(March 10, 2011) Growing up, golf was recreational for Amanda Balionis. Now it is becoming her career. An STAA client, Balionis is joining PGA Tour Entertainment as an anchor and reporter.
“I’ll be anchoring their online shows and also be going out to cover PGA Tour Tournaments,” Balionis says. “I’m really excited about this opportunity and move from Manhattan to the Ponte Vedra, FL area [in the coming days].”
Balionis found out about the job through a friend, Noah Coslov. The same day Coslov placed a call on her behalf, PGA Tour Entertainment called Balionis for an interview.
“I grew up playing golf,” Balionis says. “But if you would have asked me where I was going in my career, I never would have thought golf would be my first opportunity in professional sports.
“It will be really cool. I’ll get to see a lot of places a lot of people never get to see.”
A native of Pennsylvania and a graduate of Hofstra University, Balionis has spent the past 11 months as a studio host and reporter for MSG Varsity in New York City. She has also worked for Verizon Fios 1 as a sports reporter. She acknowledges moving to Florida after a lifetime in the Northeast represents a major change, but it is one she is embracing.
“You’re asking me to move down to the beach and warm weather, so there’s not much trepidation,” she grins. “When I went down to hunt for apartments it was 80 degrees and sunny.”
When asked about her primary suggestion for success in the job market, she is quick to reply.
“Networking — you can never go wrong.”