How did we land Tom Schoenfelder, Principal Scientist & Head of Academic Research & Partnerships at Caliper on the “Outside Game” podcast? It’s all about patience, persistence, and timing.

It started in 2019, when we first landed Tom a coveted panel spot at a major sports business conference, where he shared his experience assessing thousands of professional athletes through the years. Tom’s findings – that physical ability doesn’t predict athletic success at the highest levels – piqued the interest of “Outside Game” hosts Keith Bulluck (NFL pro-bowler) and Don Povia, who were in attendance at the conference.

What came next is what PR is all about – relationships. We nurtured a dialogue with Keith and Don for over a year, till the perfect opportunity finally arose to have Tom on as a guest. In February 2020, with the NFL draft on the horizon and “winner’s mentality” a hot topic of conversation, we secured Tom a spot on the popular sports podcast. The topic: Tom’s inside tips on how Caliper helps pro and college sports teams find the perfect player – one with the ideal mental makeup for a professional level athlete, to best optimize success on the field.