Major: Sport Communication – Print (2011)
Years at IU: 2007-2011
What you did at IU: I spent three years writing for the Indiana Daily Student on the sports staff, first covering men’s and women’s swimming and diving before moving on to the men’s soccer beat for the 2009-10 seasons. I co-hosted a weekly podcast called the “Water Cooler with Kevin Bowen” (currently of ESPN’s 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis), where we discussed collegiate and professional sports, and I was a three-year cast member of IU’s longest-running sketch and improv comedy troupe, Full Frontal Comedy.
Before heading into the professional world, I held internships at Hirons & Co. and the United States Olympic Committee, and I also served as a volunteer reporter for Colts.com.
What you do now: After spending five years in the Olympic Movement as a consultant for USA Gymnastics and PR Manager for USA Taekwondo and USA Cycling, I joined Chicago-based sports marketing agency, rEvolution, in 2016 where I work as the agency’s PR Supervisor. Here, I divide my time between PR work for clients and for the agency itself, finding media opportunities, driving brand awareness, and (hopefully) helping both rEvolution and its clients win some awards along the way. My day-to-day ranges from general PR consulting and strategizing to rolling up my sleeves and getting in the trenches with media list building, pitching, calendar postings — anything that needs to be done to reach and engage our intended audiences. I’m fortunate to get to work in sports every day, helping brands reach new and fortify existing audiences through the lens of sports and the passion that comes with it.
My work has taken me to the Olympics and Super Bowls, sent me to ten countries and all across the United States, and placed me in the cockpit of an IndyCar and in the green room at Letterman. It has put me shoulder-to-shoulder with Hall of Famers, Olympic Champions, cultural icons and media members who have shaped American broadcasting and storytelling.
And it all started at IU.
What advice you have for sports media students: Get involved! The first job is the hardest to land because the field is so wide and it is difficult for employers to differentiate between relatively inexperienced candidates — make it easier for them. Write, podcast, write, research, write, network, write, speak publicly, write, and write some more. Become fluent in AP Style, find an expertise in an area where you will be indispensable and irreplaceable, and be willing to take the time to develop organically. Only build your resume with experience that will help you land the job you want, which means collecting plenty of experience in the field that will help you land the job you want. You may not always get paid for it, but a resume full of newspaper, SID, blogging, radio, TV, and sporting event volunteer work experience shows employers that you have put a plan in place, followed it, and taken full advantage of your short time at IU.