DraftKings Life Podcast
DraftKings Life Podcast
The DraftKings Life Podcast will give you an inside look into the people and culture that define what it means to be a technology company in sports entertainment.
Check out our job openings ➡️ careers.draftkings.com
Advice from Hiring Managers Before Your Interview
Stepping into an interview at DraftKings isn’t just about answering questions—it’s about speaking to your strengths and understanding how you can contribute to our innovative environment. To help you prepare, we spoke with three hiring managers who shared their journeys, insights, and advice for acing every step of our process. Do you have more questions about the interview process? Check out this DraftKings podcast episode, where we discuss FAQs. If you’re ready to see our open positions, ch
Our Product & Tech Ecosystem Explained
DraftKings thrives on operational innovation. In this episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast, Corey Gottlieb our Chief Product Officer, and Zach Maybury our Chief Technology Officer, reveal how our team pioneers the future of sports entertainment through data-driven insights and seamless product integration, with an ownership mentality. From Fantasy Sports to iGaming, explore how we’re creating the ultimate fan experience here at DraftKings. Ready to rise to the occasion? Check out our open rol
Growing Your Career In Analytics
Our Analytics Team is the backbone of our innovative spirit. It combines the thrill of sports with the precision of data. It’s not just about the spreadsheets; we're telling stories that change the course of our business. One of our core beliefs here at DraftKings is that data drives our decisions. The data itself is impressive, but it’s the people who inspire and motivate others to do their best work. Listen to the full episode with Joanna and Tyler to get more insights into what it's like be
An Inside Look Into Launching New Products
If it wasn’t for our world-class products, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Creating exciting, entertaining, and different experiences for our millions of customers is the name of our game. At DraftKings, we see the world through our customers' eyes. The Product Team collaborates across the board to map new features, games, and experiences. Armed with data, user insights, and market research, we're all about delivering top-tier products that keep our customers coming back for more. Here you’r
Why DraftKings’ Customer Focus Sets Us Apart
There are many aspects of our business that sets us apart from others in our industry– but one that really stands out is our unwavering focus on our customers. Every teammate, from the newest hire to our CEO, is laser-focused on creating an unparalleled experience for our players. We’re here to win, and we own our work with every project we’re a part of. We have a Chief Customer Officer, Shawn Henley, who’s dedicated to ensuring every interaction with our products is world-class. During this ep
Why Our VIP team Should Be Your Next Career Move
The DraftKings VIP team embodies our core values of teamwork, innovation, and exceptional service. Two people on the team, Maria and Brad, join us to talk about their careers, what they love about working with us, and share why now is the perfect time to join. Our environment is designed to empower you to excel in your role. By providing exclusive experiences and services to our top clients, our VIP team plays a crucial role in DraftKings’ mission to offer unrivaled entertainment experiences.
Securing & Safeguarding Customer Play and Pay
When working in the world of gaming, our customers are playing and withdrawing money at an instant in our apps every day. One department that oversees and makes sure our customers' information is safe and secure is our risk management team. On this episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast, we sit down with two risk team rockstars, Amelia and Darzon, to uncover their personal career growth and what excites them about working here at DraftKings. Learn more about the team and our open positions.
