 Hi, I'm Rusty Komori, and this is Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. I was the head coach of the Punahou Boys Varsity Tennis Team for 22 years, and we were fortunate to win 22 consecutive state championships. My books Beyond the Lines and Beyond the Game are about leadership, character, and creating a superior culture of excellence, which is what this show is all about. My special guest today is the very popular sports anchor and sports director for KHON2 News. He is Rob D'Amello, and today we are going Beyond Sports. Hey, Rob, welcome to Beyond the Lines. Hey, how's it? Thank you so much for inviting me. It's a pleasure to be here for sure. Thank you. Rob, what did you think of that awesome Max Holloway fight? That was not to oversell it or to throw out too many superlatives, but that was historic. That performance that Max put together on UFC's debut on ABC, a return to network television, coming off of two losses to Alexander Volkanovsky for the featherweight title, and a lot of people questioning, okay, which Max Holloway you're going to see? Is this a turning point in his career? And then to put together the greatest striking performance in UFC history over the course of a five-round war, that was absolutely magical and lived up to the hype in regards to who Max Holloway is for sure. That was so great to see, and Rob, I want to ask you about you growing up. What schools did you attend, and what sports did you play? Well, I grew up in Kailua, an enchanted lake, and I went public school all the way, Kailua Elementary, Kailua Intermediate, Kailua High School. I was what the kids nowadays called TURN. I was very hyper. I was a very excitable kid with a great family that allowed me to play every sport I wanted to. And so from the time I was five years old up until high school, I played baseball, basketball, soccer, and it was year-round. I played a couple baseball seasons a year. That was my favorite sport growing up. And yeah, anything and everything. And I was always outside, always playing, always running. And so sports was always a big part of my life growing up, and I'm glad that it continues to be today. Oh, I'm glad that sports is a big part of your life, because you do it very well as a news anchor. And Rob, I want to know, what was the first job you ever had that you got paid money for? Very first job I ever had was at Bayview Golf Course in Kaneohe. I don't even know the year. I was in high school. Must have been like 98, 99 maybe, and Bayview had just opened. And what happened was the driving range, grass didn't grow in time for their opening. And so because it rains every night in Kaneohe. So the mud was too thick to drive their state of the art golf ball, picker upper machine onto the driving range. And so it was myself and seven other people on our hands and knees from four in the morning till seven 30 in the morning. I think it was picking up golf balls, putting them in the buckets and dumping them into the washer. And then from there, I would go to school at Kahlua High School because I started in the summer and then it rolled on through to the school year. So that was my very first job I ever had. And I think about that job all the time because it's one of those jobs that if that's how you start your work, then you could do anything moving forward because they're waking up early in the morning and the grind of being on your hands and knees, picking up golf balls in that way, it humbles you real quick. I can't imagine, Rob. And Rob, you have three kids and your wife, Tina, how did you and Tina meet? So we met here at Kahlua and two and so Amy and Cole are my two older children from a previous marriage and we're both working here at Kahlua and two. Tina is a producer and at the time was doing the 10 o'clock news and we became good friends and over time began dating and we got married. And she's the light of my life. She's just the most amazing person I ever met and I couldn't be more honored to be her husband. I think that's so cool that you guys met at Kahlua and two and Rob, I know that you are super close friends with Neil Everett from ESPN and I had met him some years ago, such a great guy and he's a mentor to you. What are some things that he has helped you with? Neil is the man that that guy is so important to me. And in fact, Tina and I have a one and a half year old son named Nico Everett and we made his middle name Everett after Neil. And that's how much of an impact he made on my life and continues to be. I mean, he's like a Hanai grandfather to my children. And I'll try to tell you this as quickly as I can because I know that there's you know, we don't have all day. But I met Neil when I was 15 years old. I was attending Kahlua High School. I had always wanted to be a Hawaii sportscaster from the time I was six years old. That's all I ever wanted to do. Any question that I've ever asked as a kid of what do you want to do when you get older? I wanted to be a sportscaster in Hawaii. I love sports and I loved writing and that was from the very very beginning ever since I could remember. And I had a hard time in high school, you know, ADHD and I couldn't quite focus. And as I mentioned, I was very hyper as a kid and I struggled with school. And I met Neil through this buddy that won at an auction to meet the KGMB crew behind the scenes as he was leaving for college. He was a couple of years older than me and he invited me to come along. And so I went and Kim Janala, who was the weather person at the time at KGMB, led the tour and somewhere along the night, she had asked me, what do you want to do when you get older? And I said, I want to be a sportscaster in Hawaii. That's all I've ever wanted to do. But