We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I’m very fortunate that our team behind this show is so talented. Between my two on screen co-hosts, Vegas Mack & Tony James, to our off camera people that help with graphics and marketing, and my two business partners, we have a complete team effort here. My name and likeness is obviously directly attached to the show but it’s a total team commitment. Nobody has an ego or agenda, we all share equally in the decision making as it relates to what we do, how we do it and what we talk about. No great organization or brand is every entirely solo. The strength I believe relies on the sum of ALL the parts. The thing I’m most proud of is that we’ve grown our audience completely organically. No paid or sponsored ads on social media at all. We’ve built this all on hard work and producing quality content.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I firmly believe that what sets us apart is that there’s no ends to what we will do to be different, while still being informative. Couldn’t tell you how many different costumes, props and even high pitched voices we’ve used in videos. I was fortunate to start is sports broadcasting at 20 years old. I’ve seen the business and the industry change so much. I’ve done talk show hosting, pa announcing, baseball play by play, writing and now content and producing. This is an incredibly competitive and chaotic space. It takes incredible sacrifices not only by yourself, but the people closest to you. There’s really no downtime. That means a lot of weekends, holidays and vacation time you’re constantly in it. I’ve also been very fortunate to have some incredible people in this industry that have been mentors to me, and even now friends. The space is constantly evolving, it’s constantly changing, so to use a sports analogy, you have to keep your head on a swivel. The best advice? Be authentic and be you. You can’t try an emulate anyone in this business because your audience will see right through it. We separate ourselves by being ourselves. We’re not a shirt and tie, “hot take” sports show. We’ll poke fun at ourselves, bust each other’s chops for going 0-5 on predictions and so on. Everyday there’s obstacles and challenges for us because we’re not powered by network dollars, none of us were professional athletes and so on. The biggest thing is believing in what we do, who we are and being authentic. The other best advice? Remembering that we are fortunate to work in sports and that it’s a “get to job, not a got to job.”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Honestly it depends on who. But definitely a sports bar after a round or two on one of my favorite golf courses in the West Valley. Maybe even a casino spot. I’ve grown up in the sports and entertainment industry so I do enjoy the big sports bar atmosphere on a day full of games. An NFL Sunday, College Football Saturday or my favorite, March Madness. I think the unique thing about being in Arizona is that we’re so close to Vegas, Southern California and Lake Tahoe. So many options and possibilities. I love the uniqueness of being at a place full of TV’s with some wings and a cold beer and enjoying the melting pot of 150 people or so, all fans of different teams going through the highs and lows of a game. It’s fascinating theatre. Probably bounce up to Vegas at some point during the week and do the same thing up there as well. It’s honestly my favorite thing to do. I love the rush of it all.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
It starts with my business partners, one of which is my fiancée, Rebekah. My on air partners, Vegas Mack and Tony James. Rob and Brian who do countless things for us behind the scenes. There’s others that will not be pleased if I name them that have had significant contributions along the way. My broadcasting school directors and instructors. My mom who is no longer with us and my Dad who is still with us, and tries to follow the show as best he can, but teaching a 74 year old that despises smart phones how to follow a show on YouTube primarily does have its challenges.

Website: https://www.mikearanashow.com

Instagram: https://Instagram.com/mikearanashow

Twitter: https://X.com/mikearanashow

Facebook: The Mike Arana Show

Youtube: https://youtube.com/mikearanashow

Image Credits
None applicable. All self photos.

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