Ep. 88: Marney Gellner: Sportscaster, Radio Personality + Mom

[00:00:00] Mall of America, it's home to world-class shopping, great dining, and amazing attractions and events. And these are our stories presented by Bloomington, Minnesota Travel and Tourism. Hey Mall of America fans, welcome to So Much More. I am your host, Jill Renslow. For today's show, joined by my co-host, Dan Jasper. Hello, Dan. Hey, Jill. How are you? I am well, and I am very excited for today's show because as you and I are big sports fans, along with a lot of our listeners and viewers, you are in for a treat today.

[00:00:29] So we are right in the center of a lot of sports activities from the state tournaments to March Madness coming up to the wild, the T-Wolves coming with the twins and the links. There's just so many things happening. So you guys are going to love it because today we have a great broadcaster here in the marketplace. And so you're going to love to hear her stories and what she has to share with you today. So welcome to Marney Gellner to the podcast. Hi. Thanks for having me.

[00:00:58] Marney just had a conversation with Dan before the podcast started. He's like, not a big basketball fan. I know. Sorry. I'm a big sports fan. Have you ever watched Australian rules football? You know, you got me there. I'm there, right? You got me there. Or cricket. Nope. I'm the go to person. That's all I'm saying. So where Dan fails, I will pick up. Okay. There's a great balance in this room right now.

[00:01:23] Good balance. Good balance. So you can test us with our sports knowledge to a certain extent. But no, we'd love to hear your story because you are truly a trailblazer in this space as far as being in an industry where it's very male led. And really, you push back and you're bold and you're a leader. And I just I love I'm a huge fan of yours and would love to hear your story of how you got started.

[00:01:46] Well, it's very weird to hear those words come out of your mouth because I don't think of myself that way. I don't think trailblazer or I don't know. It's I just wanted to work in entertainment, honestly, not necessarily sports.

[00:02:01] I was a big athlete growing up. I'm from North Dakota and I was into basketball, volleyball, track, softball. Those are my sports and then even played two sports in college. And I loved comedy. Like those were my two passions and I was trying to combine them.

[00:02:19] So obviously I was trying to get on Saturday Night Live and that did not happen. That was honestly my my dream. And it wasn't practical, nor did I pursue it. So shocking that it didn't happen.

[00:02:36] But I had a job out of college at KXMB TV 12, your eye on Dakota in Bismarck. And it just kept falling into that same kind of job in a few different markets whilst trying to figure out what I was going to do for a living.

[00:02:51] And then like 10 years after job, a few jobs, I'm like, oh, this might be my living, which is great. It's been great. But I guess to your point, Jill, I was never like, I'm going to break barriers and I'm going to be the first and I'm going to this and that. I just kind of kept working because I enjoyed it. The SNL thing didn't work out. Also, I didn't pursue it. And I was I wanted to be Michelle Tafoya. She was the person that I would say those words to.

[00:03:19] I don't think of myself like that. I look at her like she's the ultimate gold standard. I want to be her. I want to do what she does. Not because she's female and she broke barriers just because she's great at what she does. So that's just kind of the mindset I had. And then I'm somehow still working. So thanks. Yeah, thanks for watching. Thanks for listening. And yes, I just have to say really quickly if I can, it's not too late for SNL. That's all I'm saying.

[00:03:48] Do you know someone? I could maybe make a connection or two. It's year 51, right? So isn't it? Yeah. Didn't they just have read their 50th? Yeah. So it's a new beginning. I thought you said you're 51. Like why are you a Posh V. Ari? And I am. I'm 51 years old. I'm like, yeah, that's personal, Dan. It's like a kismet. It's meant to be. It is meant to be. Year 51 and you're 50. Yes. Okay. So thank you for that. If you want to give Lauren a call when we are done here. I'm on it. I'm on it.

[00:04:18] And through the different stages of your career, you've had hurdles that you've been faced with and that you've gotten over. So what are some of those hurdles that really pushed you forward to where you're at today? I distinctly remember the first one because I had only been working in Bismarck for a few months, maybe at most, and felt pretty good about myself. I do have to admit, and I was the first woman in sports at that station.

