(June 5, 2017) TJ Chillot was on his way out the door of his home when he saw a job lead from STAA arrive in his email. “Instantly, I stopped, turned around, and applied right then and there,” Chillot says. The position was with minor league hockey’s Mississippi RiverKings. Now, Chillot is their Broadcaster/Community Relations Director.
The job lead was exclusively for STAA members. It was not published on the STAA job board.
“If I had to guess, I would assume I was one of the first two or three people to apply for the position, and I think that’s big,” Chillot smiles.
Chillot’s resume includes studio work for Lehigh Valley Phantoms hockey and Lehigh Valley IronPigs baseball, and for NCAA Division I athletics at Lehigh University.
“The RiverKings give me the chance to get out from behind the walls of the studio and pursue the play-by-play career I’ve always desired,” says Chillot.
In addition to broadcasting and media relations duties, Chillot will assist the RiverKings sales and marketing departments.
Something that Chillot credits for helping in his pursuit of the Mississippi opportunity is keeping his website and social media accounts up to date.
“I curated each outlet with every chance I got, adding new demos and clips constantly to make sure that the best of the best was always front and center.”
Chillot also made a priority of featuring his personality on social media.
“I was able to express how my work comes through on a professional level, but to also showcase my personality on a personal level, says Chillot. “I know if I were hiring for a position in sportscasting, I would want someone who is not only good at the job, but was also a likable person who would fit in with the culture of the organization. I wanted prospective employers to see that I was one of those people.”
Chillot has been an STAA member for five months.
“Even before the job application process, STAA was the crutch I leaned on,” he says. “I am young in this business, and the compass I use to point me in the right direction is STAA. I use the Resources page to purchase equipment that made my demos sound better, used the resume scorecard (available on the STAA Members site) to make sure I had the best on paper I possibly could, and last but not least – the community of other STAA Members. Every question I had, and every problem I was facing, had already been dealt with by someone else and the support group was there.
“From that first phone call I got from Jon when I signed up to the countless resources, I learned very quickly that I’m not alone in this business and STAA was my biggest help. Without STAA – I would probably still be spinning my tires as to what my next move should be and how to do it.”