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#Host2Host ft. Jamie Ellifritz
9 Plays5 months ago
What's up Feelers?! Welcome or welcome back to a new episode of the pod. Today I'm joined by my colleague Jamie Ellifritz, an OH based Dad, writer & videographer at @keeonsports1477 and writer for The Unsealed. We chat about our busy lives, #MESSY memories from previous work gigs, and future goals. Keep up: @thefritz330 on IG @Jfritz216 On X: https://x.com/TheFritz330 My stuff: @fyfzpod_ on IG @astoldbyvictoria Made on Zencastr - Get 15% off any paid plan! https://zencastr.com?via=victoria-makanjuola (CODE: VICTORIA15) COMMUNITY VOICEZ JOTFORM: https://form.jotform.com/252015052149144?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaf-byEJuUosERKN0fnNKYIV4FZcUpH_rivNDKjsAUEkksn4d4D7TKG3fs0Kug_aem_Q0a_LsaLBuG1HKKGNvNBSQ Sharing is caring :)
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Transcript
Introduction to Feel Your Feelings Podcast
00:00:06
Speaker
Hey there, I'm Victoria Maconjiola, and you're listening to Feel Your Feelings, the podcast where high achievers get real about mental wellness. You feel me? Welcome to season one, and honey, we're about to get messed
00:00:30
Speaker
Hey what's up what's going on you guys welcome or welcome back to the podcast and it's me hopping in with a quick intro which I really haven't done before this is very very impromptu and I'm deciding whether I want to keep intros or just kind of let everything flow so welcome to my host to host series this is where i basically interview other podcast hosts media personalities sports reporters anyone that I find to be interesting and wanting to talk more about their experience and dive into their messy backgrounds of how they are doing what they do,
Guest Introduction: Jamie Elefritz
00:01:03
Speaker
basically.
00:01:03
Speaker
So today's guest is one of my colleagues who I've had on my host to host series before, and I was on his podcast, the Varsity Isle podcast. His name is Jamie Elefritz, and he is a father. He's a videographer.
00:01:17
Speaker
He's a writer. He's based out of Cleveland, Ohio area. And he also works for the Key On Sports group, where he is a contributing writer for the high school football sports division there. So I'm super honored to have him on my show.
00:01:33
Speaker
And i'm still navigating this whole arena with like sports and arts and wellness and entertainment. These are the sort of conversations that I want to keep open on my platform. I'm basically checking in to let you know where I'm at. I am looking for more guests to come on my show. So if you have anyone in mind, do drop a comment down in the comment section below. do you think I should talk to, who I should reach out to? Because as a podcaster, outreach is something that I need to push myself more. and Thanks for tuning in and let me know what you think.
Jamie's Weekend Plans and Weather in Ohio
00:02:07
Speaker
All right, Jamie, I'm so excited to have you on my show today. Thank you so much for being here. um i'm curious, how are you feeling right now in this moment? I'm feeling pretty good. It's the weekend, of course. I started my morning, though, with a jump scare. Jump scare.
00:02:23
Speaker
Yeah, a little bit of sunlight's cracking through the curtains, and I didn't hear my alarm, and I'm like, oh, man, is it... i I got to get to work. Oh my gosh. And then I'm like Saturday. Oh man. So I've been up ever since I couldn't go back to sleep after that.
00:02:37
Speaker
Um, but no, I'm excited. Um, got a fun filled weekend, uh, visiting with friends and, uh, yeah, I'm looking forward to it except for being outside where it's super hot up here in Ohio, uh, super humid, uh, humid today. So, um, but still,
00:02:54
Speaker
Northeast Ohio. So I live in Massillon. I am ah about a 15 minute drive from Canton, Ohio. Canton is about 30 minutes south of Akron, home of LeBron and an hour south of Cleveland.
00:03:08
Speaker
sir yeah So cool. That's it's so interesting you say that because right now I'm feeling kind of scrambled. Like this week was so busy for me. I started my new job. worked 20 hours and I just I was just feeling all over the place today.
00:03:24
Speaker
But and that's why I have my this. So the screen on the back, I was listening to classical music just randomly. It popped up on. right like And it just calmed me down. So if anyone is feeling scrambled right now, just pop on some classical music.
00:03:37
Speaker
That's what I like to
Work-Life Balance Strategies
00:03:38
Speaker
do. And it just keeps me like centered and still. So kind of leads me to my next a question for you is like, what emotion best describes where you are in life right now?
00:03:48
Speaker
And. with your platform as well? Like what, what describes the state of, of your, of your show or what, what you're doing?
