I would like to thank Nick Hart of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for his participation in this assignment. It is great insight on a new level from someone who is young and in the sports industry.
What are your responsibilities and how do these responsibilities integrate with marketing and business objectives for the organization?
My responsibilities include: Providing game names, bios, and statistics to coaches, players, team and league officials, and media that attend Wilkes-Barre/Scranton home games. I am the primary point of contact for game credential requests and interview requests. I build relationships with our local reporters and serve as a liaison between the team and the media. Press releases and post-game recaps come through me. I am also the primary content provider for our game program, team website, and blog.
What methods of communications does the organization use to reach their publics and how they are effective?
Our team uses a wide distribution list for out press releases, game recaps, and media advisories to control the message surrounding our team. We also have a very strong social media presence, in addition to an active base of players dedicated to community outreach.
What are some examples of communications strategies you have used to achieve success and what were the results?
The communication strategy we have used most effectively is social media. We try and provide a bevy of content to our fans on Twitter, Facebook, and a team blog that covers news surrounding the Penguins organization at both the National and American Hockey League levels. On all of these platforms, we try and make our content as visible as possible and always inform readers/listeners where and how they can purchase tickets and team merchandise.
How has your public relations practice affected the reputation of the organization?
Our PR and New Media department has won awards as the American Hockey League’s best as recently as 2014-15. Since I have taken over, my goal has been to uphold the high standard set by my PR predecessors as well as the players on the ice for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. While we are a minor league hockey team, we do not work to be “minor league”. We are big time, and we want the perception around the sports world to reflect that attitude.
How did you get to where you are today?
After studying journalism for four years in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, I got in contact with several minor league and junior hockey teams about filling potential broadcast positions within their organizations. After a series of close-but-no-cigar situations, an opportunity opened up with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins shortly before the season began. I believe building my résumé as much as possible in college with real-life experiences in broadcasting and print journalism buoyed my chances amid a quick interview process as the team tried to fill the position before the season began.
What advice would you give someone wanting to follow a similar path?
1. No experience is bad experience. Build your résumé as much as possible. Journalists and public relations professionals are expected to have a number of tools in their utility belt and cannot be one trick ponies, no matter how good that one trick might be. Do as many internships as possible, and if there is no professional organization at school for you to join to gain experience, do not be afraid to go off on your own and put in the work to build that résumé.
2. Network. Network as much as possible. The biggest reason I was able to get an interview with my current employer had NOTHING to do with how good or bad I was at my job. I was fortunate enough to know the General Manager of the team from previous work experience and he got me in the door for an interview. Do not be afraid to reach out to as many current professionals in your field of choice as much as you can, either. You may not get responses on 19-of-20 inquiries or so, but that one connection made could provide valuable insight or even build a professional relationship for the future.
3. Proof read more than you already do. I’ve been stunned by the number of intern applicants that submit writing samples to professional organizations that are littered with typos. Much of the PR field requires a laser-focus to detail, and a quick way to end up in the discard pile is with typos.
Which professional or organization would you recommend connecting with?
All of them. Like I said, you may not get responses on even half of your attempted connections, but those communications can never, ever hurt you.
What do you know now that you wish you would have known earlier in your career?
You think that you are prepared for the late nights and long hours, but can never ever truly be ready for the grind of a profession in pro sports and the toll it can take on your sleeping schedule and social life. It’s an adjustment that some can make easier than others, but no matter how much you convince yourself you can handle it, there will be times when you feel overwhelmed as you get used to life as a professional and the schedule and workload that comes with it.
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