Real Athlete Blog Contributors
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Matthew Allinson
Founder & CEO of Access Athletes, LLC, Trusted Athlete Educator, and Chief Editor of The Real Athlete Blog
As the Founder & CEO of Access Athletes, LLC and The Real Athlete Blog, Matthew Allinson's mission in life is to help athletes realize their full potential both on and off the field.
Matthew graduated from Penn State University with a double major in Labor Studies and Industrial Relations and Psychology. Following graduation, he spent a year in Kingston, Jamaica researching labor relations and political unionism as a Fulbright Scholar. Matthew then attended The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where he obtained his J.D. with a concentration in labor, intellectual property, and sports and entertainment law.
He has worked for the NFL Players Association and several prominent sports agents in the business.
Currently, Matthew works as a labor and entertainment attorney in DC representing tv and radio artists. -
Dr. Timothy Thompson
Communications, Marketing, and Team Building Specialist; General Athlete Advice
Dr. Tim Thompson (“Dr. T”) is Associate Professor and Chair of the Communication Arts Department at the Community College of Baltimore County. He has a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication, along with a broad range of leadership and advisement experience in advertising/public relations/ media relations, media management, and organizational development. He is a second degree black belt in the Chinese internal martial art of Tai Chi Chuan (Grand Ultimate Fist) under Grand Master Dennis Brown, and is an instructor at the Dennis Brown Shaolin Wu Shu Training Centers in the Washington, DC area. Additionally, Dr. T is a Kundalini Reiki practitioner whose counseling/healing work focuses on self-transformation, interpersonal/group dynamics, organizational cultures, team-building, and leadership development.
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Alan Stein
Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, DeMatha Catholic High School
Alan Stein is the owner of Stronger Team and the Head Strength & Conditioning coach for the nationally renowned, Nike Elite DeMatha Catholic High School boys basketball program. He spent 7 years serving a similar position with the Montrose Christian basketball program. Alan brings a wealth of valuable experience to his training arsenal after years of extensive work with elite high school, college, and NBA players.
His passion, enthusiasm, and innovative training techniques make him one of the nation’s leading experts on productive training for basketball players. Alan is a performance consultant for Nike Basketball as well heavily involved with Nike SPARQ Basketball. He is the head conditioning coach for the annual McDonald’s All American game, the Jordan Brand All American Classic, and the Nike Summer Skills Academies. Alan is a Camp Coach at the prestigious NBA Player’s Association’s Top 100 Camp as well as the Chris Paul CP3 Elite Backcourt Camp. Alan has filmed over a dozen DVD’s on improving performance and is a sought after lecturer at basketball camps and clinics across the world. He has been featured in Winning Hoops, Time Out, Dime, SI.com, SLAMonline.com, American Basketball Quarterly, Stack, Men’s Health, HOOP, and FIBA Assist Magazine.Visit the contributor's website: http://www.strongerteam.com
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Susan Zaro
Sports Psychology Consultant
Susan combines her knowledge and extensive experience as a competitive athlete with years as a coach and psychotherapist to provide sport psychology services to individuals and groups. She works with a wide population of athletes including professional, collegiate, high school and those participating on a competitive/recreational level.
Susan has a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University, level II training in EMDR, training in biofeedback, level II Sport Science Certification from the U.S.T.A., and Sport Science Specialist Certification through the U.S.P.T.A. High Performance Competitive Player Development Program. She is a licensed Marriage, Family Therapist and a U.S.P.T.A. P-1 teaching professional.
As a highly ranked Northern California junior tennis player beginning at the age of nine she competed locally and nationally through-out the junior years. Susan moved on to a tennis scholarship at UCLA and then competed professionally on the Women's Professional Tennis Tour.
In addition to coaching, teaching and a sport psychology practice Susan has facilitated athletic injury groups for the University of San Francisco and Santa Clara University. Susan developed the cable TV show, "Pieces of the Game," an educational tennis program.
