All Access: 10 Questions with Jim Breslo

Aug. 21, 2018 BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Jim is a former civil rights attorney, public company president, and radio broadcaster. He hosted the Jim Breslo Show late nights on KRLA 870 AM in Los Angeles and Casino Talk with Louie Anderson weekends on 97.1 Free FM in Los Angeles, and now is host of the Hidden Truth Show podcast.
He was a partner at the international law firm Seyfarth Shaw, defending companies and individuals against alleged civil rights violations. He left the firm to become President of Diamond Game, a publicly traded gaming company which provides lottery machines and tickets to numerous state lotteries in the US and Canada. Jim is the author of 12 patented inventions in the gaming space.
Jim graduated cum laude from the University of California, Irvine (where he was the voice of the Anteater basketball team and host of Freedom of Voice talk show on KUCI-FM), and received his law degree from Northwestern University, serving as an editor of the Law Review.
1. Your background is in law, but you quickly established yourself as a media guy and a radio host before embarking on a podcast. First, what appealed to you to become someone who talks on radio and podcasts and TV — was that part of your career plan from the outset or did it evolve organically?
I always loved radio. As a kid I grew up listening to talk shows and baseball games in bed at night. I used to do play-by-play from my shortstop position in Little League! So, while law school sent me down a certain path, I tried to keep one foot in broadcasting over the years with the expectation that I would eventually do it full-time. The sale of my gaming company recently gave me the opportunity to finally do what has been a life-long passion.
2. Now, more specifically — what led you to launch the podcast? What gave you the idea to do this particular show, and what about podcasting made it your choice of medium for it?
While I have always aspired to having a daily show on terrestrial radio, podcasting provided an avenue to launch my show immediately, as well as provide an exciting business opportunity in an industry that has huge growth potential. Television is now viewed primarily on demand; podcasting brings that to radio. The Hidden Truth Show was born from what I saw to be the mainstream media’s obsession with Trump, leaving important stories inadequately covered. Even when they are covered, they are now covered with obvious political bias and fail to give people enough information to really understand and have an educated opinion about them. The Hidden Truth Show does deep dives into controversial and unresolved issues of our time without regard for politics, religion, or political correctness. We were able to devote 16 episodes to the Las Vegas Shooter. While that sounds like a lot, we still really only scratched the surface of the questions raised by the shooting and investigation; many fans complained when we wrapped it up! We have scheduled 18 episodes for our second deep dive investigation into the Transgender Movement, and I am still trying to figure out how to cover all sides and angles to the issue.
3. Your law practice has been centered on civil rights, but from an unusual perspective, defending companies and managers accused of civil rights violations. How did you end up with that specialty? Describe how that came to be and what your practice was about.
I chose the field because I was a political science major in college and this area of law is one of the most political. It bothers some people that I refer to myself as a civil rights attorney even though I was on the defense side. The truth is that being accused of violating someone’s civil rights means being accused of being a racist, sexist, homophobe, etc. I believed in my heart that those who I defended were wrongly accused, and it caused them significant emotional distress to be so accused. Thus, it gave me great satisfaction to help clear their names.
4. You’re developing RealKast Media as a podcast network. What are you looking for in podcasts as you develop a roster of shows? What kind of podcast appeals to you as a network developer and as a listener?
If you have listened to my show, you would know I am a big fan of the longform interview. People like Howard Stern, Joe Rogan, and Mark Maron have been very successful with that format. We are looking at developing shows with this format with an emphasis on being educational, informative, and entertaining, with each show focusing on a certain genre, like music, science, medicine, sports, spirituality, etc.
5. Of what are you most proud?
Leaving my law firm (just after I had made a partner) to begin an entirely new career in the gaming business, and then leaving the gaming business to begin an entirely new career in media! I attended ten different schools before college, so I was raised with change. Still, it can be scary, but I firmly believe that life is about experiences.
6. You’ve worked in the gaming industry; with sports gambling now becoming legal and casinos everywhere, do you see the business becoming oversaturated in coming years or is there a lot of room to grow? Is the sky the limit?
I think we are close to a saturation point. Las Vegas resorts, primarily through the eyes of Steve Wynn, wisely saw gambling options becoming so pervasive throughout the states that they could no longer depend on it as their primary revenue stream. Thus, they moved beyond gambling to entertainment generally with huge success. Atlantic City failed to see or respond to this (Wynn was not there!), and the stark difference between the two cities can now be seen.
7. Who are your mentors and inspirations in business and in life?
In my new business: Harry Caray. My dad grew up listening to him in St. Louis when he was with the Cardinals, and I was lucky enough to also be able to follow him with the Cubs during my three years in law school in Chicago. He was a regular guy who just loved life, didn’t take himself too seriously, and was always himself behind the mike: just a baseball fan like the rest of us.
In life, Jimmy Stewart. He was drafted during WWII during the height of his movie stardom but was rejected for being too thin. So, he gained 5 pounds and came back! He became the first movie star to wear the uniform, flew planes, and ultimately became a Brigadier General. When he returned to Hollywood the first movie he made was my favorite of all time, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” in which I am convinced he played himself. I met him once at Hollywood Park race track and his simple note, “To Jim, from Jimmy Stewart” is my most prized possession.
8. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?
Geez, thanks for this question! OK, so I was in San Francisco for a Rolling Stones concert with a friend. After the show we went to a nightclub. While my friend went to get drinks I wandered onto the dance floor where I saw what appeared to be an old college friend. As a joke I came up from behind him and grabbed his butt. He turned around and my face turned red as I realized it was not my friend! Thank god I was in San Francisco and not Mississippi; otherwise, I may not have made it out of the club alive!
9. Fill in the blank: I can’t make it through the day without _______________.
…reading the LA Times. I still get it delivered. I like the tradition of reading the paper, but also subscribe as a small way of supporting the paper because we need local journalism as a check on local government. I love what they have done to expose the mess that is the California “bullet” train (not a fan!).
10. What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten? The worst?
Best: I have to go with the one drummed into my head by my Dad: “Treat others as you would like to be treated.” You don’t really need any other guideposts in life than that one.
Worst: “Don’t listen to advice.” I love advice. But, you have to make sure you get it from multiple people and that they are actually qualified to provide it! 

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