InternViews: Ren Grimsley

InternViews is a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their internship experience.

Ren Grimsley is a fourth-year journalism major from Monroe, Georgia. This year, he’s spending his summer as a play-by-play commentary and social media content intern for the Anchorage Bucs, a 501(c)(3) non-profit summer collegiate baseball club in Anchorage, Alaska. Read more about his internship experience below.

What opportunities have you had during your internship?

I have had lots of work running the Bucs social media, as well as having spent hours and hours of time on the air doing play-by-play and color commentary. I have also met other journalism and media students who work for other teams in the league.

Did you receive any mentorship or guidance? How did it impact your experience?

Going somewhere new where I knew absolutely no one was definitely intimidating. Luckily, my friend and hockey broadcast partner from the past, Will Hopkins (AB ’25), gave me lots of advice on what to take and what the overall experience will be like. This helped calm my nerves and let me know what I was going into. 

How has it been adjusting to life this summer in Anchorage?

Anchorage feels like a completely different world. The sun never really goes down so I haven’t seen a starry night the whole time I’ve been here. It is also very chilly when the sun is behind the clouds and there’s a wind, much different than the hot summers I’m used to in Georgia. I also have been living in a boarding school with 8 of the players and the other media intern, which has been nice always having people to hangout.

How has the Grady curriculum prepared you for this internship?

I have learned in Grady how to create short from content that will do well on social media.

What challenges have you overcome in this role?

Navigating five different broadcast booths with the broadcast equipment can be challenging as you don’t know what each place is going to look like before you get there. I have found ways to be creative with my camera and crowd mics to create the best product. 

What is the most valuable piece of advice you gained from your experience?

This is my first time doing commentary for baseball, I have learned to slow down and just observe rather than try to call the game like you would for hockey, which I am used to. The ability to observe is valuable in life, but you have to be intentional about doing so.

Editor: Sarah Kate Maher, skm01341@uga.edu