# @michaelhorton1 on LinkedIn

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.linkedin.com/posts/michaelhorton1_sportssummit25-activity-7331684267351031808-5_nb
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/31006816-inmichaelhorton1-linkedin
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/c7877fd979.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-05-23T14:15:45.422+00:00

## Caption

Earlier this week I got the opportunity to speak in front of 500+ of the top creatives in sports and social. I was nervous about getting up there but probably not for the reason you would think.

I was nervous I would be preaching to the choir, and the crowd reaction would be like 'yeah... obviously'. 

But instead, I saw a lot of heads nodding. People leaning in. And after the session, a bunch of folks came up to say how much they enjoyed the talk and how encouraging it was to hear what I had to say.

Here are three of the main points I covered in the presentation: 

1. Social teams are content creation teams now. 
They're not just distributing, they're producing and editing. They're responsible for 12+ mature platforms with increasingly complex content expectations and formats. SMMs have to create content, it's the only way to keep up, so the question is: Are you as an org leaving them to their own devices, or are you investing in and empowering your social team to create content effectively? Because if you are not, then you can't then get mad at them when they post something with the wrong hex code on Instagram.

2. You're not short on content, You're short on time.
In sports at least, this is very true. You’ve got game footage, mic'd ups, interviews, pressers, podcasts (so many podcasts), media day stuff etc. But digging through 45 minutes of scrum footage to find a usable 20 seconds? That’s not even worth the intern’s time.

3. AI can help, but it can’t do the job for you.
At Slate, we are building AI to empower, not replace. And that is what I showed the crowd with our new product, Shortcuts. It can accelerate your workflow, but it's not here to tell you what to post or replace your creativity or voice. You know your audience, you know your strategy, but AI tools like Shortcuts can help you execute faster. 

Overall the whole presentation was a great reminder that things are moving fast, and what you think may be obvious, is probably still worth saying out loud. Maybe it leads to valuable discussions, or just gives that extra confidence to folks already on the right track, or maybe it gives someone the ammo and confidence they need to go pitch their higher ups! 

Thanks to Gondola for putting on a great summit and all of the amazing attendees who I learned so much from! Looking forward to next year! 

#SportsSummit25.

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## Tags

sportssummit25

## Events

2025 gondola sports summit

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