How the Savannah Bananas built a brand people love

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

August 6, 2026

Duration

30m

Channel

Masters of Scale

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Jesse Cole knew most people thought baseball was too long and boring. So he disrupted it by putting on a yellow tux and an incredible show. The Savannah Bananas founder welcomed Masters of Scale host Jeff Berman to Anaheim Stadium before a show recently to talk about how he’s scaling Fans First Entertainment into a growing league that sells out pro sports stadiums all over the country. Chapters: 00:00 Introducing Jesse Cole 2:02 From Fenway dreams to a career-ending injury 4:12 The idea box: whatever's normal, do the opposite 7:04 How the Bananas build a brand-new show every week 8:35 Watching fans instead of following the plan 12:03 Betting the house on banana ball 16:39 Lessons from Barnum & Disney 18:32 Fans first, always: productive paranoia at scale 22:04 Cheap tickets by design, and advice for what's next 📫 THE MASTERS OF SCALE NEWSLETTER 35,000+ read our free weekly newsletter packed with insights from the world’s most iconic business leaders. Sign up: https://hubs.la/Q01RPQH-0 🎧 LISTEN TO THE PODCAST Apple Podcasts: https://mastersofscale.com/ApplePodcasts Spotify: https://mastersofscale.com/Spotify 💻 LEARN MORE Our website: https://mastersofscale.com 🚀 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/showcase/11096326 Facebook: https://facebook.com/mastersofscale Instagram: https://instagram.com/mastersofscale X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/mastersofscale TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@mastersofscale 💡ABOUT US On Masters of Scale, iconic business leaders share lessons and strategies that have helped them grow the world's most fascinating companies. Founders, CEOs, and dynamic innovators (from companies like Uber, Airbnb, Apple, and Disney) join candid conversations about their triumphs and challenges with a set of luminary hosts, including founding host Reid Hoffman — LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock partner. From navigating early prototypes to expanding brands globally, Masters of Scale provides priceless insights to help anyone grow their dream enterprise. #mastersofscale #leadership #leadershiplessons #entrepreneurship #entrepreneur #founder #founderlife #founderstory #founderlessons #savannahbananas #jessecole #baseball #startup #startupfounders #startupmotivation #business #businessgrowth #businesstips #businessideas #businessstrategy #brand #brandbuilding #waltdisney #entertainment

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Jesse Cole

  guest

  Founder of the Savannah Bananas/Fans First Entertainment, known for creating the fan-first “Banana Ball” experience.

• Jeff Berman

  host

  Host of Masters of Scale.

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Masters of Scale, featuring Jesse Cole and Jeff Berman, How the Savannah Bananas built a brand people love explores Jesse Cole’s Fans First playbook for making baseball unforgettable Jesse Cole explains how a childhood moment with a Red Sox player shaped his obsession with creating unforgettable fan experiences rather than pursuing money, growth, or traditional sports success.

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