00:03:59
Speaker
I would say, you know, where am I at now? I would say I'm, I'm pretty balanced, but I feel pretty busy too, because, you know, I am 51 years old and I Gen Xer, proud Gen Xer.
00:04:14
Speaker
And, uh, so, um, So between work and life and, you know, I've read different things about, you know, if you have, you want to have a work life balance, but it's also hard that if you do have that, there's almost some sacrifice that needs to happen with life in order to put the time in for the work in order to be, to go from good to great.
00:04:44
Speaker
um You know, you that that time invested that you're spending time with your career or whatever that you're involved with. um the The family does pay for it a little bit. And you do, too, you know, internally, because you're spending more time trying to focus on, you know,
Exploring Historic Baseball Parks
00:05:01
Speaker
yourself. And then do you feel guilty sometimes because you're putting more time into it?
00:05:06
Speaker
Um, but then you kind of look at it too, that where, where I work, you know, you want to treat them as like work family as well. So it's just, you know, people's people, right? So you just want to do right by people, uh, regardless of where you stand at that moment.
00:05:21
Speaker
Um, it is kind of how I feel. So I'm, I'm, I'm kind of balanced right now, which feels good. um After a busy summer, I've had a lot of fun, lot of vacation, lot of different um stops for myself. um I'm a huge baseball fan. And um yeah, so, um you know, did some ah reporting, got some credentials for Pensacola Blue Wahoos down in Florida.
00:05:46
Speaker
Got to do a little bit of coverage of the game, but it was more about like kind of like a stadium tour type thing. ah Why you should go to Pensacola if you're in the area and visit the stadium. And then a very special place on the way back was in Birmingham, Alabama.
00:06:02
Speaker
um Last year during the summer. um The Major League Baseball went to Birmingham, Alabama to a place called Rickwood Field, and Rickwood Field is the oldest baseball park in America.
00:06:14
Speaker
And they celebrated the Negro Leagues and the history of ah the players and the location of where how important that stadium was to Negro League Baseball. And it was, I'll tell you what, that was a special, special place to be there.
00:06:29
Speaker
Um, just because it was, there was, I, you have to look up my article, um, with some of the pictures and stuff that I took. Some of the, there's some like corrosion in the lower seats area. that really shows the age and the date of the stadium yeah plus the light fixtures that are still there. But, uh, but yeah, I, I, I've just enjoyed that so much to to be able to, I love to storytell and I love to listen to stories.
00:06:53
Speaker
Um, because you know, ordinary people do extraordinary things every day. And, uh, I, I just, uh, I want to keep going. Like I, I'm looking at going to Pittsburgh next Tuesday to go see one of my favorite bands who I've been waiting for years ever since they lost their front man.
00:07:12
Speaker
um Lincoln Park is going to be playing over there. So I may be traveling that to that myself, which is about a two hour trip away. And it's a Tuesday night, but driving from Ohio. Yeah.
00:07:23
Speaker
Yeah. So safe, safe travels to you yeah thank you you. And I can tell, i could tell that you love what you do. um especially with sports and podcasting and talking about it as well. How we first met for people that don't know is through a platform called The Unsealed, which is an open writing letters platform where you can write your own stories, poems, short stories. It's founded by Lauren Brills. Shout out to Lauren.
00:07:50
Speaker
And we both met on the on the Zoom webinar there. like right I forgot how specifically. and we just got to talking afterwards and we connected. You were on one of my host-to-host series prior and I was on your show, the Varsity Isle podcast, which was a really great really great experience. So yeah, I say all of that to say, and think going back to balance, even with this current job that I started, um as I was job searching and continue to job search, one of the things that I kept in mind was this video from homeless man.
00:08:24
Speaker
And he was he was talking to this lady in in her car. And he was he said something so impactful. And it was like it was a prayer. It was like, God, please put me somewhere where I love going to work every day, where they appreciate my work and I blend in and let my spirit speak for me.
00:08:40
Speaker
And I feel like that's something that um' I'm not going say like, I found it, this is it, but I'm kind of like, I'm understanding it now. And I hope that you can relate to that too. Cause when you love what you do, you just feel like, okay, I can blend in here. I can, they, my work is appreciated.
00:08:56
Speaker
And I feel like there's no better feeling than having your work be be appreciated in a firm. Yeah, definitely. um It just, creates a sense of value with your time and the energy that you put into your people, the people that around you.
