First Ever ACC Student Media Seminar Was Success
In its inaugural year, the ACC Student Media Seminar was a hit. College journalists representing schools from all over the conference country were in attendance, eager to network and learn from professionals in the field.
“You’ve hit the lottery,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips. The first four words of the event commanded the entire room. Winning the lottery feels like—well I am not sure what it feels like—but it must come close to this event.
When given the opportunity to network with some of the finest sports broadcasters and journalists in the country, Phillips is right, it is almost like winning a million dollars. At first, you do not know what to do with it. Buy a house, a car, vacation, a lifetime supply of skittles; but then you realize it is important to invest and think about the future. That is what Phillips meant when he said the word lottery. He wants students to invest in their future by networking and learning from successful, industry professionals.
Phillips jumped right to important lessons he has learned during his career. His main points: do not wait for the perfect job, work hard, constantly network, make sure you look the part and let everyone know that what he does is not work because “if you love what you do, you never have to work a day in your life,” Phillips said.
ESPN and ACC’s Kelsey Riggs headlined the first panel of speakers that spoke to roughly 40 students. The longtime host and sideline reporter was joined by the Voice of the Syracuse Orange, Matt Park, Senior Associate Athletic Director and Sports Information Director at UNC, Steve Kirschner and Andy Fledderjohann, the Assistant Commissioner of Communications for the ACC.
These four, mediated by Virginia Tech broadcaster and former Syracuse grad Bill Roth (’87), told stories that captivated everyone the entire room. Kirschner’s most important point of view concerned us…the students. He talked about wanting to fight for that spot on the floor in the Final Four because many times, Kirschner says the NCAA will give a credential to a local newspaper when they ask for a second set on the floor and the students will be forced to sit “up in the rafters.” Much of this has to do with an important point of view he has about college media outlets.
“I do not particularly like the term ‘student journalist,’” Kirschner said. “I do not like to identify them when in a press conference or press box or press room, whatever it may be, who is a student journalist and who is not. I think you are either a competent journalist who should be in the room or you are not.”
This is a strong message of support to the students who work just as hard as the professional ones. Kirschner wants to curb the belittling of college media outlets and has made it very apparent that the journalism produced by much of the student landscape is just as good as the rest.
Kelsey Riggs is an advocate for doing what you love. For her, that means seeing people and working on gamedays with the people you connect with.
“It is really about the people,” Riggs said. “I love the moments and the big stories and the highlights and getting to share that, but I think it is the connections that I have with my co-workers. The connections that you make with the coaches, with the teams and the athletes over all the years really stand out and are special. To Steve’s point, if you have done things the right way you have worked hard and you have made good connections, then that goes a long way.”
Riggs, and the others on the first panel, encouraged the students not to wait to make those connections, but to start with the people in the room.
Plenty of the panelists talked about preparation and not just for the height, weight, and hometown, but for the obscure stats, compelling stories and unexpected—but expected—situations that may arise.
Highlighted by Red Sox radio and ESPN broadcaster, Dave O’Brien, the second panel was just as compelling as the first. ACC/ESPN broadcaster, Jordan Cornette, sat between the longtime play-by-player and ESPN Producer and the Director of Newhouse Sports Media Center, Olivia Stomski with Richmond Times Dispatch writer, David Teel, who has just reached his 40th year covering the ACC Tournament.
One of the biggest topics on in the second half was diversity in media. Olivia, a woman, and Jordan, a black male, have worked tirelessly to become as successful as they are today. But it did not come without obstacles. The two spoke of some of the best ways to overcome struggles and become successful as minorities in the industry. Diversity matters and diversity comes in more than just color but in gender.
“I love that it was a few young women that stood up and spoke first,” Cornette said. “Understanding that you do not wait in line in this thing, and you are representing a seat at the table just like the white man, the black man, the black woman next to you. Everybody is equal in this business, and we are all speaking and representing.”
“People telling you no should not be the worst thing in the world,” Stomski said. “Some of us use those no’s as motivation to work harder and some of us getting a no think ‘I am not cut out for this.’ It is how we all or going to use that no.”
Olivia said the best way to make sure you do not get a ‘no’ is to learn everything possible. This way it makes it difficult for your boss or producer to say no. Be as versatile and knowledgeable as possible.
While listening to Dave O’Brien talk about his years of stories in the world of media, David Teel may have been the most emotion-sparking speaker in the entire seminar. While all of us can get caught up in the hustle and bustle of our jobs, it is important to stop and take a moment to appreciate what you love to do. He wants people to make sure to always put passion into your work.
“We have all, I think, hit on a theme here of how fortunate we are to be in this business because it is what we always wanted to do,” Teel said. “I am like Jordan, there are no calices (on my hands) here either, this is not manual labor this is a labor of love. That is going to show in your work because you love what you are doing, there is a passion there.”
With year number one in the books, myself and plenty of others who were at the ACC Student Media Seminar will hopefully look back and remember how special an event this was. It is pretty incredible to think about how two hours can change your life. The conference is making productive and positive strides to connect with the future of media and that is as genius as it comes. But it is not only for the benefit of the ACC. The students in attendance will have the ability to use the foundations created at the seminar and spin their webs larger and larger throughout their careers.