(December 31, 2012) Dawn is breaking over the next step in Eli Pearlstein’s career. An STAA client, Pearlstein is the new Director of Media Relations and Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Hagerstown Suns.

The Suns are the full-season Class-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals.

“This is a good opportunity for me for several reasons. For one, it’s the next level up from where I was last season. I’ll also be getting to call more games (70 vs. 38), plus I’ll be getting paid more than I was last season,” says Pearlstein, who spent last season with the short-season Auburn Doubledays.

“I’m also excited to be staying within the Nationals organization (my hometown team) and to not have to move too far from home this time, after spending the past two summers in North Carolina and New York.”

Pearlstein first saw the Suns opening in an STAA email. From there, he pulled out every trick in his arsenal to ensure his application was noticed.

“As soon as I saw the posting I knew this was the perfect opportunity for me, so I immediately sent in an email application, and I also mailed a hard copy of my application the next day,” Pearlstein explains.

“Then, I sent emails to a couple of contacts within the Nationals organization whom I have gotten to know over the past year, asking if they knew the GM at Hagerstown and if they could speak to him on my behalf. This was right around the time of the Winter Meetings, and so sure enough one of my Nationals contacts that I emailed saw [Suns GM] Bill Farley on the flight back from the winter meetings and mentioned my name to him. The next week Bill shot me an email, saying he had received my application and we scheduled a phone interview, and the process moved pretty quickly from there.”

In the two years since graduating from USC, Pearlstein has built out his baseball resume. In addition to spending last season with the Doubledays, he also has done stints with the Wilson Tobs, Kannapolis Intimidators, and the Alexandria Aces.

Pearlstein is looking forward to capitalizing on his season with the Doubledays in the coming year at his new post.

“I have a unique opportunity in the sense that I’m sure a number of players who will start the season in Hagerstown probably spent time in Auburn last year, so I will get to see how a lot of players develop from their first professional season to their second.

“Thank you [to STAA] for sending along the initial job posting email. Wouldn’t have known about the opening without it.”

Adam Jones is taking over the evening airwaves on Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub. An STAA client, Jones has been named the Sports Hub’s evening host, and will man the 6PM to 11PM slot. Jones’ first day will be Wednesday, January 2.

Jones returns to 98.5 The Sports Hub from ESPN where he was host of the online “Adam Jones Show.” Jones also was a fill-in host and anchor of various pregame and post-game shows on the ESPN Radio Network. Prior to that, Jones worked at 98.5 The Sports Hub where he was a fill-in host and had a weekend show with Boston sports writer Dan Shaughnessy. Jones began is sports broadcasting in 2006 at the former 890 ESPN where he spent three years covering Boston teams.

“It’ll be great to have Adam back at The Sports Hub. We had a lot of very good candidates apply for this job, but with his previous work here and the experience he gained after leaving the Sports Hub, Adam was the clear choice.” said Thomas when making the announcement. “Damon did a fantastic job coming into this market and hosting the evening show. I’m confident Adam can pick up where D.A. left off and continue to grow the audience.”

“I am thrilled to be back at The Sports Hub, especially taking over for D.A. who is one of the best in the business and has built a powerhouse show,” said Jones. “I look forward to working with everyone to continue the station’s incredible success and to bring a little of my own perspective and humor to weeknights.”

Jones replaces Damon Amendolara, who was named the overnight host of “The D.A. Show” on the national CBS Sports Radio network.

Read more at CBS Boston where this story was originally published.

(December 20, 2012) It is still December, but STAA client Greg Murray already has a good reason to be looking forward to spring of 2013. Murray has been selected as the Binghamton Mets Broadcasting & Media Relations Assistant for the 2013 season.

The Binghamton Mets are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to get my first chance in minor league baseball. It’s a unique opportunity for me to be able to jump right into Double-A out of college, and I am ready for the challenge,” Murray says.

After discovering the job opening on the STAA forums, Murray opted to send his demo and resume the more traditional route – through the post office.

“I saw the job posting on STAA, and I sent my resume, demo, and other materials to Tim Heiman in the mail. Tim then gave me a chance to interview for the spot, and he made the offer after we had talked on the phone a few times.”

Murray spent the summer with the Battle Creek Bombers, calling 70 college baseball games in 75 days as the voice of the Bombers.

2013 will be a landmark year for Murray, not just because it will mark his first venture into affiliated baseball, but also because he will join the ranks of college graduates. Murray will graduate from Indiana University where he is the voice of Hoosiers volleyball.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders proudly announce the hiring of Andrew Kappes as the team’s new media relations and broadcasting assistant. An STAA client, Kappes comes to NEPA after spending two seasons in a similar role with the Lexington (KY) Legends of the Class-A South Atlantic League. His tenure with the club will begin on Jan. 14.

“I am very excited to join the RailRiders organization,” said Kappes, who will assist the newly hired director of media relations and broadcasting, John Sadak. “I thank [RailRiders president and general manager] Mr. [Rob] Crain and Mr. Sadak for the opportunity to call games for the top minor-league affiliate of the most prestigious organization in all of baseball, the New York Yankees.”