00:09:11
Speaker
Um, and that's what you want. You want, and it's not necessarily always for you. it's it's for how do you inspire others? Um, so yeah, I totally
Passion for Storytelling
00:09:21
Speaker
relate to that. Um, and if you love what you do, it doesn't feel like it work as much. It is, it's, you know, the, the, the time feels, you know, some days are more stressful than others because you're trying to do, you know, you're trying to put, uh,
00:09:34
Speaker
you know, three jobs into a time slot that typically would be one and you're trying to make it work and fight through it. And, uh, it's, it's very, uh, satisfying to accomplish those goals at the end of the day, to challenge yourself, to take on more.
00:09:49
Speaker
But, uh, Yeah, it's to me doing what you love. And like for us, where I work at, you know, I work for full time for a graphics company. So what's great about that is with branding and, you know, with you branding yourself and and marketing.
00:10:06
Speaker
you know, for what we do, and need any, any place can brand. Right. So we love being able to support. I love the fact that I can be in any community and walk into any place and provide some sort of support to help them and their business. And it's, it's rewarding to see get the great feedback.
00:10:23
Speaker
When we, uh, say we wrap a car, we do a really cool t-shirt design, uh, from decals to, uh, um, you know, their, their print, uh, items for their offices that, that help them at trade shows or seminars, um, because you're, you're creating things for them to help them in their work day and to have a better work day and have more success, uh, and hopefully, uh, become more profitable as a business.
00:10:52
Speaker
So it's fun. I really enjoy it What, what sort of content are, you have you been consuming lately and what's sort what people have you been inspired by? This could be podcasts. This could be,
00:11:03
Speaker
ah other hosts, like media personalities, sportscasters, like who are some people that you've been watching?
00:11:12
Speaker
Wow, that's a good question because I've been, you know, with the summer, I've been so involved with watching baseball. um You know, I can... give the example through baseball of, you know, Tom Hamilton is our radio play by play guy that's been cash with us for like 30 some years and he just got into the baseball of fame. And, you know, I talked to once again about storytelling and with radio, you know, right now we, somebody may be picking us up on audio, right. But we're doing video as well. So maybe we're on YouTube.
00:11:46
Speaker
But with baseball and you go back to sports and you go back to the beginning of radio a long time ago when there wasn't television, how impactful it can be. So being a good storyteller is very important. And Tom Hamilton's always had a great voice, um has always had a lot of followers. And he's finally been rewarded by getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer um as a broadcaster.
00:12:09
Speaker
um So that's kind of neat, you know, for our area. um Wow. Like.
00:12:16
Speaker
i don't I don't know. i I'm thinking like, I don't know about inspired, but I can tell you entertained, man, because I love listening to Dave Chappelle, man. Dave Chappelle is so funny. My gosh, I am so proud to say that he lives in Ohio and him talk about his time in Ohio. it's...
00:12:38
Speaker
it's You know, it's just, ah I don't know. i get so Like i said, i get so summertime, I get so locked into baseball, I don't spread myself out as much. um So inspiration, um you know, i honestly, you know, my my daughters are with going back to my mother other one daughter going down to college at OU and how much time and and commitment she's made. And for me to adjust as a father is knowing that our family of five here um with my wife and I,
00:13:10
Speaker
um, where I kind of look like a pie chart, right? Where, and you, and you can respect this and understand this, that, and your parents had to go through this too, where like a pie chart, where you have so much time that, that bigger piece of pie with your kids as they age, it just continues to get smaller because your kids are so involved with other things. And now I have, you know, two adult daughters that are both working and and going to college and another one in, uh,
00:13:38
Speaker
going to be a junior in high school. So, um, they, they inspire me with the commitments that they make, uh, with my youngest through, through music and being part of marching band and also being part of Jags, which is represents, uh, Jackson, which is the school, uh, Academy of global studies.
00:13:57
Speaker
Um, so she's looking to have a, uh, trip her senior year with them. Do they play sports? Do any of them play sports? They did, you know, of course, me being a sports guy, I introduced it to them when they were younger.
00:14:09
Speaker
But once I got to middle school and band is a big commitment. So you're kind of either you're going to be doing band or you're going doing sports. And they chose band and I love music too. So I'm all good with it. So that's, that's kind of like why Victoria, where I got involved with, uh, uh, doing sports reporting and doing high school football coverage because with my kids being in the marching band and, you know, I used to want, you know, I used to coach them when they were little, you know, with some of the stuff that they were involved with, whether it be soccer, trying to help them with swimming or softball.
00:14:42
Speaker
um With music, I can't play a lick. So love music, ah but i'm I'm all about watching them. So when I get to do coverage of high school games on the sideline, it brings me that much closer to my kids you know when they're performing on the field. And it just means the world to me to...