Why Our Products are a Dream for Mobile Engineers
As a mobile-first company, we offer a platform where product-focused engineers can build impressive applications, grow their own skills and engage with a community of users who appreciate their work. Working at DraftKings is described as a dream for any product-focused iOS or Android engineer. "You go into this career wanting to build something that people actually use in their hands," Tumri, a Senior Software Engineer, explains. This is the essence of what we do here at DraftKings. Our Mobile T
Inside DraftKings Bulgaria
Located in the heart of Bulgaria, our offices are centered around collaboration and connection. This unique environment fosters not just professional growth but personal relationships as well. Stamena Manova from our Employee Experience Team, offers a glimpse into how the culture shapes the everyday experiences for our team members. For Stamena, it's about crafting a workspace where individuals can grow and thrive. From the annual team building to the Christmas celebration, DraftKings crafts eve
The Journey of a DraftKings Software Architect
Growing in your career can look differently for everyone. One may take on the challenge of managing others, helping to mentor and foster a culture of learning, while others may rise to the challenge of being an individual contributor taking on more responsibilities. We like to ask our teammates, how can you maximize the impact you can make? Martin Kostov, a Software Architect, is a great example of a teammate who has embraced learning at every phase of his career. He tried the manager path and
Pioneering The Sports Intelligence Landscape
One of the most fascinating teams here at DraftKings combines Sports Data Science and Data Engineering to create our Sports Intelligence team. On this episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast, we welcome two members of this team from the London office, Robin and Rohan. Robin M. is a Senior Director of Data Science, he’s been with DraftKings for many years helping to build the team and the models that help our products function. Rohan S. works with Robin focusing more on the engineering side of t
A Tech Deep Dive: Powering Our Sportsbook Product
When we asked Agop Dogramadzhiyan, Director of Engineering, what his favorite problem to solve was, he gave us an answer that encapsulates who we are at DraftKings. “The unsolved one.” We’re building the future in the sports and entertainment industry. In this episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast, we are diving into the technology behind our Sportsbook product. Agop works on our SportsCore system that powers one of our most popular products. His team in Bulgaria works with team members across
Ask a Recruiter, The Top FAQs Answered
Think you're ready to join our team? You'll want to listen to this first. Max and Allie, two Talent Acquisition Specialists here at DraftKings, answer the nine most frequently asked questions we get from candidates. In this Q&A session, Allie and Max discuss preparing for your interview, what to expect, and give insight into the good things to know before you talk with us. Both Allie and Max hire for many different roles here at DraftKings, and they say the best way to learn more about our cul
Providing the Ultimate Experience
This episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast gives you a front row seat to learn all about the team that prioritizes the player experience. The VIP team is responsible for the retention and acquisition of DraftKings top clientele. Through authentic relationship building, their goal is to provide a world-class experience and to continue growing DraftKings’ customer base. We sat down with Jordan and Alexa, both managers on the VIP Activation team to hear their stories about the events and impact t
Winning In Your Professional Life
There are many reasons why people stay at companies for almost ten years, for Lilia, she has stayed with DraftKings because of the talented people she works with everyday, our supportive culture and most importantly career growth. Lilia took advantage of her opportunities and kept learning in each role she has had. From starting with us right out of University to now being a manager, she shares great stories of exciting projects she has worked on and insights into the technology she works with
Growing Our iGaming Vertical
It’s exciting when you work on DraftKings’ fast growing vertical. Vitor, a Senior Manager of Growth Marketing and Alice, who was a Senior Manager of iGaming Operations and was recently promoted to a Retail Sportsbook Operations Manager, join the DraftKings Life Podcast to share their experience working on our iGaming Vertical. As a leading multi-brand iGaming operator, DraftKings delivers America’s #1 Online Casino*. Packed with all the classic casino games, some of the industries’ biggest jackp
Creative Problem Solving for a Better User Experience
One of the many fascinating aspects about creating for a growing company is that in many situations, you’re able to create a game or feature that’s never been done before. It’s challenging but also one of the most exciting parts of being a product designer at DraftKings. Jocelyn Leveille, Senior Product Designer, and recently promoted Drew Sullivan, Manager of Product Design, are guests on this episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast. They explain what goes into working on our team and the really
A Day in the Life of an Architect
We're inspired to create solutions to complex challenges in the gaming industry. The Architecture team at DraftKings plays a big role in helping bridge the engineering side of our work and the business side. We're excited to give you an inside look into "A Day in the Life of an Architect" with Oleg Gelman, Senior Director of Architecture and Martin Chaov, Lead Software Architect! Listen now to learn so much more about our work and the team! If you think you could make a great fit on our team,
Building the Best Mobile Games
Want to learn more about how our engineers are building and supporting our core platforms and products? This episode gives you a glimpse into our migration projects and technology. We sat down with Manu Bhalla, Director of Engineering and Qian Wu, Senior Software Engineering Manager to talk all about our gaming native team. As a mobile first company, we have been focused on making sure we are creating incredible experiences for our customers wherever they are using our products. Listen now to
Building the Best Mobile Games
In this episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast we sit down with Manu Bhalla, Director of Engineering and Qian Wu, Senior Software Engineering Manager to talk all about our gaming native team. As a mobile first company we have been focused on making sure we are creating incredible experiences for our customers wherever they are using our products. You’ll hear about some of our migration projects, the reasons our tech is different and cool, and you’ll hear about what it’s like working on our team
Industry Insights with Matt Kalish: Understanding Our Product Roadmap
In this special episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast, we sit down with Matt Kalish, Co-Founder and President of DraftKings North America. We start the episode off with some fun questions to get to know Matt more, then we dive into our products and what he sees for the future of DraftKings. Matt shares many stories about our incredible growth over the years and how we are defining our role in the sports, technology, and entertainment industry. It's a very exciting time to join our team, check
Decoding our Data Science Team
Do you want to work in a fast-paced environment, improve your technical skills, and work on unique challenges? Our Data Science team may be a great fit for you! Bradley Fay, Director of Data Science, and Sam Donnelly, Talent Acquisition Partner give us a glimpse into the innovative projects the team is working on and our interview process. Our global Data Science Team at DraftKings adapts and improves decisions based on experimental work and builds models that helps advance our products or cre
How Your Career Can Flourish at DraftKings
From Associate to Manager in just four years, Tachelle Mcpheeters in our Las Vegas office has worked hard to thrive in her career. In this episode you will hear how Tachelle has grown her career and why she values being a mentor to her team. You can hear her passion and energy for what she does. Follow DraftKings Life on Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to get an inside look into the people and culture that make us a leader in Sports Entertainment.
