POK-A-TALK: Recent Episodes
Pokatok, Pokatok Festival, POKATOK MEDIA
At the intersection of sports, culture and innovation, POK-A-TALK brings entrepreneurs from across industries, cultures and disciplines to tell their stories. Host, Alex Gras, sits down with these entrepreneurs to discuss who they are, where they started and where they are now.
POK-A-TALK is the official podcast for the POKATOK Festival, the worlds largest sports festival hosted in Houston, TX in 2023.
Janis Burke, CEO of HCHSA, sits down with Alex Gras to tell stories of her favorite moments that exemplify community in sports. Janis has been the CEO of the Harris County - Houston Sports Authority since 2006. She became the third chief executive and first woman to hold the position since the inception of the organization in 1997.
Pok-A-Talk is the official podcast for The Pokatok Festival, a mash-up of conferences, competitions, and connections to celebrate and showcase sports and the technologies disrupting them. The goal of the podcast is to explore the human side of the stories at the intersection of sports, innovation, and culture.
Mike Chabala, former MLS player and founder of Sphere, sits down with Alex Gras to talk about how Sphere is bringing a locker room aspect to fitness. Sphere is a soccer-inspired fitness concept. They focus on the quality of play instead of minutes on the field, connecting people rather than passes, and doing more with a ball than just scoring goals. Sphere is not just for avid soccer players and athletes. It’s for anyone looking to push their personal boundaries to the extreme, both physically and mentally.
Pok-A-Talk is the official podcast for The Pokatok Festival, a mash-up of conferences, competitions, and connections to celebrate and showcase sports and the technologies disrupting them. The goal of the podcast is to explore the human side of the stories at the intersection of sports, innovation, and culture.
Jonathan Wells, former Texans RB, joins the podcast to talk to Alex about J. Wells Media Group and how he's educating people on the similarities between football and soccer. J. Wells Media Group is a multi-faceted Media Company based in Cleveland Ohio. JWMG focuses on creating TV and online content such as Documentaries, Reality Shows, Promotional Corporate Videos, Photography, and Music Videos.
Pok-A-Talk is the official podcast for The Pokatok Festival, a mash-up of conferences, competitions, and connections to celebrate and showcase sports and the technologies disrupting them. The goal of the podcast is to explore the human side of the stories at the intersection of sports, innovation, and culture.
Lori Burgess, COO of Beasley Esports, sits down with Alex Gras to talk about how the landscape of sports is changing rapidly. Beasley Esports owns several esports teams, including the Houston Outlaws for Overwatch and Team AXLE-R8 for Rocket League. Lori talks about esports at universities, esports athletes as celebrities, and much more you may not have considered when thinking about professional video gaming.
Pok-A-Talk is the official podcast for The Pokatok Festival, a mash-up of conferences, competitions, and connections to celebrate and showcase sports and the technologies disrupting them. The goal of the podcast is to explore the human side of the stories at the intersection of sports, innovation, and culture.
Dinn Mann, former VP of MLB Advanced Media and current CEO of Goatnet, sits down with Alex Gras to tell the story of his being born on third base, and his effort to hit his own triple since then. Goatnet is a greatness-themed movement and Web3 entertainment enterprise. Dinn tells about his grandfather's legacy and involvement with the building of the Astrodome, and what big things he's doing now to cultivate greatness.
Pok-A-Talk is the official podcast for The Pokatok Festival, a mash-up of conferences, competitions, and connections to celebrate and showcase sports and the technologies disrupting them. The goal of the podcast is to explore the human side of the stories at the intersection of sports, innovation, and culture.
Michael Heckman of Houston First sits down with Alex Gras to talk about what makes Houston a great city, and what it can do to earn that reputation. Born a Yankees fan, Heckman has a more than 20-year career with leadership roles spanning destination marketing and hotels, as well as sports and event management. As President and CEO of Houston First, Michael is one of the leaders pushing the city toward greatness.
Pok-A-Talk is the official podcast for The Pokatok Festival, a mash-up of conferences, competitions, and connections to celebrate and showcase sports and the technologies disrupting them. The goal of the podcast is to explore the human side of the stories at the intersection of sports, innovation, and culture.