[00:04:46] And somebody called me after a Sunday night sportscast and told me I made them physically nauseous. And it was a woman who said that, an older woman. And it just kind of jarred me because I thought everyone was on board. And this was 95? No, 96. And I thought we had made progress by then. And it was just a real stark reminder that not everyone was in the same place I was.

[00:05:14] But the thing that's happened in that job and pretty much everywhere I've been, I haven't been treated like the woman or the woman in the department. And oftentimes I was the only woman. But I feel like I'm just friends with everyone that I don't look at myself that way and they don't look at me that way. They look at me as like their buddy and we're probably getting a beer when this is done.

[00:05:40] And so I think that part of it has helped that it's just been not even one of the guys. I would say like one of the gang, maybe just one of the group. So it hasn't been a thing where I feel like I'm on my own and you're treating me this way. And it just, I don't know, it just hasn't been as unique, maybe. I don't know if that's the right word for it.

[00:06:04] But yes, there have been hurdles, but I never think about them unless somebody asked me that question. Because it has not been prominent in my life. Maybe I choose to see them differently and don't view them as hurdles as just like, well, that was a tough patch or a rough patch. And I'm not sure what that guy had to go through or that guy had to go through. I just went what I had to, or went through what I had to go through and came out the other side. And you pivot and you go the other direction and you keep moving forward.

[00:06:34] Yeah, you Ross Geller and you pivot. That's my favorite episode, by the way. Is it really? Yes, I love the pivot episode on Friends. Pivot? It's great. The bloopers from that one are spiked. Oh, man, I've got to look that up. It is great. It is great. You talk about being part of the gang, and I love that because you do, you fit right in with the team. I love listening to you on KFAN in the mornings. And, you know, with those guys, you hold your own, and I love that. And so I just, what, how do you feel about that dynamic?

[00:07:02] Because we learned from the guys when they were here, when Chris and Corey were here, it's like, you guys don't talk before the shows because then all the good content gets used, and you have to like repurpose that or try to recreate it in some way. But we loved that hint that they had. But how was it like working with those guys and just being part of that morning crew? That is the blessing that I didn't know I needed. And it's interesting that you would ask that now because this month, March,

[00:07:29] will be my five-year anniversary on the Power Trip Morning Show. I had been a guest maybe here or there, a guest on PA's show several times. I had been on Common's show and just kind of dabbled. But it wasn't until March of 2020. I don't know if you remember what happened in March of 2020. Vaguely. But everything shut down and my job shut down temporarily. And so they said, hey, can you start, can you call in or something? And then it was in person when we could be in person.

[00:07:59] And the friendships that I have formed with those morons is, that's the part where I just, I was a little hesitant because I knew what their show was. It was off the rails. They were totally inappropriate. And I thought, I'm going to love this, aren't I? But I was, I have a very professional job too. So it was kind of a fine line. And then once I realized that people really are not taking me or my job that seriously.

[00:08:28] So I kind of relaxed a little bit. And I like to say, I try to keep it out of the ditch because that's where they live. I don't try to take them out of the ditch. They just, they're driving through the ditch every day, all day. So yeah, I try to pull it back a little bit, but I fit right in with those guys. And they are wonderful human beings. Wonderful. You guys, you can just tell you guys have so much fun and it comes across the airwaves. And as listeners, we have fun right there with you.

[00:08:58] I love listening in the morning because it just makes you smile and puts you in a great mood. And I love, I cheer you on every week with initials. I believe you're on the top of the leaderboard right now. So congratulations on that. So any tips and hints? Because when we play along, it's like, it seems like it should be easier than it is, but you just nail it. So what are the hits? Well, that's kind of you to say, I was the worst player for the first easily year and a half, maybe even two years.

[00:09:26] And I'm not exaggerating or not saying, I was statistically the worst. I don't know what it is. I have said many times to Corey, that game, the initials game could be an entire semester in a collegiate class and the study of the brain and how it works and why sometimes he'll just say the initials and I'll be like, boy, I have no chance. Why? I don't know.