00:15:00
Speaker
Since, you know, I have three daughters, right? So there's none not none of them are on a football team, even though here in Ohio, ah flag football and some other states, too, is now going to be a high school sport ah for for girls as well. Very cool. um So right here in Canton, Ohio, they had a big flag football tournament for both boys and girls ah this year. So that was really cool ah to promote that.
00:15:23
Speaker
But yeah. and just Any type of sports camp experience, I think, is very valuable and it builds character and it builds determination and consistency. I did one tennis sports camp in Houston, Texas, when I was in high school between junior and senior year.
00:15:42
Speaker
And even though I don't want to say i quit, don't like saying the word quit, but even though i quit early, i still have the memories of like how hard that I had to work during that time. So if they're doing that, like,
00:15:55
Speaker
All I could say is keep pushing and keep going because it's going to pay off in the long run. Even if you're tired, like still keep going. yeah. yeah I think to to answer my own question, I've been watching a lot of podcasts lately and different hosts. I was watching Angie Martinez yesterday on YouTube and she's a great podcaster. And i' you you sent me a lot of ah really inspirational ah things of like celebrity interviews and people to keep studying like interviews like that.
00:16:26
Speaker
And so I think that's what I'm doing is like I'm studying other podcasts while while still striving to like be original and be myself. So yeah. So, yeah, thank you for for continuing to, like, pour such support and, like, information in because, like, I see it and I'm, like, taking notes at the same time.
00:16:47
Speaker
so Yeah, there's so many great people that have been doing interviews, whether it be late night talk shows or But not like up to you you know modern day, all the different podcasters, you know including us, that have did and had hadn't had guests come on. and I've always been about wanting to, what's the story within the story? Because like with reporting, for me, like for reporting on a high school football game or or a minor league baseball game or whatever...
00:17:17
Speaker
you know a lot of a box score can tell a story right of how many hits somebody got or whatever. but to me and That's what was great about Lauren back to the unsealed. that Why i followed her and enjoyed her work when she was here in Cleveland um working for Channel 5 was lot of her stories were deeper stories. They were off the field type stories. So you could look at a player's ah stats from a game, but that's not always the most important part. Like what's, why is somebody struggling? What's going on off the field? If they're willing to share that story.
00:17:51
Speaker
of maybe challenges they're going through. That's, it helps you understand. So one thing I've learned that like from when I mentioned earlier about being on the sidelines and I'm doing video and trying to get highlights of different games is that one thing I noticed as being a a sports reporter, if you will,
00:18:09
Speaker
is that even even though I'm not very far from the stands, when you're that much closer to the team or to the field, there's so much more of the story that you actually see or hear than you can from the stands.
00:18:24
Speaker
it and and it's it's hard to explain like because there's beat different beat reporters for different teams that are that are always with the team and traveling with them and staying in the same hotels and just having conversations in the locker room sometimes off the record but to me that's what i love about it is is there's so many stories out there that that are that are deeper stories and that's why i enjoy those late night talk show hosts like um the one thing, the one I didn't list to you that I really think is a good interviewer when I was, when I was offering you different ideas was Conan O'Brien.
00:18:56
Speaker
And I know Conan has his own podcast now um and does some other shows. I think he's got one on HBO as well, but, I always enjoyed his interviews because, yeah, there's comedy involved with it, right? But then he always asked that very good, challenging question.
00:19:11
Speaker
My favorite part is when you ask an interview somebody and they they kind of look away and they kind of really have to think about their answer. I'm like, yes, that's you know that's what I want. That's what I want to make them think and really and and really come up with – not come up with, but really – share something that's deeper that they might not normally share.
00:19:35
Speaker
Absolutely. i I truly strive to be like that. And I also love Dave Letterman's show. It's called My Next Guest or something. My first guest on Netflix. Great show. And he's literally just being himself.
00:19:47
Speaker
I feel he gets the best out of people with that as well. Yes. oh So another thing that that you sent me that i definitely love to touch on is... Before we get into that, I i thought of ah Ed Sullivan.
00:19:58
Speaker
He has... He also... ah There's a documentary called Sunday Best on Netflix. And... um I don't know if you know, like the history of this was before my time, but I just learned about him. No, I know. no He was a sports writer before he was, you know, host and everything. And I was like, wow. And he actually was very uncomfortable with hosting and like being the front man. And he had a panic attack, like his very first show.
