Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Welcome to the One Minute Drill, today we’re going to talk about the number one mistake
made by young aspiring Sportscasters. Now, it can be painful to watch sometimes, but
people that are just starting out think that the key is to have a really cool “catchphrase”.
It’s the biggest mistake you could make, it’s unimportant.
Guys like Stuart Scott and Chris Berman took a long time developing their craft before
they felt comfortable working on and delivering catchphrases. When you’re first starting
out you have to stick to the fundamentals – work on your writing skills, your knowledge,
your presentation skills, how to change your voice for proper inflection, concepts like
that. I am not a professional Sportscaster, I have
never been a Sportscaster, but I have hired Sportscasters when I was a News Director and
I have worked with hundreds of Sportscasters when I was a Producer. When I review demo
reels and it’s somebody throwing out every catchphrase they can think of, it is as if
they are throwing out all their money on lottery tickets just hoping that something will stick
and that will make me a star! That is not what most News Directors are looking for.
News Directors are looking for solid, comfortable people on camera that are knowledgeable, can
tell stories and that journalism is important to them. I don’t want to hear “BOOM Goes
the Dynamite” I want to see your personality come through and your intelligence and charisma
come though on camera. Credibility is key when you are first starting out, the audience
has to believe you, that is the most important think to worry about, not some catchphrase.