Rising Stars: Meet Zachary Murphy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zachary Murphy.

Hi Zachary, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am a lover of all sports, especially football. I have always talked the ear off of anyone who would listen about college or NFL games, stats, players, fantasy football, anything related to football.

Many of my friends have told me for a while that I should start a podcast or YouTube channel, so I can reach a larger audience, but I never felt that I could really do that. Then the pandemic hit and I lost my job. I figured I had nothing better to do, so I got a cheap mic and just began. I started solo and got my feet under me and began to build an audience.

After a while, I brought on a long-time friend, and supporter of the podcast, Hector, to be my co-host. Now we are across most major podcasting platforms and are expanding Breaking Down The Tape to major social media platforms and bringing new podcasts/shows under our brand.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. I often have no idea what I am doing and have to learn everything from scratch.

From audio/video editing to content creation, to promotion, I’ve had to learn everything. The road has been made smoother by the amazing community and friendships that we’ve built and all the things I have learned from them.

Another struggle has been time. Being a husband, father, having a full-time job, a part-time job, and a full-time podcaster has been challenging to juggle.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I host and produce a sports podcast called Breaking Down The Tape.

We talk about all manner of sports but mostly focus on football. My co-host and I are very opinionated and not afraid to speak our minds, so we are known for our explosive debates and stances. Often times we agree, but when we don’t we aren’t afraid to defend our positions to the end. I am most proud of how far the podcast has come and the community we have built.

We aren’t huge but we have built a dedicated group of listeners who engage with us. We are different from many sports “analysts” and podcasters because we are raw and real. We don’t hold back on our opinions and we don’t give a manicured, scripted feel when discussing sports.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
My only piece of advice is to not be afraid when networking.

I have built such amazing friendships and learned so much all because I took the first step. It’s easy to be afraid and not want to let people know you aren’t good at something or be afraid to collaborate with someone else.

But if you can take the step to reach out to others in your field, you will learn so much and build an amazing community.

Contact Info:

• Email: Breakingdownthetape@yahoo.com
• Website: https://breaking-down-the-tape.creator-spring.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breakingdownthetape
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BreakingDownTheTape
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/bdttsports
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BreakingDownTheTape
• Other: https://anchor.fm/breakingdownthetape