In this week's issue:
- CFHOF Kimberly Beaudin & ESPN's Burke Mangus Join the MELT U Podcast
- 6 Life Skills That College Students Acquire From Sports
- Episode 12 of the MELTDOWN
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Whew, this week was a doozy! Between the postponements and Saban's positive COVID test, we are beyond ready for the weekend! So without further ado, here is the Game Plan.
Whew, this week was a doozy! Between the postponements and Saban's positive COVID test, we are beyond ready for the weekend! So without further ado, here is the Game Plan.
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Catch up on all of the MELT U Podcasts here - new podcasts posted bi-weekly on Spotify and iTunes!

MELT U Episode #54: Kimberly Beaudin is the Chief Executive Officer of the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame. Kimberly graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in Communication, Journalism, and Related Problems. . As the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, she oversees the marketing functions and revenue generation, developing strategic plans for the brand, channels, customers and communication built on consumer and market insights.

MELT U Episode #55: Burke Magnus was named executive vice president, programming and scheduling, of ESPN in May 2015, having served as senior vice president, programming and acquisitions since January 2014, and senior vice president, college sports programming, since March 2008. In this role, Magnus oversees all of the company’s program acquisitions and rights holder relations, content strategy, and scheduling across professional and college and amateur sports. In June 2017, he and his team assumed direct oversight of ESPN’s relationship with BAMTech.

Coming this October on the MELT U Podcast series...
Tuesday 10/20
Ed Kull, Athletic Director at Fordman University
Thursday 10/22
Steve Pacheco, President and CEO of the American Adverstising Federation
Tuesday 10/27
Rick Jones, "Head Captain" of Fishbait Marketing
Thursday 10/29
AJ Maestas, Founder and CEO of Navigate Research

This week’s MELT U Alumni Spotlight features Jack Winchester, MELT U intern class of 2017.
“I was at MELT for three summers, one as a melt u student and two as an intern coordinator. Throughout my time with MELT U, I built and fostered relationships. These relationships landed me in graduate school and landed me my first and second jobs out of school.”
Subscribe to MELT U, and you too will be on your way to becoming another #MELTU Success Story!
Expand your horizons with our curated collection of helpful articles, videos, and other essential recommendations.
6 Life Skills That College Students Acquire From Sports: "Student-athletes pick up various skills that serve them even after college. In this case, we focus on students playing at a higher level, such as varsity and extramural sports. These students encounter different situations that forge them into well-rounded individuals who are ready for the world by the time they graduate. We have identified some of these life skills and why they are vital.”
College students are still finding romance in a pandemic through Zoom crushes and actual dates: "Even with college residential life shifting as a result of coronavirus pandemic restrictions, the dating scene hasn’t stopped. It’s simply changed, as much of life has."
Colleges Are Cutting Varsity Sports. That Could Be a Good Thing: " Few of the cut programs will perish, instead they are transitioning to club teams that allow athletes to continue playing more on their terms, without the strain of the N.C.A.A. rule book.."
Vince and virtual MELT U are heading to a campus near you soon!
Tuesday 10/20: Auburn Guest Lecture
Wednesday 10/21: GCSU Class Lecture
Thursday 10/22: UAB Collat Employer Chat
Wednesday 10/28: Georgia Tech Athlete Virtual Career Fair
Tuesday 11/17: UGA PRSSA Virtual ZOOM
Book a live or virtual keynote or training session with Vince Thompson, MELT Founder and CEO! Hear from Vince on a variety of topics such as career development skills, student-athlete branding, collegiate sports marketing, and more!
You’re going to college to get a good job. The problem is, there’s no class on How to Get A Job in college. And in today’s job market, making that leap from student to employee is going to be more challenging than ever.
That’s where this book comes in.
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What's MELT?
It's a high-powered sports marketing agency that's based in Atlanta and works with the world's biggest brands, teams, and events. MELT, which I founded in 2000, has become one of the nation's leading sports marketing agencies, including a 20-year representation of The Coca-Cola Company, the activation of 17 (would have been 18) consecutive Final Fours, seven seasons of ESPN College GameDay, AFLAC's sponsorship of The Southeastern Conference (SEC) and much more. We have won a collective 20 industry awards since 2017, including CEO of The Year, Event Marketer IT list of Top 100 Event Marketing Agencies, Chief Marketer's Top 200 agencies, and many more. MELT and I sit in a unique position in the sports and college sports marketplace, offering insight into the significant business issues in sports and college sports.
What's MELT U?
It's a one-of-a-kind virtual internship program offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the world of sports marketing. This Summer MELT U educated 1,100 students with 50 podcasts of industry leaders, live Lunch & Learns from my upcoming book, "Build Brand YOU." MELT U will now extend the offerings to be year-round and to include newsletters, video series, seminars, student-athlete branding, and much more.
How MELT and DC Comics turned 18-year-old LeBron James into Powerade’s King James comic hero — 3 million comics and a playbook for fan-first brand storytelling.
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The event lasts one day. The content should last a season. If you’re not planning the content strategy before the tent goes up, you’re leaving your best footage on the field.
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As we reach closer to the second half of 2024, we are so proud of the progress our partners at City of Mobile, Populous, and Oak View Group are making.
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