Kappes’ career in professional baseball began at the age of 14 with an independent league club in northern Kentucky, writing game recaps and helping anchor the team’s pregame radio show. The 22-year-old received his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Northern Kentucky University, where he called games for the school’s basketball, baseball and soccer teams. He also spent time in the broadcast booth for the University of Cincinnati baseball program.

“A number of very qualified candidates applied for this position at the Winter Meetings,” said Sadak. “Andrew’s experience, skill set and personality readily stood out. His past employers offered high praise for his talents and work ethic. We are very excited for what he will bring to our fans in his multifaceted role during the 2013 season.”

(December 14, 2012) Tony Desiere can add another check mark to his list of career goals: national sports talk host. An STAA client, Desiere is joining Yahoo! Sports Radio.

“It has always been a goal to make it to a national network,” Desiere says.

After breaking into radio in 1993, Desiere started his sports talk career in 1998 in Las Vegas. Since then, he has also hosted in Colorado Springs, CO Charleston, SC and Denver, CO. He is the third STAA client hired by Yahoo! Sports Radio this year and the eighth hired by a national network in 2012.

The opportunity came to Desiere after Yahoo! Sports Radio PD Craig Larson asked STAA CEO Jon Chelesnik for referrals of clients who might be interested and qualified. “I got an email from STAA about a [stealth] opportunity with a sports network and I figured…why not see where this might go,” says Desiere. “A few days later I got an email from Jon to call the PD at Yahoo Sports Radio. I got it on the day we left for Disney World so I spent most of my vacation thinking about this opportunity.”

The timing of Desiere’s new job is perfect. He and his wife Lori had recently relocated to Nashville from Denver, but Desiere was having a hard time cracking the lineup in a local market featuring veteran hosts and little turnover.

“It was hard to get into the talk scene having just moved to the market,” Desiere says. “Guys here have lived in the city almost their whole lives so I didn’t have the in-depth team knowledge yet. Plus the local guys don’t have a tendency to move to other cities, so openings for talk hosts in Nashville were slim to none.”

Though Yahoo! Sports Radio is headquartered in Houston, TX, Desiere won’t have to relocate. Instead, he’ll do his shows from his home studio. He’s been producing syndicated sports updates from his home for the past 10 years, so he already has the necessary equipment. “All I needed was an ISDN line installed and a codec unit. Both were easy enough to get so now the studio is complete and ready to go.

“Thanks [STAA] for the heads up on this opening, and thanks for sending along my Talent Page. I really appreciate it.”

(December 12, 2012) When Marshall Kelner landed his summer 2012 gig as the voice of the Battle Creek Bombers, he was looking forward to the 70 game season of the Northwoods League. Now, Kelner is looking forward to taking a crack at a season that is twice as long. An STAA client, Kelner has been hired as the Broadcasting and Media Relations Assistant for the Harrisburg Senators.

The Senators are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals.

“It has been a struggle at times, but this makes all my hard work pay off. I am thrilled to break in with a Double-A organization and learn from veteran broadcaster Terry Byrom. I know this is a big step for me in my career and will serve me well going forward,” Kelner says.

“I am especially looking forward to being apart of the grind of a 140 game season for the first time. That grind is one of my favorite parts of baseball, and anyone who truly loves the game knows what I mean.”

Kelner received notice of the Senators opening in an STAA email. “I knew there would be lots of competition for it, but I was very excited by the opportunity to work for a great organization in Double A.”

A longtime Minnesota Twins fan, Kelner is looking forward to working with Senators manager Matthew LeCroy, who is a former Twins player. There will also be bountiful opportunities to make other new connections.

“I know I will meet a lot more people that will have a big impact on my career. I can’t wait to get started and see the future stars of the Washington Nationals play on an everyday basis in Harrisburg.”

After graduating from USC in 2011, Kelner spent a season with the Chico Outlaws. From there, Kelner moved to the Minnesota Sports Broadcast Network as a play-by-play announcer for football and basketball.

Kelner enjoys the simplicity of using his STAA Talent Page for job applications.

“STAA has been an incredible asset to me ever since I became a member. Having the talent page with everything on there makes it so easy to send to employers, rather than having to send multiple files and attachments.”

Of course, Kelner also appreciates receiving job lead emails.

“I’ve applied to a lot of jobs through STAA, and I finally got one. I feel incredibly humbled and excited to receive this opportunity.”

(Visit Marshall’s STAA Talent Page).

Chris Moore has done it all in sports radio. His newest gig is another turn as a national sports talk radio host. An STAA client, Moore is joining CBS Sports Radio as weeknight host. Moore will co-host with former NFL player Brian Jones.

Moore is the eighth STAA client to join a national network this year. (One has yet to be announced.) The duo will be based out of CBS Sports Radio’s New York City studio and heard on several stations, including WIP-AM (Philadelphia), WFOM-AM (Atlanta), WXYT-AM (Detroit), WJZ-AM (Baltimore), KJQS-AM (Salt Lake City), and WSJZ-FM (Orlando), weekdays from 6:00-10:00PM, ET on-air and streaming online.

