stephen a. smith

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald, interview Benny Pough. Among the most successful, innovative business leaders in the music industry, veteran music executive and DVERSE Media CEO, Benny Pough, has shaped the sound and culture of music worldwide.

Topics Covered

THE KEY TO BUILDING MENTOR RELATIONSHIPS

THE VALUE OF PERSONAL BRANDING

REAL ESTATE INVESTING

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

WORKING IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

ABOUT BENNY POUGH

Benny Pough is a respected entertainment industry veteran with decades of experience propelling the careers of some of today's leading superstars, including Jay-Z, Rihanna, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Travis Scott, Future, DJ Khaled, Yo Gotti, and 21 Savage. Pough has left an indelible mark on the music industry, holding executive roles at Motown, Def Jam, Epic Records, and MCA Records, culminating in his role as President of Roc Nation Music before pivoting to entrepreneurship. Over two years later, Pough's multi-tiered entertainment company DVERSE Media is home to record labels, distribution platforms, publishing, management, and more. This powerhouse entity comes in addition to Al J. Britt Enterprises, Pough's real estate management company that has garnered over 100 doors as part of its portfolio. For more information on Benny Pough, visit www.BennyPough.com.

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Hour 1

Boomer slept through the snooze part of his alarm and just made it at the start of the show. We will be golfing today and switching hotels. Boomer wants to make sure we’re all good to go to head right to the airport after Monday morning’s show. Gio said hookers are indigenous to Nevada. Gio and Jerry played gold ‘in the middle of squalor’. There were walls and barbed wires surrounding the course to keep the riff raff out. Gio and Jerry got into an Uber that looked like it had just been in an accident. Trevor Lawrence was at the Boomer Breitling event last night. Gio said Trevor has, ‘a lady face’. Woody Johnson said the Jets didn’t have a backup quarterback last year. Jerry is here for his first update of the day and wonders why Boomer is fascinated with his pants. The Knicks were a mash unit last night and struggled with the Mavericks. In the final segment of the hour, a few weeks ago news came out that Sports Illustrated was out of business and everyone was fired. But yesterday Brittany MAHOMES was named a Sports Illustrated rookie swimsuit model. Danny Amendola was walking by so we had him sit down with us. 

Hour 2

Gio said he’s not a good sports gambler because he’s too emotional. Gio wants to pick a team to really root for since we will be at the game. Larry Csonka will be doing the coin flip. Eddie went hiking by himself yesterday and fell down and was bleeding. Luckily, he was not eaten by coyotes. Jerry returns for an update and starts with sound from the NFL Honors, where Keegan Michael Key was host. Tommy DeVito also made an appearance and acted out the ‘funny how’ scene from Goodfellas. Lamar Jackson won the MVP. Jerry said CJ Stroud lied when he told kids they could do anything they want in life. We wondered if Eddie died hiking, what news sources would cover it. In the final segment of the hour, we talked about the NFL players that were announced as Hall of Fame inductees. Boomer loves the QB matchup for the Super Bowl: Patrick MAHOMES, in the middle of a dynasty, vs Brock Purdy, the last pick in the draft. 

Hour 3

Gio said when they get back to New York, he and Boomer are going to have to do a colon cleanse. Boomer was eating chili on a golf course at one point. There’s more golf today and CBS Sports Network producer Stephen Waldron is joining us today. Tonight is Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials on CBS. The NFL Today guys were on Jeopardy again as a tie in with the Super Bowl. Jerry is here for an update and starts with Woody Johnson talking about the disappointing Jets season. Jerry Jones talked about the Cowboys letting the fans down against Green Bay. Tony ROMO was trying to put a positive spin on the Cowboys and then Stephen A. Smith was screaming about it. Gio said Stephen A. Smith is an actor, and he’s very good at it. Deion Sanders is impressed by Brock Purdy. Boomer ran into Warren Sapp yesterday and asked him about joining Deion on the Colorado staff. Baker Mayfield was on with Kay Adams and sort of confirmed he’ll be back with Tampa, albeit on a ‘hot mic’ and not on air. Danielle McCarten is here and she asked Travis KELCE to finish the Taylor Swift song lyric. Jerry wonders what this sound is (it’s probably a fart). Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson have a new podcast called, ‘Roommates’, and Jerry has clips. In the final segment of the hour, Dua Lipa was on with Jimmy Kimmel last night, which means she was not in New York, which means the WNEW hosts lied to us. Gio knows where Dua Lipa is at all times, so he knew she was not going to be in NYC. 

