Breaking In with Kevin Fishbain: A Sports Media Podcast

In episode 42, Kevin chats with Seth Wickersham, senior writer at ESPN and author of "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback," a New York Times bestseller. Wickersham has won numerous awards for his writing and he's profiled the likes of Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh. You'll hear about how Wickersham got into sportswriting while growing up in Alaska, interning at his hometown paper, and covering a Super Bowl as a college student with his classmate, Wright Thompson. As someone who has built a ton of trust among the NFL's biggest power brokers, Wickersham offers great advice to young writers. Hear how Seth Wickersham broke in.

In episode 41, Kevin chats with Chris "Bear" Fallica, wagering expert at Fox Sports and host of the podcast "Bear Bets." Fallica appears on Fox's "Big Noon Kickoff" college football pregame show, and helps set up Monday's College Football Playoff national championship, and next month's Super Bowl, from a betting perspective. Known for his time on ESPN's College Gameday, Fallica got his start at ESPN as a researcher. He tells the story about how he first got in the door at ESPN Radio, how he would do research in the 90's, why Lee Corso gave him the nickname "Bear," and what it's been like being recognized. Hear how Chris "Bear" Fallica broke in.

In episode 40, Kevin chats with Jeff Joniak, the play-by-play voice of the Chicago Bears on ESPN 1000. Joniak is in his 25th season behind the microphone for the Bears and approaching his first home playoff game on the call in seven years. He began his broadcasting career at Iowa State, and then in Chicago where he worked for "Sports Phone." You'll hear how Joniak would spend nights at the radio station, took any assignment he could, and moved his way up in the sports radio scene, including covering the 90's Chicago Bulls teams. And a chance to call a Northern Illinois football game proved significant in his career. Hear how Jeff Joniak broke in.

In episode 39, Kevin chats with Dan Rubenstein, co-host of "The Solid Verbal," the largest independent college football podcast. Rubenstein and Ty Hildenbrandt have hosted the podcast since 2008, and Rubenstein will tell that origin story, how they found each other at Sports Illustrated and how they got their podcast off the ground. He also discusses how driving scripts around Hollywood as an intern led him to start out on his own, filming videos at college football tailgates, and how that niche helped him get his start in sports media. Hear how Dan Rubenstein broke in.

In episode 38, Kevin chats with Michael Silver, senior NFL writer at The Athletic. Silver has been covering the league since he was on the 49ers' beat in the early 90's. He wrote more than 70 cover stories for Sports Illustrated and also worked for NFL Network and Yahoo Sports. An author of five books, Silver's latest, "The Why Is Everything: A Story of Football, Rivalry and Revolution" is now out in paperback. Silver's origin story goes back to seeing "All the President's Men" as a child, a very intense college newspaper at Cal, and then finding his niche covering the 49ers. Known for his incredible access, Silver will tell many stories about how he earns the trust of the league's power brokers. Hear how Michael Silver broke in.