[00:09:52] Or I'll go through the first five items and have nothing and then get the next seven and win. It's just, I don't know how the mind works. Somehow for me, after a few years, it has clicked. And I am one of the better players. I think Jill said I was the best. I'm just saying the best. I think you are. I think you are. She said. I don't know. I don't know. I don't have any tips.

[00:10:17] I just started listening differently or understanding that Corey's always trying to throw us off. When he says, is red. Does he mean the color? Does he mean a book? I don't know. So you kind of have to just like keep it open, keep it open. I have no idea how I got better. I just am so thankful that I did because I love that game. It's fun. Well, it was great because on Black Friday, I don't know if it was this past year or the year prior or both, where you won. And the crowd went crazy.

[00:10:47] It was so much fun because everybody was cheering for you and they just loved to see you win. I will never forget that. Yep. That was two Black Fridays ago because I hadn't been winning and I had been bad. And if you know those guys, you know they love to rip on people right to their faces. And I was not any exception and I had taken a lot of heat and I truly was not very good. And so when I would be even in contention, it was like, holy cow, she might actually win this.

[00:11:17] So when I did, yeah, especially in front of a live crowd, that was awesome. It is great. Well, you just got off the road, I believe, with the T-Wolves. So I would love to hear the live broadcasting, live sports and that shift from being on air on the radio to the live broadcasting of sports. And when you're on the road, what does that look like? What is your world? What is your schedule? How do you balance it all? It's a lot of chaos on the road, I feel like.

[00:11:44] Not because the trip itself is chaos, but my life just, we're changing cities and time zones and I may not have unpacked from the last trip. And that's how I lived for 10 years. I did stop traveling full time when the league shut down, when the NBA shut down in March 2020. When we came back a year, actually, we did the whole next season from the studio. We did not travel for like a year and a half. So when travel in the NBA resumed, I did not.

[00:12:13] I went studio show. I have two kids. They're teenagers now and I missed a lot of stuff. And so that was just kind of my kick in the butt to say, all right, let's make a shift. So now when I travel, it's a lot less frequently, but I did, I just came back from Miami a few days ago. And before that, I was on a trip with them in Phoenix. So it's very fresh that it's just, you have to be really self-sufficient. People will ask me like, oh, where's your favorite city?

[00:12:43] Oh, you were here. You were there. I'm like, Cleveland. I love Cleveland because it's a short trip from the airport to the hotel. Traffic is not that bad. Where we stay, there's a CVS near. There's a coffee shop near. Like that's how boring I am. But also when you travel a ton, it's not about the glitz and glamour and excitement of the city. Yes, some are better than others. And sometimes we have an off day, but a lot of times it's just work. And it's business and it's function. And I'm a super practical person.

[00:13:13] And so I love Cleveland. You have conveniences right there when you're traveling. And Miami was great, but I was happy to be home. And yeah, I don't know. I miss things about the road. I don't miss the whole bit of the road. And for all our listeners in Cleveland, I just want to point out that again, that it's the best place to go. Best place to travel.

[00:13:39] Well, you are such an inspiration, also role model for other women and especially young girls to be able to look up to you if they're interested in a broadcast career. So any advice to those that either following their dreams, going into broadcasts as a role model and a mentor to other women and girls? What would you say? And boys, of course, as well. What would you say to them? It's hard. Well, thank you for that. Thank you. It's interesting because I will often hear.

[00:14:09] So I have a boy and a girl. My son is a junior in high school. My daughter is a freshman in high school at Chaska. Soar Hawks. And I will hear a lot of people say, like, how lucky is your daughter to see you in this position? And I think, yes, correct. Correct. And as you said, and I think you kind of caught yourself while you were doing it. Yes. Because when you think about it, you're right for my son to see me like this. He's known his entire life.

[00:14:37] I did this well before he was born. His entire life and his entire friend group. That's all they've known is, oh, Grady's mom works for the Timberwolves. Grady's mom is doing this game. Grady's mom, you know. And to them, it's unique. It's cool. Whatever. But it's very normal. And that is what I love and hope that we are in a place where it is now very normal. I mean, think about you watch an NFL game on any given Sunday.

