Deirdre Lester – Wild Business Growth Podcast #152: Chief Revenue Officer of Barstool Sports

Barstool is everywhere. How have they achieved such crazy growth, especially in recent years? Hear how from this week’s Wild Business Growth Podcast guest, Deirdre Lester. Deirdre is the Chief Revenue Officer of Barstool Sports. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth Podcast Summary

Episode 152: Deirdre Lester – Chief Revenue Officer of Barstool Sports

Deirdre Lester, the Chief Revenue Officer of Barstool Sports, joins the show to share her journey from growing up in a sports family to leading Barstool’s growth from the low double-digit millions to triple-digit millions in revenue. Hear what’s driven the growth of Barstool, how much of the advertising revenue comes from podcasts, the story behind Pink Whitney, the Barstool personality who cracks Deirdre up the most, and what the office environment is like. This episode covers everything from Pardon My Take to Chicks in the Office. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• How often did Deirdre’s dad run marathons and half marathons
• What got her hooked about having a career in the sports business space
• What has driven the growth of Barstool
• Where did the idea for Pink Whitney come from
• How much of Barstool’s advertising revenue comes from podcasts
• David vs. Goliath (literally Dave)
• What is Deirdre’s favorite memory from living and studying abroad
• Does it get distracting having so many famous people around the office

Connect with Deirdre on LinkedIn, on Twitter at @GanunLester, and on Instagram at @DGanunLester.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Intro & Sports
  • [0:30] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:43] “Rock Lobster” by The B-52’s
  • [0:47] Connect with Deirdre on LinkedIn, on Twitter at @GanunLester, and on Instagram at @DGanunLester
  • [2:06] Barstool Sports
  • [2:13] Podcast Movement
  • [2:48] This is my first in-person interview since Larry Edelson on Episode #78 of the Wild Business Growth Podcast
  • [3:03] Deirdre Lester on Token CEO with Barstool CEO Erika Nardini
  • [3:28] How much of Deirdre’s childhood was in Westfield, NJ
  • [3:35] Union Catholic
  • [4:05] Shoutout the Zuckers and the Gottdieners!
  • [4:23] Westfield Edition
  • [4:28] Did Deirdre know sports would become part of her business career growing up
  • [5:25] Advertising, Marketing
  • [5:54] Home Run Derby
  • [5:56] How often did Deirdre’s dad run marathons and half marathons
  • [6:10] Major League Baseball (MLB)
  • [6:56] What made Deirdre study English Literature and Spanish at The University of Vermont
  • [7:28] Communications
  • [7:40] Shoutout London study/living abroad!
  • [8:53] What opened Deirdre’s eyes about living and studying abroad
  • [9:33] Granada, Spain
  • [9:49] Starbucks, Seville, Spain
  • [10:23] Internet
  • [10:37] Premier League
• Sports Business & Growing Barstool Sports
  • [11:24] See what I did there
  • [11:33] ESPN, Rivals, Indiana University (IU)
  • [11:53] CNET
  • [12:05] What got Deirdre hooked about having a career in the sports business space
  • [12:12] She said short stop
  • [12:25] Internet Advertising
  • [12:33] Halsey Minor, Shelby Bonnie
  • [13:16] Print Advertising, Recruiter
  • [13:30] ESPN.com
  • [13:38] Sports Media
  • [13:44] CBSsportsline.com
  • [14:01] Tech (Technology)
  • [14:13] B2B (Business-to-Business)
  • [14:20] Nextel, Sprint, Dr. Pepper, Bank of America
  • [15:02] New York Knicks, NBA (National Basketball Association), NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)
  • [15:27] I am a huge sports fan in case you didn’t know
  • [15:35] Big Cat, PMT (Pardon My Take)
  • [17:04] Rivals.com
  • [17:12] Design, Shannon Terry
  • [17:38] Paid Subscription Model
  • [17:52] Internet Business
  • [18:13] Sports Nut
  • [18:18] We needed more TVs
  • [18:28] NFL Sunday Ticket
  • [18:43] LeBron’s shot vs. the Magic
  • [19:46] World Series post-9/11 in New York
  • [20:08] Sponsorship
  • [20:18] Nice one, Max
  • [20:34] Revenue, Sales
  • [21:09] Had Deirdre heard about Barstool before interviewing for the job
  • [21:21] Digital Media, Startups, Challenger Brands
  • [21:50] Erika Nardini
  • [22:33] Millennial
  • [22:54] Instagram
  • [23:03] Barstool-isms, Saturdays Are For The Boys (SAFTB)
  • [23:21] Brand
  • [24:15] Merchandising (Merch), Podcasts, Live Events
  • [24:28] Consolidation
  • [25:06] Ad Revenue (Advertising Revenue)
  • [25:14] eCommerce, Content
  • [25:24] Targeting, Snapchat, Facebook Video
  • [25:36] Whistle Sports, VICE, Refinery29
  • [26:34] Another PMT reference
  • [26:49] “Guys on Chicks“
  • [27:08] Investors
  • [27:11] What was Deirdre tasked with in her role as CRO (Chief Revenue Officer)
  • [27:36] The Chernin Group
  • [28:29] Brand Advertisers
  • [28:38] Direct Response, DTC (Direct-to-Consumer)
  • [29:00] Disruptor Brands, Performance Brands
  • [29:13] Established Brands, National Advertisers
  • [29:32] BODYARMOR
  • [29:43] Barstool Chicago, Franchises
  • [29:55] I almost lost it when Deirdre said that
  • [30:05] Coors Light
  • [30:45] E & J Gallo, Pink Whitney
  • [31:07] We might have done that or might not
  • [31:37] New Amsterdam
  • [31:52] Competitors
  • [32:16] Where did the idea for Pink Whitney come from
  • [32:34] Brand Management
  • [32:53] License, IP (Intellectual Property)
  • [33:07] NAV (New Amsterdam Vodka)
  • [33:22] NHL (National Hockey League)
  • [33:36] Spittin’ Chiclets
  • [33:48] Ryan Whitney (Whitney)
  • [34:04] UGC (User-Generated Content)
  • [34:18] New Amsterdam Peach
  • [35:24] Podcasting
  • [35:44] What has driven the growth of Barstool
  • [36:10] Programmatic Advertising, Display Ads
  • [36:20] This is true
  • [36:28] Shoutout Barstool & MaxPodcasting
  • [36:53] iHeartMedia, Wondery
  • [37:37] Narratizing
  • [38:53] Chicks in the Office, KFC Radio, One Minute Man
  • [39:36] YouTube, Social Media
  • [39:47] Dynamically-Inserted Ads
  • [40:16] Brand Love, Nielsen
  • [40:34] Bootstrapped
  • [40:48] Keeping that analogy close to the vest
  • [41:12] How much of Barstool’s advertising revenue comes from podcasts
  • [41:23] Pay-Per-View (PPV), Rough N’ Rowdy
  • [41:54] Audio Revenue
  • [42:07] What is the split within podcast advertising revenue
  • [42:37] “$100 Million Dollars“
  • [42:50] Presenting Sponsor
  • [43:10] Budweiser, Bud Canada (Budweiser Canada)
  • [43:38] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool

• Inspiration & Creativity: People, Hobbies, and Resources
  • [44:35] What can you do to be and stay creative
  • [44:58] Swing and a miss
  • [45:02] Influencers, TikTok
  • [45:32] Circus Goat Rodeo
  • [45:41] Content Creator, Token CEO Brand
  • [46:04] Finance
  • [46:20] Bristol, CT
  • [47:52] Ria & Fran
  • [48:12] Harold Reynolds
  • [48:42] PR (Public Relations)
  • [48:50] What a segue
  • [48:54] What are Deirdre’s favorite hobbies
  • [50:01] Hot Bikram Yoga
  • [50:08] What can we say
• Wild Business Shoutout of the Week
  • [50:48] Creative Marketing
  • [50:58] Pepsi
  • [51:12] Pepsi Earnings Call
  • [51:35] VP of Marketing Todd Kaplan, Pepsi Challenge
  • [51:50] Diet Coke
  • [52:04] Super Bowl Halftime Show
  • [52:12] Dave’s Pizza Review, Deion Sanders
  • [52:41] David vs. Goliath (literally Dave)
  • [53:36] Coca-Cola
  • [54:18] Dave Portnoy, Financial Services, CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods), Dave’s Frozen Pizza

• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [54:57] Caleb Pressley
  • [55:21] Golf Content
  • [55:34] Miss Deidre
  • [55:41] Does it get distracting having so many famous people around the office
  • [56:08] Producer
  • [56:21] Happens all the time
  • [56:48] What is a weird talent Deirdre has
  • [57:01] Shoutout Dana & Dana Beers
  • [57:12] What is Deirdre’s favorite memory from living and studying abroad
  • [58:16] Personallity
  • [58:22] What is a quirk Deirdre has
  • [59:00] Zoom
  • [59:22] Spirit animal
  • [1:00:41] Connect with Deirdre on LinkedIn, on Twitter at @GanunLester, and on Instagram at @DGanunLester
  • [1:00:58] What are Deirdre’s Final thoughts
  • [1:01:15] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast
  • [1:01:21] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on GoodPods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [1:01:29] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn at @MaxBranstetter
  • [1:01:36] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – Jungle Tribe – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur or innovator joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the crazy creative and unusual ways they grew their business, and provides tips for you to do it, too. Hear the woman who became the voice of Siri, the man who’s reinventing the sandcastle, how GaryVee’s partners are turning the wine world upside down, and more wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Deirdre Lester on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!