She frequently presents workshops at colleges, high schools and athletic associations concerning "Stress Management" and "Incorporating Mental Skills Training in Athletic Programs." She has given numerous workshops on peak performance for teams, schools, and athletic clubs.Visit the contributor's website: http://www.sportshealthcounseling.com/
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Zak Kurtz
Sports Business Review
Zakari A. Kurtz is the writer of the Sports Business Review column and will be covering sports law related issues for The Real Athlete Blog. He will be helping Access Athletes conduct athlete and agent interviews, as well as working on ways to grow and brand the company as one of the top educational sites for athletes.
Zak is a 2007 graduate in Political Science, with minors in Legal Studies and History from Roanoke College in Virginia. After graduating, he earned his paralegal certificate from Boston University, and is now in his second year at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in East Lansing, MI. He is the President of the Sports Law Society, Entertainment Law Society, and the Vice President of the Student Intellectual Property Law Association and Tax Law Society amongst other leadership roles. Zak is also on the Executive Board and serves as the Director of Sports for the National Sports & Entertainment Law Society, L3C. He recently interned for Dynasty Athlete Representation and has worked aiding local attorneys for several years.
Zak played almost every sport before becoming an all-state soccer player. He won a Virginia high school state championship in 2002 and went on to play four years of college soccer. He has played all over the world, with current MLS and English Premier League players. Zak is a sports connoisseur and has a vast array of knowledge in many areas. He plans on becoming a Sports and Entertainment Agent in the future and is interested in practicing in the areas of Intellectual Property, trademarks, and copyrights after law school.
If anyone has any suggestions of topics or products for Zak to review, please feel free to let us know.Visit the contributor's website: http://www.livefromlawschool.blogspot.com
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Kelly Davies
Production Coordinator at Mandt Bros. Productions
I graduated in May from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where I majored in Electronic Media (Broadcast Journalism). During my senior year, I was a sports reporter for Carolina Week-UNC's Emmy award-winning student-led live television production. I worked for ESPN in several capacities, including a live hit during the 2009 Duke/Carolina pre-game production that aired on ESPN U. I've also worked as a runner for many basketball and football games.
At Carolina, I competed for the Tar Heel volleyball team, winning ACC- Championships in 2005 and 2009, and reaching second-round NCAA Tournament play in 2009. In May 2009, I wrapped up my collegiate career competing for 2 weeks in Europe, touring Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, and Italy.
Currently, I work in Hollywood, CA for Mandt Bros. Productions, a sports and entertainment production company. We oversee all production of ESPN's Jim Rome is Burning. We also direct the ESPY Awards comedy short films, starring the likes of Will Ferrell, Jamie Fox, Justin Timberlake and Samuel L. Jackson. We are presently producing a show that will premier on Versus in November. -
Wesley Mallette
Sports and Entertainment Communications Strategist, Entrepreneur, CEO, Comment Communications
Wesley Mallette is Co-Founder and CEO of the Los Angeles, California-based Comment Communications (formerly known as Elevation Sports & Entertainment) and President of Comment’s Sports Division. A founding partner of the rising boutique firm, the former Division I football player and decathlete, and current sports/entertainment executive translates experience and passion into proven results for the firm’s clients.
A prolific sports and entertainment communications strategist, Wesley Mallette is noted for his experience in working with Fortune 500 companies, athletes and corporate executives in crisis situations. In 2005, Mallette played an integral role in the development of communications strategy for the National Basketball Players Association’s collective bargaining agreement renegotiation, effectively helping avert an NBA season-ending lock out. His achievements also include paving the way for the successful 2009 comeback of 2006 Tour de France winner, Floyd Landis; media training for several of USA Swimming’s top athletes, and spokesperson training and messaging for more than 20 Olympians serving as athlete ambassadors for Chicago 2016’s bid to win the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. In addition, Mallette engineered the strategic approach for 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist and World Class cyclist Tyler Hamilton’s retirement from the sport, and has worked with an all-star line up of clients including corporate sponsors, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalists Cullen Jones and Aaron Peirsol, NFL, WNBA, and NBA players.