In the final week of our spotlight on Pokatok Labs' inaugural cohort, Brittany Soeder and Robert Maher of RE Cooling Tech sit down with Alex Gras to discuss how they're keeping athletes cool during the hot summer months. RE Cooling Tech has created a collar to be worn around the athlete's neck that sends cold fluid to create rapid cooling.
LEARN MORE ABOUT RE COOLING TECH: https://recoolingtech.com/
Zuca Palladino of Texas Footvolley sits down with Alex Gras to talk about a sport you probably have never heard of, footvolley. Zuca fell in love with footvolley while recovering from an ACL injury, and he knew that footvolley could be a breakthrough sport in Texas, as warm weather and sand volleyball courts are abundant in the lone star state. Now part of the National Footvolley Association (NFA), Texas Footvolley is a growing platform for the Gulf Region to this eye-catching sport!
In Week 4 of our spotlight on Pokatok Labs' inaugural cohort, Bhargav Maganti and Igor Karlicic of Monarc sit down with Alex Gras to discuss how they're innovating the way athletes practice football. The Monarc Seeker is the world's first ever robotic quarterback, kicker, and punter, and professional NFL players are taking note.
Aaron Knape of sEATz sits down with Alex Gras to talk about how he's bringing the next level of convenience to stadium events, hospitals, and more. sEATz is developed for sports and entertainment venues and has been a proven partner at stadiums and venues across the USA. Order stadium concessions on the app, and one of their runners will bring your order right to your seat.
In Week 3 of our spotlight on Pokatok Labs' inaugural cohort, Nate Rodman and Nika Oullette of Perch sit down with Alex Gras to discuss what their product is and how it's innovating weight room training. Perch is a camera system that helps quantify weight room performance without detracting from it.
Braden Kopp of Pivots Pro sits down with Alex Gras to discuss what athletes can do to maximize their new freedoms regarding name, image, and likeness. Pivots Pro is a small yet wide ranging community of candid people across industry and professions that will serve as a resource for athletes.
In Week 2 of our spotlight on Pokatok Labs' inaugual cohort, Taylor Host, CEO and Co-Founder of Miro.AI, sits down with Alex Gras to discuss computer vision and how Miro.AI is changing the game using technology to identify everything from athletes to the gear they use.
Scott and Jason from Chasing Watts sit down with Alex to talk about the community they've been building around cycling. They discuss why the sport is uniquely centered around community, and how the community has evolved with the sport over recent years.
In Week 1 of our spotlight on Pokatok Labs' inaugural cohort, Matt Roda and Matt Campagna sit down with Alex Gras to discuss how they are innovating neurotraining with Reflexion.
William Labanowski, founder and CEO of WagerLab, sits down with Alex Gras to talk about how his app facilitates friendly sports bets and more. They discuss the trends and correlations he and his team have noticed, as well as some of the fun stakes he's leveraged with his friends.
Chris Canetti sits down with Alex Gras to discuss Houston's bid for the 2026 World Cup. Former President of the Houston Dynamo, Canetti has spent much of his life dedicated to the game of soccer, and now is heading the efforts to bring the World Cup to Houston.
Brian Ching sits down with Alex Gras to discuss how he's transitioned from being a star MLS player to being a businessman and entrepreneur. A 6x MLS All-Star, Brian played with the Houston Dynamo from 2006 to 2013, and is the franchise's all-time leader in goals.
Natara Holloway-Branch sits down with Alex Gras to talk about the NFL product, Houston as a sports city, and of course, Texas BBQ. The NFL's first African-American woman to hold a Vice President position, Natara gives her perspective on why Houston could be the sports tech capital of the world.
Apollo Media is a Houston-based company with a vision to provide original, creative, diverse content that engages the fans, in a way they have never seen before.
In this premier episode of Pok-A-Talk, host Alex Gras sits down with Lydia Davies, founder of Tee Mates (and unofficial Queen of Sports Tech and Golf). They discuss how TeeMates is bringing golfers together worldwide. Lydia talks about how her many different career paths have shaped her, taken her all over the world, and ultimately led her here.
Varsity Hype is a web and mobile solution that allows individuals and organizations to store, manage, personalize, and share video, audio, and photo content from any sport or school activity.