[00:15:05] There's probably a woman on the sideline. As a matter of fact, sometimes when there's a guy doing sidelines, I'm like, oh, they got a dude on the sidelines. That's actually how far to the other side we went. It is so common to see a woman on a broadcast. I hope we can evolve past the sidelines. Like, I've done some play-by-play work, and that's still an area where there aren't a lot of women. But it's not like people are saying, you can't. We don't do that.

[00:15:32] So, yes, love that my daughter thinks my job is actually kind of eye-rolly. Like, yeah, okay, I get it. But I love that for my son, too, that he sees that it's totally normal for a woman to be in this kind of position. So advice is difficult because when I came up, the advice was so different than it is now because we didn't have a hundred outlets and YouTube channels and every college has its own space.

[00:16:01] It was like you had to work for ABC, CBS, or MSC, which is where the Timberwolves were and where Michelle Tafoya was working when I came into this industry 25, 30-ish years ago. As we pointed out earlier, thanks a lot, I'm 51. So I don't know. The advice is work hard and also be realistic because the hours suck.

[00:16:31] The pay sucks. Like a lot of people going into a lot of industries that they think are so glamorous. You can get there. You can get places. But a lot of people never survive the first five years because they're like, I've missed every wedding and reunion and Saturday night. And, you know, you're getting off work at 10, 30, 11 o'clock. And I will never forget working a Twins game a handful of years ago on the 4th of July. And I'm schlepping up the stands. It's like 90 degrees. I'm sweating through my blouse.

[00:17:01] And this row of guys all have a cold beer. And they're like, morning! And I said, hey, guys, how's it going? And they're like, yeah, you have the coolest job. And I'm like, thanks. Yeah. And I do have a cool job. But it was the literally July 4th on a beautiful sunny day while they were having beers and I was working. And the irony will, it hit me straight between the eyes. Now I'm still in the business.

[00:17:25] So obviously it's been a good enough job and I've enjoyed it and had enough positivity that I'm still here. But reality to people trying to get in the business is you have to understand that and be willing to go through that. Because when do sports happen? They always happen on weekends and evenings and holidays and all of those kinds of things. So there's a reality to sports that is different than the glamour that some people see. Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm just curious.

[00:17:54] You're so involved with the Wolves and the Lynx. What is your, as a fan, what is your favorite sport to watch? Is it basketball or do you have others that you really enjoy as well? My favorite sport to watch is the one with a roof and a clock and a team that's winning. I truly, it has evolved. I love the chill of a baseball game.

[00:18:20] I love the sounds of a game on a beautiful evening. But when it's raining or when we've played 16 innings or, you know, I've been through all of that. So then I don't love a baseball game. I love an NBA game when it's this dramatic game win and you can't believe you just saw a human being make that dunk. And you're, oh my gosh, the shot making in this game is incredible. But I've also been to games that are total blowouts or take 20 minutes to play the final minute and a half.

[00:18:50] So it changes all the time. I don't have a favorite sport anymore. When I was growing up, it was basketball because that was my favorite sport to play. But it changes all the time. And honestly, the team, the personality of the team, the coach, they make it so much better or worse for me. Yeah. No, that makes sense. I'm curious. You grew up in North Dakota. You have teenage kids here.

[00:19:19] I know you've been to Mall of America as part of the K-Fan crew. Of course, yeah. But what other memories do you have here? Please tell me you have some fun memories that have happened here or something outrageous or anything big that's happened here at the mall for you. I haven't been here since January. So two whole months. But we're kind of regulars. I mean, I have a teenage daughter. Love hearing that. I distinctly remember.

[00:19:46] So I grew up in Minot, which is kind of in northwestern North Dakota. We, the big trip when you lived in Minot was to go to a Twins game and the Mall of America. And I'm sure you have, you still must have a ton of tourists, visitors, whatever, who make that their combo platter. And that was a huge deal for us when I was growing up. And I can distinctly remember being a senior in high school, which was 1992. And I'm guessing the mall opened real close to.

