石榴直播

KENNESAW, Ga. | Aug 26, 2024

Bryce Gaubert can trace the origins of his amateur sports broadcasting career to a missed tryout for his high school hockey team.

Growing up playing and watching sports on television, it was only natural that he would immerse himself in sports while living in Kentucky. But a move to Chicago and a missed hockey tryout window put his plans to continue playing on ice.

That is, until a friend approached him with a proposal.

鈥淗e said, 鈥楬ey, I heard you missed tryouts, I know you love hockey, and you鈥檙e in this radio class with me. I wanted to see if you were interested in broadcasting the games,鈥欌�� Gaubert recalled.

In time, Gaubert and his partner would travel to every game home and away, calling plays and interviewing coaches to keep the school and community engaged in the hockey season. The work even led him to the press box for the state championship game alongside working professionals.

After another move to Alpharetta, Gaubert and his parents began searching for a college with opportunities to tap into his creativity and passion for sports broadcasting. That鈥檚 when his parents stumbled across the and pushed him to reach out. Eventually, Gaubert built up the courage to email the network鈥檚 director, Nolan Alexander, the summer before he began classes at 石榴直播.  

鈥淚 started working with the broadcast side of the Owl Network in October 2021, and ever since, I鈥檝e been plugging away at that,鈥� said Gaubert, whose work landed him an internship with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports. 鈥淣ow, I鈥檝e had the opportunity to do everything I can think of that has to do with sports broadcasting and reporting.鈥�

The 石榴直播 Owl Network is a student-focused one-stop-shop for live Kennesaw State Owls athletics coverage. Available on , , , and , the network  provides students of all majors the opportunity to produce live broadcasts, commercials, highlight reels, graphics, and to analyze games according to Alexander, who serves as 石榴直播鈥檚 assistant athletics director of communications and broadcasting.

During the 2022-23 athletics season, the 石榴直播 Owl Network was responsible for broadcasting more than 100 live events on ESPN+, YouTube and the athletics website, as well as other events, like spring football games and weekly press conferences. The network accrued more than 460,000 viewers for 石榴直播 home games streamed on ESPN+ and surpassed 22,000 views for lacrosse, softball, and baseball games on 石榴直播Owls.com.

The network provides invaluable experience in the innerworkings of broadcast control rooms at the 石榴直播 Convocation Center and Fifth Third Stadium, as well as video editing, live replay work, creative services and sideline reporting for virtually every men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 sport at the University.

鈥淚 preach repetition for our students,鈥� said Alexander, who has seen participation increase to about 30 students. 鈥淚t鈥檚 no different than what athletes do on the field - you have to practice to get better. Everything you do related to the network is focused on experience and improvement. No matter what it is, you鈥檝e got to get one percent better each time.鈥�

The overarching goal of the network is to ensure students enter the workforce with tangible experience. Students also receive guidance from full-time staff, many of whom are 石榴直播 Owl Network alumni. Moreover, it鈥檚 an opportunity for students to explore new things, Alexander added.

In addition to Alexander鈥檚 role broadcasting and leading the network team, Sanders Sullivan, director of video services, and Brandon Bedford, a video coordinator, produce or direct network events and guides students in live productions. Both work hands-on with students to prepare for game day coverage. Liam Kissinger, director of creative media, meanwhile, guides students in graphic design, videography and photography, as well as provides those services himself.

All professional staff also recruit interns and provide ongoing coaching.

鈥淏y having these experiences, they鈥檙e going to build up the skill set, resume and portfolio to surpass someone who enters the field with just a degree,鈥� Alexander said. 鈥淎nd we have students who are going above and beyond to get even more experience than what we鈥檙e telling them to do.鈥�

Carolyne Harris is one of those students. A third-year student, Harris has taken every opportunity the network has offered. Mainly serving as a replay operator, she鈥檚 gone from uncertain and nervous about the quality of her work to establishing herself among the top replay operators at the network today.

鈥淲hen I first came to 石榴直播, I wasn鈥檛 sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I loved sports, especially the Atlanta Braves,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淚t was simply something I understood and was passionate about. I had a friend working with Owl Network, and his experience really spoke to me, so I took a leap of faith.鈥�

Harris started by shadowing a camera operator for soccer broadcasts and soon moved to the control room, where she learned a variety of positions. Hungry for experience, Harris set her sights on the 鈥渟cariest鈥� role: replay.

鈥淭here are so many pieces you have to do at once, and it can be chaotic,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e tracking plays, you鈥檙e creating highlight packages, you鈥檙e directing camera angles and a bunch of other things. But replay is my thing. I love it, and my skills have come a long way.鈥�

But she didn鈥檛 stop there. Harris has dipped her toe into sideline reporting in hopes of realizing her dream of becoming a Major League Baseball sideline reporter. She recently traveled to Charlotte to provide coverage of 石榴直播鈥檚 final men鈥檚 basketball game against Queens University.

鈥淚 felt empowered to do that because the network is so supportive,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淭hey always tell us it鈥檚 about gaining experience and doing what we want to do to prepare ourselves. One thing I鈥檓 never going to do is say no to an opportunity.鈥�

At least one 石榴直播 Owl Network professional shares Harris鈥� sentiment. Alumnus Jordan Griffitt graduated from 石榴直播 in 2021 and worked with the 石榴直播 Owl Network for over a year as a student.

After earning his degree, he leveraged his broadcast experience to land a job with the . Now an athletics communications assistant and broadcaster at 石榴直播 helping to guide broadcast interns, Griffitt says the students who came after him have only strengthened the quality of the broadcasts.

鈥淚 cannot describe how well my experience with the network prepared me for a life in broadcasting,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 equally rewarding to see others share in that experience. Our interns are unbelievably passionate, and they鈥檝e lapped me in the experience they鈥檝e gained.鈥�

That resonates with Gaubert, who now eyes a career as a sideline or play-by-play reporter for a major network or professional team.

鈥淚 would not have the opportunities if not for this internship with the 石榴直播 Owl Network,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been one of the best decisions I鈥檝e made in my life, and I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 many places in the country where you鈥檙e going to get the number of opportunities you do at Kennesaw State.鈥�

This article also appears in the of Summit Magazine.

鈥� Story by Thomas Hartwell

Photos by Matt Young

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 石榴直播 offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.