Books with Brookes

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The book club you’ve been longing for. New monthly reads announced on the second Friday of every month. Featuring: In-depth discussion, hilarious guests, strong opinions, dramatic readings, bad words and author interviews. Bits and book clubs welcome. Read along with us!

Steve Phillips

Exit Polls

Steve Phillips is a national political leader, bestselling author, and columnist. He is the author of The New York Times bestseller Brown Is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority and the newly released national bestselling book How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good.

He is a columnist for The Guardian and The Nation, and is the host of “Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips,” a color-conscious podcast on politics. He is the founder of Democracy in Color, a political media organization dedicated to race, politics and the multicultural progressive New American Majority.

Phillips is a graduate of Stanford University and University of California College of the Law, San Francisco and practiced civil rights and employment law for many years. Phillips has appeared on multiple national radio and television networks including NBC, CNN, MSNBC and C-SPAN.

Ben Billman

Ben Billman

Ben is the Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Carson-Newmon University and has numerous years coaching collage basketball at the collegiate level. Hailing from Indianapolis, Ben takes pride in the roundball and loves the smell of a fresh lacquered court!

Damon Royster

Damon Royster

Damon is a 2020 Screenwriting Lab Fellow. He is the creator of Love, Factually and AppQueen. Hes a contributing writer for cracked.com and is repped by Gray Talent Group. He loves all things Marvel.

James Cole

James Cole

James Cole aka Superman Red, the Man of Steel, began podcasting as a guest on the Krypton Report in December 2017. I asked Tyler if I could join him in talking about my favorite superhero. First thing we discussed was Superman vs. The Elite.  He invited me back and offered me the opportunity to cohost the show and I quickly accepted.  Since then I’ve met and spoken with so many people I would have never met. Other podcasts and writers and actors who have played Superman/Clark Kent. I am an avid DC comics reader and fan. The father of 3 and am enjoying life and each new opportunity sent my way.

Tyler Patrick

Tyler Patrick

Jonathan “Tyler” Patrick aka The Superman Blue, the Man of Tomorrow, started podcasting in 2014 as a cohost on Before the Bat. During this time Tyler was presented edted the opportunity to launch his own show with The Southgate Media Group. The Krypton Report was born, a combination of using the planet Krypton and a report, like a reporter for the Daily Planet. When launched the podcast was a review of the Supergirl tv series and the to soon to debut Krypton series, as well as other Superman based properties. Over the years the show evolved adding Mr. James Cole as a co-host and expanding to Superman & Lois along side all Dc Comics based tv shows and movies.

Through podcasting Tyler has had the pleasure of interviewing comic authors and celebrities. In the spare time he doesn’t have Tyler takes care of his two children Solomon and Selah who frequently guest on Krypton Report. He is married to the amazing Junia a fellow Krypton Reporter. Mr. Patrick is an avid movie watcher and comic reader, bass player and aspiring screen writer.

Gary LeMaster

Gary LeMaster

Some people do what they are expected to, and grow up to put away childish things. Then there is Gary. An unabashed nerd, he is a collector – of sports cards, of memorabilia, and Funko Pops.

Growing up as a sports obsessed short, skinny kid his only way to connect with sports was through cards. Between 8th and 9th grade though, he grew 11 inches and became an actual athlete.
Gary has been a professional athlete, musician, artist, and currently a garage door technician. Through it all, his passion for sports and collecting has never waned (much to his wife’s chagrin).
If Gary isn’t hosting The Ball Card Show, he is likely golfing, playing poker, or riding his Spyder with his wife. His two grown kids visit occasionally, although they seem to get tired of hearing his stories.

Jason Otero

Jason Otero

On November 27, 1991 Eric Davis was traded from the Reds to the Dodgers. Jason was 6 years old and he cried for three days. For Jason, sports isn’t just an extracurricular activity. It is a passion and a significant part of his life. Throughout his life Jason has found himself deeply connected to the experience of cheering for and believing in a player, a team, a program, and a dream.

