(April 25, 2013) Craig Hoffman is a jack-of-all trades, and in his new job he’ll have opportunity to demonstrate it. An STAA client, Hoffman is joining ESPN 103.3 in Dallas as a reporter, anchor and host and board op.
“All the details of exactly how much of each, and other possibilities on the digital side, are TBD,” Hoffman says. He quickly adds, “The opportunity is everything I could have asked for.”
Hoffman is especially eager to work under veteran sports radio program director Tom Lee. “I’ve had an extraordinary amount of experience on my own considering my age, but I haven’t gotten the day in and day out coaching that I want and need. This opportunity puts me under an amazing group of programmers who are invested in me getting better. They know where I want to get and want to see me get there, especially since my dream job is attainable within this company.”
ESPN 103.3 is one of just four ESPN affiliates that is owned an operated by ABC/ESPN.
A 2012 graduate of Syracuse University, Hoffman had been in the job market for several months following a short time at a radio station in Lawrence, KS. His opportunity in Dallas came about through networking. “I interned at ESPN in 2011 and while there met all the ‘suits’ on the radio side and in the talent office. I kept in touch with them and they’ve mentored me since I was in college. When I got let go from my job in December, I made a trip up to Bristol and met with some of those people and they suggested I meet with someone in New York who suggested I reach out to Tom Lee in Dallas.”
As one might expect, Hoffman suggests networking to other job seekers as a valuable tool for career advancement. “Always check in and let people know how you’re doing and don’t forget to ask how they’re doing too. It’s imperative to network when you don’t need someone and they don’t need you. It’s all about relationships.”
As a senior at Syracuse, Hoffman earned STAA All-America honors as one of the top six collegiate sports broadcasters in the country. He has been an STAA client ever since.
“When I meet peers looking for jobs or younger people getting into the sports journalism field, the first thing I ask them is ‘have you joined STAA?’ In the middle of my unemployment I just started going down [STAA’s online Sports Radio and TV Directory] and calling/emailing every station I wanted to work at. One of the first one’s I emailed called me that afternoon and I wound up being a finalist for afternoon drive in a top 30 market thanks to an inside track. [STAA CEO] Jon Chelesnik loves to talk about the ‘19 reasons you should be an STAA client’ but most people don’t get past No. 2, which is the jobs being emailed to you. Use your resources. This industry is too hard to break into and move up in otherwise.”
Hoffman smiles, “I’m working for ESPN at age 23. What more could I reasonably ask for?”
(Visit Craig’s STAA Talent Page).