How Women At DraftKings Are Building The Future
In this episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast we welcome Cristina Ackas, Vice President of Inclusion, Equity, and Belonging as a guest host to help us celebrate International Women's Day and Women's History Month. We are inspired by this year’s International Women’s Day theme: “DigitALL Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality”. Four incredible women from across our business joined hosts Rebecca Thornburg and Cristina Ackas to talk about the exciting technical challenges they work to solve
Why Top Talent Loves Working Here
Why do our teammates love working at DraftKings? A question that has many answers from all of our team members. Some of the reasons include the exciting and fast-paced nature of our work, the many opportunities for professional growth and development, our inclusive culture, and the talented people we work with everyday. Listen to learn more! Check out our open positions: careers.draftkings.com Follow DraftKings Life on Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to get an inside look into
Our Benefits Can Change Your Life
Get ready to learn how important it is to make sure your company’s benefits are aligned with your lifestyle! On this episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast we learn all about our benefits. Madison Stanley, a Senior Benefits Associate, gives you an in-depth overview of everything we offer for our employees. The Benefits team is always looking at ways to add to our offerings based on the needs and wants of our team members. Learn more about our Benefits.
Meet Some of Our Tel Aviv Engineers
On this episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast, we sit down with two engineers from our Tel Aviv office. Our colleagues own new features and projects, working with the best cutting-edge technology. We had a blast learning from Ohad Ezer, Director of Engineering & David Yecheskel, Lead Software Engineer about what they love about working with their incredible teams & the fun office culture. Listen to learn more! Check out our open positions in Tel Aviv: https://careers.draftkings.com/jobs/?search
Responsible Gaming - Chrissy Thurmond & Julie Hynes
We are back with another installment of the DraftKings Life Podcast. In this episode, we are talking with Chrissy Thurmond, Senior Director of Responsible Gaming, and Julie Hynes, Senior Manager of Responsible Gaming. At DraftKings, we believe that life is more fun with skin in the game and we want it to stay that way. Our Responsible Gaming team goes above and beyond to make sure our players and employees are educated about playing safely and responsibly. Learn more in this episode about how w
Miniseries: Sportsbook Vertical
It's the product that allows sports fans to place bets on any event. In this DraftKings Life miniseries episode, we're diving into our signature Sportsbook product. We connect with Lexi Janson, Director of Sportsbook Product in New York City, and Tom Butterworth, Director of Sportsbook Operations in Las Vegas, to discuss the work that goes into building a world-class product and the technology behind this vertical.
Miniseries: Marketplace Vertical
We’re incredibly excited to bring you another DraftKings Life Miniseries Podcast episode! In this episode, our hosts sit down with Meg Montgomery, Senior Director of NFT Marketplace, and Yaro Plashenko, Director of Engineering, to discuss DraftKings’ newest Marketplace vertical. Since its recent launch last year, the vertical has made several significant strides, including launching our first ever in-house NFTs.
Miniseries: iGaming & Casino Vertical
We’re back with another DraftKings Life Miniseries Podcast episode! This time, we travel across the globe to speak to Shay Mardan in Tel Aviv and Signe Yama in Boston on the Casino and iGaming vertical. Shay is the Senior Director of Engineering on the Casino side, and Signe is the Senior Director of iGaming Marketing and Operations. In this episode, our hosts sit down with our guests to discuss the future of Casino and iGaming at DraftKings.
Miniseries: DFS Vertical
The DraftKings Life Podcast is back with the first installment of a 4 part 'Miniseries'. We will be talking to folks on each of our four verticals at DraftKings. Today, we kick things off with our Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) vertical, the first product we ever built and launched at DraftKings. Our podcast hosts chat with Kellie McSweeney, Director of CRM, and Zachary Maybury, Senior Director of Engineering, on the DFS team.