00:20:27
Speaker
And I thought that was so fascinating because he was like, this isn't. I just want to let them shine. And so he started bringing on like black artists, like ah Harry Belafonte and the Supremes and like all of the amazing people at that time. And which was very controversial, but he let them shine. And I think that's definitely something that I want to model after is like letting other people shine. It's like really not about me. If I had the chance to like have the spotlight or share the spotlight with others, I'd probably just want to share it with other people and highlight their accomplishments as well.
00:21:02
Speaker
Hi there, how are you feeling? It's me, Victoria, host of the podcast. And when I first started podcasting, I was super scared and nervous about the way I sounded, the way I looked, the way people would receive me.
00:21:14
Speaker
But using Zencaster has been a really helpful way for me to become more confident, and express myself as a creator. So with Zencastr you can record up to 4k quality in video regardless of your audio and wifi quality. You can save files in the cloud recording and you can adjust your audio and noise levels in the sound section. Go to Zencastr.com slash pricing and use my code Victoria15 and you'll get 30% your first month of any Zencaster paid plan.
00:21:46
Speaker
I want you to have the same easy experiences that I do for my podcasting and content feeds. It's time to share your story. You feel me? I was going to mention that David Letterman did, you know, he was at Ed Sullivan Theater forever, you know, with CBS. just yeah I didn't even put the two together. Yeah. so there is a connection that that's where when he when he went from NBC to his late night show there to CBS. Cool. He he was at the Ed Sullivan Theater. I actually was in New York City in 93, October 93, when he he had not. I think that was the same year he started there.
00:22:19
Speaker
I remember going past there and wanting to go. But by the time we were passing through in the city, um it was it was way too early in the day. to get i was not going to stand in line all day Trying to just to to try to get in. If he's still recording ah live shows for that, I would love to be in the audience yeah to see who who his next guest is going to be.
00:22:41
Speaker
And David Letterman and I share a birthday. So he's one of my celebrity birthday people. So, yeah, I've always appreciated him. Shout out. Shout out. So moving from Dave Letterman to coach John Wooden.
Managing Emotions in Sports
00:22:54
Speaker
So we kind of spoke a little bit about this earlier. You sent me um this quote that says you become what you feed your mind. And um with this podcast called the Feel Your Feelings podcast.
00:23:06
Speaker
You mentioned that Coach Wooden once said emotion is your enemy, and it's important to recognize that living in your feelings can be counterproductive. I'm wondering like what your thoughts are about
00:23:24
Speaker
the messy side of feeling your feelings, but yet also... making sure your feelings don't drain you, if that makes sense.
00:23:36
Speaker
And how do you find the balance between those, between those things as a, as a creator yourself? think that really comes down to that one's personality. um Because, you know, what he was mentioning, how motion could be your enemy is, you know, you, you can, you know, if you get too caught up in your anger, you lose focus.
00:23:56
Speaker
But then again, it depends who you are. Like you would think in, in, in sports anyways, that there are some people that need that. They'll, they'll use that as fuel, you know, that anger, that, that frustration of not being picked by a team and they play against that team and I'm going to take it out on that team.
00:24:17
Speaker
So there's motivators behind that. But the question is, is are, are you so hyped up? Are you so caught up in your feelings that you actually lose your focus and maybe forget play calls and, and then have penalties or or things like that?
00:24:32
Speaker
Um, that are important to the team's success. um So you have to be careful that you don't get too caught up in those emotions. But then you've had, you know, Victoria to explain, like, if you go back to watch Monday night football, um when Brett Favre played for the Packers, I think it was the Raiders who he played against.
00:24:53
Speaker
He, i think just lost his mother into cancer. I think his mother, it was one of his parents. I'm pretty sure it was his mom though. But then he played, he had this like electric performance that he played really, really well that Yeah.
00:25:07
Speaker
And so there are things that can, can change you, um like that for inspiration that your focus is there. And I want to do this for mom or I want, you know, then and honestly, when I lost my mom in 97, that was something I promised her is that, you know, I said, I'm going to make something with my life. I promise you that.
00:25:26
Speaker
And, uh, I didn't know exactly what that was. I just knew what it wasn't, you know, what, path what path I didn't want to go down. And, uh, it w it was a challenge that after, you know, giving that word and commitment that, you know, I've had to honor since then and, and, and nobody's perfect. Right.
00:25:45
Speaker
But, you know, it's something that I'm glad that I, I got involved with, um, with committing to something like that, that's so important to her and so important to me and then the people around me. So,
00:25:57
Speaker
um But yeah, that that emotion can be the the the feelings of, I think it's about managing it. Like feel feel your feelings, right? And that's the title of your show.