I'm not the best student. I don't know if I'm going to be going to college. So I don't know if it's possible. So maybe I'll start looking to do something else. And God bless her. She she told me, don't you ever feel that way? She said, I just met you and there's something about you that I think you're going to accomplish whatever it is that you want to accomplish. And I was like, wow, that's very nice. And so when the night was over, she asked if I wanted to meet Neil because I told her that Neil was my favorite sportscaster. And so I said, absolutely. She took my number and she says you call me the next day. And I, you know, I gave her my probably a pager at that time and and never thought I'd hear from her again. And she called me the next day and said she talked to Neil and Neil said that if this is really important to you that you would call and ask yourself. And so I was like, super nervous. Like, OK, I gave Neil a call and asked him if I could come by and hang out with him. And and he he told me, OK, and it was a Friday night. He said, OK, be here at this time at Friday night. And he tells me retrospectively that he did that on purpose because what high school kids going to give up their Friday night to go hang out, you know, with some guy at a news station. And but of course, I did it because that's, you know, that was a really big deal to me. And we kind of hit it off. And at the end of the night, I asked if, you know, if there's any way I could come back again. And he said, yeah, come back next week. And so time, you know, next week became the next week. And then finally he told me that, hey, you can come back here every week for as long as you like if you improve your grades and you turn in your grades every month to me. And if and if your grades start to go down, then you can't come back here anymore. And so when I met Neil at a one point four grade point average, I had failed seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth grade, kept having to go to summer school in order to get to the next grade. I mean, that's how bad I was doing in school. And after meeting Neil, I graduated from Kahlua High School with a 4.0. And I got a academic scholarship to Hawaii Pacific University. And and I owe it all to Neil. He kind of he gave me that inspiration. He showed me what's possible if you just work hard. And that's what I carry with with me from him. I mean, you know, there aren't too many times in regards to the business that he said, OK, this is how you do something. It was more along the lines of just be here, watch what I do and create your own style, do your things your own way. But the one constant was try to outwork everybody and outwork yourself, more importantly, is if you think this is as hard as you can work, try to beat that, be competitive with yourself. And and that's my biggest takeaway from Neil that that I carry to to this day. And we talk to each other weekly. And so he's still a very big part of my life. Well, that's so great to hear that the impact that he's had on you, how he really turned your life around and yeah, to outdo what you've done. And when you look at him now, Rob, why is Neil so successful as an ESPN sportscaster? You know, you're successful, I think, because of what we talked about. He's a very hard worker. But more importantly, he just does things right. He, you know, he does things the right way. And he has this term, you know, of calling instead of calling someone awesome or saying this person is great. He says, this guy's a dude, right? That's like the highest compliment you could ever get from Neil Everett. He says, oh, man, Rusty, that's a dude. That means like it gets no better than that. That's legendary, right? And so the best way I could describe it is Neil is a dude, right? And so he just he does everything right. He he's a good man with a good heart. And and I think that's what carries him. You know, it takes some very high places because a lot of people hold him in very high regard. Yeah, for sure. And and Rob, once you graduated HPU, give me the timeline of jobs you had before you got to KCHO N2 as the sports anchor today. No, this is the crazy part is I didn't graduate from HPU. I got my job at KITV at 19 years old. And so how that all happened was from my interning with Neil at KGMB from the time I was 15 to 19. Obviously, I wasn't working. I wasn't getting paid. I wasn't on air. But other people in the industry I would be around, right? And so everyone at all the other stations, they have known me for four years and they see me working and they see me out in the field and in grinding and doing everything it is that that I had to do to try to, you know, get my foot into the door. And at 19 years old, I literally ran into Robert Kikaula at the mall and literally bumped into each other. I say, hey, what's up? And we hadn't seen each other for a little bit. And Robert turned to me and said, hey, are you still interning at KGMB? And I said, yeah. And he said, are you still working for free? And I said, yeah, you know, I'm still going to school. And he goes, OK, well, I'm going to call you on Monday. I have a job for you. What do you think about that? And I was like, yeah. And so he called me, you know, after that weekend was over and he offered me a job at KITV to be a producer in the sports department. I was working with with Robert and Kanoa Lehi as the number three. And and that's how it all started. I started at KITV and I I just put everything I had into it. And I think it was about maybe two years later, Kanoa Lehi for K-H-O-N. So Dan Meisenzall came in and replaced him. We worked together. Robert, Dan and I maybe for about a maybe about a year or less than a year. And then Dan moved