Blue Wire podcasts including The Spurs Up Show, MPW Digital, and That SEC Football Podcast were represented at SEC Media Days in Nashville, Tennessee this week, earning the opportunity to interview, report, and create content alongside their peers from more traditional media outlets.

Chris Phillips, host of The Spurs Up Show, attended SEC Media Days for the first time this year. Phillips said that creating and building his own platform to the point where he merited inclusion at SEC Media Days was very special to him.

“To carve out my own path to this point is a really cool thing,” Phillips said. “As an independent content creator, I feel you have to do 5x or 10x what a traditional entity has to in order to prove you belong. To be among some of the best and most recognizable folks in the space and share conversations/ideas with them is a blessing.”

Neal McCready, host of MPW Digital, brings a different perspective seeing as he first attended SEC Media Days in 1995 and estimates he’s been to the event at least 20 times since then. McCready wore two hats at the event, attending on behalf of the podcast and his work at RebelGrove.com, and said he’s noticed a shift from more traditional media types to more creator-driven content.

“There was a time when I felt a lot of media looked down on me, as I was running a ‘fan’ site and just podcasting,” McCready said. “However, what I do now is the norm and the traditional media types are either getting out of media altogether or they're coming over to my ‘side.’”

Being that Phillips is well-versed in promoting his podcast across multiple platforms, he made the most of the ‘endless’ content possibilities at SEC Media Days during his time in Nashville.

“From a daily mini-VLOG detailing each day's events to player/coach interview videos to collaboration with other content creators hopping on their radio shows/podcasts/etc., it was truly a content creator's dream and something that created an immense amount of value for our end consumer,” Phillips said.

In addition to time spent reconnecting with contacts and getting ideas from other content creators, McCready managed to produce nine podcasts from SEC Media Days mostly focusing in on specific teams. He said it’s clear who has the most success at events like this.

“I think what's obvious at these events is you can tell who hustles, who is creative, who is willing to take some chances and have fun,” McCready said. “The hardcore sports guys who never let anyone see their personalities just don't fare well; that's pretty obvious at events like these.”

Phillips said SEC Media Days exceeded the high expectations he had coming into the event and is already looking forward to attending again in the coming years.

“The relationships created from networking at an event like this is an opportunity I'll forever be grateful for and is undoubtedly my biggest takeaway from the week in Nashville,” Phillips said. “It was an honor to share the room with so many talented creators and I look forward to the new friendships/partnerships I've created as being an asset to our growth.”