00:26:09
Speaker
But it's also manage your feelings, right? So you don't lose focus. That is so important. I think sometimes you can get lost in it and become to where it's just...
00:26:21
Speaker
It's over engagement with it. So many things that are going around. we We all have so much access through social media to be, you know, I can be looking at sports, I can be looking at music, and then here's politics. And then it's and it's this, it's so quick. yeah And if you stay so deep into that, it can of and affect you.
00:26:40
Speaker
And then some people feel like they have to comment all the time. For me, I don't want to comment all the time. There's times like, well, yeah, I have an opinion, but I'm like, you know what? What's it worth? I don't need to engage with that. There's there's nobody that's going to have value in that. and Never mind. You know what mean? Keep going.
00:26:57
Speaker
Keep scoring. Thank you for for sharing that. And I was born in 97, fun fact. So, 90s baby here. um So, with the season being called messy, one thing that i really want to get get out of you know my fellow hosts and creators is like, what's a behind the scenes look at your process or like, what's kind of like a play by play of what the messy process looks like for you behind the scenes as of as a sportscaster, as a podcaster, you know as a family man yourself.
Challenges in Podcasting and Sports Reporting
00:27:33
Speaker
um I'd love to know like what's what's the reel behind that. Because I know we present we're talking about social media, right? On social media, it's like our highlight reel, the things that are going right, but we don't often show the process behind it.
00:27:46
Speaker
And that's something that I really want to tap into this season. so you know, whatever you're comfortable in sharing, I'd love to know, like, what were some of the parts of your messy journey that you're embracing?
00:27:59
Speaker
Well, the challenge is there's so much show prep involved. Yeah. And we're, we're on such a small scale locally. Yes. yes oh Right now I'm on a hiatus with what we've, the show that we've been doing locally, we were doing, I was a co-host of guardians of the CLE podcast being a baseball podcast.
00:28:17
Speaker
And, Then we turned that into a The Land Sports Show podcast because we wanted to talk more than just baseball. We wanted to talk about Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Cavaliers, and then other things in our area as well, sports related typically.
00:28:32
Speaker
um The challenge is when you're collaborating and you have other people on there, so you're just a co-host, is everybody's schedule. Yeah. Because this is nobody's you know nine to five we're We're just, you know, we're we're aspiring or we're just doing this as a hobby, like myself, doing it for fun. Because we enjoy it. ah yeah Not getting paid, transparently, not getting paid to do this. like but And for me me to get started on it was it was just through through Twitter at the time, just having somebody reach out to me and be like, hey, or no, I saw their post. They're like, we're looking for another co-host for a Guardians podcast. And i'm like, you know what?
00:29:08
Speaker
I've always wanted to kick the tires on it. Let's do it. So reached out. We set up a meeting, met with the other co-host and the guy that owned media company, started the next week. It felt very natural to me.
00:29:21
Speaker
It felt, and it was fun, gosh, it was so much fun, like to have somebody in front of you and and to, one, just to talk with, but two, to know that there's other people out there that are actually taking time out of their day to listen to you.
00:29:35
Speaker
Like, I wanna make this good, yeah right? I don't care if it's five people or 5,000 people. I want to do good by it. Like the the quality of the the show, having some sort of a rundown, preparing my questions. If we have a guest on for interviews or you're preparing your topics or your speaking points to to make sure that you hit on yeah to fill the amount of time.
00:30:00
Speaker
But then there's some shows and this ain't me. i I work with graphic designers, but I am not one. I'm creative mind. but Graphic if you get me design is harder than it looks. i've i've I've worked with some really talented people. It's very harder than it looks. like If I have a template, templates are great, but...
00:30:18
Speaker
sort of and But you you put together some of your own graphics, right? I have. No, for this season, actually for everything, for everything I've done, I've done my own graphics. I do i do do freelance graphic design on the side, but I'm not i'm not a perfect, like it's not perfect.
00:30:37
Speaker
I literally use Canva. Like it's it's all on Canva. I created my these laptop stickers from Canva. nice Bought the the text through Etsy, but by no means a professional. And I still feel like there's room to grow there too.
00:30:54
Speaker
So kudos to you for working in this field. you know and there's And like said, I'm not the designer. I hand it to my design team and they do an unbelievable job. um But yeah, creating graphics for your show.
00:31:09
Speaker
When, when can you get your guest on What time do you need to adjust your time? um i've I've been fortunate that I had, you know, the one gentleman came on, Andy Billman, that I still follow. He's a ah documentary producer. He produced some 30 for 30 shows for ESPN. One of them was Believe Land, which is our Cleveland area.
