Hometown: Mamaroneck, NY
Major: Journalism
Years at IU: 2008 – 2012
What he did at IU: I was heavily involved in sports media outside of class, starting with WIUX and eventually branching out into Big Ten Student U, the IDS and IU Athletics. After Ben Heisler gave me my big break getting involved at WIUX, I rose up to become sports director for my junior and senior years as well as broadcast NCAA Tournament men’s soccer and men’s basketball games. For BTN Student U, I broadcasted soccer, women’s basketball, baseball, softball and even a famous wrestling match with Alex Cohen (and the fans watching said we knew what we were talking about!). I was the main broadcaster my last two years for IU athletics for all home men’s and women’s soccer games for the online streams as well. Outside of class, I probably spent most of my time at the old WIUX house at 815 E. 8th Street, working on scheduling students for broadcasts and shows with my co-directors, hanging with other members of the board of directors, and maybe doing homework.
What he does now: I currently work as a digital copywriter for healthcare giant Humana at the company’s headquarters in Louisville, Ky., just two hours down the road from Bloomington. On a daily basis, I write anything from blog posts to making updates to one of the company’s websites to improve the user experience moving forward. I also currently work as a staff writer for NBC’s Pro Soccer Talk, primarily covering the Premier League, MLS, and the U.S. Men’s National Team for a large digital audience.
What advice he has for sports media students: For students looking to get into broadcasting or writing, my advice would be to do as much work as you can without burning yourself out. One of the best pieces of advice I heard was that you have to have the mindset that you need to be on the air every day. So if that means recording yourself doing a 10 minute podcast every day or writing a 400-word story, make sure you’re always practicing your work and getting reps. I’d also stress how important it is to have a large network with meaningful connections who you keep in touch with. You never know when one of them will have an opening and they may call you first.