[00:20:17] It was 92. Was it 92? August of 92. Because I was a senior in high school at Bishop Ryan High School in Minot, North Dakota. And we came at the very end of the summer. So it would have been like, I don't know, mid to late August or something like that. Were you open in mid to late? Yeah, it was August 11th. Yep. Oh, that was your actual opening? That was the actual opening, yeah. I almost, as the words were coming out of my mouth, I'm like, if this is wrong, we're going to have to cut and edit this. You're good.

[00:20:45] Because I just remember it so clearly. And it was like, all these things were happening. I graduated from high school. And holy, my gosh, have you heard about this place? There's an amusement park inside the mall. Like, we couldn't believe it. Our mall was Dakota Square. And it was like 30 stores. And it was wonderful and beautiful. But we couldn't imagine what this was like. And we weren't internet savvy yet.

[00:21:09] So I will never forget coming here and going to the food court on the third level. And overlooking Legoland. I don't know if that's the proper name still. And just being like, I don't have the words. I've never seen anything like this. It was so cool. And the store that I'll also never forget was the Disney store. And I walked around that thing.

[00:21:38] And I kept looking at the workers. And I thought, I would look at and be like, do you know you work at a Disney store in the Mall of America? And I would think about like, where do they live? Where do they park? What Disney movies do they watch? And I wasn't even into Disney. I was a senior in high school. But the concept of it was just mind-blowing.

[00:22:02] And if SNL didn't work out, I was thinking, I'm going to work at a Disney store at the Mall of America. Two ends of the spectrum there. So when you come now, where are your go-to places? When I come now, it's the Toomey store because I haven't traveled so much. Yeah. I don't buy a lot, but I never see the pieces in person. So sometimes if I'm like researching a certain backpack, like I'm a big backpack person.

[00:22:31] So I like to see it in person. I love the Hammer Maid store. My husband loves their shirts. Um, um, I mean all the, all the typicals, but there's something about having a coffee at Mall of America when you can sit down, especially in the, in Christmas time when you have those long dangly, uh, stringy lights that hang from the ceiling. There's a smell and an ambiance. And I said, I was just here a couple months ago and that was right after Christmas, but

[00:23:00] we also came to do a little Christmas shopping in early December. There's something special and different about Christmas time at Mall of America and specifically having a coffee, couple bags by your side, a couple more things on the list and just this peaceful part of the season. And there's a magic to it. So that's, that's my favorite thing. That is great. Yes. I think it's a magical place for a lot of people during the holidays and we love having everybody here. And we do have lots of visitors from Dakotas.

[00:23:28] We have them from all over actually right now, a spring break timeframe. So lots of families that come from the drive markets to come and enjoy us. Well, we're a very sensitive people, Jill. So we don't like it. When you say the Dakotas, we like, sorry, sorry. Oh, they're very different. They're very, but we like each other. That's totally fine. We just say, well, if you say the Dakotas, you're like, well, but I'm not from South Dakota. I apologize. North Dakota. We're sensitive people. Thank you for understanding. I do understand. No, I will not make that mistake again.

[00:23:57] You did bring up baseball, which I wanted to go back to because another element that you pioneered as far as being a female voice in the MLB. So talk to us a little bit about your experience with the Minnesota Twins. Oh, last summer they asked me to do play-by-play for a series in the middle of July in Chicago against the White Sox. And I had worked thousands, I think, of Twins games and grew up as a Twins fan. And I had never done play-by-play.

[00:24:26] They had never had a woman do play-by-play. There aren't very many that have ever done it just broadcasting-wise. They just haven't been. And so I was honored and thrilled and just super, super excited because that's the team that I grew up with. The Timberwolves didn't start until 89-90. The Wild were here and then Dallas. And so the Twins have been the constant. And we have everybody that grew up around my time, we have the memories of the 87 and 91 World Championships.

[00:24:55] So thinking about watching with my parents and my dad who passed away actually a year ago, that one was really special. It was really special to be able to do something significant for a team that meant that much to me personally. So it was a cool experience. It took me like five innings to get to feel any kind of a rhythm, I would say.