This is where collecting comes into play. For a guy like Jason, collecting is an opportunity to invest in that dream, belief, or memory from childhood.

When Jason isn’t hosting The Ball Card Show, he can be found on the golf course, playing a game of HORSE with his wife and two kids, or collecting Ball Cards.

Scott Sabol

Scott Sabol

Scott has been a Cleveland meteorologist for almost 20 years and a Cleveland sports fan since “Red Right 88”. While he has never missed a Browns game, baseball is his passion. His favorite player growing up was Joe Carter. A self-proclaimed baseball statistic geek, he remembers reading one of the first Bill James baseball abstracts back in high school and he’s been hooked on stats ever since. Scott, with his science and math background, brings his own unique sports perspective and his knowledge of the “game inside the game” to the Sabol Brothers on the Baseline Podcast.

John Sabol

John Sabol

John Sabol is a northeastern Ohio native and veteran TV Sports Anchor/Reporter and News Anchor. He’s moved around the country pursing his career in TV, but never lost his passion for Cleveland sports and the Land’s rich history. John’s first love of Cleveland sports started in his childhood following the early 1990s Cavaliers teams guided by his all-time favorite athlete, Mark Price. Attending those games were easy for John since his hometown of Hudson was only 15 minutes away from the Richfield Coliseum! John still believes if the Cavs teams didn’t face Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, the Cavs would’ve won at least one championship during those years.

As a member of the Sabol Brothers on the Baseline Podcast with his brother Scott, John brings his knowledge of the Cleveland sports scene, its history and his background of broadcast journalism to the Press Play Podcast Network.

Tyvis Powell

Tyvis Powell

Tyvis Powell has Ohio in his DNA and grew up around the Bedford area where he attended Bedford High school. After graduating high school, the three-star recruit took his talents to Ohio
State. After being red shirted his first year, Powell started a total of 3 seasons under head coach Urban Meyer where he took home the defensive MVP in 2014 and brought home a national championship in 2015. Powell was then picked up by the Seattle Seahawks as free agent. After spending 4 years in the NFL, Powell joined the BC Lions in the CFL. In his free time, he loves to spend every moment he can with his wife and daughter along with continuing to train for his next opportunity on the gridiron. Powell is also a regular on 97.1 The Fan where he co-host’s The Buckeye Show.

Holly Wetzel

Holly Wetzel

Holly has a strong demonstrated history of success in the television, radio, sports, marketing and advertising industries. She spent her early years with ESPN Cleveland where her career began in promotions, beat reporting, producing and on-air, followed by spending the better part of a decade at 21st Century Fox in affiliate distribution negotiating contracts with content providers across the U.S.

She covers the media landscape of rights fees, retransmission consent, carriage disputes, and the regional sports network business as a freelancer for Awful Announcing, and co-hosts the weekly sports podcast SET the Edge with Andy Billman, Director of the infamous ESPN film Believeland.

She’s a Cleveland native, lifelong Browns fan and graduate of The University of Mount Union. She spends her free time with her nieces and nephews, running, cooking, vinyl, watching sports, and any Turner Classic movie. Holly’s (mostly) cold sports takes can be found on twitter @HollyanneLiz.

John Telich

John Telich

John Telich is an 11 time Emmy award winning sportscaster who began his TV career in 1976 in Rapid City, South Dakota. The Euclid, Ohio native and Ashland college graduate began covering sports at Cleveland station WJW TV in September, 1980.  Though he ended his day to day anchoring duties in Feb, of 2022, he remains a co host each fall on the Emmy winning Friday Night Touchdown show on Fox 8.

He is a Cleveland Broadcasting Hall of Famer and is the winner of the Chuck Heaton Award from the Cleveland Press Club.

He is married to his college sweetheart, Jane and father to three grown children.

He remains a masters athlete, having competed in 100 plus triathlons and has competed in 6, 100 mile ultra marathons and 3, 50 mile ultras.

