Hayden Smith did it all at Indiana University — from radio and video play-by-play to TV anchoring and reporting. It is the latter that helped Smith land his first post-graduate job. He’s joining WJHG TV in Panama City, FL as a sports anchor/reporter.
The opportunity came to Smith in an STAA Job Leads+ email. He joined STAA in February. “I’m beyond grateful for the help that STAA provided for me throughout my job search.”
Smith’s reporting experience came at the Hoosier Network. He was a beat reporter for Hoosier’s basketball, baseball and soccer and an editor for all beats. Later, he was promoted to Content Manager.
Smith’s passion for sportscasting started in 202 during the pandemic. “Fans were unable to attend basketball games at my high school. Alongside my dad and one of my good friends, we started our school’s first-ever broadcasting network.” The network has grown into one of the top high school sports networks in southern Indiana under Smith’s supervision.
Now the jack-of-all-trades will be contributing to the sports staff at WJHG.