OK, how do I get into sports from here?

[Bonkerz32]

Greetings everyone! This is my first post on here, and hopefully it will not be my last, especially after reading some good advice from experienced professionals. Before mentioning my situation, let me give you guys an introduction.

During my first year of college at a 2-year school, my professors gave me an internship with the sports director at our local NBC affiliate. There, I worked mostly with the weekend sports reporters, and they taught me a lot.

Whenever school started back up the next year, my professors allowed me more experience. Every Thursday, they rented me out the equipment and had me go shoot football, where I got to shoot, edit and write. Come winter, I would shoot our college basketball games, and provide commentary.

The next year, I went from a cozy two-year school where everyone knows everyone to a massive 4-year university with 45,000 students. I applied to write for the college newspaper for a year.

Come May of 06, I was lined up for a sports internship, at the same NBC station that I had been at three years before. Come to find out, our Cheif Photog had an opening because the part-time weekend photog had just walked out on him, so I took the opportunity.

Just like any other photojournalist in this industry will tell you, I got off to a rocky start. My first week, I shot blue video, my second week, I had audio issues, my third week, I went to the wrong location...

During the last few months, things could not have fallen into my favor any more than they did. Of course there was the occasional jumpcut, and there was always the dreaded live-shot, but these were only two negatives among MANY positives. Good things would happen, such as getting to do the occasional NATSPKG, get the exclusive with the Cheif of Police that no other station had (through hard work), and my quick on-the-feet ability to shoot breaking news and get it back in time with great video. Our sports director sent me to an all-star game, and quickly saw how I had improved in just a few months. I didn't expect it either. It just happened. That also told me I was good to go for the High School Football season coming up.

Upon an editor's departure, I get called up, and they had an opening for editor, with a $2 increase to go along with it. I know in the business, that is pretty rare, so I couldn't turn it down. This is fine and dandy and all, but I was in the middle of football season adding to my resume tape. This upsets me because I was yanked into a position, and was unable to shoot anymore. I don't have a problem cutting the show, but I don't want to be in the same position forever.

With that said, I'm asking you guys, from here, how do I get to sports? I've been chasing it for the last 5 years and I'm not sure if I'm one step closer, or took one step back. I got to shoot for our local college football team this weekend, which hopefully will help, but what do I need to do?, and what will it take??

[ November 05, 2007, 04:37 PM: Message edited by: Bonkerz32 ]

[Obewon]

First tip (And I don't mean this to be sarcastic)
Learn to compress your thoughts into a much shorter space

[FrontierMan]

I was thinking the same thing. No one has time to read that entire thing. I read the first few sentences and tried hard not to fall asleep!

[TAFKA wacowx]

So....you are still in school? Or just graduated?

I agree...it was a tough read, but I managed to plow thorugh most of it.

What I see is that you are someone who has a lot of experience for someone who has just graduated and you should be able to apply for a sports job somewhere assuming you have some quality stuff for your tape. You seem to be in well enough with the folks at your station to be able to make such a tape, if you don't already have one. You can certainly shoot and edit something together.

I see no reason why you couldn't try for a sports job somewhere. You do know that they are getting few and far between, but I see nothing stopping you.

Unless you are asking how to get into sprots at your current shop...it is a bit confusing.

[ November 05, 2007, 11:25 AM: Message edited by: The Artist Formerly Known as wacowx ]

[Fargin Icehole]

Originally posted by Bonkerz32:
With that said, I'm asking you guys, from here, how do I get to sports?An absence of a Y chromosome and a large set of breasts. After that you can pretty much get any job in front of the camera.

[Bonkerz32]

Sorry guys, I didn't mean to create a diatribe of info, I guess I just threw everything out there to those who could relate..

[Obewon]

No need to apologize. We simply represent your typical viewer with a nanno-second attention span.

You were just trying to explain your situation. We just don't have the patience to read that much.

If you can shorten it up, I'm sure you'll get some more intelligent responses.

[SamG]

Keep volunteering to cover sports... maybe on Friday nights you can cover an early game before you have to start editing the 11? BTW, you don't say what shift you work, so I'm going to assume 3-12p.

Or see if you can come in and help out on weekends... surely there's more than one college team in your area that you can cover.

That being said, your station may not be willing to pay you OT, AND "officially" you can't use their gear/drive their cars/etc unless you're getting paid. In which case, offer to "shadow" a sports OMB. Of course, you've got to help him shoot his standup (to make sure they camera doesn't take a nose dive), and while he's "writing" his story, you just get some "practice" with the camera.

Get a tape built and sent out.

[adam & doctor drew]

be ready for a deluge of "local sports is dying, don't waste your time" responses.

if you can get past those, you're on the right track.
I'm guessing you're not in a big market so people will leave.
let the bosses know you want sports and volunteer to do any sports they want, whenever they want.

you're already in the door, which means you've already got a headstart on the 200 or so people who'll send a tape next time your station has a sports opening.

[ November 05, 2007, 05:38 PM: Message edited by: adam & doctor drew ]

[Bonkerz32]

Yeah, in response to some other questions..