Hour 4

Gary Vee joins us on location from Vegas. Boomer said he’s a very positive person, the opposite of everyone Boomer works with on the show. Gary said he’s positive in all aspects of life except for the Jets. Gary thinks Super Bowl commercials are actually underpriced because people watch the game to also watch the commercials. We talked to Gary about Bud Light’s controversy and how they’re trying to get their audience back. Gary talked about eliminating friction for consumers when buying things. Gary likes that the Jets are underdogs now, as opposed to last year when everyone had them going to the Super Bowl. Gary said, ‘the Giants stink’. He also hates Steelers fans. Gary also talked about the importance of using Linkedin properly to get yourself the job you want. Jerry is here for his final update of the week and started with the Knicks/Mavericks from last night. Woody Johnson talked about the disappointing Jets season. He also said the defense was pretty good and would be better, ‘if our offense could do something’. The Moment of The Day involves a fart sound in a locker room. In the final segment of the week, it’s our Super Bowl picks! Niners are -2.5 and Boomer is taking the Chiefs 30-27, Gio is taking the Chiefs 27-21 and Jerry is taking the Chiefs with Pacheco as the Super Bowl MVP (a Rutgers kiss up by Jerry). Jerry likes the Chiefs 19-10.

Gio said when they get back to New York, he and Boomer are going to have to do a colon cleanse. Boomer was eating chili on a golf course at one point. There’s more golf today and CBS Sports Network producer Stephen Waldron is joining us today. Tonight is Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials on CBS. The NFL Today guys were on Jeopardy again as a tie in with the Super Bowl. Jerry is here for an update and starts with Woody Johnson talking about the disappointing Jets season. Jerry Jones talked about the Cowboys letting the fans down against Green Bay. Tony ROMO was trying to put a positive spin on the Cowboys and then Stephen A. Smith was screaming about it. Gio said Stephen A. Smith is an actor, and he’s very good at it. Deion Sanders is impressed by Brock Purdy. Boomer ran into Warren Sapp yesterday and asked him about joining Deion on the Colorado staff. Baker Mayfield was on with Kay Adams and sort of confirmed he’ll be back with Tampa, albeit on a ‘hot mic’ and not on air. Danielle McCarten is here and she asked Travis KELCE to finish the Taylor Swift song lyric. Jerry wonders what this sound is (it’s probably a fart). Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson have a new podcast called, ‘Roommates’, and Jerry has clips. In the final segment of the hour, Dua Lipa was on with Jimmy Kimmel last night, which means she was not in New York, which means the WNEW hosts lied to us. Gio knows where Dua Lipa is at all times, so he knew she was not going to be in NYC.

Hour 1

Gio had a great day yesterday. First he and Boomer were on the Drew Barrymore show. Then, Boomer, Gio and Jerry played at a really bougie golf club. They were only supposed to be on one segment, but they ended up being on the entire Drew Barrymore Show. The first half of the interview was just questions for Boomer and Gio was just loitering. The topic of Taylor Swift came up during the taping and Gio blamed angry football fans for the Taylor Swift hate. Gio did a good job reading off the teleprompter. The only controversy football wise is the Niners are still angry about their practice facility and the quality of the turf. Boomer said Jerry always wears ‘balloon pants’ while golfing, and did so again yesterday. Boomer said there are a lot of ‘mutants hanging around’ the casino today. Jerry is here for his first update of the day but first we talked about Drew Barrymore just getting over the Norovirus and hopefully Boomer doesn’t get it. Jerry has audio of Patrick MAHOMES talking about being the villain now. Tom Brady is surprised the greatest coach ever doesn’t have a job. Cowboys’ Tony Pollard just found out while on the Pat McAfee Show that Dan Quinn left for the Commanders. Today is the NBA trade deadline at 3pm. In the final segment of the hour, Booger McFarland came to the defense of people criticizing Tony ROMO. Gio said he was around ROMO yesterday and seems very happy and living a great life. Gio said ROMO is ‘meatier’ than he thought he would be. Al thought Tracy Wolfson was ‘tiny’. Al & Eddie ran into Mark Davis at an Asian fusion restaurant. Boomer & Gio ran into the owner of the Chargers.

