Camper Essays
Haley Jordan, Journalism Major
My name is Haley Jordan, and I attended Session 3 of Camp Broadcast this summer. As an Indiana University senior graduating in December, I knew I had little time left to create content for my reel. I'm a sports girl and have always wanted to be a sideline reporter or work in entertainment. With sports being canceled as well as my summer internship in Massachusetts, I was distraught and felt like my summer was empty. In the past, I had always used my summers for internships!
When Sam Alex reached out to me about joining Camp Broadcast, I immediately felt like this was the big break I was waiting for all year. I didn't quite know what to expect, but as soon as I was welcomed into the Zoom session greeted by Sam and other campers, I was grateful to be a part of something huge.
Day one was bonkers. Donovan McNabb's face popped up on my screen, and it took everything I had not to do a happy dance in my chair. Even from the next room over, my mom's jaw was somewhere on the floor. As an aspiring Erin Andrews, I couldn't grasp how lucky I was to interview a legend like Donovan on the first day.
I enjoyed the format of the camp. Sam would sometimes have industry professionals like sports director Kurt Pegler or New York Mets radio announcer Wayne Randazzo come in, and we could ask about how they got to where they are today. This was valuable because we gained a few different perspectives about the competitive media path. By the way, both Wayne and Kurt reviewed my sports reel and gave me honest feedback. These guests truly want to help us become better broadcasters.
The red-carpet style interviews were my favorite! I'd put my reporter hat on and think of unique questions to ask artists Cole Swindell, Cassadee Pope, Sabrina Ponte and Leah Turner. Sam allowed us campers to self-record the Zoom sessions, so we had some material to put on our reels.
These interviews have fully prepared me to jump into the real world after I graduate in December. Sure, I've interviewed really cool and impressive college athletes, but it's not often when an opportunity arises where you can interview people that are actually famous and have created a name for themselves in the entertainment and sports world.
I used to laugh and think "I would be too starstruck to interview a big name like Cole Swindell." Then, I did it and realized he's just a person who is going after his dreams just like me! It's all about having a human connection with someone and making them feel comfortable during an interview. I believe I accomplished that thanks to Sam and the other industry pros who instructed us what to ask and how to ask it in a genuine way.
Not only did I make connections with the higher ups of the industry, but also the other campers. As a 22-year-old, I was one of the oldest campers. Being that age comes with about 3-4 more years of media experience. Another girl in my class who is an upcoming college freshman always came to me for tips and tricks, and it made me feel so appreciated! I remember having to ask the older girls for help when I was a freshman, and now I'm that older girl.
Perhaps the fat cherry on a delicious sundae of an experience was when I virtually met Chris Cruise. This wasn't even supposed to happen. Sam Alex invited me to this extra session a couple of days before. Chis heard me interview Leah Turner, offered some advice to the whole group and then we signed off. After all the guests appeared on Camp Broadcast, I made sure to tweet them a shout out and thank-you.
Chris responded to my tweet saying, "To my radio friends: If you're looking for the next big thing, you found it. This girl is an absolute STAR. If you don't pick her up FAST, someone else will."
I'm always learning, always hustling, always trying to seek advice to get better. But this tweet made me sit back and smile with every tooth I have. As a sports reporter or a reporter in general, we are told "no," "sorry, you're too young" or "maybe next year" A LOT! To snag some validation from a guy like Chris made me appreciate this industry…and myself. I am so ready and hungry for this business. Wherever my crazy media journey takes me: Nashville, Chicago, NYC, LA or some random city in a random place; I'm here to conquer and be the best reporter that anyone has seen come out of Indiana.
I extend my biggest hug, smile and gratitude to Sam Alex for taking a chance on me and believing in me to the point where I believed in myself. Will it take time to become a star or work for the best networks? Of course! But my foot, or perhaps my whole body, is in the door and landing every media opportunity I possibly can.
Thank you, Sam Alex and Camp Broadcast for making my summer and for making me a better reporter. I credit this camp for brushing up my interview skills, my preparation and my confidence to enter a cutthroat business.
Next time you see me, I hope it's on a sideline for the NFL or the red carpet. Let's do this.
Tiffany Goldstein, Recent College Graduate
Keep on interviewing guests and try to have them or media outlets share it,” says Camp Broadcast founder Sam Alex. “You never know… it could just take one retweet to go viral, job offers, or brand endorsements requests coming in.” Starting a career in broadcast journalism is quite challenging as it is a very competitive industry to get into. It takes hard work, perseverance, but most importantly, one seasoned industry professional to believe in you, your skills, and your work – “my person” was Sam Alex.
My name is Tiffany Goldstein, and I aspire to become an entertainment journalist. I have my Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and I recently received my Master’s in Digital Media and Storytelling from Loyola University Chicago. My extensive education has provided me valuable skills to excel within a newsroom. However, within a week of working with Sam Alex and attending “Camp Broadcast,” I have gained hands-on/ real-life experience, that you can’t learn in a classroom or read in a textbook.
Sam Alex tossed us, eager students, into a red-carpet and press conference simulation right away. His unique strategy of “learning from experience” is exactly what an aspiring journalist needs to do in order to reach success in this field. Throughout Camp Broadcast, we learned the importance of fact-checking, question creation for interviews, delivery, and the beauty of networking. The red carpet practice forced the students to think quickly and on our feet. For instance, Sam would surprise the students with a celebrity guest, and he would notify us 5-10 minutes before they would enter into the Zoom meeting. The campers would quickly gather a list of timely questions to ask. He pushed us to think outside the box and challenged the students to ask questions that would make the guest think.
