(September 12, 2019) Intelligent follow-up and a sportscasting job market version of Carpool Karaoke have landed Casey Bryant as Director of Communications and broadcaster for Danbury Hat Tricks hockey.
The opportunity came through an exclusive STAA job leads tip. Bryant applied immediately but didn’t hear back for three weeks. “I sent a brief follow-up reiterating my interest in the position, and received a call back five minutes after sending it, he recounts. “Turns out I caught their owner [Herm Sorcher] driving and he decided to give me an on-the-spot interview. He called me in to meet in person a few days later and by the end of the week, I had a job offer.”
Bryant joined STAA upon the recommendations of fellow STAA member Bret Leuthner and agent Seth Mayeri in the spring of his senior year at Marist. Since graduating in 2017, he’s been working as an editor at MSG Networks and doing freelance play-by-play.
“The time had come to really sink my teeth into a team and assume a larger role in their business and media departments. I’m extremely excited to do so in a hockey market like Danbury and with a fresh new team like the Hat Tricks,” says Bryant. “It will be a great opportunity to gain vital hands-on experience to hopefully propel my career in the right direction.”
The Danbury application process underscored for Bryant the importance of following-up applications. “It is vitally important,” he says. “I imagine it’s very hard for an employer when the job gets initially posted and they get inundated with new applications and emails. I’ve found that to avoid getting lost in the shuffle, sending short but personal follow-up emails helps get responses one way or the other.”
Another valuable lesson Bryant has learned is to be genuine in the job interview. “The first five minutes of my in-person interview was a conversation about our mutual love of Randy Johnson and it ended with reciting lyrics from A Chorus Line. Let your personality shine,” Bryant suggests.
Bryant interviewed for several hockey jobs this summer. He failed to make himself a victim whenever he came up short. Instead, he took a realistic view of why it was happening.
“I’ve made it to the final round of interviews for teams at the USHL, NAHL and ECHL level thanks to STAA,” he says. “Almost all of them said the same thing when the final decision came: ‘we love you and your work, but we went with someone a bit older.’ It’s hard to argue with your own date of birth. I just celebrated my 24th birthday.”
Bryant says the age concern makes sense, even though he’s been a working broadcaster and an employee of a prestigious sports network in New York City since 2015.”It’s understandable that someone with a year or two more in the business, who perhaps has more hands-on experience in sales and media relations, appeals as the safer bet.
“By assuming that kind of role with the Hat Tricks, it feels a bit like vindication that I’ve been on the right path and that when the time comes that I get back in the room with an ECHL or AHL team, I’ll have pro sales and media relations experience to point to.”
“It’s a lot on the plate but I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work.”
(Visit Casey’s website).