On the Beat With Susan "Sooz" Lulgjuraj

On The Johngy "OR ELSE" podcast, Tommy Else and I had the pleasure of interviewing Susan Lulgjuraj, who turned her passion for sports and sports cards into a career. What a career it has been!

Calling Sooz a sports card industry veteran doesn't nearly encompass all she has accomplished. Currently the Marketing Manager at Certified Sports Guaranty, Sooz previously worked for companies including Topps and Beckett, compiling a resume that reads like a dream job list. 

Sooz has earned every bit of praise and recognition she gets. She started as a sports writer in Westchester, New York. In 2007, Sooz started A Cardboard Problem, a sports card blog where I first discovered her. One of the first great sports blogs, it featured all sorts of sports card info, including interviews with athletes and other relevant people. The blog definitely created a unique space in the industry and paved the way for Sooz's later roles.

I was such a fan and admirer of Sooz's work, she was my top interview request when I covered The National in 2017. For a kid who grew up with a similar passion for cards, this interview was a huge thrill for me. That interview is at On the Beat With Susan Lulgjuraj.

I continued following her career, especially enjoying her social media posts. I have wanted to do a longer form interview since then and the pandemic oddly produced both a forum and a few topics.

Wanting to get her takes on the pandemic's recent and future effects on the industry and having the Zoom platform to facilitate the interview, I sent Sooz a message and she graciously agreed to join us for a chat.

As always, we started by asking Sooz for a quick bio, before moving onto the real questions. As hoped, Sooz gave her thoughts on how the industry has changed during the pandemic. Not one to give wild predictions, she did give her insight on the state of the hobby in general going forward.

A noted fan of the New York Yankees, Sooz revealed her favorite former and current Yankees player, the latter hurting my bleeding Chicago Cubs heart, but an understandable pick. Naturally, her favorite cards belong to her favorite player. That led us into the topic of player collecting.

In my earlier collecting years, it was easy to collect a specific player. There might have been a challenge like a regional product, but usually every card of any given player could be gotten every year with a little effort. As the industry grew, with more companies and more sets, followed by parallels and specials, being a completist wasn't always possible.

(Spoiler alert...Derek Jeter was one of her previously mentioned favorite Yankees). As a Jeter collector with more than 2,000 Jeter cards, Sooz had a personal connection to this question. Her answer might be tough for completists, but it also might help them accept the situation.

One of the best in the industry for years, Sooz talked about breaking into a male-dominated field. Although it wasn't a major issue for her, anyone who dismissed or discounted her knowledge based on gender was making a huge mistake.

Working at Topps, picking images for some cards was a fantasy job of the younger me (and even the current me, to be honest). Of course, Sooz talked a bit about that, but also about another one of her enviable achievements. Sooz appears on a 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter card. How cool is that? If you are lucky enough to find one, be prepared to open your wallet. Believe me, I have been looking for years. I have seen some sell for $250+ on Ebay.

It's so much fun talking sports cards with someone who shares your passion. Having the other person be someone like Sooz makes it a bucket list interview for me. Topping it off, Sooz made my day by stating she follows my blog. I don't care if she looks every day or only looked once, knowing Sooz actually saw my blog is amazing.

You can watch the interview at The Johngy "OR ELSE" podcast Ep. 51: "Susan 'Sooz' Lulgjuraj." Thank you to Susan Lulgjuraj for all she has done and continues to do for the trading card industry. We also thank her for her time and consideration in the interview. Lastly, we encourage all to follow Sooz at Yanxchick.

Susan Lulgjuraj at The National 2017

Susan Lulgjuraj is better known as "Sooz" and she had been on my "want to meet" list for years.  I finally got to meet her last year at The National, but it was almost by accident.

Sooz is the Marketing Communications Manager at The Topps Company, a dream job for us trading card enthusiasts.  Prior to that she worked for Beckett, was a blogger and a writer.

I first became aware of Sooz during her blogging years (2007-2011).  She was quite popular, because she knew her stuff, was intelligent and was an excellent writer.  Basically, she was an ideal blogger.  I had followed her career since then and always wanted to meet her.

Last year, I was invited to cover The National Sports Collectors Convention.  I was asked to interview "an executive" from Topps.  I was happy to interview someone from Topps, the granddaddy of card companies, but when I realized I would be interviewing Sooz, I really was excited!  Not only would I meet her, I would get to officially interview her.  You can watch my interview with Sooz at On the Beat With Susan Lulgjuraj.

Of course, like always, after the interview, I thought of several better questions.  In the end, I am happy with the interview and happier to have met Sooz.  I am not happy with my hair from that day,. though.

Sooz was awesome in person, during the interview and in casual chat after it.  I really appreciate her time and consideration.  I also appreciate all of the entertainment she has brought me over the years.

You can follow Susan Lulgjuraj on twitter to keep up with her updates.  You might even be able to see her at The Natioonal, which starts today in Cleveland and runs through August 5.

Susan Lulgjuraj and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2017.

On the Beat With Susan "Sooz" Lulgjuraj at the National 2017

The National Sports Collectors Convention is the premier event in the sports collectibles industry.  I have attended several as a collector, but this weekend, I attended as a member of the media.  My full account of the weekend is on Patch.com at On the Beat at the National.

After receiving my press credentials, I learned I could interview Topps Marketing  Communications Manager Susan Lulgjuraj.  It was several hours later when it finally hit me that I would be talking to Sooz.

I have followed Sooz for many years, as she is well-known in the collectors and sports media worlds.  I have tried on a few other occasions to interview (or even meet) Sooz, but scheduling prohibited it until now.  I was now really looking forward to the National more than ever.

My interview was about 5 minutes, but I could have talked to Sooz for a few hours (not that she would have liked that).  She is such an inspiration and role model for collectors and wanna-be writers like myself.

I asked her about her passion for cards, her favorite sets and cards, the current high of the industry, custom cards and more.  I ended by asking her if she would ever be on a card and I was pleasantly surprised when she said she was on one this year.

Of course, she has a card.  She's Sooz!

In the evening Topps meet-and-greet, the Topps executives fielded questions, suggestions, praise and complaints.  Sooz was there capturing it all.  She also garnered quite a round of applause.  Sooz is very popular with collectors.

I really appreciate Sooz for giving me her time and consideration.  The National is crazy busy, but she took time to answer my questions.  It really was fun finally meeting her.

You can get more info about Topps at Topps.com.  You can also follow Sooz on twitter @yanxchick.