Beth Beiriger & Mike Hermalyn - DraftKings Marketplace Feature
On this episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast, we sit down with Beth Beiriger and Mike Hermalyn, SVP of Marketplace Operations and SVP of Business Development, respectively, to discuss our newest vertical, DraftKings Marketplace. We break down what NFTs are, the launch of DraftKings Marketplace, and the types of career opportunities that have opened up in this new vertical. Tune in!
Paul Liberman - President of Product & Technology
The DraftKings Life Podcast is back for a new season! Season 4 starts off with a very exciting guest, co-founder and President of Product and Technology, Paul Liberman. We dive into the founding story of DraftKings, how Paul has helped expand the engineering and tech teams, and learn that you don’t need to be a sports fan to work at DK. Tune in!
Pride BRG Feature - Round Table Discussion
The DraftKings Life Podcast is back with an episode to feature our Pride Business Resource Group in a round table discussion with Patrick Cleary, Liz Hare, Sabina Panayotova, and JB Hruska! We learn more about how the group got started, celebrations from the past month, and how DraftKings employees bring their authentic selves to work. Tune in!
Rob Ferrara & Dillon Borgida - VIP Team Feature
This week on the DraftKings Life Podcast, we’re highlighting one of our fastest growing teams--VIP. We sit down with two leaders on our VIP team to learn about the teams’ focus and how they are working with our customers every day. Curious about what skills and experience we look for in the interview process? Tune in to get the inside scoop about starting a career on our VIP Team!
Lauren Tropeano - VP, Talent Management
This week on the DraftKings Life podcast we chatted with Lauren Tropeano, VP of Talent Management, about her time at DraftKings. We learned about her career, effort the people's team is making to support remote work, what culture means to her, internal mobility and more.
Brandon Miller - Director, Customer Experience
We enjoyed having Brandon Miller, Director, Customer Experience, on the DraftKings Life Podcast this week. Brandon shares his experience working for DraftKings back in 2014, how the CX team supports multiple products, hiring initiatives this year, and more!
Jen Aguiar - Chief Compliance Officer
We conclude Women’s History Month’s celebration by welcoming our newest executive to the podcast, Jen Aguiar, Chief Compliance Officer. Jen shares how she got started in Compliance, goals for her new role, and how she met co-founder and CEO, Jason Robins. Tune in!
Women’s BRG Feature: Mia Tantillo & Sarah Juselius
We are back with another exciting episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast. This week we interview two female leaders from our Women’s Business Resource Group at DraftKings, Mia Tantillo and Sarah Juselius. We learn about their roles in the company, how they started the group, and initiatives around Women’s History Month!
Jamie Shea - VP, Sportsbook Operations
On this episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast, we celebrate Women’s History Month with a special guest, Jamie Shea, VP of Sportsbook Operations. We debunk myths about working in sports betting during the episode, learn about Jamie’s favorite woman in sports, and how she helped launch the first DraftKings Sportsbook App.
Anthony Cooley - Desktop Support Technician
We continue our celebration of #blackhistorymonth on the DraftKings Life Podcast with the co-chair of the DKShades Business Resource Group, Anthony Cooley! Tune in to learn how Cooley got involved with DKShades, what’s on the horizon for 2021, and a 2-minute drill round for the ages!
Bianca Sullivan - Inclusion, Equity, & Belonging Specialist
We’re celebrating Black History Month on the DraftKings Life Podcast this month! Bianca Sullivan, Inclusion, Equity + Belonging Specialist, joined us to talk about our Business Resource Groups, playing D1 Lacrosse at a Historically Black College, and a pair of new company holidays!
Jason Jones & Meg Powers, 'Meet The Hosts'
Season 3 of The DraftKings Life Podcast is kicking off with two special guests, your hosts, Jason Jones and Meg Powers. Listen in as they give a behind-the-scenes look into their DraftKings experience. They touch on internal mobility, advice to candidates, and how the podcast got started.
Emerson Lotzia & Jessie Coffield, On-Camera Talent
The final episode of 2020 and Season 2 of the DraftKings Life Podcast is a special one, featuring two DraftKings employees that you may recognize. Listen in to learn more about Emerson Lotzia and Jessie Coffield, On-Camera Talent, and their journey at DraftKings.
BONUS EPISODE - Hackathon Winners 2020
We’re excited to bring you a bonus episode featuring our 2020 Hackathon winners. Tune in to learn how their winning idea was formed, roadblocks overcame, and what it was like working together remotely.
