(May 4, 2017) This month, Trevor Williams graduates from Washington State University. Later this summer, he is traveling coast to coast to begin his post-college career. Williams, an STAA member, is joining the University of North Carolina at Pembroke to be the play-by-play voice for the university’s athletic video streams.
“UNCP offered a great variety of sports to cover, including football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, soccer, wrestling, and softball. Alongside play-by-play broadcasting, there’s also an opportunity to work with and generate content for all of the 16 varsity athletic programs,” Williams smiles.
Technically, the position is an internship but it is a paid position and includes social and digital media responsibilities.
“I could tell right away that the department is committed to each of its teams, and producing high-quality content and broadcasts. I’m also excited to branch out of the Pacific Northwest and explore a new region of the U.S,” Williams says excitedly.
During college, Williams has maintained a busy schedule. His play-by-play experience includes three years as the Director of Communications for the Wenatchee Applesox and fill-in work for WSU IMG Network.
Knowing that the current sports broadcasting job market requires multimedia experience, Williams has been careful to develop his non-broadcasting skills.
“Recently, I’ve been working a lot on developing my graphic design/Photoshop skills, and I think those were a helpful thing to be able to show to an employer. Coming from Washington State University, I also believe that spending the last four years in my university’s athletic communications department, as a student assistant, helped me gain real-world skills that I could apply to my work, right away. Being able to produce and edit videos was also an important skill for the position.”
Williams learned of the UNC Pembroke opening from an STAA Job Leads email, but that’s not the only resource he’s used.
“The biggest thing STAA does for me is accumulate extremely useful content and resources all in one place. The member makeovers have been pivotal in helping me design my website, and tweak my resume and cover letters. The job leads are a huge time saver, and have helped me quickly evaluate the best places to focus my job-hunting efforts.
“It’s also been extremely valuable to be able to learn by watching and listening to all of the other STAA members out there. I love gaining insight from multiple perspectives, and having an entire community of passionate sports broadcasters to connect with continues to make me a better broadcaster!”