Telich is vice president of the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame and hosts his own podcast, Telich Talks

Adam The Bull

Adam the Bull

You can hear Adam “The Bull” talk sports on his 2 new podcasts with Bet Rivers, The Bull in Cleveland with Adam the Bull (about Cleveland sports) and The Bullpen with Adam the Bull (a national sports podcast). You can also watch him on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show on YouTube. And for a change of pace, you can hear him talk about television shows on Up Next with Adam the Bull.

Adam has been talking sports on the radio since he was a senior at Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn, NY. His career began when he did play-by-play for a football game that aired on a local college radio station.

The Bull is a die-hard fan of the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Bengals. He and his wife Elizabeth reside in Rocky River, OH with their 10 year-old son Aaron. In addition to sports, Adam enjoys reading the novels of Lee Child and Michael Connelly, eating and playing fantasy football.

Michael Reghi

Michael Reghi

Michael Reghi is a career sports broadcaster with more than 35 years of experience in television and radio on major networks including FOX Sports, ESPN and WKNR (Cleveland). He has called the television play-by-play of every major professional sports league, which includes the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) Baltimore Orioles (MLB) and Cleveland Browns (NFL), as well as numerous Division 1 major college conferences and teams. Michael Reghi is well-known in Ohio for his drivetime shows ‘Bring it Strong’ and ‘Afternoon R&R’ with co host Kenny Roda. He has three Emmys for broadcasting play-by-play excellence. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelReghi.

Kenny Roda

Kenny Roda

Kenny is an award winning talk show host with 31 years of experience in the sports radio and television industry in the Cleveland market.

Currently Kenny is the afternoon drive co-host of the “Kenny and JT Show” on News-Talk 1480 WHBC which airs Monday through Friday from 3pm-7pm.

21 of those 31 years were spent working at ESPN 850WKNR/AM 1220 WKNR radio. Besides being voted Cleveland’s Best Sports Talker numerous times, Kenny was also named as one of Cleveland’s Top 100 radio personalities of all-time.

The Roadman’s other radio experience includes working as  a sports anchor, pre-game and post-game host for the Indians/Cavs/Ohio St. football,  as the Cavs/Ohio State football and basketball beat reporter, while also doing play-by-play/analyst work for high school football and college basketball games.

On the TV side, Kenny has been featured on ABC’s Good Morning America following the Lebron James special – “The Decision”. Over the years Kenny has also been a regular guest on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Outside the Lines, First Take, as well as the NFL Network.

Kenny currently works as the rink-side reporter for Cleveland Monsters hockey and is the on-field reporter for Cleveland Gladiators Arena Football on Fox Sports Ohio and WUAB TV43.

He also served as a Browns and Ohio State football analyst for WEWS TV5/ NewsNet5.com. Kenny’s other TV experience includes acting as the pre-game host as well as the play-by-play man for the high school football game of the week and as a talk show host on SportsTime Ohio’s “All Bets Are Off”.

Kenny has covered the World Series, the NBA Finals, BCS National Championship games, NCAA Final Fours, AFC Championship games, NBA and MLB All Star games, the NHL, AHL and IHL as well as the PGA Tour, High School football and basketball and the U.S. Men’s National Soccer team.

Kenny is originally from Springdale, Pennsylvania and graduated from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio in 1986 where he was the Sports Director at WBWC 88.3 FM and was inducted into the WBWC Radio Hall of Fame in 2010.

Sam Amico

Sam Amico

Sam Amico is the founder/writer of FortyEightMinutes.com and a writer/editor at OutKick.com. He has previously covered the NBA for Sports Illustrated, FOX Sports, CBS Sports, Boston Herald.

J.D. Hyman

J.D. Hyman

JD was born and raised in Columbia, SC. After high school and a short stint in Charleston, JD packed up and moved to Circleville, OH where he attended Ohio Christian University. After obtaining both his bachelors and master’s degrees he moved to Columbus where he worked for the state of Ohio. In November of 2019, just before finishing his doctorate degree, he moved back to Columbia, SC where he involved firsthand in the riots and protests in a journalistic approach following the death of George Floyd. JD was able to capture photos of the events that’s transpired in an effort to bring about awareness of the strife that plagues that black community both in Columbia and the nation in general.

