From the Field to the Newsroom:
CU Boulder's Sports Media Summit
Standout work, personal connections and creativity will set aspiring journalists apart in the sports media industry, according to Chris Dempsey, reporter for the Denver Nuggets and the NBA at Altitude Sports. Dempsey previously reported for The Denver Post and has been working as a journalist for over 20 years.
He shared his experience about climbing the ranks as a panelist at the CMCI Sports Media Summit on Friday, Feb. 23.
“It took me a long time to get to where I am right now. I haven’t gotten a job that I’ve actually applied for. I applied for a bunch of jobs and got turned down every single time,” he said. “And what I found out was: if you’re ready for when the opportunity arises, you just don’t know who’s watching you.”
CMCI students embrace the future of the media industry
Students in the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder flocked to the Sports Media Summit to gain career insight from NHL and NBA reporters. The conference aimed to help CMCI students navigate their pursuit into the realm of sports media.
CMCI equips its students with the opportunities to propel themselves forward in their future careers through internship programs, with programs like CMCI in DC. CMCI students in programs like these engage in internships and collaborate with both student-run and professional media platforms, such as newspapers, broadcast networks, radio stations, websites and social media companies — giving them invaluable industry experience before they’ve even graduated.
Harrison Wind, Denver Nuggets reporter and analyst, shed light on the innovative side of the industry and how to stand out. “You’ve got to be creative,” he said. “I’m always thinking about new ways I can cover a team, new ways I can cover a player, an angle to a story that nobody else has taken.” Wind advised CU Boulder students to search for fresh angles to be competitive in such a saturated industry.
Wind further stressed the importance of no job being too small. Whether it be getting a coffee for somebody, or shredding papers, the mindset that “I’m not better than anything I’m being asked to do, regardless of how ridiculous it seems at the time,” is what students may need in order to further their careers, according to Wind.
To make breaking into sports journalism even more difficult, the majority of sports journalists are employed privately, with 75% of these jobs being within the private sector, usually requiring prior experience in the field. For emerging young professionals, this barrier can obstruct their career progression significantly.
Julia Maclean, a second-year student in the College of Media, Communication and Information at CU Boulder, took the advice given by Wind — specifically his point on
carrying out seemingly meaningless tasks.
“I think it was a really useful thing for me to hear that the industry is really built up,” she said. Maclean gained a perspective for how low one starts out in media industries, and that although it will be worthwhile, “you’re not going to get immediate rewards.”
The Bold’s Visuals Editor, senior Nathan Thompson, embodies the shared values of creativity, leadership and thoroughness that CMCI and The Bold aim to represent — capturing both the visible and invisible moments of the CU Boulder experience, set on motivating and enfranchising aspiring journalists. (Nathan Thompson/The Bold)
Very well written, this piece really encapsulates the struggles of breaking into this saturated industry with first hand experiences at all levels within the job hierarchy.