Chrissie Gorman - VP of Strategic Initiatives
On this episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast, we interviewed Chrissie Gorman, VP of Strategic Initiatives. We learned about her career path, involvement in DraftKings’ public offering, and what she learned from Duke’s Men’s Basketball coach, Coach K, in her previous life as a Co-founder and CEO.
Monika Hristova - R&D Team Leader
This week we sat down with Monika Hristova, R&D Team Leader, all the way from our Sofia office in Bulgaria. Monika focuses on what it is like to be a woman in tech and a leader at DraftKings. We also learn more about her life outside of work and her passion for trail running, mountain biking, and reading. Check it out!
Bryan Conneely - Senior Software Engineering Manager
This week on the DraftKings Life Podcast, Jason and Meg sit down with Bryan Conneely, Senior Software Engineering Manager, all the way from Dublin, Ireland! Listen in to learn more about what it is like to help build a new DraftKings team in Dublin remotely.
Graham Walters - Chief People Officer
We sat down with Chief People Officer, Graham Walters to learn about what it's been like to watch the company transform from a startup to a leading innovator in the sports gaming and digital entertainment space.
BONUS EPISODE - Summer Intern Special
We’re back with a special bonus episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast and have not one but four guests. Tune in for advice on landing your next dream internship at DraftKings!
DraftKings Life Trailer
The DraftKings Life podcast is hosted by two employees, giving you an inside look into the people and culture at DraftKings.
Jason Misiano - Senior Director, Customer Experience
This week on the DraftKings Life Podcast, Jason and Meg sit down with Head of Customer Experience, Jason Misiano, who talked about what brought him to DraftKings Inc., how vital the CX function is to the business, and much more.
Lance Jeune - Senior Marketing Associate
This week on the DraftKings Life Podcast, Jason and Meg sit down with Lance Jeune, Senior Marketing Associate. Listen in to learn more about Lance’s internal mobility journey and more about his work to start our DK Shades, Business Resource Group.
Patrick Cleary - Manager, Knowledge Management
This week on the DraftKings Life Podcast, Jason and Meg sit down with Patrick Cleary, Manager, Knowledge Management. Listen in to learn more about Patrick’s career leading up to his time at DraftKings Inc., his passion for storytelling, and how we are celebrating Pride.
Vanessa Spatafora - Senior Manager of Inclusion, Equity & Belonging
Happy Pride month! This week on the DraftKings Life Podcast, Jason and Meg sit down with Vanessa Spatafora, Senior Manager of Inclusion, Equity & Belonging. While some festivities have been postponed, here at DraftKings Inc., being inclusive is never canceled! Tune in to learn about Vanessa's role, first impressions of DraftKings, and how we are celebrating Pride virtually.
Dan Kesack - Director of Engineering
This week on the DraftKings Life Podcast, Jason and Meg sit down with Dan Kesack, Director of Engineering for the DraftKings Sportsbook team, all the way from Dublin, Ireland! Listen in to learn more about Dan’s move from Boston to Dublin and about the brand new office.
Jake Walsh - Director, Reinvestment & Loyalty
What happens when an Aussie moves to Boston in the middle of January? This week on the DraftKings Life Podcast, Jason and Meg sit down with Jake Walsh, Director, Reinvestment & Loyalty, and his first impressions of DraftKings.
Caro Garcia - Product Owner
This week on the DraftKings Life Podcast, Jason and Meg sit down with Caro Garcia, Product Owner from the Delivery Management team! Listen in to learn more about Caro's journey at DraftKings Inc.
Johnny Avello - Director, Race & Sportsbook Operations
This week on the DraftKings Life Podcast, Jason and Meg sit down with long time oddsmaker and DraftKings employee, Johnny Avello. Listen in to learn more about sports betting and our Las Vegas office.
Jack Murphy - Site Lead
This week on the DraftKings Life Podcast, Jason and Meg sit down with Jack Murphy, Engineering Site Lead, all the way from Dublin, Ireland! Listen in to learn more about what it is like to help build a brand new DraftKings office.
Kayla Schmalz - Senior Communications Associate
Welcome to the first episode of the DraftKings Life Podcast. Jason and Meg sit down with Kayla Schmalz, Senior Communications Associate. Kayla talks about what Public Relations does at DraftKings and the challenges her team encounters and overcomes. We will be releasing bi-weekly episodes to give listeners an insider’s view into life at DraftKings.