The main goal was to gather information that no other publication had yet to receive or was not public knowledge. While we are students and young journalists, he stressed that we don’t need the power/ the authority of a network backing us to receive insider information or even the approval to become an influential storyteller.
Suppose you are currently a journalism student or someone who thinks about pursuing a career in broadcast journalism. In that case, you may hear two statements: “Start building your reel and digital portfolio,” and “you have to start in a small market.” Sam Alex allows the students to interview A-list celebrities, successful athletes, and talented musicians, which will elevate a reel and help grab an executive producer's attention during the hiring process.
As I stated above, he infused confidence in each and every one of us. He motivated the students to channel our inner creativity and start branding ourselves as the reporters that we want to become. Whether that is chasing the hard-hitting story, going to Friday night football games to do sideline reporting, utilizing social media platforms to reach out to prominent individuals with a story to share or even starting a podcast/digital show. With that being said, no – you don’t need a small market to take a chance on you to launch your career, Sam Alex inspired us to take action now. Camp Broadcast is a prime example of how the digital landscape is rapidly changing and how it is our job to keep up with the times and evolve with them.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students are out of school, and summer camps were canceled. Therefore, Sam Alex adapted with the times and saw the need in a digital masterclass that infuses hope within students/ recent graduates, that can provide valuable resources that can be beneficial during this economic crisis. For instance, Camp Broadcast presents the students with the chance to speak with industry professionals that are willing to help. To name a few, ESPN Play-By-Play announcer Jordan Bernfield, Olympic champion & TV broadcaster Scott Hamilton, and Radio Disney Country Host, Betsy Spina.
Each guest instructor gives each student personal feedback and advice on how to achieve success in the industry and what steps they should take to get their foot in the door. One of the lessons that I have learned during Camp Broadcast is never to pass up an opportunity and learn from the experience. Every journalist in the business has to start somewhere, Chicago Radio/ TV personality for US99 shared with the class that in order to climb the corporate ladder, he had to drive a branded clown car around Chicago. I am highlighting his experience because it is easy to get discouraged, but as you can see, Scotty Kay persevered, put his time in, worked long weekends and early mornings, to make a name of himself.
After each class, I utilized my networking skills and reached out to each industry professional that camp offered. It is critical to get different perspectives and eyes looking at your reel and portfolio. Take their valuable feedback and apply it immediately. Don’t forget to follow-up with the contact to show them the improvements and thank them for their time. If I can give any advice to future Camp Broadcast students, it would be to keep in touch with the connections you have made because it could lead to a close mentor relationship, shadowing opportunities, or even a job offer.
I am forever grateful for the industry insights and skills I have learned at Camp Broadcast, and I know I will take what I have learned and apply it to my future endeavors. If you are serious about your broadcast career, looking to add state-of-the-art interviews to your portfolio or connect with influential individuals in the competitive world of journalism, I highly recommend signing up for Camp Broadcast today.
Jacqueline Cardentey, Journalism Major
My Camp Broadcast experience started when a friend of mine had recommended me to do it. She sent me a link to Sam Alex’s Instagram profile, and I saw that he was obviously someone whose had lots of knowledge in the field and as a correspondent and radio show host. Sam reached out to me and told me about this weeklong program that he was doing, where student journalists like myself would be able to interview stars and meet experts who have a huge background in the broadcast industry. In my head, my first thought was that this was too good to be true. I was a little skeptical of what to expect and what it would entail but Sam did a good job convincing me and I decided to just go for it, I knew I wouldn’t have much to lose. So, I signed up and by the next morning, I was prepping my computer at 9:30am for the first day of camp. 5 minutes of being on that Zoom call, I could tell that Camp Broadcast was going to be a fun, unique experience.
Sam’s energy was through the roof, he was filled with such enthusiasm that it was so contagious. He told us that my peers and I were about to interview country music artist John Allen Miller and that we had about 5 minutes to prepare questions.
Not going to lie, I got extremely nervous since it was very out of the blue, but I’m glad it was because it gave us all the chance to learn what it’s like to interview people plus gain confidence in how we present ourselves. As the week progressed, we got to interview other stars such as comedian Greg Warren, musician Chloe Collins, country music trio Honey County and voice actor Joe Cappelletti.
In addition to building our reels, the group got the chance to hear and chat one-on-one from sports announcers, anchors, reporters who are experienced. Cassie DiLaura, Mike Janela, Megan Alexander, Dan Holiday all have their own distinct ways of storytelling and informing audiences. However, they shared one common word of advice, to take any opportunity that comes your way, even if it requires you to start from the very bottom, you work your way up. I was constantly hearing these same words from so many different people but to hear it from these professionals who I aspire to be, just made even more of an impact.
Overall, my experience in Camp Broadcast was an unforgettable one. It has made me realize how imperative it is to put yourself out there and show people how passionate you are for things. If it weren’t for Camp Broadcast, I wouldn’t have started my new interview video series “Community Pulse” on my Instagram. It was something I was so adamant about doing because I didn’t think anyone would watch. However, there’s one thing that Mike Janela told us, it was “It doesn’t matter who’s watching. What matters is that you’re doing what you love, and it only take one person to look and see you, that’s your foot in the door”.
I’ve realized that it was true what Mike said, it doesn’t matter how much of an audience you have or what they think, because people are going to appreciate those who are passionate about their craft. I have grown to become confident in my presence and the work I’ve completed so far, and I have Sam to thank for that. I never thought that spending a week on a virtual zoom workshop would change me, but it did. One single direct message on Instagram from Sam Alex forever changed my life.