I graduated in December, and for sports, I'll even drop down to a smaller market if need be. I work in a 130-160 right now...

[wx or not]

Originally posted by Bonkerz32:
Yeah, in response to some other questions..

I graduated in December, and for sports, I'll even drop down to a smaller market if need be. I work in a 130-160 right now...I'm with Adam and doctor drew. However, don't drop too much. In the 100s markets, opportunities do arise more frequently. The last thing you want to do is try to explain why your resume shows a significant fall from one DMA to another. I'd stick with it, and try to go lateral in DMAs with a more open opportunity for sports shooting.

[Signature on File]

3rd door on the left.

[TAFKA wacowx]

Originally posted by wx or not:
The last thing you want to do is try to explain why your resume shows a significant fall from one DMA to another.What person hiring a qualified candidate would even worry about that? DMAs only matter to a select few in this business who equate a lower number with greater success. And that is FAR from the truth.

Look for ANY sports job that shows up so you can at least get your foot in the door. No one is going to look down on you for going to market 190 to do what you love (sports).

[wx or not]

Originally posted by The Artist Formerly Known as wacowx:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by wx or not:
The last thing you want to do is try to explain why your resume shows a significant fall from one DMA to another.What person hiring a qualified candidate would even worry about that? DMAs only matter to a select few in this business who equate a lower number with greater success. And that is FAR from the truth.

Look for ANY sports job that shows up so you can at least get your foot in the door. No one is going to look down on you for going to market 190 to do what you love (sports).</font>[/QUOTE]waco, I agree entirely with your post. My experience, however, has been less than stellar when it came to hiring authorities who asked the simple question, "Why did you leave station x and go to Bob's TV station in the hills?" All I am saying is that, in a move, one must be careful of ANY outlying considerations.

[It's just sports...]

Don't drop down in market size, move up.

The best thing you can do is to try to get an editing job in a large market and then volunteer to help sports whenever you can.

I started as an editor in a top 20 market. Every time I had a free second I was in the sports department, learning how to do everything. They were happy to show me because it meant that they had someone who could come in and help them when they needed it. They needed help all the time and before long I was part time news/part time sports.

Eventually I took what I learned and got a sports job in a top 30 market. It took a little bit of time, but if you really want it a couple of years isn't a big deal.

[TAFKA wacowx]

Originally posted by It's just sports...:
Don't drop down in market size, move up.

The best thing you can do is to try to get an editing job in a large market and then volunteer to help sports whenever you can.I'll agree with this...IF you don't mind NOT doing sports for awhile. You certainly have the skills to do just about anything in-house it seems. BUT, there is certainly no guarantee you will be as lucky as the previous poster and be able to work your way into a sports job. If you want to guarantee yourself one, apply for one, whereever it might be. smile.gif

[southwesternguy]

Originally posted by It's just sports...:
Don't drop down in market size, move up.

The best thing you can do is to try to get an editing job in a large market and then volunteer to help sports whenever you can.

I started as an editor in a top 20 market. Every time I had a free second I was in the sports department, learning how to do everything. They were happy to show me because it meant that they had someone who could come in and help them when they needed it. They needed help all the time and before long I was part time news/part time sports.

Eventually I took what I learned and got a sports job in a top 30 market. It took a little bit of time, but if you really want it a couple of years isn't a big deal.I have to respectfully disagree with this. If you want to do sports, then try and get a job doing it fulltime. It's better to anchor and report sports in market 130, than to edit a few vosot's and pkg's for the sports guys in market 30, in addition to doing your regular job at the station.

A couple years anchoring and reporting is FAR better than a couple years as a part time news/sports editor IMHO.

[Bonkerz32]

Hey guys, thanks for the advice! I truly appreciate it and plan to apply it. One of the phrases I see is to get a tape and send it out...

Right now, I'm not sure where to begin... So far, I have some great highlights that I've shot and edited, along with a couple good NATS-pkgs. As far as standups and packages (voiced), as well as anchoring, what do news directors look for?

[Todd W.]

(I moved this month-old thread from J-Forum).

[Midwest Sporto]

checking out how the new board works...

[Tripe Face]

Don't drop down in market size, move up.

The best thing you can do is to try to get an editing job in a large market and then volunteer to help sports whenever you can.

I started as an editor in a top 20 market. Every time I had a free second I was in the sports department, learning how to do everything. They were happy to show me because it meant that they had someone who could come in and help them when they needed it. They needed help all the time and before long I was part time news/part time sports.

Eventually I took what I learned and got a sports job in a top 30 market. It took a little bit of time, but if you really want it a couple of years isn't a big deal.


I AGREE 110%

I have seen this happen time and time again... in sports, weather, news... that's how local tv works. You are more likely to move up from inside the station than to start in Bluefield W.V. and suddenly land a job in Pittsburgh doing the job you want. It's easier to get an entry level job in Pittsburgh and move in the the job you want.

There are exceptions to that... but I find it happens they way you see described above far more often.