Before a big interview, veteran sportscaster Brad Galli sometimes rehearses the conversation in his head. He decides what he wants to cover, thinks through how the athlete or coach might respond and prepares follow-up questions so he’s ready for wherever the conversation leads.
“I almost do like a reverse interview with myself. I try to play them in my head,” Galli explains.
Preparation, he says, is an obsession, and he still wrestles with the feeling of never quite being ready. Whether interviewing someone “who is notoriously tough or ridiculously kind,” the possibility of being caught off guard is always there.
“Jim Harbaugh always said a football player needs to be hit once in the game to knock those butterflies out,” Galli says. "For me, it just takes getting a conversation on camera started to knock those butterflies away.”
When Galli, 37, decided it was time for a change and left his “dream job” at WXYZ-TV Channel 7, he was well prepared to move on from the only station he’d known during his 15-year career in sports broadcasting, preceded by two summers there as a college intern.
“I had grown up at Channel 7, and I needed to kind of grow out,” Galli says of his decision to leave after earning a reputation as one of Michigan’s most trusted and recognizable sports journalists. In addition to relentless reporting and passion for telling the stories behind Michigan’s biggest sports moments, it's the authentic relationships he nurtures, naturally, with athletes, coaches and viewers alike that truly sets him apart.
On June 1, the award-winning broadcaster launched The Brad Galli Show, an independent sports mediaoutlet offering extensive local content on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.
His growing audience of nearly 400,000 followers across those channels turns to Galli for longer interviews, frequent updates, behind-the-scenes access and deeper sports storytelling and coverage of all the professional Detroit teams and college teams, particularly University of Michigan and Michigan State. Since launching, Galli has recorded conversations with the likes of Barry Sanders, Jahmyr Gibbs, Dusty May, Alan Trammell, Dan Campbell, Kirk Gibson and more.
Galli says several things pushed him toward the move. He was seeing independent sports outlets appear more frequently on national broadcasts, while the broader media landscape was shifting away from “appointment television” toward on-demand content watched largely on phones. He also wanted more flexibility and time with his family.
Before resigning from Channel 7, Galli made sure that the relationships he cultivated in the Detroit sports market would carry over to an independent venture. Once he confirmed he could keep his media credentials, he felt comfortable moving forward.
Galli isn’t doing it alone. Chad Britton, a longtime Channel 7 cameraman, joined him to shoot and edit the show and help with production. Britton had long nudged Galli to make the leap from television to digital.
“Brad is a special guy, both professionally and personally — truly one of the best people I’ve had the privilege of knowing,” Britton says. “He has an amazing ability to put people at ease. People that he may be interviewing, working with and just talking to out and about.”
Britton also points to Galli’s work ethic, stating that he is “never not working. He’s always grinding and putting out content for fans to consume. I wouldn’t have considered this move with anyone else.”
Beyond the creative freedom, Galli says one of the biggest rewards of being on his own is having more time with family. He and his wife, Claire, live in Birmingham with their two children, Matthew, 9, and Emma, 8.
The couple started dating in high school, but their friendship goes back even further, to when they were kindergarten classmates. Both are originally from the area and are grateful to be living here, surrounded by extended family and friends.
Galli grew up loving Detroit sports, particularly hockey. His house was where the neighborhood kids gathered to play Wiffle Ball, volleyball and street hockey. The Red Wings were a powerhouse during his childhood, and he used to say he would play for them someday.
He tried out for the hockey team at Brother Rice, but without any experience on the ice, his coaches told him, in the nicest way possible, not to come back. He did, however, play high school football, and currently plays pickup hockey and basketball. Galli says he enjoys playing sports but finds himself drawn more to the camaraderie than the competition; something his friends and his wife, a former D-1 volleyball player and coach, chide him about.
“I just wanted to be around sports, and so that led me on the path I am now,” Galli says. “I still feel like the job I have is a thrill. It doesn’t feel like work.”
LIGHTNING ROUND WITH BRAD GALLI
Q Would you rather see the Lions win the Super Bowl, or the Tigers clinch Game 7 of the World Series at home?
A Lions win the Super Bowl, but Tigers fans don’t yell at me.
Q Which current Detroit coach would you rather have a three-hour dinner with: Dan Campbell, A.J. Hinch, J.B. Bickerstaff or Todd McLellan? And what’s on the menu?
A Dan, and I'll let him pick because I have a feeling that man knows how to cook a really good steak. With his roots in Texas, he’d probably make me eat something weird, even though I have a really simple palate, and I know he has a sweet tooth, so we'll probably end up with a pint of ice cream each.
Q Would you rather take an eight-hour road trip with Tom Izzo or Jim Harbaugh? How would you fill those eight hours, and who does most of the driving?
A Oh my gosh! How about we put both of them in the car because that’d be great content. Knowing those two, they’ll dictate how the eight-hour road trip goes, and I’d probably sit in the back because those two are alpha males.
Q Would you rather play a round of golf with Tommy Hearns or with Steve Yzerman? Do you let him win?
A Steve Yzerman, and he’d kick butt, even if I was trying my hardest.
Q If you could go back in time for a Detroit championship celebration, would you rather party with the 1984 Tigers, the 1989 Pistons or the 2002 Red Wings? Why?
A I wasn’t alive for the ’84 Tigers. I was an infant when the Pistons won in ’89. The ’02 Red Wings are my favorite team of all time, and as much as I’d love to party with all of them, I’m going to go with my hockey heroes because those guys won it when I was 13, and I was so impressionable, and that swayed my life path.
Q Would you rather try to get a hit off Tarik Skubal or stop Cade Cunningham from scoring?
A I have a zero percent chance at either. I broke my ankle once playing pickup basketball, so I'd be prepared. I'd put on double ankle braces to have my ankles crossed over by Kade.
Q Would you rather see your alma mater Marquette win the NCAA national championship, or the Pistons win an NBA championship?
A As much as I love my alma mater, I’m Detroit through and through. So, nobody at Marquette get mad at me, but I’d love to see the Pistons win it.
Q Would you rather call the Lions’ Super Bowl-winning play, or get the first post-game interview with Jared Goff afterward?
A I want so badly for Dan Miller to call a Super Bowl victory, and once he’s done calling it, I am thrilled to get the first interview with Jared Goff.