The Sam Thompson Stroll

#15: S1E15 - Basketball Business - how business impacts the NBA, journey into independent journalism, and living in Austin Texas

It didn't take long before Kyle Tannanbaum identified the driving force behind the rise and fall of NBA teams: business. With experience in the Dallas Mavericks front office, he began to see how ownership groups, contracts, CBA agreements, and other business interests dictated what was happening on the court. Today, he shares his findings and insights through an independent YouTube channel: Basketball Business. Tune in to learn about the business forces behind the NBA, how they affect what happens on the court, Kyle's journey to starting Basketball Business, and his experience living in Austin, TX. Donate to SoChabe at SoChabe.org Much love, one love! Topics discussed: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:31 - How this episode came to be 00:06:05 - Definition of common NBA finance terms 00:11:57 - New CBA impacts on the NBA 00:16:41 - How business affects the NBA on-court - the death of regional streaming networks (local TV deals) 00:28:32 - WNBA growth and CBA negotiations 00:33:50 - Pursuig independent journalism with Basketball Business 00:38:29 - Why we love the '16-'17 Celtics 00:40:09 - Experience living in Austin, TX 00:48:06 - Journalistic process behind basketball business 00:52:22 - Variety of skills needed in multimedia creation 00:57:13 - Emotional and mental challenges in starting a podcast/YouTube channel 00:58:09 - Development from Basketball Business to help in future career

#14: S1E14 - Starting ifsowhatfor with lifelong friend, value of experience in talent management, and spring 2025 tour with Dogpark

Music first piqued Jamis DeKay's interest when his Mom played him classic rock albums as a 6 year old. Today, Jamis is pursuing his own music full-time as a part of ifsowhatfor, an indietronic duo. He also recently toured as a bassist with Dogpark - an indie rock band - on their spring 2025 tour. Before pursuing his own music full-time, Jamis was a talent manager at Hallwood media and had released a single and EP under the name mohw. Tune in to hear about Jamis' journey in the music industry, how his experience working in talent management developed his understanding of the industry, and his outlook prior to going on tour with Dogpark in spring 2025. Much love, one love! Donate to SoChabe at SoChabe.com 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:38 - Beginnings and early career in music 00:14:04 - Co-founding ifsowhatfor to go all in on music and the different roles within an indietronic duo 00:26:56 - Experience working in artist management 00:31:50 - Improved understanding of music industry and self-managing ifsowhatfor 00:37:03 - Prior experience managing Dogpark and spring 2025 tour 00:46:13 - Managing volume as a performer 00:48:54 - Keeping the love for music as it's a full-time career 00:51:36 - Lifelong career goals from the start of music journey 00:52:56 - Goal learnings from spring 2025 tour with Dogpark

#13: S1E13 - McKinsey analyst to COO and transforming engineering talent evaluations at Ropes AI

Adam Liang left McKinsey as a Senior Business Analyst and joined Ropes AI as the COO. However, it was a more natural transition than you might expect. Today, Ropes is working to transform the way in which engineering talent is evaluated by delivering asynchronous assessments custom-made to the specifications of each role and the given customer's domains and tech stacks. Tune in to hear how Adam made the decision to leave McKinsey for Ropes, what the transition was like, and how Ropes hopes to transform the hiring process for engineering talent. Donate to SoChabe at SoChabe.com Much love, one love! Topics discussed: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:21 - Analyst to COO Transition & Ropes AI 00:10:58 - Balancing needs of customers and users 00:20:50 - How McKinsey prepared Adam to be a COO 00:29:04 - Sense of agency as a COO 00:33:28 - Balance when working 9a-10p 6 days a week 00:42:58 - Communicating culture in hiring process 00:48:33 - Family and friends reaction when leaving McKinsey for a start-up 00:52:54 - Why now? Timing of leaving McKinsey for Ropes 00:56:24 - Personal development goals at Ropes

#12: S1E12 - Directing a feature film with no budget, premiering at the historic Village East by Angelika theatre, and working at Barstool sports

Quentin Tarantino said that the best film school is directing a feature film with no budget… Ben Klein has graduated from film school. At UW Madison, Ben co-directed Wasted, a film unapologetically depicting the post-COVID college experience in its rawest form. He also organized a one-night only premier to bring Wasted to the historic Village East by Angelika theatre in NYC. Fast forward to today, Ben currently works as the Executive Producer for the In The Slot brand at Barstool sports. Tune in to hear about Ben's experience directing and premiering Wasted, as well as his journey and experience at Barstool. Much love, one love! Donate to SoChabe at SoChabe.com Topics discussed: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:41 - Directing and premiering a feature film 00:16:59 - Having your co-stars fall in love while filming 00:20:56 - Preparing for and doing sex, drinking, and drug scenes professionally 00:23:01 - Bringing Wasted to Village East by Angelika in NYC 00:36:04 - Experience working at Barstool sports 00:41:34 - How The Stroll came to be 00:46:56 - Working as the executive producer for In The Slot 00:57:29 - Journey from intern to executive producer 00:59:45 - Measuring brand success within a large company like Barstool 01:01:38 - Balancing Barstool and personal life 01:12:14 - Goals for the coming years

#11: S1E11 - Beating leukemia, playing safety at Wesleyan, and professional experiences in health care

Evan Lasseter's journey to collegiate football is truly one of a kind. Diagnosed with leukemia during a post-grad athletic year, he deferred college to undergo treatment. When chemotherapy failed - a rare outcome affecting just 5% of patients in his situation - he pivoted to immunotherapy and a bone marrow/stem cell transplant. Now, cancer free, Evan plays safety for the Wesleyan football team. He has also carried his experience with him into the professional world, working in financial operations for Northwell Health before an upcoming summer 2026 internship in investment banking. Much love, one love! Donate to SoChabe at SoChabe.com ! Topics discussed: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:04:03 - Leukemia diagnosis and managing athletics and treatment 00:12:49 - Wesleyan football experience and rebuilding muscle 00:19:42 - Diagnosis story and pivoting treatment from chemo to immunotherapy and bone marrow/stem cell transplant 00:33:08 - Officially beating cancer 00:37:43 - Wesleyan football experience and balancing academics & football 00:44:03 - Internship experiences in health care finance 00:50:09 - Value based care and incentives in health care 00:54:28 - Future professional plans and reflections on past experiences 01:07:09 - Takeaway from beating leukemia