Applications for the 9th annual STAA All-America program open in March. If you’ve been on the fence about whether you should apply this year, I have 5 reasons why you absolutely should be submitting your demo for the Jim Nantz Award.
1. Have your demo seen by the best
The Jim Nantz Award winner and All-Americans are selected by a panel of top sports broadcasters and industry professionals.
Previous judges include Tom Boman, Learfield Sports Broadcast Manager; Mark Boyle, Indiana Pacers; Wes Durham, Atlanta Falcons & Georgia Tech University; Chris Ferris, VP-Broadcast Division IMG, Paul Keels, Cincinnati Reds & Ohio State University; Chuck Swirsky, Chicago Bulls; Mike Keith, Tennessee Titans; Bob Licht, New Orleans Hornets; Chuck Barrett, University of Arkansas; and Bill Roth, Virginia Tech University.
2. Honor your team
Simply by applying, you not only celebrate the work and dedication that you have put into preparing for your career, you honor the dedication of your team – the family and friends, professors, and mentors who have been part of your journey thus far.
“I also think it’s been a source of pride for everyone at Hofstra,” says Kevin Dexter, 2013 All-American, “If I remember right, we’ve had someone on the list every year for the last 8 years. Sharing the honor with them has been a really cool part of it. It’s nice to know that some of the younger guys that I helped when I was there, have received the honor as well.”
3. Raise the bar
Winning the Jim Nantz Award shines a spotlight on your work and sets you apart. As 2015 winner Eric Gallanty has discovered, the publicity and recognition generated by becoming a Jim Nantz Award winner makes the sportscasting industry aware of your good work.
“The Jim Nantz Award has given me so many opportunities just in a year since I was lucky enough to win it. Multiple times, I got newfound name recognition from people in the industry I had never met before and didn’t expect to have even seen the news. I was impressed with how wide-ranging the news of the award ended up being.”
2015 All-American David Fine agrees, “not many people that apply for the award seem to have done hockey and want to do ‘hockey first’. It’s helped me stand out from the fray of basketball/football announcers.”
4. Build relationships
As the winner, you’ll be attending the annual National Sports Media Association Awards weekend in Salisbury, NC. AKA, an opportunity to meet and speak with the best in the business.
Plus, including your All-America rank on your resume is an easy conversation point.
5. If you don’t apply, you won’t win.
To state the obvious: you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Your outstanding demo can’t be honored if our panel of judges never reviews your material.
Applications for the 9th annual Jim Nantz Award & STAA All-America Program open Friday, March 24th. Make sure that you are among this year’s applicants.