Building top-notch marketing communications divisions and launching brands for some of the nation’s highest profile companies is nothing new for Mallette. Prior to the formation of Comment, he championed the communications and event marketing efforts for many of the world’s leading media and entertainment brands, serving as VP of Corporate Communications for MTV Networks, Director of Communications for Black Entertainment Television, Inc., and Senior Manager Media Relations for the Limited Brands’ Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works. In addition, Mallette helped build and direct the event marketing and PR department for Carol H. Williams Advertising. Early in his career he worked for Ketchum Communications and credits his tenure with the Children Defense Fund (the nation’s most respected child advocacy organization) for his experience in public policy and coalition building.
Mallette holds a B.A. in Communications from James Madison University and an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Maryland. Now residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, he splits time between Comment’s Southern California and Bay Area offices.Visit the contributor's website: http://www.commentpr.com/COMMENT/LANDING.html
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Joey Kirk
Athlete Social Media Expert; Founder & Creative Director of 5M Sports
I'm Joey Kirk. I'm the creative director of 5M Sports, a branding firm dedicated to working with athletes and sports organizations. Starting out as a journalist, my career shifted into more graphic design, and into web presence and technology consulting. I started 5M Sports about six months ago, as a spin-off from my first design firm, 5M Studios.
On Access Athletes, I hope to give athletes some insight into building an online presence through social networking and viral video campaigns, in addition to helping athletes understand the importance of connecting with fans through the use of the Internet. Within this blog, I will provide key information in working to develop web sites, along with speaking with athletes who have done social networking the right way.Visit the contributor's website: http://www.5msports.com/
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Justin Rothbaum
Associate Scout, Mesa Community College; Athlete & Professional Scout Interviewer
Justin Rothbaum is an Associate Scout for Mesa Community College in Arizona, where he scouts basketball prospects in the Tucson and Phoenix area.
Rothbaum graduated from the University of Arizona, where he obtained a B.A in History and a minor in Public Administration and Policy. Following graduation, he completed Sports Management Worldwide's Basketball Scouting and General Management certification course.
Rothbaum's scouting work can be seen online at Sports Management Worldwide's scouting network at http://www.smwwscout.com/scouts/8.
For Access Athletes, he will be writing mostly about the educational facets of scouting within the basketball and baseball world by conducting interviews with professional scouts, top athletes, and other sports professionals.Visit the contributor's website: http://southernarizonabasketballreview.blogspot.com
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Jason Krump
Communications Manager for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, Washington State University
Jason G. Krump is the Communications Manager for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at Washington State University and has over a decade of experience in the collegiate and professional athletic communication fields. He earned his Bachelor in Arts in Communication at Washington State University and Master of Science in Physical Education at Eastern Washington University.
An avid writer and fitness enthusiast, Jason has published a book "Identification of Athletes by Athletes at a Division I University: Gauging the media’s role in their identification," and his stories have earned honors in the Writer’s Digest National Writing Competition.
Jason has run in Bloomsday, a 12 kilometer road race held annually in Spokane, Wash., and has worked in a media relations capacity at major sporting events including the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, Kentucky Derby, NCAA Basketball Championships, Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl.Visit the contributor's website: http://www.WSUCougars.com
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Geoff Faulkner
Commerical Real Estate Investment Advisor, Colliers International
Geoff is a co-founder of the Commercial Investment Group at Colliers International. The CIG, which focuses on the acquisition and disposition of Investment Grade Commercial Real Estate, helps their clients create and preserve wealth by providing the best sales, financing, research, and advisory services available. Their acquisition process and unparalleled access to Net Leased properties has proven to be effective for everyone from first time private investors to seasoned institutional investors. The Colliers International network, which consists of 294 offices in 61 countries, allows the CIG to be tuned in to every market at all times.
