(September 18, 2015) The late sportscaster Charlie Jones advised aspiring sportscasters to go where the jobs are. That is exactly what Corey Brooks is doing. The Florida native is on his way to Bismarck, North Dakota to call play-by-play for BEK.
“BEK gives me an opportunity to continue my play-by-play career, which is what I really love doing,” says Brooks. “And I get to call games for a great company in an area that is passionate about sports.”
At BEK, Brooks’ title is Live Event Director. While his primary role is play-by-play, he will help with all elements of the broadcast. “We go all over North Dakota to broadcast live games that are distributed throughout the state.”
A 2015 graduate of the University of Florida, Brooks was able to find a job more quickly than many new graduates. Still, it took longer than he wanted it to. “Obviously, graduating you want to get started on the next thing right away,” he says. “Even if you find the perfect opportunity, it’s a slow process.”
While in Gainesville, Brooks earned several honors for broadcasting excellence, including the Red Barber Sports Award from UF’s College of Journalism and several awards from the Associated Press. He spent all four years of school as a sports anchor/producer at WRUF-TV and called play-by-play for various Gator’s sports.
Leaving Florida is not an issue for Brooks. “I was prepared to go far from home when I started looking for jobs,” he smiles. “The only real shift that I’m nervous about is the weather. Can’t imagine North Dakota being too kind to a lifetime Floridian.”
(Visit Corey’s website).