sports media Archives - Grady College

#ProfilesOfTenacity: Amelia Green

Posted on March 25, 2022March 25, 2022 by Sarah Freeman

Why did you choose Grady and your course of study?

Grady offered versatility and an environment that was challenging yet welcoming to a new student at the University of Georgia. I felt as though the goals outlined in Grady coursework aligned with my personal career goals and that the Sports Media Certificate would offer me real-world experience in the sports media field. I am so grateful that I pursued my undergraduate education with Grady and will cherish the experience for a lifetime.

What does the word “tenacity” mean to you?

To me, tenacity means thriving when challenges are presented and offering innovative and creative solutions when new endeavors present themselves as difficult.

What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about presenting the world of sports to viewers and fans in a new and captivating way. Whether it is working for the PGA TOUR as head of event planning, the Nashville Superspeedway as a social media manager, or even the National Olympic Committee as a marketing analyst, ideally, I see myself in a field that allows me to make meaningful contributions to both the media consumers and the athletic organizations. I enjoy telling stories and I enjoy making compelling content, but most importantly I want to make people care about the why in sports.

What or who has had the biggest impact on your life during your time at UGA?

Professor Finlay had acted as my mentor for the past three years at UGA. He has given me so much advice and is always available when I need to ask a question or simply decompress about school to someone who understands the convoluted times of undergrad.

Green was selected to work as an Associated Press Photojournalist for the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing.

What has been your proudest moment in the past year?

My proudest moment in the past year was being selected to travel to the Beijing Winter Paralympics as an Associated Press Photojournalist. Even though we were not able to go due to COVID-19, the other selected students and myself prepared for months and strengthened our skills to be able to tell stories about the incredible athletes competing in Beijing.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received from an instructor, mentor or family member?

The best piece of advice I have received while at UGA has been to take risks. During my early years in the Sports Media program, Professor Finlay and Professor Michaelis reminded me that while skill is important, being willing to do any task that is asked of you says a lot about your work ethic and character. I was encouraged to make opportunities where there are none and that stepping out of my comfort zone is what will continue to give me a competitive edge in a very competitive field. I now believe that every success in your personal and professional life comes from taking risks and that is the key to being successful in today’s sports media industry.

Green is an intern for the Clarke Central High School Sports Information Department.

What are you planning to do after graduation?

I find myself striving for an opportunity in the sports media field because of its extensive range, rapid pace and growing influence in today’s society. After graduation, I will be attending Vanderbilt University for a Masters in Marketing to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the evolving, complex and global reach of the sports marketing and media industry.

What is your favorite app or social media channel and why?

Instagram is my favorite social media channel because of my passion for photography. Instagram allows me to follow my favorite photojournalists and photographers around the globe and provides a lot of inspiration when it comes to making engaging photographs and writing stories.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I am a licensed pilot and frequently fly rescue missions for Pilots N’ Paws Animal Rescue!

Where is your favorite place on campus and why?

The UGA Intramural Fields is my favorite spot on campus because I can either play in one of the many intramural sports leagues for students, take a relaxing walk around Lake Herrick or read a good book!

#ProfilesofTenacity: Kathryn Skeean

Posted on September 9, 2021September 15, 2021 by admin

What are you passionate about?

I am extremely passionate about supporting women in media, specifically women that go into sports media. As a woman in sports, I have first hand experience dealing with how difficult it can be. I love connecting with other women who are as passionate about sports as I am and helping others get into the field!

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I am an extremely shy person by nature. I mention this only because I have spoken with a lot of people who are nervous about going into journalism because they are introverted by nature due to the amount we have to talk to strangers and be in overwhelming situations. I am living proof that you can do it!

What does the word “tenacity” mean to you?

Tenacity to me means rolling with the punches and remaining undeterred when the going gets tough.

Who has had the biggest impact on your life during your time at UGA?

Two professors in particular have had a major impact during my time at UGA: Rebecca Burns and Mark Johnson. Both have advocated for me endlessly, and both took a chance on me when I got to UGA. I remember going to Professor Johnson’s office when I was a freshman, nowhere near entering his program, shaking in my boots, and he was incredibly open to helping me get better. Rebecca was like a second mother to me at The Red & Black, always making sure I was home safe from protest coverage. She took a chance on me at The Red & Black when she was newsroom advisor and I was an overly enthusiastic contributor, and I will always be grateful to her for that.

What has been your proudest moment in the past year?

My proudest moment would probably have to be when I set foot on the field at Truist Park for the first time, and said to myself, “I did this. I got myself here.” It was a dream come true, and to be honest, I don’t think I stopped grinning at any point during my time there. That really solidified to me that I am supposed to be doing this.

What is your favorite app or social media channel?

Instagram is my favorite just because it is a great platform for photo-oriented people. I get to share all of my work in a clean-looking, fun fashion.

Kate photographed an Atlanta United game this summer while working as an intern for the Gwinnett Daily Post.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received from an instructor, mentor or family member?

Both of my parents always emphasized working hard and not expecting anything to be handed to me. That was how I was raised, and that is how I tackle things to this day. It wasn’t really a single piece of advice, more like a mindset. Both of my parents inspire me every day.

