Cohen new Huntsville Stars voice

(December 29, 2011) Not many broadcasters enter minor league baseball as the lead voice of a Double-A team, but that is exactly what Alex Cohen is doing. An STAA client, Cohen has been hired as Broadcasting and Media Relations Manager for the Huntsville Stars. The Stars are a Milwaukee Brewers affiliate.

“My dream is to become a baseball broadcaster and to be able to do that for at least one summer – I’m very much looking forward to it,” Cohen says.

Of the Stars past four broadcasters, Cohen is the third to be an STAA client, following Brett Pollock and Chad Anderson.

In addition to broadcasting play-by-play, Cohen will produce content for the Stars website and social media outlets. He’ll also be responsible for selling $10,000 worth of tickets, advertising and merchandise.

Cohen came across the Stars job through good old-fashioned networking. He says, “One day I emailed all the minor league baseball teams that didn’t have a broadcaster listed for the 2012 season. I emailed probably 70 teams or so. Huntsville emailed me back and told me what the position required.” Cohen eventually interviewed and was offered the job.

Last season, the Stars took a different approach to their play-by-play. Instead of a typical play-by-play call, they put their broadcaster in the stands to provide a fan’s perspective. This year, the team has given Cohen the green light return to a traditional broadcast.

A 2011 graduate of Indiana University, Cohen has spent the past three summers assisting in media relations and broadcasting with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs and the Gateway Grizzlies. He is grateful for the help he received from Matt Provence and Jon Schaeffer of the Iron Pigs and Adam Young of Gateway. “I’ve learned so much from them over the last three years. By watching how they go about their business on an everyday basis, they’ve served as great role models for how you’re supposed to do it.”

Cohen also appreciates the help he has received from STAA since joining in July. “I really can’t ask for more from STAA,” he says. “They’ve been so helpful, from all the info in the forums, to the [monthly] eBlasts and live chats. Its so important for someone like myself at 23 who is coming up in the industry to learn both [the talent and employment] sides of the industry, and that’s what STAA does.”

Cohen has also aggressively utilized his STAA Talent Page.

“It’s helped so much. In this age with email being so important, being able to email your audio demo, resume, writing samples and video samples to an employer at the click of button makes it so easy for them to see what you bring to the table.”

Cohen’s advice to other job seekers is to be aggressive contacting employers. “The worst they can do is say no or not respond. Don’t be afraid to make that call or send that email. I had a lot of people say no but it only takes one yes.”

(Visit Alex’s STAA Talent Page).