00:31:31
Speaker
And the he had to actually change the ending after he recorded it. He had it all together, but he had to change the ending in 2016 because the Cavs
00:31:39
Speaker
won the championship. So he was adding that on to the end. And it's one of my favorite things he ever put together. But I had him on as a guest and I'm like, How did this happen? Like when somebody reached out to our, my, my media guy that owned the company and said, Hey, do you want to have this guy on? Like, yeah, absolutely. Like this is who am I? I'm just a, I'm just a nine to five guy that works for another company. And I'm doing this on the side and I get to do an interview with somebody that did an ESPN documentary.
00:32:09
Speaker
He did the, the Manning one too. There's one for think Peyton and Eli Manning. um But great guy. It was like, so we put it together. think it was like a 45 minute, interview He came on another time, ah promoted his ah other documentary. He did War on the Diamond, the rivalry of the Yankees and the Indians at the time. And then also the Ray Chapman story. That gentleman was the only player ever to be killed from baseball.
00:32:39
Speaker
Got hit in the head with a ball in the 1920 season, I believe. And, uh, yeah, he, that was part of the story, but anyways, there's so much legwork that goes into it. Like if you want to be really good at it,
00:32:54
Speaker
And it's it's something that's ah that's a commitment. And we can go back to the beginning of our conversation, the sacrifice that you have to want to do something and get it right. That's the advantage that I can tell you as as an individual, there's an advantage to just going on, you know know what, i here's my time slot.
00:33:11
Speaker
I'm going to have somebody come on and Or you're just going to do like you did on your first episode where you go on, what, about like 20 minutes. And just kind of get an intro of what it's going to be about, you know, what your topics are. So, but there's, it's, it's a big commitment.
00:33:24
Speaker
It really is.
00:33:30
Speaker
Yes.
00:34:05
Speaker
I've met, you know, i would say Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar was very, he was from the 80s and the early ninety s um met him in person at ah an autograph signing at a drug mart here.
00:34:20
Speaker
He was doing like some sponsorship, like they had some agreement. So he was going from like show to show, or show to show store to store. And I remember i was like, you know, I just love Bernie because we act Brown's actually won back then, which was incredible.
00:34:34
Speaker
um But meeting him, it was like, When I saw him, I'm like, damn, i'm like, I'm 6'3", and he's 6'5", but he just feels so much taller. And then when he shook my hand, his hand was just massive.
00:34:45
Speaker
And in you just got to imagine, you know, throwing a football and you to have big hands and anybody that follows the NFL, follows NFL scouting combine, they measure quarterbacks hand size because they're they're thinking of if their hands are too small, the risk of fumbles are higher. And then maybe that's part of their problem or they can't.
00:35:04
Speaker
Grip the ball in winter conditions, things like that. um But yeah, it was it was neat to do that, but it was just kind of like, wow, i'm finally there. But I can tell you when I first started doing high school coverage on the sidelines, the second week I did it, well, the first week I did it was super special because it was my oldest daughter's last game.
00:35:25
Speaker
in the playoffs, they were going to going against the powerhouse school. So pretty much knew they weren't going to win that one, but I got to be a part of that and be on the field and see her perform um her last halftime show. But the second week was that the Holy war here in Northeast Ohio, which is Cleveland St. Ed's and Cleveland St. Ignatius.
00:35:45
Speaker
And at the end of the game, there was local TV sports guys and girls that were out at midfield following coach Kyle. So coach Chuck Kyle is one of the all time winningest high school football coaches in the country.
00:36:01
Speaker
um It was his last season. And this was was his last game. They lost to St. Ed's. It was pouring down rain most of the night. And I walk out to midfield and as the coaches are embracing,
00:36:14
Speaker
It was such a special moment because being around Coach Kyle, who I'd known about forever in this area, to actually be there on his last time. And then it was a super impromptu, quick interview.
00:36:29
Speaker
And I had Channel 3, NBC. I had Fox 8 next to me. So I had like John Tellich and then the cameraman from Channel 3. Then there was a young lady from Channel 19, Cleveland.
00:36:41
Speaker
And John Tellich of all of those guys is the guy that I knew obviously the longest. The other people, like I said, it was just a cameraman. And the other young lady, I really didn't know her work. But John Tellich has been in the area forever. And I'm standing there and I'm just like, um I'm recording the the interview and and through the Q&A. And a and i'm I'm just like, what am I doing Like, I can't believe this. Like, um all back to a simple ex post that said ah about, hey, do you want to come on and podcast? And, you know, to to become part of this Guardians podcast, to me reaching out, to then covering high school football, then having credentials to be on the field.
