In our continuing series, SportsBusiness Daily/SportsBusiness Journal asks top sports personalities for their thoughts, ideas, aspirations and likes. Today, Team Epic Principal DAVID GRANT.
What I like in an insight: A thriving agency culture is good not only for employees but also for clients. It attracts the best people, and talented and satisfied people do awesome work.
An influential person in my career: JOE WEISS -- my first boss and a Holocaust survivor. No such thing as a bad day in the office.
An out-of-the-box idea: NASCAR's move to an American ethanol fuel blend.
A timeless idea: Staggering the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
A business deal: Toyota's entry into NASCAR. Taking on the domestics and winning!
A sports facility: Fenway Park.
A sports event: The Olympics.
A strategy: Just do great work. Everything else will follow. That's actually from MIKE REISMAN -- the co-founder of Velocity and Team Epic -- and it's the strategy we followed to build our agency.
A hire: The PGA Tour bringing in the next generation of leadership -- TY VOTAW, JAY MONAHAN, DAVID PILLSBURY, et al.
A brand: FedEx -- a great brand is a promise. This one started an industry and changed the world.
A trend: Dynamic pricing.
An innovation: The Hawk-Eye system of line calls in tennis. Instant and enhancing -- fans see it the same time the umpire does.
A pro league or team business initiative: NHL Winter Classic -- an annual meeting place for casual fans that's more meaningful than an All-Star Game.
A story that bears watching: Sponsor reaction (or inaction) to labor uncertainty.
An idea or invention I wish I had thought of: EZ Pass. What took so long?
A fantasy job: Architect at Vandelay Industries.
What I like about my job: Being able to bring others onto the field or to once-in-a-lifetime experiences is truly awesome.
Sports: Unscripted.
Sports business: My kids think I have a really cool job.
Sports media: Never a problem getting the score -- anytime, anywhere.
Sports technology: Great when it enhances (first-down line, in-car cameras, K-zone), irritating when it's technology for technology's sake.
Competing: Telling our agency story and showing off our mad skills.
The future (or direction) of sports business: Always positive. Fan passion knows no offseason.
Sports fans: They don't question what's actually in a Monster Dog.
What I would like to change: ELI was in the grasp. Pats go 19-0.
Change in what I do: The usual -- eat better, get outside more, sit up straight -- all the things my mother said.
See: The return of clear lanes to airport security.
See more of in sports: Relegation. The Premiere League got that right. If you suck, you get kicked out.
See more of in sports business: Agencies getting paid for value, not just time.
See less of in sports: Labor disputes. With all the world's problems, can't we find a way to play the games?
See less of in sports business: "Official Sponsor of XYZ" -- don't you think sponsors can be more creative?
See different: A more affordable day at the game for American families.
What I don't like in general: Lines -- in the airport, in traffic or on hold.
Pet peeve: The misuse of "literally." Few people have been literally blown away, and fewer still have literally had their socks knocked off!
In sports: Having to leave early to beat the traffic we just spoke about.
In business: Over-complicating the challenge. Most of the time, it's not that hard.
About sports fans: Sit down already!
What I like that would surprise those who know me: I just found out pints of Ben & Jerry's aren't supposed to be single serve. Who knew?
Above all else: Family. Has anyone ever given a different answer?
About myself: I laugh at work every day. The day I don't, I'm done.
Players: JACKIE ROBINSON.
Teams: Mt. Kisco Elks (my son's Little League team).
City: Sydney.
Possession: The remote.
Time of year (because): Summer. Everyone just chills a bit.
Music: Put on Classic Vinyl or Coffee House on Sirius XM and I'm good.
Books: My kids' textbooks -- Algebra, Global History, Living Environments.
Authors: The guys who wrote the text books. Without them, couldn't help with homework.
Magazines: SI -- never miss an issue.
Gadgets: My Peter Griffin bottle opener and Homer Simpson pizza cutter.
Hobbies: Hiking with my dog, golf, skiing, firing up the Weber grill (another great brand, by the way).
Trips: Family trip to South Africa for World Cup and safari.
Movies: CaddySuperbadGodfatherShrekBueller'sHouse, part deux. Seen it?
TV: "Family Guy," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Glee." Yeah, I said, it. "Glee."
Concerts: Fox Lane High School Guitar Ensemble. Need tickets?
Food: In-N-Out. Easiest question you've asked.
Drink: Guinness.
Vacation spots: Great Barrier Reef, Pebble Beach. Looking forward to Lake Como and Tuscany this summer.
Cars: Toyota. By the way, how strong a brand must you be to withstand what they've been through? Fantastic.
Singer: My daughter.
Quote: "It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities" -- Albus Dumbledore, to Harry Potter.