Geoff, a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), is a recognized expert in the disciplines of commercial and investment real estate. Only 6 percent of the estimated 150,000 commercial real estate practitioners nationwide hold the CCIM designation, which reflects not only the caliber of the program, but also why it is one of the most coveted and respected designations in the industry.
Prior to a career in Real Estate, Geoff spent 2 years in Georgia playing minor professional hockey for an affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Trinity College in Hartford, CT where he also set multiple records as a standout goaltender for the Men’s Ice Hockey Team.
Geoff will inform athletes about commercial real estate opportunities.Visit the contributor's website: http://www.thecommercialinvestmentgroup.com
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Allison Collinger
Sports Charity Consultant, AHC Consulting LLC
Founded by Allison Collinger, AHC Consulting LLC provides strategic communications, social media, branding, planning, training and facilitation services to a variety of clients. Current and past clients include: American Camp Association, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Circus Harmony, Coro Leadership Center, Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation, GO! St. Louis, Major League Baseball, the St. Louis Rams and Rams Foundation, The Sports Philanthropy Project and The Youth and Family Center.
Prior to the formation of AHC Consulting, Collinger served as the director of corporate communications and community outreach for the St. Louis Rams – overseeing the Rams community outreach team, the Rams Foundation and the team’s off the field public relations initiatives. Her leadership helped to create a unique brand of strategic sports philanthropy – including the formation of Healthy Youth Partnership, a collaborative of more than 75 organizations addressing the issue of childhood obesity.
From 1989 to 1997 she was an award winning public relations professional at Fleishman-Hillard, Inc. During her tenure at Fleishman-Hillard, she played a role in the approval and opening of the Edward Jones Dome, the Kiel Center and the MetroLink light rail system. Her work has been recognized with several national awards – three Silver Anvils, the highest award bestowed on public relations programs by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and a CIPRA for creativity in public relations. In 2001, she was named to the St. Louis Business Journal’s Forty Under Forty, a list of accomplished individuals under 40.
In addition to her professional involvement, she was a founder of the Diversity Awareness Partnership and serves on the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri President’s Advisory Board, the boards of the Press Club of Metropolitan St. Louis, The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, and the National Council of Jewish Women’s Community Advisory Board. She speaks regularly at local and national seminars on communication strategies, sports philanthropy, special events, and fundraising and gives freely of her time to counsel young people who are seeking career advice.
Collinger holds a B.A. from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, is a former Coro Fellow in Public Affairs and a graduate of the 1996-1997 Leadership St. Louis program. She resides with her family in Richmond Heights.Visit the contributor's website: http://ahcconsulting.org
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Noah Matheu Sheer
Director of Berenfeld Legacy Group
Noah Sheer is the Director of Berenfeld Legacy Group, the Sports & Entertainment division of the accounting firm Berenfeld LLP. Berenfeld is a highly regarded South Florida-based accounting firm with 200 CPAs. The firm is the official tax/accounting firm of the 2010 Pro Bowl, 2010 Super Bowl, and White Buffalo Entertainment (Tribecca Film Festival Winner).
Sheer is instrumental in assisting Legacy in servicing the financial affairs for Legacy's high-net-worth sports and film stars. In this role, he helps to manage, protect, and increase the clients' wealth. He assists clients in a wide-range of accounting and advisory services, including: tax and financial planning, outsourced accounting services, business development and strategic planning, contract negotiations, fund-raising, investment and insurance advice, and real estate transactions.
Sheer attended Boston University where he received a BA in Economics.
He will be educating athletes on finance, tax, and accounting related topics.Visit the contributor's website: http://www.berenfeldllp.com
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Eileen Wisnewski
Athlete Career Development Specialist
Eileen Wisnewski is passionate about helping college athletes with their career development. She has a bachelor’s degree in Communication from the University of Southern Maine and is completing her Master’s degree in Leadership Studies. Eileen worked for ten years as the Associate Director of Employer Relations in the Office of Career Services at Bates College in Maine.