00:37:20
Speaker
Now I'm standing next to a Cleveland legend, and I'm just a guy. I'm just a guy, you know, and and and it was just, that was so much fun. And then later on, two years ago, there was another gentleman, Dan Coughlin, who was a local sports guy um that I got to stand next to and meet and shook his hand. And he just passed away last year, unfortunately.
00:37:44
Speaker
He had actually retired, but he was only coming back to cover high school football. But it was great. It was just it was just neat to like, I can't believe I'm in this spot. what This is a hobby for me.
00:37:55
Speaker
What would you go back and tell that guy or like your episode one version of yourself who is just getting started in his journey of podcasting and interviewing, you know, sports athletes and legends and people like that?
00:38:11
Speaker
The simple answer is why didn't you do this sooner? Because I've always been – I don't want to say I've always been a leader because that's, i would that would not be true. That's something that had to develop over time.
Impact of Family Responsibilities on Career
00:38:24
Speaker
I think the level of responsibility that I gained as ah as ah as a son and a brother, during the time when my, I mentioned my mom passing in 97 from cancer. So she battled from 93 to 97, but in 96, my younger 16 year old sister, all those also developed cancer.
00:38:42
Speaker
So there's that period from 96 to 97 where, um, where They really needed my support to run into appointments and just be a good son and be a good brother. And that kind of responsibility changed me because it made me focus more on family than, you know, you're what, 28? Just turned 28. Golden year.
00:39:06
Speaker
Yeah. So me and I was in my i was in my early to there. And it was something where i just, with all the things in your twenties, right? You have so many distractions you can have with your friends because not everybody is committed to, they're not married yet and don't have houses or, or, or families that have, you know, older kids or anything like that. But um point being is I was able to focus more um and spend that time with them to, to support them. and And it just meant so much to me to be able to do that.
00:39:44
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. Thank you for for yeah absolutely forre being vulnerable enough to to share that. And before we, first of all, thank you for embracing this messy journey with me.
00:39:54
Speaker
ah really appreciate you being here and I want to shout out your current network. Where you are now, Key on Sports. Need your help with this one, but it's Key on Sports is your source for all forms of high school sports coverage. They do podcasts and game calls and written content, and they're based in ah Northeast Ohio.
00:40:14
Speaker
So that is where you are now. Can you give me a little bit more about... what you do and where people can follow you specifically. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, James Ella Fritz or at the Fritz 330 also on X. um Those are my personal and slash professional accounts, if you will.
00:40:38
Speaker
um the um Key on sports as as does a really good job in Northeast Ohio doing high school coverage of all sports, not just football. and I've talked a lot of football, talked baseball, but ah do a lot of good job, uh, a lot of jobs where, um, they have a lot of interns in the area that are really just starting out. And, and, and Vince is really good with those young people to help them start out in their career, um, getting credentials to be at different sport sporting events. Um, I've been fortunate, um, with, uh, my previous, uh,
00:41:12
Speaker
media group, Believe Land Media with Kevin Sleds, and now Vince McKee with Key on Sports, um to be able to to be able to engage with ah different schools and the different teams in our community here.
00:41:24
Speaker
And out of state, as I mentioned earlier. So um it's it's just been a special time for me ah to do that because as I want to say I'm on the back nine of my life, if you will, because if I live to be 100 would be an unbelievable surprise.
00:41:40
Speaker
um But on the back nine of my career, back nine of my life. I just want to make sure that the people that I engage with, there's value there and I'm helping them ah get to where they want to be and tell their stories and, you know, help make them and the people around them proud by just sharing what I see.
00:42:02
Speaker
Yes, sir. Well, you're doing a great job. Keep going. And thank you so much for joining me today. Yeah, thank you very much. And Victoria, please keep pounding at it. Keep up with this new season of years. yeah um I know the theme is messy, but you're going to come out clean on the other side, I promise.
00:42:20
Speaker
um Great human being, great person, great job with your other masters that you got at at USC. Keep building upon it. And I know you're you're you have a lot of goals for the L.A. Olympics in twenty twenty eight. And i really hope you get to be a part of that and a major part of that.
00:42:37
Speaker
And I think you will as long as you keep going. Yes, sir. Keep striving to be great. yes sir i'll so I'll see you there. I'll see there. I would love that.
00:43:08
Speaker
Keep it cool with my girls in the shade It's my moment to get an eye on it Moving on