Margins of Victory

Maximizing Revenue Around Outdoor Hockey | Margins of Victory: Elaine Russell

Western Michigan Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Operations joins Loyola Marymount AD Craig Pintens from the 2026 NACMA Revenue Generation Summit on this Margins of Victory minipod. They discuss all of the details from transforming the field, ticketing and more as Western Michigan will play an outdoor hockey game in Waldo Stadium next season. 00:00 - Introduction 00:33 - You will be playing a hockey game outside in a football stadium. Walk me through the idea to where we are today. 06:25 - Where did you decide to put the sheet of ice?08:12 - How are you handling season ticket holders and seat assignments? 09:11 - How does ticket priority work? Who gets access to tickets first? 10:25 - Are you moving to a new facility? 11:25 - What is your process of doing seat re-assignment for the new facility?

Margins of Victory: Engineering Strawberry Creek Studios with Beth Tafolla-Voetsch

Beth Tafolla-Voetsch, Cal Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director, External Relations joins Loyola Marymount AD Craig Pintens. On this episode they discuss the launch of the Strawberry Creek Studios, its formation, vision, and how it will integrate into Cal Athletics. 00:00 - Introduction01:26 - You were a student-athlete at Wingate, worked in ticket operations to now overseeing everything external at CAL. How much of that path was that path intentional vs. what was happening in front of you?03:29 - Do you still get in the pool?04:52 - In terms of development, what happens before that ask or that check is written?09:26 - How do you project that vision to donors in this era right now to prevent donor fatigue?12:54 - Let’s talk about Strawberry Creek Studios. How did you get to that point? 19:40 - Where did you get the inspiration for the model?22:49 - How do you anticipate what Learfield does and working into this or perhaps changing?25:42 - You touched on two of the pillars being revenue generation and authentic storytelling, how do you blend those two together and is there one that leads more than the other?30:45 - How are you going to keep track of all of this?31:51 - How you figured out how to incorporate Oski?35:19 - Who is your all-time favorite athlete?

How Pitt Football is Right-Sizing Stadium Capacity to Drive Revenue | Margins of Victory: Kyle Bruce

Pitt’s Senior Deputy Athletic Director, External Relations and Chief Revenue Officer, Kyle Bruce, joins Loyola Marymount AD Craig Pintens from the 2026 NACMA Revenue Generation Summit on this Margins of Victory minipod. The two break down the strategy and execution around reducing Pitt's football stadium capacity and making changes to improve fan engagement. They also discuss the opportunities and challenges in working in a larger market. 00:00 - Introduction00:29 - Pitt made a big decision to reduce football capacity from 68,500 to 51,000. How do you go about making that decision and how do you execute that?03:34 - How did you communicate that decision to season-ticket holders in the upper deck? Were they understanding? 06:50 - How do you resist the temptation to open up more seats during a sellout?08:30 - What’s next in terms of fan experience? 11:07 - What opportunities does it make for you to be in a larger market in Pittsburgh rather than some of the other college towns you have been in?

200+ New Scholarships, Retaining Dillingham, Cutting Through The Clutter & More with Arizona State AD Graham Rossini

Arizona State AD Graham Rossini joins Loyola Marymount AD Craig Pintens on the Margins of Victory podcast to dive into prioritizing sport programs, competing in a growing and crowded marketplace, how his early career experiences help him in the AD chair and much more.00:00 - Intro02:21 - As a former baseball player, start, bench, cut: Pudge Rodriguez, Craig Biggio, Joe Mauer04:40 - What did you learn in your early career as a director of baseball operations that is valuable now as an AD?09:03 - You also worked with the Arizona Diamondbacks. How did that professional sports experience help given the current state of athletics?14:59 - Throughout your career, how did you veer outside of your lane to connect with new people?17:47 - What did you bring from your past experience that helps in this new era of college athletics?20:43 - How do you balance the importance of the state of a facility and its revenue-generating potential?24:11 - 27:32 - How important has it been to retain Football HC Kenny Dillingham as you continue to build up the Sun Devils' department?30:53 - With the House settlement's approval, do you have to prioritize all of your 26 sports to ensure they are resourced appropriately?34:41 - How do you cut through the clutter in your locality and draw in people who have no direct ties to ASU?38:15 - How does the support of President Michael Crow help support athletics' ambitions?42:16 - Has ASU seen an increase in applications in new areas of the country following the move to the Big 12?44:36 - Who is your all-time favorite athlete and why?

2025 Revenue Trends & What's Ahead with WMT's VP of Growth Dr. Eric Nichols

WMT Digital VP of Growth Dr. Eric Nichols joins Margins of Victory and host/Loyola Marymount AD Craig Pintens to discuss the topics they are focusing on as they wrap up 2025 and look ahead to 2026.00:00 - Introduction02:34 - The Modern Tech Stack06:24 - NIL10:03 - Seating & Stadiums16:55 - Sports Betting25:17 - Content31:40 - Real Estate & Facilities37:12 - Best Sports Movie