to a different department or he went into the morning show and and then they promoted me then I became the weekend anchor. I think I was maybe just about to turn 21 or I was 21 years old. And I was there for for eight years. And then I moved over to K-H-O-N in 2010. And I've been here ever since. Well, I love hearing that, you know, how it all just happened so quickly for you. And and Rob, you know, you're K-H-O-N two news anchor team. I mean, you guys have such a great culture of excellence. Why is that? Why is it that you guys all seem to get along so great and do things at such a high level? You know, it's a real special team over here. And as you know, as a coach, you know, the team is only going to go as far as the members allow it to. And as strong as the bond is with everybody. And, you know, for me, it's special because, you know, obviously my wife works here. And so, you know, that that puts K-H-O-N in a very special place for me because of what it means to our family. My best friend is Sam Spangler, the weekend anchor who I worked with in the sports department for a number of years. And I covered him as a U-H baseball player. And when his baseball career is over, after he went to the minor leagues and came back home to Hawaii, I brought him into the sports department. And K-H-O-N two gave him his first job. And so, I mean, there's those ties there that mean a lot to me and allows me to work as hard as I do because it is a team here. And you want to succeed. You want to do as good as you can so that everybody in this building is able to benefit from it. But, you know, a big tip of the cap goes to Joe Moore. He's obviously the leader. And, you know, it creates this balance of everyone wants to be respectful to the logo and everyone wants to to to bring honor to K-H-O-N two because of Joe, right? And Joe has set such a gold standard here in this town that it forces you and allows you to work very hard and to treat it with respect. And then on the outside of that, you have someone like Justin Cruz, a very good friend of yours, who keeps it light around here. And, you know, it's probably one of the the funniest guys in the building in regards to keeping everyone smiling and laughing and pranking and all those things. And so when you add all those little things up, it just creates the team that we have here and I love the team that we have here at K-H-O-N two. Yeah, Justin is definitely he's funny. He's such a fun guy. And, you know, like you talked about Joe Moore, why why is it that Joe has been so great for so long? You know, I think with Joe is that Joe is just Joe. I mean, what you see out every night on the news, that's who he is. And so I think that's probably the most important thing in this business is just being yourself and and the the person that goes out on television every night that the people at home are watching. If you can make that person as close as it is to the person when the TV isn't on, then people can see that they can identify with that. And I think that's the thing with Joe Moore is that there's so much respect for him and he's been doing this for so long. And I think over time, everyone can identify that, you know, he's never wavered on who he is and how he tells the news. And, you know, you don't have to you don't have to work really hard on creating your image if your image is just who you are. Right. And so I think with Joe Moore, that's exactly what it is. And I think that's why people appreciate him and love him so much. You know, you're so right. I mean, Joe is so authentic. He's so genuine. And you're right. I mean, that's why people connect with him. And, Rob, I want to talk to you about my books, you know, in my books, I talk a lot about, you know, having the right mindset and really welcoming adversity, looking forward to challenges. Is there is there a big adversity that you faced in your life? And how did you overcome it? Yeah, you know, obviously, I talked a little bit about the adversity I had in school and and how I was able to to to get through that. And I think the biggest thing is that, you know, not everyone's going to have a new ever pop into their life and be able to take them under their wing. And so but, you know, the what I would say is that it's important to recognize when there are people in your life that can help you and then in turn, how you can help other people. I mean, we can't do this alone, right? And so I think that that's a big part of my life is being able to identify that when I need help, I ask for it when I see someone that needs help, you extend your hand and try to help someone. And so in one aspect, I think that's an adversity that I got over because, you know, when I was a kid, I didn't want to ask for help. I was embarrassed by a lot of stuff. You know, I remember being in high school in the early years of high school and I had this phenomenal teacher at the time. She was a student teacher named Miss Shishito at Kailua High School. And she identified that, you know, I was trying. I wasn't a kid that wasn't doing his homework and just showing up the class and then, you know, getting a bad grade on a test because he didn't put in the effort. She identified that I was trying and it just wasn't working out. And so I remember going into her classroom, she offering to help me prepare for a test and she was a math teacher and math was my worst subject. And I remember her redoing the lesson that she had just done earlier in the day that, you know, when I was in class, I would go after school or in recess or whatever it was and she would retell the lesson using sports because she knew that I related to it. I understood it and it helped me and it helped me a lot. And so, you know, like