In July 2021, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began allowing student athletes to make money off of their name, image and likeness (NIL). The following month, the $2.9 billion, Lake Mary, Fla.-based Addition Financial Credit Union was one of the first credit unions to promote its brand through an NIL deal, partnering with Dillon Gabriel, the starting quarterback for the University of Central Florida Knights. And in January 2022, Addition Financial announced its second NIL partnership, this time with UCF Track and Field athlete and Olympic hopeful Rayniah Jones.
In this episode of Shared Accounts With CU Times, Addition Financial President/CEO Kevin Miller shares why it made sense to show up early to the NIL game, what made the credit union's partnership with Jones in particular so successful, the risks of being represented by a college athlete, as well as the operational and budgeting aspects of an NIL deal. And, he discusses the connection between NIL partnerships and financial education – a critical component of many credit union marketing initiatives targeting a college-age audience.
Plus, Miller reveals his favorite professional sports team, reminisces about his time on his college debate team in Pittsburgh, and leads hosts Michael Ogden and Natasha Chilingerian into an unexpected conversation about Jim Henson and the Muppets. Don't sit on the sidelines with this episode – take a listen now!
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Michael Ogden
Editor-in-Chief at CU Times. To connect, email at [email protected]. As Editor-in-Chief of CU Times since 2016, Michael Ogden has led the editorial team in all aspects of content strategy and execution, including the creation of the publication’s exclusive and proprietary research database of the credit union industry’s economic landscape. Under Michael’s leadership, CU Times has successfully shifted to an all-digital editorial product with new focuses on the payments, fraud, lending and regulatory beats. Most recently, he introduced a data-focused editorial product for subscribers that breaks down credit union issues into hard data, allowing for a deeper and more factual narrative for readers. In 2024, he launched the "Shared Accounts With CU Times" podcast, which offers a fresh, inside-the-newsroom perspective through interviews with leaders from the credit union industry and the regulatory world. He dives into pressing credit union issues, while revealing the personalities working behind-the-scenes to push the credit union world forward. His background includes years as a radio and TV anchor/reporter and a public relations and digital/social media manager, where he covered the food and music industries, as well as cooperatives and credit unions. Over the years, he has launched numerous exclusive video and podcast series, including a successful series of interactive backstage interviews with musicians at music festivals, showcasing his social media and live streaming production skills.