This isn’t Moore’s first crack at national sports talk radio. He has hosted on ESPN Radio, Fox Sports and Sirius NFL. Most recently, Moore was hosting on WFAN-AM in New York City.

Moore’s play-by-play resume is similarly extensive. He has served as the voice of the NHL’s Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils, and has broadcast NBA and Major League Baseball games on ESPN Radio.

(December 6, 2012) Job applications can sometimes become a networking tool — you may not get the position you apply for, but that employer might know someone else that is hiring. STAA client Mike Coleman was fortunate to find that to be the truth. Coleman is the new play-by-play voice of the Klamath Falls Gems of the West Coast League.

After four years of high school play-by-play in Michigan, Coleman felt he was ready for a bigger challenge. He applied for a job opening with a different team on the STAA job forum. Coleman didn’t get the first job, but the GM of that team forwarded his application to Grant Wilson, the Gems GM.

“Grant contacted me, thought my audio demos and experience adequate, and offered me the play-by-play for both home and road games of their 54 game season,” Coleman explains.

“The Gems carry all their games on the local AM radio sports station, which is exciting for me, as all my previous play-by-play experience has been Internet broadcasting only.”

Coleman is excited about more than just the opportunity to be heard over the radio airwaves.

“Having the chance to take a ‘step up’ so to speak, and be an asset within an organization and league that is all about development on so many levels seemed like a good fit. The increased schedule load of calling a longer season allows me to hone my skills and gain valuable experience.”

Though he appreciates how his Talent Page condenses resume, demo, and writing samples into one link for easy email applications, Coleman says the Talent Page also adds to his branding.

“I also believe having an STAA talent page conveys a professional image, and that you take serious your intentions to market your talents and experience.

“I definitely think having exposure on STAA helped out, so thanks to you,” Coleman says.

“To be able to join an organization like the Gems is humbling and I am extremely grateful and fortunate for the opportunity.”

(Visit Mike’s STAA Talent Page).

(November 29, 2012) Six STAA clients will be calling high school football games this month, featuring some of the nation’s top players. Greg Talbott (Portland, OR), Rob Dawson (Northern VA), Aaron Berlin (Wichita, KS), Eric Gotschall (Des Moines, IA), Andy Towne (Greenwich, CT) and Scott Miller (Kansas City, MO) will be broadcasting for All-American Games.

All-American Games is the creator of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and Football University (FBU). The STAA quintet will be broadcasting video webcasts for the 2012 FBU National Championship. The FBU National Championship is a 64-team tournament, featuring invitation-only players and culminating in the title game January 6th at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio.

The broadcast opportunities came when All-American Games contacted STAA to help fill the positions. STAA emailed the lead to Premier members.

For Talbott, the broadcasting assignment takes him back to his roots. “They’re playing the [local] games at Lake Oswego High School, where I started calling games in high school. Nostalgia time,” Talbott grins.

A senior at Gonzaga, Talbott was ranked the 7th-best collegiate sportscaster in the nation in STAA’s 2012 All-America program.

Rob Dawson is a 2010 graduate of the University of Maryland. He does play-by-play of high school sports for Gameday Broadcast Network, and is a producer at 106.7 The Fan in Fairfax, VA.

Aaron Berlin graduated this year from the University of Kansas. He is a play-by-play broadcaster for 810Varsity.com in Kansas City and a former sports director at KU’s student station KJHK.

Eric Gotschall is Director of Sports Operations at M&H Broadcasting in Pella, IA.

Andy Towne is a 20120 graduate of Northeastern University. He broadcasts TV play-by-play for Ocean State Networks in Rhode Island.

Scott Miller lives near Kansas City. His football play-by-play resume includes Norwich University and fill-in work for Ottawa (KS) University.

“Thanks for your help and support,” says Gotschall. “Without STAA, I would have never known about this opportunity in my backyard.”

(November 27, 2012) Curt Lowe started in radio in 1988. Almost always, his duties have included sales full-time and broadcasting part-time. Only now, though, his duties will be sportscasting only and Lowe couldn’t be happier. An STAA client since 2010, Lowe has accepted the Sports Director’s job at KUTT-FM in Fairbury, NE.

“This is the opportunity that I would have wanted 24 years ago when I got out of broadcasting school,” Lowe smiles as he recalls his years in broadcasting and sales. “I never really wanted to be a salesman but circumstances led that way, ultimately, it’s always been my dream to be a professional sports broadcaster. I was a full-time sales person for 24 years and a part-time broadcaster for 11, now I can do what I want rather than doing what I have to.”

Lowe moves to KUTT from Perry, IA where he had been doing sales and play-by-play since April. Prior to that, he’d spent 10 years in Sarasota, FL. He’s also worked in Minnesota.

The Fairbury opportunity came to Lowe through STAA. KUTT has hired several STAA clients over the years, so when the Sports Director job opened, they asked STAA for recommendations. Lowe was one of the names STAA suggested. The station ultimately hired someone else, but when that didn’t work out, they called Lowe.

“Since I re-entered the broadcasting field full-time a year ago August I’ve gotten both of my professional broadcasting jobs through [STAA]. How could I not be more grateful? [STAA] has changed my life.”

(Visit Curt’s STAA Talent Page).