I said, it's, you know, I would have never asked her for that help, but she extended it to me. And so I think that that's a major part. And another, you know, part of my life that there is a big adversity to get over was in 2007, my best friend growing up, my best friend through high school passed away as a passenger in a drunk driving accident. And that changed my life forever, too, because, you know, that's when I really learned that when you need help, I mean, this is beyond, you know, trying to get over the hump in school or your profession. When you really need help and you need to talk to people about something to get over this hurt, you know, that's the only way you can get through it. And so kind of along those themes, you know, along that same theme of when you need help, ask for it. And when you can help someone be sure to be there for people because you never know what people are going through. Super great insights there, Rob. And I know you were able to meet Dana White from UFC. What is what what are your what are your thoughts about UFC and what's your connections to it? Well, you know, no real connection, really. I mean, that my connection to it is that, you know, a lot of it had to do with my age of like I talked about starting so young and being an anchor at 20 years old, you know, I may have had a different philosophy than other people's in regards to mixed martial arts and that sport and what it was becoming to where I just treated it like any other sport. And so in the beginning of my career, I kind of got a lot of backlash for it, too. Of just why are you why are you showing highlights of this? Why are you talking about this, you know, because no one else really was. And so I think what would happen is that, you know, when UFC was in its infancy, I was covering any time there was a Hawaii fighter, Fala Niko Vitale, BJ Penn, Wesley Cabbage, Correa. If those guys were fighting the UFC, I would do stories on them. I tracked them down, do interviews with them. And I think the UFC identified that, OK, there's there's this guy in Hawaii, you know, putting us on the news. And and so many years ago, I was able to build a relationship of just, OK, how can we help each other tell these stories? And so as time went on and the UFC became what it now is, is one of the major sports in the United States of America. I had already built relationships with a lot of these people. And Dana White, I I'd done many, many interviews, whether it was, you know, on radio or TV through the early 2000s to where at this point now, you know, I have a little bit of a relationship with them. So when I need to do an interview or, you know, I've gone up to Vegas for International Fight Week a couple of times, especially when it was getting hot and heavy on whether or not there might be a UFC in Hawaii and and and he's been gracious with his time. And the entire UFC organization has been super awesome with me and helpful. And so really, like I said, at the end of the day, there's no real tie. There's no, you know, I don't I don't look at the UFC any differently than I look at NFL, Major League, Baseball, NBA or whatever it is. And I think if anything that that might be my tie to it is that, you know, I I gave it its due and I saw what was coming with that sport. So, Rob, you know, we all grew up listening and watching to Jim Leahy. What's what's the biggest thing you learned from somebody like a Jim Leahy? Oh, Jim Leahy, he's awesome. And, you know, I actually had the opportunity to work with Jim and can know I was the producer for their radio show in the early 2000s called Leahy and Leahy, which then moved to TV on PBS. And I produced that as well as the Leahy and Leahy television show. And so I spent a lot of mornings with Jim over the years. And obviously, I grew up idolizing him and watching University of Hawaii Athletics on K5. And Jim is so, so smart and he's so driven. And I think that's, you know, that's a tie that you'll you'll find a lot in, you know, the people who are able to succeed in any realm, right? Is that if they're driven to be the best and because that's one thing with Jim Leahy is that when you work with him, you see that this guy is trying to outdo himself every single day. And so I think that's what makes Jim Leahy so special. And and, you know, to be honest, it's I mean, there are words in my vocabulary as a kid that I never would have learned in school. It never would have even popped up on the whiteboard. But I learned it because Jim Leahy was saying it right in his broadcast. And so Jim Jim is awesome. Kanoa is awesome. And that's where I feel really fortunate to in my career. And it starts with Neil and how I got into the business. But from the time I was a teenager up until now, the the amount of people that I've been able to work with, you know, with Jim and Kanoa Leahy through the Leahy and Leahy radio and TV shows. I work with Kanoa, both at KITV and KHON Liz Chun. I worked with a KGMB and, you know, John Venere here at KHON2 built relationships with Larry Beal. So many people that I look up to that I've been able to be brought into their inner circle and they've all done something for me. And I couldn't be more grateful. I'm super honored to be a sportscaster in Hawaii. It's all I ever wanted to do. And, you know, I've had opportunities over the last few years to do this job elsewhere. But I just don't think that's for me. You know, it's not the same. It the the passion and the pride I have for covering Hawaii sports. I just couldn't I feel like I couldn't bring that anywhere else. It wouldn't be the same. It would just be a job. We're here every day that I wake up, every day that I go to bed. I'm I'm doing what I love. And and