Who is your professional hero?

I have so, so many. My uncle Chris Christo is a photojournalist at the Boston Herald, and he is the reason I really got into journalistic photography. Another would be Kevin Liles, the Braves’ team photographer, who I had the pleasure of meeting over the summer. The work he produces is absolutely stunning.

What are you planning to do after graduation?

My plan post-graduation is to work in the sports media world in some capacity as a photographer, whether that be as a photojournalist or working with an organization in the MLB, NFL or a school athletic association. My internship as a sports photographer with the Gwinnett Daily Post really solidified my plans. I realized that not only did it not feel like “work” to me, I was the happiest I had ever been while out there at the ballpark or the field.

Where is your favorite place on campus and why?

This answer is a pretty predictable one: the “Photo Cave” in the journalism building. It is such a safe, happy place to be where I get to learn about what I love to do.

John Huland Carmical Sports Media Institute established at University of Georgia

Posted on March 25, 2021March 25, 2021 by Dayne Young

Sports media education, already a signature program at the University of Georgia, is expanding with the establishment of the John Huland Carmical Sports Media Institute.

The Carmical Sports Media Institute will give UGA’s undergraduate Sports Media Certificate program a home base and a distinct brand as well as the resources to increase student support and experiential learning opportunities, on-campus programming, community outreach and industry networking.

Vicki Michaelis chats with Jimmy Alston and Charles Davis at a celebration for the first Sports Media Certificate graduates in 2015. The undergraduate certificate program laid the foundation for the Carmical Sports Media Institute.

Housed in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the Carmical Sports Media Institute will operate on foundational journalistic principles while innovating the future of sports storytelling.

The Carmical Sports Media Institute is possible because of a generous gift from the Atlanta-based John Huland Carmical Foundation, which now has committed more than $3 million to sports media education at UGA.

“The University of Georgia is grateful to the John Huland Carmical Foundation for their significant support,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “I look forward to the many ways the Carmical Sports Media Institute will enhance our students’ academic and professional development and sustain our efforts to provide educational opportunities in sports media to young people across Georgia.”

With the resources the Carmical Sports Media Institute will provide, plans are underway for a sports media-specific study abroad program, an annual lecture series and periodic symposia. Sports Media Certificate students will receive financial assistance with travel and housing costs related to internships and other experiential learning opportunities.

Students in the Carmical Sports Media Institute will cover high school, college, professional and international sporting events.

In addition, the one-off opportunity that saw Grady College students in sports media and visual journalism covering the 2016 Summer Paralympic Games in partnership with The Associated Press will become a perennial offering. Institute funding also will allow the UGA-Grady High School Sports Broadcast Program to operate in perpetuity. The program, launched in 2019, provides equipment and trains students in underrepresented and/or underserved communities across Georgia to produce live broadcasts of their school’s sports events.

The Sports Media Certificate curriculum prepares students to work in sports reporting and writing, broadcasting, social and digital media, communications and media relations. Program alumni are working at some of the nation’s premier sports media outlets and sports organizations, including The Washington Post, ESPN, The Athletic, Atlanta United, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Miami Dolphins and Turner Sports.

Joe Ripley (ABJ ’14), now a journalist for 11 Alive in Atlanta, interviews Damian Swann in the football locker room during their college days.

The Sports Media Certificate program, launched in 2014, is unique among Southeastern Conference universities and one of the few programs nationally that offers sports-specific media training for undergraduates. Available to all UGA students regardless of major, the program is in high demand, annually attracting at least twice as many applicants as available spots.

“Jimmy Alston and his fellow Carmical Foundation directors Henry Bowden, Jimmy Fluker and John O. Knox first supported the vision of legendary UGA professor Conrad Fink to offer sports-specific journalism training here in Athens,” said Vicki Michaelis, a longtime sports journalist hired to be the John Huland Carmical Chair in Sports Journalism and Society in 2012. “Now they are making our big-league dreams come true as the Carmical Sports Media Institute will allow us to really ramp up what we can offer our students, the community and the sports media industry.”

John Huland Carmical, a distinguished journalist at The New York Times, graduated from Grady College at UGA in 1917. A native of Rico, Georgia, Carmical always credited the education he received at the University of Georgia for his success in journalism, according to Jimmy Alston, chair of the John Huland Carmical Foundation.

Brianna Patton captures content for social media at a high school football game.

“The creation of the Carmical Sports Media Institute represents another milestone in the program’s short but powerful story,” said Charles N. Davis, dean of Grady College. “The program, founded in a college that has produced countless stars in sports media, uses experiential learning and the many opportunities for sports coverage on an SEC campus to produce best-in-class training for its students. The institute gives this flourishing program a brick-and-mortar home, as well as offering a launchpad for future endeavors. We can’t possibly thank the Carmical Foundation enough for their visionary support, without which the institute would be but a dream.”

Michaelis will be the director of the Carmical Sports Media Institute. Welch Suggs, who worked alongside Michaelis to create the Sports Media Certificate program, will be the associate director. Carlo Finlay will be the assistant director.

