Marney Gellner is no stranger to sports, athletes, and high-profile people. So you may or may not be surprised when she says her dream interview would not come from the world of sports.
"It would probably be a musician or actor," Gellner said on the Real Leaders with Roshini Podcast. "Like Julia Louis-Dreyfus or Kristen Wiig."
She says if one of those two were in front of her microphone, she'd probably pass out.
Her all-time favorite athlete is Mary Lou Retton. When younger, she liked to be called Marney Lou. Decades later, Gellner is proud of the fact that she was only the second woman in NBA history to do play-by-play for two Timberwolves games and the first to do play-by-play for the Minnesota Twins. But, she also doesn't like to focus on her gender even though she knows right now these milestones are important.
A proud born and bred North Dakotan, Gellner's theme song is Boon Docks by Little Big Town. Why? She says the lyrics celebrate pride for where you come from and pride for the good earth and down-home sentiments. Gellner lives that non-city girl life by making her home thirty minutes outside of Minneapolis with her husband, son, and daughter. Her kids aren't necessarily impressed with her work life, but they have created a term she now uses regularly, "Noice." If you're wondering, use it as a next gen version of rad or cool. Exactly how Gellner felt when she got to unveil her homerun call, "Better call momma," in front of Minnesota Twins fans during her historic spring training play-by-play. SotaStick Co. even made a shirt out of her call.
Glory aside, Gellner's advice to those who want to get into broadcasting is simple. "It's a lot of work. There are wonderful benefits but also many sacrifices."
Listen to Gellner and Roshini on the Real Leaders Podcast below.