and a lot of it has to do with all those people that I mentioned that helped me, including Jim Leahy. Well, yeah, well, being selfish, I want you to stay here, too. And Rob, you know, congratulations on winning and being honored with the Patriot Award. How did it feel to be recognized in that way? That was awesome. That was very special. And what it is, is the United States Military gave awards to people who were giving chances to members of the military. And so that young man that you saw in the picture is Avin Santiago, who was an intern at KJWN2 in the sports department with Cover Two and and the KJWN2 sports. And he was a Mililani graduate and he started working with me. And then he joined the military in the National Guard. And so he couldn't really stay working, you know, any kind of capacity for a long period of time because he kept having to be shipped out. But I allowed him to every time he was back in white, OK, get right back to work, like get right back into the door. And from the internship, he was able to land a job at KITV before he had to leave again. But so that award was, you know, just the US military thanking me for giving him an opportunity and not letting his National Guard service get in the way of his growing in the business. And so that means a lot to me because, you know, it's one of those things that that's not why I did it, right? That's not that. I mean, the furthest thought was anyone ever acknowledging it. It was just this young local kid who wanted to be a sports caster in the state of Hawaii and was passionate and hard working. And so, hey, if he's going to put in that kind of work, I'm going to put him to work. And so just very honored to get that award. But really, at the end of the day, the recipient of that award, even though, you know, the award went to me, it's Avin, is the person that we should be honoring for serving our country and for him working as hard as he does to be doing that and then also still fighting for his dream and what he wants to accomplish. So again, Avin Santiago is the person that should be taking home an award. I'm just glad to know him. No, that's so great to hear. And Rob, of all the great athletes and coaches that you've interviewed, who's one of your favorites of all time? Wow. That's a, you know, it's so difficult to kind of try to think about me because, I mean, you look at, I've been doing this for almost 20 years. I started when I was 19. Or if you go back to interning 15, I'm 38 now. So, I mean, it's a long time. And so, off the top of my head, it's really hard for me to track. Oh, you know what? Rich Miano, Rich Miano, who is the assistant coach for the University of Hawaii football team, head coach at Kaiser, NFL veteran. And then now my colleague at KH1 too, with cover two and with both football final. Rich Miano is someone that from the day I met him built a really strong relationship. So respectful. And then you got to remember too, that when I start at 15 years old, you know, I'm fighting for just people to take me seriously, right? I couldn't even begin to tell you how many times I'm interviewing people who are older than I am, right? At the UH football field or whatever it is. And they're probably looking at me like, what is this kid doing interviewing me? And with Rich Miano, day one, utmost respect. And that gave me confidence that made me feel comfortable and something I'll never forget. So Rich Miano, probably my favorite coach to interview all the time. And really a very good friend of mine now. And so a very, very good man. Rob, before we wrap up, I want to ask you one more question out of anybody that you haven't interviewed yet, who, which sports person would you like to interview? I would have to go with, you know, I don't know why this is, this might not be the answer, but it's what popped into my head is Daniel Cormier, who's a former UFC champion, but now is a broadcast analyst with the UFC. And I would just love to talk to him because I listened to a podcast that he's on with Ariel Helwani and I just love his insight. And so I'd love to just talk story with him and talk about his fighting days, you know, even before that when he was an Olympic wrestler and then now in broadcasting. Because I really do think that of all the sports, when you look at baseball, basketball, football, whatever it is, mixed martial arts, he is, I think the best analyst that there is in the industry and it's because like we talked about with Joe and so many other people, he's just so real. And he has so much knowledge. And so when you mix that having the knowledge of what you're talking about, and then just the personality and it's so easy to see that this guy is just being him. It's very likable and I wanna learn more about him, right? I wanna be able to talk more with him. So yeah, that's someone that I'd like to talk to here one of these days for sure. Rob, he's fantastic and you are too. And I wanna really thank you for taking time to be on the show today and really share your insights. Oh, it's my pleasure. Again, thank you for the invite. I really appreciate it. And thanks for all that you do for our community. And like we talked about Justin Cruz is a good friend of mine. I know he's a good friend of yours. And so I always feel like good people find good people. And so it's awesome to be able to connect with you. Awesome. Thank you, Rob. And thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. For more information, please visit RustyKamori.com and my books are available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I hope that Rob and I will inspire you to create your own superior culture of excellence and to find your greatness and help others find theirs. Aloha.