Scottsdale's Star Worldwide Networks Marks 15 Years With New Shows, Studio

 
When a new hire joins the Star Worldwide Networks (SWN) in Scottsdale, founder and media icon Dave Pratt makes sure they watch Bennett Miller’s 2011 award-winning biographical drama, “Moneyball."
 
The film chronicles the underdog 2002 Oakland Athletics' remarkable playoff run, achieved through then-unconventional strategies.
 
More than baseball, Pratt says the film is a blueprint for how to run a successful business, something he’s been doing for the last 15 years at Star Worldwide Networks and Pratt Marketing Agency.
 
“I felt like it was impossible to hold onto the side of the pool and swim. My state of mind was either you believe in it, or you don’t,” Pratt said.
 
Pratt, better known by his longtime radio fans as “The Morning Mayor,” founded his companies in 2009 when many radio and television personalities like himself were dipping their toes into this new medium called podcasting.
 
But most were not willing to give up their full-time jobs, according to Pratt.
“I was the opposite,” Pratt said. “If you believe in it, believe it in 100% with all of your time and energy. Risk everything you have and forget your past.”
 
Now, 15 years later, the SWN website has amassed more than 1.6 million views per month and is in perpetual expansion mode, with two new shows for its audiences: the SWN Spotlight Show and The Dave Pratt Now Show.
 
New shows
The SWN Spotlight Show is a new business podcast that invites local business owners to the studio to share their stories in a relaxed, conversational setting.
 
The talk show-style format features 30-minute interviews led by on-air radio personality and SWN Project Manager Mark Jeffrey, the host of SWN Spotlight.
 
Now in its sixth episode, the purpose of the show is to provide a platform to empower entrepreneurs, allowing them to share their expertise and connect with a large-scale audience.
 
Dave Pratt Now is a spin-off of the longstanding show, Dave Pratt Live, which will populate short entertainment segments for an ever-growing audience.
 
The show will begin in December and will have anywhere from eight to ten segments per week to keep audiences engaged, Pratt said.
 
“We’re going to try to keep it short, compact and entertaining as heck,” Pratt said.
 
New studio
SWN has also expanded to an additional studio with premium audio and video equipment and capabilities for both in-person and virtual guests.
 
SWN now has three content studios, each with the capabilities for both in-person and virtual guests and offers audio and video capabilities for distribution on a variety of platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, Star Worldwide Networks and other social media sites.
As a pioneer in his industry, Pratt admits his secret weapon is his companies’ business development director, Annarose Quinn.
 
Quinn is a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management where she earned her BSBA in Marketing and Business Management and MS in Marketing.
 
“Quite honestly and humbly, Annarose has changed the company. She’s a rockstar,” Pratt said.
 
Pratt, who started his foray into broadcasting at the age of 16, says the only way to be successful is to be big enough to handle any client but small enough to be accessible by any business no matter the size or budget.
 
Pratt says his inspiration is his family, seeing his clients succeed and, like Moneyball, challenging the longstanding norms of doing business.
“When somebody says we can’t do something or says we can’t change the culture, that fires me up,” Pratt said.
 
Pratt Marketing Agency offers advertising and media buying, audiobook production, audio and video production, brand consulting, podcast and video series and more.
 
For more information, visit prattmarketingagency.com, starworldwidenetworks.com or call 480-510-1505.

(From an article posted in the Scottsdale Independent October 23rd by Cyrus Guccuine)