The speakers

The Sport and Entertainment Management M.B.A. program at USF brought in four speakers for its second annual USF Sport & Entertainment lecture series earlier this month. Sponsored by Fox Sports Florida and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the speakers included an agent, a pro sports team owner, a show business CEO and a college professor who integrates technology with entertainment. Each speaker chatted with students about their careers, setbacks, overcoming obstacles and lessons learned. The following are some of their nuggets of wisdom.

DAVID FALK
Executive: David Falk, CEO and founder of Falk Associates Management Enterprises (FAME), a Washington, D.C.-based sports management firm. Over the last 41 years, Falk has represented more first-round draft picks in the NBA than anyone else in the business.

Career milestones: Falk represented Michael Jordan throughout his basketball career, helping him score deals with Nike, McDonald's, Chevrolet and Warner Bros. to create “Space Jam,” a movie starring Jordan that took in $230 million at the box office, $7 million in CD sales and $1 billion in retail. He's also credited for coming up with the Air Jordan branding.