[00:25:22] So if anyone is going to go back and watch any of those games start at the fifth inning of the first game. And you're good. But I did the series with Justin Morneau and Denard Spann. And so it was sort of just not just the rhythm of the game. It was a rhythm of three people in a booth. And I'd worked with Justin a ton. I actually saw him last night at the Timberwolves game. But Denard Spann, I hadn't worked with professionally. We knew each other and were friendly. So there were a lot of moving pieces of just like, all right, let's get comfortable.

[00:25:51] But I think it turned out pretty well. The twins were happy. I was happy. And it was a really, really cool moment that I'm – well, more than a moment. It was three games of baseball that I'm very proud of professionally and personally. So will we hear you in the upcoming season? I don't know. A lot of changes are happening with the twins because they are forming their own broadcasting space app.

[00:26:19] And we don't even really know what that looks like yet because, well, as we sit here today, the season has not started. I don't know. We haven't – I haven't mapped out the entire summer yet. So what else is on your roadmap? You're a busy lady. Yeah, I'm busy. The winter is especially busy because of the Timberwolves. And we don't know when that season will end. Hopefully very, very late into the summer. Yes, because we want to host more fan rallies. We did some playoff events here last year, and we would love to host more of those.

[00:26:48] So fingers crossed that we have a long season. We got Wolves fever around the metro area – actually around both North Dakota and South Dakota. And Iowa and Western Wisconsin because the Wolves went to the Western Conference Finals last year, and that hadn't happened since 2004. 2004. It was very exciting. So 20 years is a long time to not have that kind of success. So that has carried over. It's been ups and downs and injuries and struggles.

[00:27:17] And I don't want to jinx anything, but we're starting to put it together. So let's hope that there is more Wolves fever and more Mall of America Wolves rallies this summer. Yes. We'd love to have you out here if we can invite you to the Wolves playoff events. I accept. We would love it. We would love it. So anything else that you'd like to share before we sign off today? Not really other than when I realized who you were and that I had just seen you in the parking garage.

[00:27:45] I don't know if you noticed, but I was in my hatchback putting on deodorant because I had forgotten. And I always carry deodorant in my car and in my backpack just because, you know, I'm a busy gal. And so I was driving here and I was like, oh, shoot, I forgot to put on deodorant. So I parked by your employee parking in this little, in your, you know, I felt protected. I'm like, okay, there's nobody around. And I hopped, I opened the trunk of my car and I poop, poop. And then I looked and I'm like, well, there's a pretty lady in a nice skirt.

[00:28:15] I bet she's wearing deodorant. Then I get up here and they're like, hi, Jill, I'm Jill. I'm like, oh, perfect. This is going to be great. I did not see you putting on deodorant and check. I did put on deodorant this morning. So we're both good. Welcome to the club. We're good to go. I love it. Well, where can our listeners and our followers find you on LinkedIn or Twitter or Instagram? Where do you encourage your followers to go? I am on Twitter and Instagram.

[00:28:41] I kind of shied away from Twitter slash X and it is not political. It's just not as nice a platform, I feel like. So I'm on Instagram most, but both platforms are just my name, at Marnie Gellner. Marnie spelled with an E-Y. I am named after the Alfred Hitchcock movie, which is spelled with an I-E, which is just such a beautiful story because who doesn't want a little sweet baby girl named after an Alfred Hitchcock movie? So the movie was named Marnie and with an I-E, but my parents went E-Y.

[00:29:11] So where was I going? Marnie Gellner. M-A-R-N-E-Y-G-E-L-L-N-E-R. Instagram is where I put most of my stuff. I love it. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for sharing your story and thank you for being a trailblazer in this market and beyond in the industry. We love following you and you are an inspiration to all of us. So thank you for all that you do. Thank you. That's going to do it for this episode of So Much More. So be sure to follow us where you watch and listen to your favorite podcasts and tune in next time. We'll see you soon.

[00:29:41] Thanks for listening to So Much More, a Mall of America podcast. Subscribe wherever you find your favorite podcasts. This show is presented by Bloomington, Minnesota Travel and Tourism. and I'll see you soon to tune in this episode of So Much More. So wants to like talk to you from- Thank you. Andwear Falls. Cheers. Cheers.