During her years at Bates, she partnered with coaches and alumni to understand the challenges student athletes face in preparing for their careers and life after college sports. She respects the amount of time a committed athlete must invest in their sport to be successful, and recognizes that investment can affect his or her ability to devote time to career development. The collaboration with the coaches and alumni allowed her to create programming, resources and alumni/student events designed specifically for student athletes.
Currently, Eileen is an Account Manager for Experience, Inc., a Boston-based company devoted to helping young adults achieve career success (www.experience.com). Her role is to assist college career professionals with their web based campus recruiting platform.
For Access Athletes, Eileen plans to look at sporting news stories and quotes as a springboard for reflection on career development advice.Visit the contributor's website: http://www.experience.com
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Gregg Swanson
Mental Strength Coach
Gregg is a leading peak sports performance coach and trainer specializing in sports mental training, as well as physical strength and conditioning. He holds several coaching and training certifications from outstanding organizations. Gregg uses the combination of mental and physical strength training to create a rock-solid sports confidence that results in peak sports performance.
Mental training for peak performance is the development of a mental strength, mental endurance as well as physical strength, power and endurance. Gregg work’s with driven and committed athletes, those individuals that have experienced, or almost experienced their peak potential and strongly desire to have this happen as a regular and reoccurring experience. He has authored several books and over 20 articles on the subjects of mental strength, physical strength and spiritual strength.Visit the contributor's website: http://WarriorMindCoach.com
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Richard Burgunder
Track & Field Contributor
Richard Burgunder is a professional endurance athlete, sports marketing consultant, sports writer, USATF certified running coach, and owner of Burgunder Sports Management. Rich has over 15 years of experience competing on the national and international level as a consistent top finisher, age group winner, and featured athlete in world-class athletic events. Most notably, Rich is a proud member of PowerBar Team Elite™, XTERRA Ambassadors, Team MGD 64, Team Compex, and the nationally ranked Nike Central Park Track Club, a USATF Elite Development Team based in New York City. Rich is a Penn State graduate hailing from Pittsburgh and is the track and field contributor for Access Athletes.
Visit the contributor's website: http://www.richardburgunder.com
Expert Contributor
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Scott Kaminsky
Vice President - Wealth Management Services, The KR Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Your dream was to be successful and be able to do what you wanted when you wanted to for the rest of your life. Now you’re faced with the challenge of economic uncertainty in an uncertain world. In your working years as well as retirement, it’s important to have the prudent deployment of planning and risk management through education, discipline and common sense.
Frequently, financial education is neglected, handed off or dismissed altogether. The adviser is speaking in a language that is simply not understood by the client. Knowing how difficult it is to bridge that gap as well as his passion for sports, Scott was instrumental in releasing 5 Biggest Challenges Facing Professional Athletes. This powerful study combines a touch of human element that brings to light these challenges while offering common sense solutions. Scott firmly believes that education and prudence can alleviate many of these challenges.
Scott’s passion for sports began in 1980 when he played for the New Jersey State Little League Championship team from Margate, New Jersey. His baseball career continued on where he played for Atlantic City High School then Fairleigh Dickinson University. Scott is a member of The Sports Financial Advisors Association, Athletes & Executives and National Youth Sports Coaches Association where he contributes his insight as a Little League baseball coach. In addition to coaching, Scott serves as a Den Leader for his local Cub Scouts. Scott lives in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania with his wife Lisa, daughter Alexa, and son Brandon.Visit the contributor's website: http://fa.smithbarney.com/thekrgroup/
Guest Contributor
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Max Eppel
Soccer Players' Agent Licensed by The FA
Visit the contributor's website: http://www.maxeppelsocceragency.com/