Hour 2

Peter Schwartz just showed up in Vegas so he joins us on location. Al put on Peter’s gigantic shirt. He also got to interview Dr Oz, but Oz left when Peter asked him who’s going to win the Super Bowl. We asked Peter if he likes a buffet. Boomer and Gio do not like buffets. Peter likes the Patrick Roy hiring by the Islanders. Peter plays video blackjack because he had a bad experience at a table when he hit on 17. Michael Irvin would not take a selfie with Peter. Jerry returns for an update and starts with Mike FRANCESA saying you should never watch the Super Bowl alone. That’s followed by a clip of Chris Russo saying he likes to watch the game alone. Charles Barkley can’t believe how much people pay for Super Bowl tickets. Shannon Sharpe and Ochocinco talked about the Cowboys and the issue of Jerry Jones being in the spotlight. David Sterns was on the Jon Heyman podcast and it doesn’t sound like an extension to Pete Alonso isn’t coming any time soon. Sounds like it won’t happen until after this season when his contract ends. In the final segment of the hour, Nick Saban is joining ESPN, specifically for College Game Day. Gio said these guys just can’t stay away, they have to be around the game. He’s over 70 years old and has made $200 million. The transfer portal is driving college coaches crazy and will drive more coaches like Saban out of the game. Rex Ryan interviewed with the Dallas Cowboys for defensive coordinator. Imagine Rex with Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy. Boomer had dinner with Phil Simms, Chris Simms, Howie Long and Chris Long. Phil’s lady glasses came up because of the interview with James Brown earlier that day. 

Hour 3

Boomer wonders if Gio’s opinion on how the Super Bowl will go has changed since the time we’ve been here. Gio is rooting for the Niners, but if he bet the game, he would bet on the Chiefs because of Patrick MAHOMES. He has too much Super Bowl experience and has been on a run as the underdog this postseason. Boomer said teams are running all over the Niners so they better figure that out. The Giants gave offensive coordinator Mike Kafka a promotion to assistant head coach. Gio said the Giants offense has been terrible so he doesn’t understand why other teams wanted Mike Kafka. Boomer said he’s a loyal soldier to Brian DABOLL and that’s what he needs right now. Patrick MAHOMES just doesn’t turn the ball over. Boomer did say MAHOMES was a game manager in the second half against Baltimore. Boomer got to interview Brock Purdy for the pregame show and thinks he will have a good Super Bowl. Jerry returns for an update and asks, ‘what’s the best compliment you’ve ever received as a man?’ There’s a pic going around of Drake that shows he’s got a missile down there. Chris Jones was asked if this was going to be his last game with the Chiefs. Calling Brock Purdy a game manager is not fair. Boomer said you could say that about Joe Montana if that’s the case. Tiki Barber said Tom THIBODEAU is stuck in his ways and it could be getting players hurt. Jerry even has some sound from the Rangers game. Stephen A. Smith was asked about which animals he would choose to protect himself against an attack of different animals (it was confusing). A guy climbed on top of the sphere yesterday. In the final segment of the hour, we are going to a Breitling Watch event with Boomer tonight. It’s getting more crowded here as it always does on Thursday of Super Bowl week. 

Hour 4

The NBA trade deadline is today at 3pm, but Gio would be shocked if the Knicks make a deal. The NHL trade deadline is tomorrow and we talked a bit about the Rangers’ needs. Gio tells a story of a guy rewarded $25 million because a newspaper attributed racist quotes to him when it was another person. Dean Spanos, the owner of the Chargers, was at the golf club yesterday. Gio was in a ‘suck up spot’ when he told Dean he sees the Chargers in the Super Bowl within two years. Boomer said Gio seemed very comfortable at this bougie golf club. Gio got shamed into a Super Bowl box situation that cost $1,000. Jerry returns for his final update of the day and starts with Patrick MAHOMES talking about being the villain now because of how much they win. Tony Pollard of the Cowboys didn’t know Dan Quinn left to become the head coach with the Commanders. David Stearns was on the Jon Heyman podcast and talked about Pete Alonso and a potential extension (not looking good for this year). I guess Evan Roberts is going to have to keep that red bushy beard longer. The Rangers beat the Lightning last night. The Moment of The Day involves Al trying on Peter Schwartz’s giant shirt. In the final segment of the show, TV producer Stephen Waldron joins us to talk about taking unfinished wine off of another table in a restaurant after it was evacuated due to a fire alarm. Yesterday both Gio and Jerry were confused at golf as to who to or not to tip. We also talked more about tipping the flight attendant on the ride here.

