(January 31, 2019) Constant change is common in the early years of a sports broadcasting career. Jake Eisnenberg has experienced it, but whereas it once made him nervous, he now embraces it. His latest career change is taking Eisenberg to Richmond, VA where he is the new Communications & Broadcasting Assistant for Double-A baseball’s Flying Squirrels.
“The Flying Squirrels are an organization that’s enjoyed tremendous success since their inception, and they have a great reputation across Minor League Baseball,” says Eisenberg. “That reputation was more than affirmed by the support and excitement I saw from the crowd at last week’s annual Hot Stove Banquet.”
Eisenberg’s road to Richmond started in 2017 when he met Flying Squirrel’s Director of Communications and Broadcasting Trey Wilson at baseball’s Winter Meetings. “We’ve stayed in touch,” Eisenberg says. “I reached out to him to congratulate him after it was announced he’d be the new lead broadcaster and Director of Communications. Once I saw the posting for the communications and broadcast position, I sent him an email with samples of my work. He interviewed for me for the job in Las Vegas at this year’s Winter Meetings.”
Eisenberg moves to Double-A baseball after working last summer in an assistant position with the Class-A Winston-Salem Dash. He’s spending this off-season as a studio host for IMG College and broadcasting a variety of Wake Forest and Davidson University athletics on ESPN+. The baseball portion of Eisenberg’s resume also includes stops with the Brooklyn Cyclones and the Chatham Anglers.
The itinerant lifestyle of a young sports broadcaster used to be unnerving to Eisenberg. Not anymore. “One of the mental challenges I’ve faced is uncertainty at points—that you could be somewhere completely different six-to-eight months from any given time. But I’ve learned to look at that aspect of this industry in a more positive light. Six-to-eight months from now, for instance, there’s also chance to have a brand-new experience in a brand-new place and learn from brand-new people.
One thing Eisenberg is especially looking forward to about Richmond is learning from Wilson. “There’s a lot that he has to teach, and a lot that I have to learn,” he says.
Eisenberg is also excited to be part of Flying Squirrels Insider—a 30-minute, bi-weekly television series for which he will produce feature-length video pieces and gain on-camera experience.
Eisenberg joined STAA in 2017 on the recommendation of Westwood One play-by-play broadcaster Brandon Gaudin. “I’d tell someone who just joined STAA to make sure to take advantage of the resources at your disposal. The most valuable part of STAA to me has been the job leads. They’re a great way to not only find out about opportunities, but also to keep up with industry news,” suggests Eisenberg.
Keeping up on industry news helped lead Eisenberg to Richmond and he couldn’t be more excited. “From the get-go, it felt like the Flying Squirrels would be an all-around great fit.”
(Visit Jake’s website).