We were lucky to catch up with Brandon Reef recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brandon, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?
I came up with the idea in Spring of 2017. I love talking sports and always chatted with people at work regarding the most recent game or news in the sports industry. I wanted to use a platform to talk sports not just on the national level news, but also the local state of Indiana. With Indiana being a flyover state, we don’t always make national news and the major outlets only covered the larger markets while people in this state also wanted to talk our teams in the state including the Pacers, Colts, Purdue, Indiana, Notre Dame and Ball State. I wanted to start a “barbershop style” and started with my own podcast which after 4 months, I brought in a former co-worker Jonathan Birdsong. I enjoyed talking sports with him and we have been going strong since. We have been doing Live Shows, going to ball games with Media Credentials, interviewing coaches, players, and former players. We take callers in our weekly call-in show and similcast on Facebook Ilve, Instagram and Youtube with our radio show. We have grown significantly over the past 7 years and even signed on sponsorships. We have a great following and enjoy interacting with our fans! We love to have a sounding board and love when our callers want to rant, talk, and get their sports opinions out to everyone.
Brandon, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was a collegiate athlete with an interest in sports; graduated with a Bachelor’s in Sports Administration from Ball State University. I loved talking sports with classmates, co-workers and family and was very opinionated which people liked to hear what my thoughts were after games. I live in Westfield, Indiana with my wife and dog and have my podcasting studio at home where we do Live shows and podcasts.
When I started my show, I had friends who had experience in web design, graphic design, audio/visual which I had them help me with my startup of getting a logo, the podcast/radio gear and how to use it over the past 7 years.
Our passion is sports and talking sports that are not always on the national news level with the talking heads and focus on our localized Indiana college and pro sports while also covering the national headlines.
We know that Hoosiers are passionate about their favorite teams, and we are too.
Crossroads Sports became tired of hearing from the same outlets that cover Indiana sports, so we decided to do something about it. Our goal is to provide you with quality sports coverage that brings you a fresh outlook. We won’t be afraid to be bold and provide opinions that most may not be willing to write about. Not only do we want you to hear from us, but we want to hear from you too. We welcome all opinions, perspectives and conversations on any and all topics.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I built my audience on Social Media by commenting on not only my own Social Accounts but our Crossroads Sports Accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram. Commeting on other sports posts, posting our own short video clips and connecting with local fans, and media personalities here in Indiana to help grow our network. Engaging on other social posts and tagging our state sports teams helps create your brand and people will follow to hear more and get to know you and your brand more.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Being reliable with my information and making valid opinions. Being respectful and listening to others is a key to this success. Networking with other media members and asking for their advice and then connecting with them on social media and seeing your work, it builds that reputation that they also will want to work with you more. Being professional and creative is key to build your reputation in the sports media field.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.crossroads-sports.com
- Instagram: CrossRdsSports
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crossroadssports
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-reef-25500046/
- Twitter: https://x.com/CrossRdsSports
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CrossroadsSports317
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crossroads-sports-radio-show/id1542061497