00:34:41.030]And I think that's a good lesson for everybody because
[00:34:43.255]you think something is one thing when you're watching it
[00:34:46.400]and doing it is a lot different.
[00:34:48.290]So yeah, my dream job changed very, very quickly
[00:34:51.560]after learning that I did not wanna ask stupid questions
[00:34:55.690]to coaches after awhile.
[00:34:57.920]Samuel Rollin, this is down your alley.
[00:35:00.595]What do you think about DeAndre Hopkins going to the Cards.
[00:35:03.162](laughs)
[00:35:05.920]Love as somebody who lives in Arizona
[00:35:08.850]and loves watching the Cardinals thrive
[00:35:10.460]was very happy to see DeAndre Hopkins move to the Valley
[00:35:14.257]to live and work and play with Larry Fitzgerald
[00:35:18.054]two of the all time best, Larry's as a human being
[00:35:21.980]and as a football player, there's not many better
[00:35:24.470]than Larry Fitzgerald and being able to watch and cover him
[00:35:27.750]for a while has been an absolute joy.
[00:35:29.519]And now being able to see him in Hops together is,
[00:35:33.440]that's gonna be really, really fun.
[00:35:35.540]So I'm very excited to watch them play and see Kyler Murray,
[00:35:39.791]have an opportunity to throw the ball
[00:35:42.550]to somebody like DeAndre Hopkins is gonna be
[00:35:44.590]really very, very fun to watch.
[00:35:47.590]Much to the envy of Deshaun Watkins.
[00:35:50.093](laughs)
[00:35:50.926]Watson, yeah.
[00:35:52.043]Yeah, that is accurate.
[00:35:54.570]Okay, we have a minute left.
[00:35:56.370]Final thoughts from Paige Dimakos.
[00:35:59.840]Yeah, final thoughts guys.
[00:36:01.910]The questions that I didn't get to,
[00:36:03.760]I'm happy to get to at any time you guys can find me
[00:36:08.690]on social media, you can email me.
[00:36:11.950]I am always very honest about how available I am
[00:36:15.964]with my time, but I make time for Nebraska students
[00:36:19.430]because it is something that we take care of each other.
[00:36:23.109]And the Nebraska football
[00:36:28.066]entity that exists
[00:36:29.610]is really strong guys.
[00:36:31.010]I cannot tell you how powerful it is
[00:36:33.270]to be a Nebraska alumni.
[00:36:34.580]It's helped me with sponsorships.
[00:36:36.600]It's helped me connect with athletes.
[00:36:38.390]It's helped me connect with brands.
[00:36:40.150]It's helped me get jobs.
[00:36:42.286]So, take the opportunity to build your network
[00:36:45.802]while you have a network to build,
[00:36:48.540]that's built in for you at the University of Nebraska.
[00:36:51.900]And don't be afraid to reach out to Husker alumni
[00:36:54.690]because more often than not a GBR in my email
[00:36:58.350]is gonna get it done, right?
[00:36:59.770]I look at that and I'm like, okay,
[00:37:00.991]let's have a conversation.
[00:37:02.720]And if you've emailed me from Oklahoma,
[00:37:04.660]I'm probably not gonna talk to you, right.
[00:37:06.030]I mean, that's just kinda how this goes.
[00:37:07.430]So I think you guys, anything that I wasn't able to get to,
[00:37:12.050]I'm happy to discuss with you guys at a later time.
[00:37:15.940]And I think, the best piece of advice
[00:37:18.070]that I can possibly give anybody is just
[00:37:20.170]to try things and do things.
[00:37:22.280]'Cause I think so many people are afraid
[00:37:24.580]of trying new things and being afraid to fail.
[00:37:28.220]And the only reason that I've had the success that I have
[00:37:31.700]at my age is because I was never afraid
[00:37:35.140]of doing something wrong.
[00:37:36.350]And that's the best piece of advice
[00:37:38.610]that I can give you guys.
[00:37:40.590]Paige Dimakos, CEO The Draft Network.
[00:37:44.010]Congratulations again, and thanks again
[00:37:45.880]for joining us and for paying it forward
[00:37:47.700]to these students here in our college,
[00:37:49.400]and a pleasure to see you again too Paige.
[00:37:52.190]So good luck.
[00:37:53.320]Thank you, thanks Barney.
[00:37:54.480]Good luck, enjoy NFL season and keep your fingers crossed
[00:37:57.780]we get Husker football about Thanksgiving, okay.
[00:38:00.160]I'm hoping, we're all hoping.
[00:38:02.040]All right.
[00:38:02.873]It's looking good.
[00:38:03.706]It's looking good as of this morning
[00:38:05.120]so just keep your fingers crossed.
[00:38:06.640]Enjoy your weekend here in town and hey guys,
[00:38:09.870]we'll see the rest of you on Monday
[00:38:11.430]as we get back on track again, work on,
[00:38:13.310]they're working on their draft sports stories
[00:38:15.020]they're writing right now so.
[00:38:16.060]Oh, love it.
[00:38:16.893]They're working on it so,
[00:38:18.325]great to see everybody Paige, fantastic.
[00:38:20.930]Thanks for joining us.
[00:38:21.763]Thanks guys, you're doing very well.
[00:38:23.600]Thank you Paige.
[00:38:24.433]Yeah, no problem guys.
[00:38:25.398](WAP-Cardi B Feat Megan Thee stallion)

Paige Dimakos, CEO, Draft Network

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Paige Dimakos, CEO, Draft Network

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