Life of a Mentee Part 5

Getting your dream job is all about whom you know—plus initiative, timing, hard work and luck. Of course talent helps too. But having someone in your corner can influence where your career ultimately leads you. Over the past two years, I immersed myself in “getting ahead” with the help of several other people.

Perhaps the biggest help thus far has been my mentor, Joel. (SOC alum Joel Goldberg is senior vice president of station operations at WCSB, the network’s New York City affiliate.) Not only has he given me great advice, he has also introduced me to people in the sports journalism industry. Tim McHugh of Comcast SportsNet is one of them. We talked about the industry for a half hour, he asked me to come in for an interview, and now I freelance part-time for Comcast SportsNet.

Before I had a mentor, I had to make connections on my own. My first attempt to launch my career in sports journalism was a flurry of e-mails that asked sports radio hosts around the country for advice. Andy Pollin, who works for DC’s Sportstalk 980, told me that the station might have summer internship openings, but I would need to e-mail the head of the station to see what was available.

That was in March, 2006 and there were not many internships left. I called 980’s programming director twice a day, for two weeks, from London. After finally reaching the assistant programming director, I got an internship. When it was over, I was able to hang on and get a job. If you work hard and people in the organization like you, you will go far and people will help you in the future. However connections will only take you so far, you need to prove yourself on the job.

With the addition of 980 to my resume and the help of an AU alumnus who works for the Washington Redskins, I was able to get an internship this semester with the ‘Skins. Now, before I walk across the stage on May 13th, I will have worked for two big names in the sports world – putting me ahead of many people with whom I will compete for future jobs.

I am currently working for three great organizations: Comcast SportsNet, The Washington Redskins, and Sportstalk 980. Without the contacts that I got from work or from those who are willing to help a fellow Eagle, I would not feel as confident of my future as I do now. While contacts help immensely, the old adage that “knowing someone will get you in the door, hard work will keep you there” is as true today as it ever was.

Life of A Mentee Part 4

Life of a Mentee 4

After talking with Joel and Josh for a few weeks, I started to compile a list of tips for making an audition tape. These tips are great for people who are interested in the broadcast field because Joel and Josh represent completely different sides of the story. To put it simply, Josh makes the tapes, and Joel reviews them. With that in mind, here are some tips for a great tape:

1. The first 30 seconds are crucial. There are several other people gunning for the same job as you. When Josh applied to his first job as a weekend sports anchor in Virginia, there were 350 other applicants for the same position. If you want to be noticed, your tape needs to grab the viewer’s attention right from the beginning. If it does, the viewer will have an incentive to watch the rest of it.

2. Variety is key. Make sure your tape reflects the job you apply for. Make sure you have shots of you in the field, at the desk and wherever else you can film. Here you need to show versatility, whether it’s reading off a prompter or memorizing your copy during a remote. For example, if you want to go into sports casting, make sure you have clips of yourself giving game highlights.

3. Fed-Ex everything. To be sure that your tape reaches the person it needs to, use Fed-Ex or similar service. In doing this, you not only get a signature to prove the tape was received, you also show how much you want the job by paying a little extra for postage. If you send the tape via regular mail, it may not reach the person you intended and will end up in a dusty corner with other forgotten tapes.

4. Make the tape stand out. Dress up the tape’s packaging to make it eye-catching and appealing. The person looking at it might notice yours first because of what you did to the tape itself.

So, there are some tips for making a great tape. More on my life as a mentee is coming soon. Until then, so long.