(May 6 2014) When Jared Sandler joined STAA during his senior year in college, he said his ultimate goal was to work in his hometown of Dallas, TX. Less than four years later, mission accomplished. Sandler is joining 103.3 ESPN.
“I’ll be assuming various on-air roles, ranging from hosting a weekend show to hosting pre/post game for the Mavs and Rangers, doing SportsCenter updates, and filling in as a producer/host elsewhere for starters,” Sander says excitedly.
While Sandler’s goal has always been to return to Dallas, he wasn’t going to simply settle for the first thing that came along.
“While I have always kept my eye on opportunities in my home market, I wasn’t willing to compromise my career growth just to move home.”
Sandler’s road home was not a direct one. After graduating from the University of Southern California in Spring 2011, he spent one summer broadcasting baseball in Great Falls, MT. That was followed by two years in Midland, MI where he continued to call baseball, but added college basketball play-by-play, a daily sports talk show, and Program Director responsibilities at the local ESPN affiliate.
Working in their hometown is a dream for many sportscasters. Sandler suggests that relationship building is one way to make it happen.
“The opportunity to work in my hometown did not come about because I was the best candidate for the job,” he says. “I spent years growing up interning for media outlets and have maintained relationships with several people in the market and cultivated new ones with others. I think it is important to genuinely take the time to talk to someone when you network and communicate with each person individually, not just by sending a lifeless message that has no personal touch to it. I would encourage people to reach out to people in their target destination to both seek advice, but to also grow your tree of industry friends.”
Sandler also credits STAA for its part in helping build his career.
“The advice I’ve received from [STAA CEO Jon] Chelesnik is invaluable. I can confidently acknowledge that he is very responsible for a lot of my success. His various philosophies are time-tested and well thought out, while, at the same time, he always considers alternatives and is willing to consider different approaches for each situation. With that, I’ve received a lot of general and specific guidance. I encourage industry peers to take advantage of the resources STAA provides.
“Having the challenge to get on-air experience in a major market is a tremendous opportunity and with this specific major market being the place I was born and raised, it just makes it that much more special.”
(Visit Jared’s STAA Talent Page).