A Conversation About The Game Last Night
As the founder of the GUILD, I’m always working to develop and maintain my relationships with fellow female founders, especially when they’re as passionate and motivated as Olivia Christian. On her profile, Olivia shares that she “…has been dedicated to working with and on behalf of organizations that are committed to improving the lives of individuals and families living in the San Francisco Bay Area’s most vulnerable communities.”
While I knew she worked with many Bay Area nonprofits, what really piqued my interest was the fact that she created and produces a sports show as her side hustle. We had the chance to discuss this at our recent wine tasting and networking event, Taste And Passion. Here’s an excerpt of our conversation:
Anne: You have your own show? No way — tell me more!
Olivia: My show is called “The Game Last Night.” It’s a sportscast that I host on YouTube, which means I can curse, and drink, and speak freely about sports headlines and hashtags.
Anne: I can’t say I know a lot of people who have their own show. What inspired you to create this?
Olivia: I’ve always been a big fan of sports. I was a tomboy and used to play in the street with my older brother and his friends. At age 13 I got boobs, so I stopped doing that but I continued to play basketball and tennis through my early years in college. For the past few years, I’ve had increased opportunities to create podcasts, brand videos and campaigns for clients. And then one day last year I stopped being shy, and decided to stand in front of the camera and put my producer experience to work for me, and talk about something I love.
Anne: Tell me a bit about your show?
Olivia: It’s me in conversation with athletes — both retired and current — coaches, sports writers and commentators, and of course, fans. Talking to fans at games and in bars is always a hilarious experience for me. The Game Last Night is a comedy-ish sports show. It’s very loose, and fun, and hopefully entertaining.
Anne: Sports is such a huge industry, it must be hard getting the attention of fans over to your show. There are so many ways to keep up-to-date on sports news, so I imagine you’re always finding new ways to compete with the big networks?
Olivia: You’re 100 percent right. It’s been tough. It’s weird because I’ve had such luck getting some amazing guests. Like 3x World Series Champion Dave Stewart, who pitched to me in the batting cages, and former Olympian with the US Women’s National Soccer team, Danielle Slaton. But getting eyeballs has been a struggle, especially because it’s currently my side hustle. At the end of the day, I’ve still got to pay rent, so my attention is divided.
Anne: Right. The Game Last Night is your side hustle, which is what you’re here for primarily tonight. We’re focusing on creating opportunities for women to connect, share stories, and lead them to their next steps. What are your goals for tonight?
Olivia: Yes! I was so excited to see that you were doing an event focused on side hustles. I was especially interested in coming tonight because this event gives women the opportunity to share their passion projects. Any woman choosing to take on a new project outside of their regular day job fascinates me. My goal tonight is to find someone in the room that could connect me to the right resources as I move forward.
Anne: Well I’ve loved chatting with you about The Game Last Night, and I want to help you in any way I can! Let me know what I can do to help you! I actually know someone over at a sport tech startup that might need to learn how to produce a great podcast. What are your next steps?
Olivia: An introduction there would be fantastic! Really I need more people learn about my website TheGameLastNight.net or go directly to YouTube and search for it. It would be fantastic if viewers subscribed to my channel and share it, AND if anyone has connections to current or former athletes please feel free to give them my email olivia@thegamelastnight.net.
Anne: Awesome. I’ll send it to my network and see if I can find some sports fans and someone who has a connection!