Boomer wonders if Gio’s opinion on how the Super Bowl will go has changed since the time we’ve been here. Gio is rooting for the Niners, but if he bet the game, he would bet on the Chiefs because of Patrick MAHOMES. He has too much Super Bowl experience and has been on a run as the underdog this postseason. Boomer said teams are running all over the Niners so they better figure that out. The Giants gave offensive coordinator Mike Kafka a promotion to assistant head coach. Gio said the Giants offense has been terrible so he doesn’t understand why other teams wanted Mike Kafka. Boomer said he’s a loyal soldier to Brian DABOLL and that’s what he needs right now. Patrick MAHOMES just doesn’t turn the ball over. Boomer did say MAHOMES was a game manager in the second half against Baltimore. Boomer got to interview Brock Purdy for the pregame show and thinks he will have a good Super Bowl. Jerry returns for an update and asks, ‘what’s the best compliment you’ve ever received as a man?’ There’s a pic going around of Drake that shows he’s got a missile down there. Chris Jones was asked if this was going to be his last game with the Chiefs. Calling Brock Purdy a game manager is not fair. Boomer said you could say that about Joe Montana if that’s the case. Tiki Barber said Tom THIBODEAU is stuck in his ways and it could be getting players hurt. Jerry even has some sound from the Rangers game. Stephen A. Smith was asked about which animals he would choose to protect himself against an attack of different animals (it was confusing). A guy climbed on top of the sphere yesterday. In the final segment of the hour, we are going to a Breitling Watch event with Boomer tonight. It’s getting more crowded here as it always does on Thursday of Super Bowl week.

Hour 1

We made it through January, the first of the three ‘death months’ according to Gio. Boomer will be back tomorrow from Vegas, so today it’s Gio and Jerry. We talked about The Athletic article about the Jets that came out yesterday during the show. Assistant Jets GM Rex Hogan was let go yesterday which really makes it seem like they think he could be one of the leaks to the media. Sources in the article are calling Joe Douglas the ‘assistant GM’ and Aaron Rodgers the actual GM of the team. Jerry said this is a ‘prove it’ season for the Jets. C-Lo is here for his first update of the day but first Gio wonders if Al will have a good time at the actual Super Bowl game. Kevin Durant got a tribute video in his return to Brooklyn. The Knicks go for their ninth win tonight at MSG against the Pacers. Brandon Tierney said of Robert Saleh, ‘why is he still the coach?’ Shaun Morash said, ‘this guy sucks’. In the final segment of the hour, new Panthers head coach Dave Canales wrote a book with his wife a few years back detailing his porn and alcohol addiction. 

Hour 2

We played some of the brand new Billy Joel song, ‘Turn The Lights Back On’. We continued talking about new Panthers head coach Dave Canales and his revelation that he was addicted to porn a few years ago. A psychologist calls to talk about porn addiction. Gio thinks OnlyFans is worse than porn because you are interacting with an actual person and getting them to do things you want. C-Lo returns for an update but first we talked about the bad bathroom situation at stadiums. A listener had previously sent Gio an apparatus to wear so you can urinate in a bag at games. In the final segment of the hour, a caller said we need to bring back troughs in bathrooms at sporting events to prevent lines. 

Hour 3

Mentalist Oz Pearlman is in the studio. He was the guy on Hard Knocks. He was amazing, naming Gio’s grammar school crush and a random guy Gio played high school football with. C-Lo returns for an update but we really just talked about how amazing Oz was. Eddie wasn’t impressed. C-Lo is back for an actual update and has a clip of Evan calling himself a loser. Stephen A. Smith gave us his Top 5 Sesame Street characters. 

