MarketInk: 3 Friends' Podcast Leads To New Sports Show On The Mightier 1090

By Rick Griffin, Times of San Diego

July 6, 2021

Three University of Texas former students now living in Los Angeles and pursuing acting careers are the new hosts of a weekly talk show airing on Southern California sports talk radio station XEPRS 1090-AM The Mightier 1090.

Josh Fisher, Nick Kreider and Alex Tassapoulos, all age 26, are hosting “The Charity Stripe,” heard Thursdays from 6 to 7 p.m. on 1090-AM.

The radio show is an offshoot of the trio’s podcast launched four years ago with the same Charity Stripe name, which refers to the free-throw line in basketball. More than 340 podcast episodes have been recorded and new shows are posted Mondays and Thursdays on the Bleav Podcast Network.

The podcast was birthed in August 2017 in Fisher’s bedroom. “I made a list of fun nicknames within sports and that one stuck. We’ve been on a roll ever since,” said Fisher, an admitted sports statistics junky.

“The name was certainly catchier than other names Josh thought of, including one I recall, which was The Pylon,” said Tassopoulos, a Dallas native who played basketball, lacrosse and volleyball in high school.

The three were casual friends in college. “When we moved out to California to work in entertainment, we reconnected due to our Texan roots,” Tassapoulos said. “The shared bond of being Longhorns and loving sports propelled our friendship forward. We’ve done the podcast for four-plus years without any of us walking away, so we must be doing something right.”

“We have natural chemistry, we’re comfortable with each other, we all like sports and we like to talk about it. Now, I’m sure we will be lifelong friends,” said Kreider, a three-sport athlete in high school who played wide receiver in college as a walk-on during the 2014 season.

Scott Kaplan, 1090’s leading local anchor, was interviewed on the podcast in May 2020. “We’ve kept in touch with Scott over the last year and have contributed to his website and app,” said Tassapoulos. “We threw our name into the ring with Bill (Hagen), who graciously allowed us to take an available slot.”

“Our listeners are going to love these guys,” said Mightier 1090 station operator Bill Hagen. “This is not your typical sports talk show and it’s a good fit with our non-traditional approach to broadcasting.”

“We dive into deeper topics and have some pretty amazing guests, from Matthew McConaughey to adult film star Lisa Ann,” Krieder said. “We use our improv and acting chops to create a fun experience for the listener.”

Mission Federal Credit Union has named Courtney Pendleton as public relations and community manager.

The credit union said Pendleton’s responsibilities will include overseeing the organization’s PR strategy, managing press and community-related content, building relationships with new and existing nonprofits and local businesses, serving as part of the organization’s team of media spokespeople and building thought leadership programming. She also will be responsible for evolving the organization’s community relations strategy.

Pendleton has more than 18 years of experience in strategy, counsel and execution of marketing communications programs, as well as media relations, crisis and issues management, digital and social media strategy and content development in the nonprofit, consumer and corporate sector.

She previously spent five years at the YMCA of San Diego County where she developed and directed the PR and communications strategy and reputation initiatives. Prior to the YMCA, she served as the communications director for the American Red Cross of San Diego-Imperial Counties. She also spent eight years with international PR agency FleishmanHillard.

Pendleton graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in communication. She is a member of San Diego Rotary Club 33 and the Public Relations Society of America.

“We’re honored to have Courtney join our team at Mission Fed,” said Debra Schwartz, president/CEO, Mission Fed. “Her knowledge, experience and connections will enhance our ongoing efforts to support the greater San Diego community.”

Mission Fed, with $4.5 billion in assets, nearly 270,000 members and 32 local branches, said it is the largest, member-owned, not-for-profit, full-service financial institution exclusively serving San Diego County.

San Diego-based RateMyAgent, a review and digital marketing platform for real estate professionals, has promoted Molly McKinley to executive VP of global marketing and industry relations. She previously served as VP of brand marketing since January 2020, when she joined the company.

Prior to RateMyAgent, she served as VP of corporate marketing and communications at Adwerx, a technology company that provides an advertising platform for real estate agents, loan officers, insurance brokers and wealth managers.

During her 25-year career, McKinley has assisted numerous companies, including Adobe, IBM, Relola and First. She also has operated her herbal loose leaf tea brand — Intentionalities — and her own marketing agency — Redtail Creative. Her soon-to-be-released book is called “The International Business: A Path to Purpose and Prosperity.”

“Throughout my career and in my own personal life, I always strive to find intention and true purpose,” said McKinley. “For me, that’s what marketing is all about, illuminating better options for your customers and helping them succeed beyond their wildest dreams. I feel lucky to share that philosophy with the team at RateMyAgent, and I am thrilled that my new role will allow me to expand my reach across the global real estate industry.”

“Molly has not only been integral to our initial successes in the U.S. market, she has exceeded every ambitious goal we set while remaining strategic and committed to growing our brand reputation in the industry,” said Mark Armstrong, company co-founder. “Her deep knowledge and relationships across the real estate ecosystem, coupled with her marketing talent and branding instincts, make her the perfect fit for this new, elevated role at RateMyAgent.”

RateMyAgent, launched in Australia in 2014, sells a subscription service that includes social media management tools and listing tools for realtors to use in pitches. The company entered the U.S. market in 2018, and says it now has more than 120,000 real estate agents as customers.

Clearpoint Agency, a public relations firm in Encinitas, reports it is representing software maker Deckard Technologies, which helps government agencies track properties that owe taxes and other fees on short-term rentals and residential owners who use properties for commercial purposes.

Clearpoint said it is assisting the three-year-old, venture-backed company with media relations, content development and marketing communications.

Deckard, a San Diego startup, also offers governments a forensic-data platform that identifies unpaid property taxes from rental properties that have undergone external and internal improvements without plans or permits.

“Deckard is a great company and we are really enjoying working with the brilliant people there,” said Beth Walsh, vice president, Clearpoint Agency. “Deckard uses big data science to return equity of obligations back to the community and sustain healthy revenue to support smart city and county growth. Despite the pandemic, the company has grown by more than 500 percent in the last year, even though a majority of its clients and prospects were shut down for the better part of eight months.”

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