Grady InternViews: Will Hopkins

This is part of a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their internship experience.  

Will Hopkins is a fourth-year journalism student working with Anchorage Buc’s as a Broadcast and Media Intern. Read on as he provides insight into what this internship looks like.

Briefly describe your internship and its associated responsibilities.

I am a broadcast and media intern with the Anchorage Bucs, a collegiate summer baseball team in the Alaska Baseball League. As a broadcast and media intern, I, along with my partner, am responsible for getting the broadcast for each game up and running, announcing the games in alternating play-by-play and color commentary roles, and running social media. For home games, we also log every pitch result on the league’s online database.

What opportunities did you have during your internship?

The opportunities during this internship have been endless. My boss gives me free rein so we really can take the broadcast, as well as the social media, wherever we’d like. We choose how we want things to look for the broadcast and what content we want to have on socials. I’ve had the opportunity to not only practice my play-by-play and color commentary skills but also my interviewing with players and coaches.

What skills and knowledge have you gained from your internship?

Through this internship, I have gotten better and more comfortable on air as a play-by-play sports broadcaster, specifically with baseball. I have learned how to do TV style, as I had only done radio style previously. I also think that my interviewing skills have gotten better and better. As far as knowledge goes, the biggest thing has been rolling with the punches when things don’t go perfectly.

What is one piece of work you are proud of creating in this role?

I am proud of each and every broadcast. Even when things weren’t always running the smoothest at the beginning of the season, we scrambled well to give the fans the most information and content that we could given the circumstances. As the season has gone on, I have gotten prouder and prouder of every broadcast, though, because they have gotten smoother and smoother.

How have you balanced this internship with college?

This internship is different than most, with the games usually being at night, and game times sometimes changing due to weather. I try to make the most of the time before and after games, but especially on days off. I’ve been lucky enough to explore Alaska with my broadcast partner, as well as my family and a friend who have come to visit me. I definitely am a little worn out, but that’s partly because of how much I’ve tried to max out my off time.

What challenges have you overcome in this role?

The biggest challenge was getting started. It took a bit to have a good grip on which equipment we’d be using and how each broadcast would work. It was frustrating not being able to deliver the games in the way that we wanted to at first, but now that isn’t much of an issue. I also struggled with being too hard on myself, but when I watch games back, I realize that my lower moments aren’t as bad as I thought.

How has the Grady curriculum you’ve taken prepared you for this internship?

Grady has definitely helped me because they have a very strong focus on relationships and the way you interact with people. I try to keep that in mind when I am working with people from the Bucs or other teams. The Carmical Sports Media program also taught me a lot about social media, etiquette, and even equipment that has helped me this summer.

Who is one Grady Professor who has inspired you?

Prof. Finlay has inspired me, as I have had him for three separate classes and he always keeps sports fun. That is a mentality I have tried to keep this summer.

What advice would you give to someone looking to apply to similar internships?

Go for it! I was hesitant to apply to some internships further away from home, but after some advice from my dad, I reached out to places as far away as possible. Although it may not make sense at first, housing, travel, and other details tend to play themselves out, and if they don’t, you’ll still have other options, but it doesn’t hurt to try and learn more about what the role has to offer. The position furthest away from me ended up being the best offer I received, and I have never questioned if it was the right choice.

How has this internship influenced your future career?

This internship has made me more and more confident that I want to be in sports and that I want to cover it live. I often think about how I can’t imagine spending my summer at a desk job, and how this really hasn’t felt like a job. I love reacting to plays live because you really never know what’s going to happen.

How Did you find out about this internship?

I was looking at summer baseball leagues throughout the country, and the Alaska Baseball League was ranked pretty highly. I didn’t apply at first because of how far away it was, but my dad urged me to reach out to the teams, and I’m very thankful that he did. The Bucs got back to me, and here I am!

Edited by: Shannon Lorusso, sel67411@uga.edu