Hour 4

People were giving Patrick Mahomes crap for having a ‘dad bod’ in the video celebration in the locker room after the game. Gio would love to have Mahomes’ body. C-Lo returns for an update and starts with Kevin Durant returning to Brooklyn. Larry David was on with Bill Simmons and wants to get rid of field goal kickers. He also doesn’t understand why Simmons still watches wrestling. The Moment of The Day involves Aaron Boone having adopted children and Al not being able to handle an adopted dog. In the final segment of the hour, Gio wants Zach Gelb to ask some questions for us when he talks to players during Super Bowl week.

Mentalist Oz Pearlman is in the studio. He was the guy on Hard Knocks. He was amazing, naming Gio’s grammar school crush and a random guy Gio played high school football with. C-Lo returns for an update but we really just talked about how amazing Oz was. Eddie wasn’t impressed. C-Lo is back for an actual update and has a clip of Evan calling himself a loser. Stephen A. Smith gave us his Top 5 Sesame Street characters.

Avowed skeptic Eddie Scozzare admires the skill required to perform mentalist feats but is generally not impressed.

Hour 1

Gio had a ‘perma-smile’ on his face watching the Knicks beat the Nets at what felt like a Knicks home game in Brooklyn. The Milwaukee Bucks fired their head coach Adrian Griffin, even though they were 30-13. Their defense has not been very good and they wanted a veteran coach so they are bringing in Doc Rivers. We are seeing the best version of Julius Randle right now and it’s all thanks to Jalen Brunson. Gio was invited by the afternoon show to go to last night’s game but his wife is sick so he had to stay home. He would have loved to see the Nets lose while sitting next to Evan Roberts. Jerry is here for his first update and wants the Nets to move someplace where people will care about them. Jerry was disgusted by their performance. Jerry is annoyed by Boomer’s hatred of the Nets. Boomer said if he’s on the air for another 17 years, by then the Nets will be extinct. Jerry has the sound from last night’s battle in Brooklyn. Shannon Sharpe to Ochocinco: ‘that’s why your head looks like shaved monkey nuts’. In the final segment of the hour, Ochocinco used to call Marvin Lewis in the middle of the night just to say ‘I’m open’ and then he would hang up. Gio tells the story of an obese woman who bought 2 seats on the plane and another passenger wanted to put her baby there. 

Hour 2

Sauce Gardner wants Calvin Ridley and Tee Higgins on the Jets. At least that’s what he said on Twitter. I wonder how that will sit with the wide receivers in the locker room. Boomer said it creates unnecessary drama. The Giants need playmakers, and a lot of them. What will the Giants do with their pick at 6? There are rumors that Tyreek Hill filed for divorce after just 76 days. He claims it’s not true, but public records say it is. Boomer wonders if Tyreek is turning into Antonio Brown. Jerry returns for another update and starts with the Knicks beating the Nets in Brooklyn. The Milwaukee Bucks fired their head coach, Adrian Griffin, and Doc Rivers is expected to take over. Stephen A. Smith was on with Howard Stern and he wants to debate Donald Trump. Chris Russo talked about ‘wee wee’s in the middle of the night’. Aaron Boone was on with Evan and Tiki yesterday. He wants Giancarlo Stanton to change his body type. In the final segment of the hour, Gio went through a lot of trouble to be able to do the Lil’ Dicky Show for somebody at Audacy, and it was canceled at the last minute. 

Hour 3

Boomer & Gio have a chalk talk event with Bill Cowher at Teller’s tomorrow night. The town is abuzz with talk of Cowher maybe stopping by the Portly Villager beforehand. A caller wants us to have billboards for the show. Another caller said Lil’ Dicky was at the Lakers game when he was supposed to be talking to Gio. Another caller wants Jeff Van Gundy to coach the Nets. Jerry returns for an update but first we talked about Billy Joel releasing a new song on February 1. Billy Joel’s house is for sale for $49 million. We remembered the virtual Boomer & Gio BBQ we gave away during covid. Jerry starts with the Knicks beating the Nets in what felt like a Knicks home game in Brooklyn. The Bucks fired Adrian Griffin and it’s looking like Doc Rivers will replace him. Jerry has clips from the Kelce brothers podcast and Jason’s wife asked him to behave in front of Taylor Swift. John Harbaugh wants the fans to be loud. Is Belichick to the Falcons gaining or losing momentum? In the final segment of the hour, reports are the Chargers are within striking distance of signing Jim Harbaugh. The thing that could be holding up Belichick to the Falcons could be how much of the staff and front office Belichick wants to blow out. 