JD’s podcast, The Hyman Podcast focuses on the human experience from a narrative storytelling approach. After finishing his doctorate degree in the applied sciences of international business, he was able to devote more time to building his brand. Currently, JD is a researcher, professor, and business manager for a private hospital in his hometown.

Linda Meneely

Linda Meneely

Business Administrator

Linda is passionate about excellence in the work space. She has two associates degrees, 1 in Accounting and 1 in business management. Linda has been doing administrative support for various industries since 2013. Prior to that, she processed payroll for a multimillion construction company for 12 years. Linda specializes in Event Management, Administrative Coaching, Marketing and Organizing/Streamlining Processes and Procedures.

Chris Stepaniak

Chris Stepaniak

Outside Sales Rep

Chris is a hobbyist car mechanic, part-time gamer, DIY home remodeler, Army veteran, retired wedding DJ and a horrible disk golfer.  On the weekends you can catch me riding my motorcycle, enjoying a nap or playing pool! He currently lives in Dayton, OH.

Taiowa Cordts

Taiowa Cordts

Audio Producer

Tai is a filmmaker, cinematographer, director, editor, and audio producer. He specializes in video production. He produces The Orange is Oranger Browns Podcast and RnR.

Michael Seijas

Michael Seijas

Production Director / Audio Producer

Michael is a musician that has great knowledge in editing/mixing audio. Proficient in  DAWs, he is skilled in Ableton Live, Pro Tools, & Garageband. Michael is the producer/host of his own podcast where he also serves as the sound designer. To go along with his outstanding experience in audio editing, Michael also has his associates degree in Creative Production/Music Business. He has been producing music since 2015.

Don Mike Mendoza

DonMike Mendoza

Podcast Growth Specialist

Don Michael Mendoza is the Co-Founder and Executive Artistic Director of LA TI DO Productions where he’s collectively produced over 300 cabarets, concerts, theatrical shows, and events throughout Washington, DC (Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Kennedy Center), New York City (Dramatists Guild Foundation, Feinstein’s/54 Below, Bowery Poetry Club), Los Angeles, his hometown of Pittsburgh, and beyond, since 2012. He most recently played a supporting role in the film The Girl Who Left Home alongside Paolo Montalban (Whitney Houston’s Cinderella) where he also served as an Associate Producer. He is the creator of the blog and podcast: Producing While Asian. Don Michael holds a B.A. in Musical Theatre & Journalism, and a M.A. in Strategic Communication from American University.

Danny Edgington

Danny Edgington

Chief Sales Officer

The Main Event

Danny has been working in sales for almost 12 years, mainly in the wireless industry. He is really passionate about helping people solve their problems, whether it’s on a personal or business level. Finding solutions for customers is what really motivates him. People often say he’s super dedicated and loyal to whatever he put’s my mind to, and he love’s seeing the results of his hard work. When he’s not working, you’ll usually find him gaming on his PlayStation 5 or catching WWE matches – Danny is a big fan! You will also frequently find him quoting The Office which is his all time favorite show!

Brookes May

Brookes May

Chief Creative Officer

Brookes has been in trouble for talking since first grade. She’s an avid reader, a comedy writer and performer and the host of the Chicago-based monthly book club, Books with Brookes. She’s your go-to source for book recommendations questions like “Did you like this book? and “Would you help your friend bury a body?” YES OR NO

Chase Smith

Chase Smith

Founder / CEO Press Play Podcasts

Chase has been obsessed with podcasts since 2006. Utilizing his expertise in audio production gained from 10+ years of LIVE audio, his experience directing live sketch comedy/variety shows, and his writing training received at the Second City Training Center in Chicago AND iO (under former SNL staff writer Michael McCarthy), Chase is excited to empower hosts and help bring their voice to the airwaves. With an emphasis on professional sound and quality content, he’s excited to help others achieve their dream!

When he’s not podcasting, Chase enjoys spending time with his family, watching movies, SNL, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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