One of the great things about teaching is frankly; you never stop learning or being exposed to different, often disruptive points of view, especially from people who are coming at things from a different perspective. Keep an open mind, listen, and you will always be growing.
Case in point is a recent CUSP Show podcast Tom Richardson and I did with 18 year old Buster Scher. Buster, who I met when he was in my School of the NY Times class three years ago, is the creator of Hoops Nation, one of the most vibrant basketball platforms anywhere. It has a massive following, and he has worked hard and smartly to expand his reach well beyond just one business.
While some may scoff at the fact Buster is foregoing college for now to build his business with a great team around him, when you meet and listen to him he has a gift, and a good sense of maturity to realize that he is on a rare path that continues to evolve. Before you listen, some other things to note. I did a q and a with him in February of 2018 which was worth reading again, and if you listen to the podcast you will see the evolution of his business from then to now already. Who knows where it will be in two years, but it is an interesting comparison already.
Hear the full episode here
Some other things to listen for.
His platform of choice? LinkedIn “They push content for free in a way no other platform has done since the early days of Facebook.”
His entry into the media business? High School Radio. As a freshman at Staples High School in Connecticut he got cut from the JV boy’s basketball team. The school had a small radio station and Buster became the voice of the school, and expanded it quickly into a call in show with guests. Maturity and professionalism opened some doors, and he realized that audio was his first calling (which it remains today).
Fast and first: Buster talked at length for the need to be immediate, and by immediate he means minutes after something newsworthy occurs. “What people on Instagram and social media have done, is they’ve created no delay in anything. If I don’t have a post up after a big event, cut and shared in five minutes I’m late. There is immediacy to traffic and being in the moment that many don’t understand.”
Hence he has sacrificed what other may see as time to be a kid by following his passion, having to watch and post as things happen…however he doesn’t see the loss, only the ability to keep improving what he does.
Some other thoughts…
Matching the Demo, Knowing The Market: “This an ideal outlet for the demographic that I am and the reason that it works is because it is intuitive, and that happens over time”
On how to know if something resonates; “After 10,000 posts you know what is going to do well and what isn’t and you go back and look at the analytics, read all the comments, and see what performs well on other people’s pages”
On the potential of esports and gaming “I think it’s huge. Case in point; I have a friend who has an eight year old son. He asked him why he would sit there and watch other people play video games. His answer? You own a football but you don’t and play, you watch the NFL. Same thing.” Quite the evolving insight.
On the changing audience for long form sports content: “People just want to watch who they know and like on TV, watching ESPN anchors is not as cool.”
By our show standards it runs a little long, but it is a worthwhile listen into the insights of a successful content entrepreneur, no matter what the age. Keep both your eyes on buster, it will be worthwhile.
