16 Apr Signal Boost: Jared Kleinstein, Founder/CEO, Gondola & Fresh Tape
At Zoomph, we believe the most meaningful innovation is driven by people and their stories.
That’s why we’re excited to feature leaders and changemakers who are shaping the future of sports, technology, and culture. Our Signal Boost series highlights voices across the industry, offering thoughtful insights, personal experiences, and perspectives that inspire how we think about impact, creativity, and growth.
Get to know the leaders who are moving the industry forward—one conversation at a time.
Tell us a bit about your background leading up to the position at Slate:
I was born in Toronto, grew up in Colorado, and went to Washington University in St. Louis, where I studied business and entrepreneurship. I spent my early career in the New York tech world, at StreetEasy (acquired by Zillow in 2013) as Head of Strategic Partnerships, and then Vine/Twitter as Head of Sports/International Content Strategy.
In 2017, I founded Fresh Tape Media, a creative production company focused on sports, culture, and tech. More recently, I also founded Gondola, a creator analytics and portfolio platform designed to help creators and teams track, organize, and take credit for their work across platforms.
Tell us about Fresh Tape Media and Gondola, and your roles with both of them:
I play the role of CEO and founder at both Fresh Tape and Gondola, though both need different things. At Fresh Tape, I focus on creative direction, client strategy, and scaling our production and operations across a wide range of sports and brand partners.
With Gondola, my focus is on building tools that bring more structure, attribution, and insight to the creator economy. Across both companies, my goal is to help creative work have a clearer impact and longer-term value.
Can you share a professional accomplishment that you are extremely proud of?
Beyond any single campaign, I’m most proud of building sustainable organizations. Growing Fresh Tape Media into a large company while maintaining long-term client relationships and a strong creative culture has been a major milestone. Launching Gondola alongside it has allowed me to support the creator economy in a more direct and scalable way. And the thing I’m probably most proud of is that the clients of each are still friends I’ve worked with for over a decade now!
What is your favorite part about working in your industry?
The people, and how it’s never boring. While so much changes (what we create, what performs well, etc), the people, aka the clients who become friends along with the teammates who become family, are the constants. And every day we have new challenges to keep us guessing.
What is a trend you are keeping an eye on in your industry?
The rapid changes in SaaS and the ability to use AI to code any tool you want, on the spot… it’ll change the nature of how all our clients use all their outsourced tools way faster than we ever expected.
Don’t be scared to be a generalist/jack-of-all-trades. People will tell you to specialize. I don’t buy it; be yourself, and don’t be scared to take on things outside your normal scope.
Jared is also the founder behind the Gondola Sports Summit — a must-attend gathering for sports creatives returning in 2026. Connect with the #SMSports community, level up your skills, and learn from the best in the business. Grab your ticket at gondola.cc/sportssummit26 and use code ZOOMPH for $50 off.
Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Denver Broncos, Toronto Blue Jays/Colorado Rockies. I’ve been a fan most of my life, and try to go to as many games as I can (a bit harder with two kiddos, though they love the games too). I associate it all with my dad, who used to take me to games all the time and instilled in me a love of sports from a young age.
One of my favorite sports memories is the Avs Stanley Cup Game 7, 2001. Being with my dad, watching my heroes win the greatest trophy in sports…nothing will beat it.
Do you have any hobbies that you’d like to share?
I love to ski. There’s something about finding zen while also elevating your heart rate that is meditative to me. Been doing it since I was 2.5 yrs old.
What is your favorite breakfast meal?
Soft scrambled eggs with Brazilian cheese bread and Canadian bacon. Or a lobster egg Benedict (if somehow I’m at some fancy restaurant that serves that, which has happened maybe twice in my life).
Is there a brand (in sports or outside of sports) that deserves a shout-out?
Microsoft Copilot. They’re doing so many different creative and influencer executions, it’s fun to watch (and be a part of, as we’re working with them on a lot).
To learn more about Slate and how it helps sports teams quickly create, manage, and publish branded social media content, visit Slateteams.com.
