Interview with Tom Jessiman of PicksPal
  |
PicksPal is a for-fun competition to find out who can really predict sports and entertainment outcomes. PicksPal displays the track records of the top pickers (“The Geniuses�?) and allows members to benefit from the wisdom of the smartest of the crowd.Tom Jessiman has helped run some of the biggest sports and entertainment Internet destinations, from CBS SportsLine to a massive sports site abroad, to 1UP.com, a social networking community for video gamers. |
What is your past experience with entrepreneurship? What made you decide to start PicksPal?
I have been on the management team of a number of start-ups. Small companies are more fun than big companies. We started PicksPal because we thought there were smarter “Average Joe�? sports fans out there than the folks we see on TV on Saturdays and Sundays.
How has PicksPal changed the face of the sports industry? Was that the site’s original intent?
The original intent was always to find the smart Average Joes and give them a soap box to stand on to prove how well they can pick sports. We have been shocked at just how good our most knowledgeable members have been.
How do you differentiate from sites like MegaBuzz and Betfair?
We’re all about sports and entertainment fans just having fun. No one else has the idea of finding the Geniuses out there and making them stars.
Bonus: Who do you root for most passionately?
The Boston Red Sox.
Copyright © 2007 by Sonia Aggarwal