Sport industry experts shared insights and advice on sports business at the University of Mississippi Sports ForUM in the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics on Thursday, Oct. 15 and Friday, Oct. 16.
Six panels across the two days featured a variety of panelists from major industry brands, including the NFL, EA Sports and the SEC, among many others.
Norman Seawright III, an anchor and news reporter at WLKY in Louisville, Ky., and a university alumnus, opened the event with a talk discussing how making connections with fellow UM students can help down the road.
“The people that you know, the people you take with you off this campus, are the people that matter most to you,” Seawright said. “Your own peers are the ones who will unlock something in you, and you will be the ones to unlock something in them.”
The panel titled “Inside Sports’ Biggest Brands” featured Renie Anderson, the NFL’s executive vice president and chief revenue officer; Charlie Hussey, associate commissioner for network relations for the SEC; Josh Gregory, the director of business development for EA Sports; and Lindsey Landrum, the director of sports management at IMG.
All four panelists are alumni of the University of Mississippi.
Hussey, an Oxford native, said growing up in Oxford and around the university helped him rise to his current position. He referenced his time working at University Sporting Goods when he was just 12 years old.
“Ole Miss and Oxford were all part of the journey,” Hussey said. “I had a chance to work at University Sporting Goods on the Square. … There was a real community aspect I learned working there and working with the Ole Miss community.”
Two panels happened simultaneously on Friday. One, titled “Building your Audience,” took place in the Overby Center auditorium; the other, titled “Breaking into the Game,” took place in Overby 249.
The panel in the Overby auditorium featured Greg Bensel, the senior vice president for communications and broadcasting for the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans; Chase Parham, a local sports journalist at 247 Sports and owner of MPW Digital; Matthew Sign, the chief operating officer at the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame; and Mathieu Schneider, the director of men’s hockey at 3G Sports and a former NHL player.
Parham gave advice to students who wish to start their own podcasts. He mentioned that 92% of podcasts end before 10 episodes. He said it is important to continue to persevere even when no one is listening.
“When you start anything, whether you’re learning to write or learning to talk, you’re going to suck at it,” Parham said. “I’ll have students come up to me and say that they started something and nobody is listening, and I’ll tell them, ‘Good.’”
Parham encouraged students to listen to their podcasts or reread their articles, consider what could be improved, learn from mistakes and keep going. He said that it is good to build muscle memory.
“If you do 10 episodes or write 10 articles in the newsletter, you are in the top 8% just because you worked enough to get a little positive muscle memory, and that is the first step,” Parham said.
The last panel of the event, titled “The Future of Sports Media,” included Chris Traeger, a sports and entertainment executive at Endava; Zach Bingham, a CEO at A to Z Sports; Catherine Chalfant, the senior manager of content operations at ESPN; and David Dillard, founder of Total Production Services LLC.
The four panelists are all also university alumni.
Dillard’s company covers approximately 120 university sporting events a year. Dillard said his staff is made up of about 70% students, including college and high school students. Chalfant was one of those students who got her start with Total Production Services.
“I learned what a broadcast does, how to be a part of it, how to run a camera. … I learned all the different elements of the broadcast — hard work, showing up early and troubleshooting gear,” Chalfant said.
Dillard said students stand out and separate themselves in today’s sports workforce by making sacrifices that will further their career.
“Last Thursday night, we had a soccer game in Oxford that we had to produce,” Dillard said. “There are some people in this room who gave up their Thursday night to work. They made a little money, but at the same time, they made the sacrifice knowing there is something bigger than just the college experience.”
Jack Call, a senior integrated marketing communications major, said he attended the event as a networking opportunity.
“I have an interest in journalism, and hearing about this great opportunity to meet some of the biggest people in the sports journalism world was amazing,” Call said.
Editor’s note: Editor-in-Chief Raegan Settle and sports editor Russ Eddins moderated panels at Sports ForUM.