Hour 4

Last night the Knicks beat the Nets and it felt like a home game for the Knicks in Brooklyn. Gio loves the rivalry now because it’s dominated by the Knicks, after Nets fans got cocky when they got Kevin Durant a few years back. This is always going to be a Knicks town. Has to be 95% Knicks fans and 5% Nets around here. The Knicks have made regular season basketball exciting again. And they’re doing it consistently. We then talked about the times when Gio would go to the NFL draft when it was in NYC. Jerry is here for his final update of the day and starts with the sounds of the Knicks beating the Nets in Brooklyn. Aaron Boone was on with Evan and Tiki and he talked about Giancarlo Stanton’s body composition. He was also asked about Brian Cashman’s rant where he was dropping F-bombs. We also talked about how cool it must be to be Boomer at WFAN. The Moment of The Day involves Stephen A. Smith’s wanting to debate Donald Trump. In the final segment of the show, there’s an odd story out of Kansas City where friends were watching the Chiefs game. Some went outside and died, maybe due to the cold. The guy who lived there was sleeping on his couch for 2 days before realizing his friends were dead outside. We also took a call about Jalen Brunson and the Knicks

Sauce Gardner wants Calvin Ridley and Tee Higgins on the Jets. At least that’s what he said on Twitter. I wonder how that will sit with the wide receivers in the locker room. Boomer said it creates unnecessary drama. The Giants need playmakers, and a lot of them. What will the Giants do with their pick at 6? There are rumors that Tyreek Hill filed for divorce after just 76 days. He claims it’s not true, but public records say it is. Boomer wonders if Tyreek is turning into Antonio Brown. Jerry returns for another update and starts with the Knicks beating the Nets in Brooklyn. The Milwaukee Bucks fired their head coach, Adrian Griffin, and Doc Rivers is expected to take over. Stephen A. Smith was on with Howard Stern and he wants to debate Donald Trump. Chris Russo talked about ‘wee wee’s in the middle of the night’. Aaron Boone was on with Evan and Tiki yesterday. He wants Giancarlo Stanton to change his body type. In the final segment of the hour, Gio went through a lot of trouble to be able to do the Lil’ Dicky Show for somebody at Audacy, and it was canceled at the last minute.

Last night the Knicks beat the Nets and it felt like a home game for the Knicks in Brooklyn. Gio loves the rivalry now because it’s dominated by the Knicks, after Nets fans got cocky when they got Kevin Durant a few years back. This is always going to be a Knicks town. Has to be 95% Knicks fans and 5% Nets around here. The Knicks have made regular season basketball exciting again. And they’re doing it consistently. We then talked about the times when Gio would go to the NFL draft when it was in NYC. Jerry is here for his final update of the day and starts with the sounds of the Knicks beating the Nets in Brooklyn. Aaron Boone was on with Evan and Tiki and he talked about Giancarlo Stanton’s body composition. He was also asked about Brian Cashman’s rant where he was dropping F-bombs. We also talked about how cool it must be to be Boomer at WFAN. The Moment of The Day involves Stephen A. Smith’s wanting to debate Donald Trump. In the final segment of the show, there’s an odd story out of Kansas City where friends were watching the Chiefs game. Some went outside and died, maybe due to the cold. The guy who lived there was sleeping on his couch for 2 days before realizing his friends were dead outside. We also took a call about Jalen Brunson and the Knicks

He was on with Howard Stern yesterday and announced his desire for a battle of wits.

Today’s Sports Daily covers Ryan Clark & Tua’s media beef, the Texas Rangers wild second half of the baseball season, Shohei Ohtani’s off season contract just went down, and why NFL RB’s are fighting for more money.

Music written by Bill Conti & Allee Willis (Casablanca Records/Universal Music Group)

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