Visit sportsmediainstitute.uga.edu and follow the Twitter and Instagram accounts for the Carmical Sports Media Institute to see the latest program news.

Sports media student Tylar Norman wins first award from Taylor Maggiore Fund

Posted on February 15, 2021February 15, 2021 by Dayne Young

Tylar Norman, a senior graduating in May 2021, will receive the first $1,000 award from the Taylor Maggiore Fund at the University of Georgia. Available to students enrolled in the sports media undergraduate certificate program, the fund helps promote the advancement of women in the sports media industry.

Norman takes photos while covering Morgan County athletics.

A panel of alumni and faculty members selected Norman for her work with organizations on and off-campus and her passion for encouraging women in sports media, especially women of color.

“I hope to one day start my own mentorship organization for women in the sports media field,” she wrote in her application, “to ensure that we are all uplifting each other and increasing the inclusion of women in this field.”

The current president of UGA’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, Norman has worked as a communications intern with the Atlanta Dream and in media relations for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

“The Grady Sports Media program has been the steppingstone to the real-world experience that I’ve had,” Norman said.

After graduation, she plans to look for opportunities that lead to her goal of one day becoming a social media producer in the NBA.

Norman, a journalism major with minors in Spanish and sport management, has assisted in the production of Grady Newsource as a technical manager. She also runs her own freelance photography business.

Taylor Maggiore (AB ’19) addresses the undergraduate commencement ceremony at the University of Georgia on December 13, 2019. Maggiore has created the Taylor Maggiore Scholarship in the Grady Sports Media undergraduate certificate program. (Photo: Dorothy Kozlowski (ABJ ’10)/UGA Marketing & Communications)

“Through all the experiences she has sought and excelled at during her college years, Tylar already is making her mark in sports media,” said Vicki Michaelis, John Huland Carmical Chair in Sports Journalism & Society. “I have no doubt she is and will be a role model for others who want to work in this industry. We’re thrilled for Tylar, and we’re so grateful to Taylor for paying it forward in this way.”

Taylor Maggiore, who graduated in December 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a sports media certificate, began work last January as a stage manager for ESPN in Bristol, Conn. She established the fund within months of graduating to help students “with living accommodations during an internship, books, business casual and professional wardrobe, interview, equipment, or anything else that is needed.”

To read more about the Taylor Maggiore Fund, check out this story.

Sports media students write stories for U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum

Posted on November 4, 2020January 11, 2021 by Dayne Young

Students in the Sports Media Certificate program profiled athletes from the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, including Bart Conner (gymnastics), Edwin Moses (track and field) and Megan Neyer (diving) in stories published to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Digital Museum.

The profiles were part of the curriculum in the spring 2020 section of “Multiplatform Storytelling for Sports.” The stories were published for the 40^th anniversary of the U.S. boycott of the Moscow 1980 Games.

Zach Miles profiled Isiah Thomas, 1980 Olympian basketball player.

Zach Miles, one of the profile authors, researched, conducted interviews and wrote about Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas. Miles impressed the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Digital Museum staff and landed an internship with them over the summer.

“To be able to talk with former athletes and their families while hearing their stories and what representing the United States meant to them truly left me in awe,” said Miles. “It’s so important and valuable for these athletes to be remembered and honored in this way, and I was grateful that I was able to play a role in this by telling their stories.”

Museum communications professionals helped students refine their writing and provided feedback on their stories.

“The Museum is committed to education and working with future generations to instill the Olympic and Paralympic values,” Museum Chief Executive Officer Christopher Liedel said. “We are proud to work with a program with such a strong track record and the University of Georgia. Allowing students to learn about and tell the stories of these incredible athletes is just a terrific opportunity for us.”

The partnership builds on half a decade of coverage by sports media students for the Olympic Games, Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games.

For 12 years, Vicki Michaelis, John Huland Carmical Chair in Sports Journalism & Society, was the USA Today lead Olympics reporter. She now teaches students the cultural influence of the Olympic Games as an international athletic showcase and the importance of documenting the athletes who perform on the global stage.

“Finding the stories worth telling is at the core of everything we teach, and, in my mind, no sports event offers up more of those stories than the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Michaelis. “They provide seemingly limitless opportunities for our students to hone their storytelling skills, whether they’re covering the Games as they happen or peeling back the pages of history.”

Sports media students have covered the 2016 and 2018 Olympic Games as credentialed journalists. A team of the college’s sports media and visual journalism students also covered the 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil, with their stories and photos distributed globally by The Associated Press. Thanks to a gift from the John Huland Carmical Foundation, the AP partnership will continue at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo next summer.

You can read the profiles of the following 1980 U.S. Olympians:

Gymnast Bart Conner
Kayaker Greg Barton
Swimmer Rowdy Gaines
Wrestler Lee Kemp
Track and field athlete Edwin Moses
Diver Megan Neyer
Basketball player Jill Rankin Schneider
Field hockey player Julie Staver
Basketball player Isiah Thomas

Learn more about the partnership in this release from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum.