Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing
Key Skills & Takeaways
- Event planning & execution
- Mentoring and leadership skills
- Familiar with booking travel and conference arrangements for large groups
What is the Center?
The Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing was founded by two Point Park University Alumni who wanted to give back to their Alma Mater.
Mike Fetchko, Owner and Managing Director of ISM-USA, and Tom McMillan, Vice President of Communications for the Pittsburgh Penguins, launched The Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing in 2011 at Point Park.
The center focuses on regional, national and international topics and trends in the fast growing sports industry. The center brings leading executives from all facets of the sports and entertainment industries to the Point Park campus to speak at workshops and seminars. These events give Point Park students the opportunity to hear from top industry professionals about best practices and principles within sports media and marketing, and to make networking connections that can be vital to pursuing a career in the sports industry.
In addition to these large seminar-like events, the Center also holds smaller networking and open-discussion events too. Students have so many questions about breaking into the sports world and The Center wants to help answer them. From previous students to local industry professionals, The Center tries to connect students to those who are truly eager to give back, and help.
Lastly, The Center also plans and takes several trips throughout the year. One of trips that became most successful in my time as the Graduate Assistant was our annual trip to Major League Baseball Winter Meetings & PBEO Job Fair.
See below for more specifics on each of the services The Center offered to students!
My Role as the Graduate Assistant
Event Planning
First, when it comes to bringing and guests and arranging their speaking events - that is all up to me. I coordinate all aspects of the seminars from helping to chose our guests and their topics to day of execution. I was also responsible for creating all of the marketing and promotion materials with assistance from our student advisory board members.
On a busy college campus, sometimes planning events is not always easy. But with securing speakers from companies like ESPN, The Pittsburgh Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins, ours were always successful. And most importantly, they provided great insight to the students.
The Center has their own Social Media, Website, Bi-Weekly newsletter, and a lot of on-campus promotional activities. So before events, I worked one-on-one with our board members making sure each of these bases are covered. We operated as our own little company. Everyone had their roles and I was responsible for supervising all of it!
On event days, I'm the point of contact for our guests as well as the person who is responsible for all of the key details of the day. From introducing our guests to students, staff, and other faculty to making sure media personnel are on-site and have everything they need.
Student Trips
Sometimes, to give students the best opportunities possible, a little travel is involved!
Some of the most successful trips that I was responsible for overseeing were the MLB Winter Meetings & PBEO Job Fair. For those who aren't familiar, this is an annual convention that Major League Baseball holds for all of their executives. And for students looking to break into the sports industry, there is a job fair too.
I oversaw trips to Orlando, Las Vegas, and San Diego. In order for students to go on this trip, there was a lot of prep work. And you guessed it - I was responsible for it all! After going through an interview process, I held an 8 week prep course for these students. In this prep work, we covered everything from resumes, professional do's & don'ts, mock interviews, and so much more.
Mentoring
One thing that I find ver important in any role, is giving back to those following in your footsteps.
I oversaw a Student Advisory Board that consisted of about 20 undergraduate students. They had majors varying from sports management, to broadcasting, and many more. I served as a mentor for these students from school advice to career help too. It's truly awesome to see each and everyone of them set their goals and reach their dreams. Every time someone gets a position or internship they worked so hard for or were nervous to apply for - it's the best feeling ever.
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