🏈 From TikTok Fame to NFL Podcast Host

Presented by Riverside

The most important thing about art is to work.

Maverick: Podcast Companion of the Week

This good boy is Maverick. He’s a 10-week-old black labrador retriever who helps his dad (Adam Soccolich) produce How I Write. The show has a wide list of A-tier guests, including Tim Ferriss, Scott Galloway, and Mark Manson.

“Maverick also co-hosts with me live on X/Twitter Spaces ‘The Best of Live Audio’ with guests like Lex Fridman, Chamath Palihapitiya, and Walter Isaacson,” says Adam. “Maverick’s my number one listener.”

Do you have a pet who’s also your podcast companion? Email [email protected] with a photo and a bit about them (and your podcast) for a chance to be featured in a future issue.

Industry game changers and valiant minds from creative professions share their wisdom, adversities, and paths to innovation.

Signal Flow: Annie Agar

Join NFL Insider and social media breakout star, Annie Agar, as she tackles the world of fantasy football, odds, props, and parlays in The Offensive Line from Wondery. Each week, Annie breaks down the NFL’s juiciest and trendiest matchups and drama in her signature quick-hitting style, while roasting players and teams, dishing out some ice-cold takes, teasing you with a weekly teaser, and slamming the most “offensive” lines, odds, and spreads. She’ll be joined by current and former players, and celebrity superfans for a fiery and fun slant on all things football, fantasy, and Annie’s favorite picks.

The NFL has so much drama, it’s basically a reality TV show. It’s ripe for jokes and the content is never-ending, so why not talk about it?

Back when the pandemic started, I was working in local news and we weren’t covering sports. It was the first time in my life that sports had come to a standstill. I just got on TikTok and I had an idea to do a video on how the Big 10 was handling COVID and how they’d get their season up and running again. Overnight, the video had 3 million views. And I thought, okay, this is something people really want right now.

Then I moved toward creating NFL videos. That’s how this whole podcasting thing started.

The videos are almost four minutes long. But there’s only so much you can cover in that short span of time. So we thought podcasting would be a great way to elaborate on the social media videos a little bit more and throw in more jokes that I didn’t hit in the videos. The podcast is also more conversational, it’s more inclusive and allows my followers and fans to see a different side of me. It feels a bit more like I’m having a chat with them.

Wondery has been great to work with on the podcast. They’ll write a layout of what we want to talk about, and they’re great with that. But then they’ll leave it completely open for me to write/insert my jokes.

It’s such a quick turnaround in the sports world. With TikTok, I’ve noticed my videos do the best when I post them the second breaking news happens. A topic can be trendy for a while, but with sports, it’s constantly moving.

It’s great to have this other form of my content where people don’t have to sit and watch a screen for four minutes. They can just listen to me while they’re driving to work or doing laundry.

When I got on TikTok, I knew nothing about it. You have to be constantly willing to learn.

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Networking has been huge for me. And this plays into the podcast, because when you’re asking people to come on your show, if you haven’t networked with them, they’re less likely to say yes. I was talking to Brandon Marshall the other day, and he thought I was just some fan coming up who makes content. And he’s like, show me your Instagram. He was like, “No way, I know you!” And that just opens up a whole new world of access for me and the show, having athletes recognize you and enjoy what you’re creating.

It’s been an amazing four years. I was at the Super Bowl and my favorite player was there, Charles Woodson. So I walk over to him while he’s getting coffee. And I was like, “Hey, I just want to let you know I grew up watching you, I’m a huge Green Bay fan and you are by far my favorite player.” He’s a super nice guy, said it’s great to meet you, etc. When I’m about to leave, he comes over and gives me a hug. And he’s like, “You do those NFL videos! I send them to my family. We love them!” It was the coolest thing. Honestly, a top five favorite moment of my career so far.

My biggest fear about podcasting is that my jokes, when played out in a longer format, won’t have the same kind of punch they do in a short, snappy format. But I think I’ll get around that by throwing them in there when people aren’t expecting them.

Pardon My Take is probably my favorite podcast. I love those guys. At the end of the day, they’re true fans, like I am. I have to talk about sports; I need to tell you guys how pissed off I was with the Packers when they’re messing up.

I am such a big sports fan, and the reason I started doing all this stuff was because of my older brother. He has cerebral palsy, he’s the biggest sports fan, he’s brilliant. You could ask him who won the Super Bowl back in 1980 or whatever and he’ll know the score. And I think he’s fed my love for sports. So whenever anybody asked me where that love comes from, or why I wanted to get into this, I always attribute it to him. He’s just a great guy.

Podcast of the Week: Every Little Thing

Why do news anchors all sound the same? Do wolves really howl at the moon? Why do we baby talk? Listeners call in with a question, and the Every Little Thing team finds an answer.

Sadly, Spotify ended the show in October 2022. But ELT’s back catalog is rife with treasures. I highly suggest you go exploring.