![]() Chloe Wilson-Henline The PR Playbook for Sports speakers knocked it out of the park! Students had the opportunity to learn from three public relations professionals in the sports industry at the September general meeting. Cleveland Guardians Assistant Communications Director Austin Controulis preached the importance of professionalism and “having good feel.” He described this as knowing the situation you’re in and acting accordingly. “Someone is always watching you,” Controulis said. “Having good feel can carry you a long way in this industry.” Each speaker gave their best advice on how to make it in the sports industry. Kristyn Hibbett, Corporate Communications Coordinator at the Cleveland Cavaliers, started her full-time journey with the Cavaliers in March. She is a 2022 graduate of the PRKent program. Hibbett urged everyone in attendance to not be afraid to ask questions. She described her first big project and how she “winged” it. This led to some mistakes being made and a pushback on the release day. “I’m kind of glad it happened that way,” Hibbett said. “It showed me how people on my team and in my department were really rooting for me.” Tara Byrne, an Account Executive at Falls and Co., explained to attendees the importance of making connections. “The people on campus are a really good resource for you,” said Byrne. “They really want to help you.” Byrne worked in the Sports Information Department at her university. The department director connected her to someone on campus where she interned her senior year. This connection resulted in her receiving a letter of recommendation, which she credits to her hiring at Falls and Co. At Falls and Co., Byrne works on an account for the Senior Players Championship golf tournament held at the Firestone Country Club in Akron. Falls and Co. is one of the only agencies that has the opportunity to work with the PGA tour. The PR Playbook for Sports was a success with more than 50 students in attendance. Sophomore PR major Savannah Mallozzi was eager to hear from these PR professionals. “It was awesome to meet people from big organizations who are so well-known,” Mallozzi said. Junior PR major Jess Davis hopes to have a career in the sports industry one day. She listened intently to all of the advice given by the speakers. “It was nice to hear them talk about experience and how much you need it,” Davis said. “I want to start filling up my resume.” Before attendees headed home to catch the Browns vs. Steelers game, Hibbett shared some final advice. “Always ask what you can do,” Hibbett said. “It really just goes a long way because it shows you want to be there, you want to learn and that they can trust you.”
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![]() Blake Serrano Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Co-Chair Q: How long have you been a member of PRSSA? A: This is my third year as a member of PRSSA. Q: What is your favorite part about being on the exec board? A: Being able to network and collaborate with people who have similar interests as me! Q: What has been your favorite class so far? A: PR Case Studies Q: If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? A: Quesadilla Q: Who would you want to be stranded on a deserted island with? A: Taylor Swift Q: What is a fun fact about yourself? A: I have a twin! ![]() Cassidy Grentz VP of Fundraising and Community Outreach. Q: How long have you been a member of PRSSA? A: “I have been a member of PRSSA Kent since my freshman year. I joined the executive board last year as the Fundraising and Community Outreach Chair.” Q: What is your favorite part about being on the exec board? A: “My favorite part about being on the executive board is the endless networking opportunities and the friendships.” Q: What has been your favorite class so far? A: “My favorite PR class I’ve taken so far is media relations. I loved working one on one with a client and providing them with my ideas to meet their business goals.” Q: If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? A: “If I could only eat one meal for the rest of my life, I would easily pick pizza because it's customizable and delicious.” Q: Who would you want to be stranded on a deserted island with? A: “If I was stranded on a deserted island I would want to be with my best friend Mekka. She’s funny and can be resourceful when she wants to be.” Q: What is a fun fact about yourself? A: “My fun fact is that I was on a crew (rowing) team for 3 years.” ![]() A girl used to take workbook photocopies out of the scrap paper bins at school and play school in her backyard. She would set up folding chairs, picnic table benches and invite the neighborhood children over. The children would be the students, and her the teacher. Professor Campbell wanted to teach since childhood. She had a natural curiosity that fueled her passion for learning. So, how did she end up in public relations? Campbell said it’s due to her sideways approach to her career. She decided to pursue a degree in communications after being told not to go into teaching. After her bachelor's, she earned a master's in advertising. Finally, at age 21, it was time to find a job. Campbell started as a scriptwriter for a company that manufactured tanks and other military-grade equipment. She still remembers her friend's mother's comment about her first job. “Here I was, this young 21-year-old excited about her new job, and my friend’s mom looks at me and goes, ‘You work for a company that sells death.’ I mean, what do you say to that?” It wasn’t teaching, but it was something. Something that provided Campbell an outlet to learn, and that’s what she did. Learning to advocate for herself She worked in the photo lab, processed film and worked with technology right as it was emerging. Not only did Campbell pick up skills to add to her PR toolbox, but she also learned how to face conflict in a male-dominated workspace. There were times Campbell had to stand up being a young woman fresh out of college, a natural-born introvert and working at a mostly male business. She surprised herself in those moments when she decided to fight instead of fly, Campbell said. She was brought up with a strict code of ethics where knowing right from wrong was the gold standard. However, Campbell said there was a point in time at the company where she had enough. “A few times somebody pushed on me and took advantage of me at work, and I finally stood up for myself and it stopped. Sometimes you got to push back,” she said. “Sometimes, you have to punch a bully, figuratively speaking.” Enjoying her work Her favorite job, besides teaching, of course, was when she worked for the American Red Cross as the communications director. “I really liked the Red Cross because we made a difference. At the end of the day, I wasn’t pushing papers or trying to sell people concepts. I worked for a place that was out there feeding and clothing people who needed help.” Her ethics from childhood and a willingness to expand her understanding of communities left her with an appreciation for nonprofits, Campbell said. She explained what nonprofits did through a parable about a boy saving a starfish. As the boy threw them back into the sea one by one, a man came up and told him he couldn’t save them all, that there were thousands of them. The boy replied, “It made a difference to this one.” “That’s what a nonprofit does,” Campbell said. “You can’t save them all, but you can save some.” Connecting with a mentor She was able to make a difference in people’s lives by working for a nonprofit, Campbell said. The person who made a difference in her life was Betty Pritchard. They met at Grand Valley State University when Campbell was hired as a teaching affiliate. Pritchard was a prim, proper, doctorate and sat on the PRSA National board in the late 90s and early 2000s where she rewrote a few of its rules. She was respected by everyone, Campbell said. “Over the years, she would give me advice, like ‘step up’ and ‘don’t be afraid.’ It was just that woman-to-woman comradery,” she said. “She was an accomplished woman with published work, had her doctorate before I even dreamed of getting mine…I don’t think she sweated. I don’t think she had the capability.” Now, Campbell has her doctorate in education and works as an adjunct professor at Kent State teaching sports and media, sports and society, sports in film and public relations publications. With new technology and keeping up with students in her classes, she said that teaching is exciting and “electric.” “People would say if you love what you do it’s not a job, and I thought that was corny,” Campbell said. “But no, no, no. It’s absolutely true.” ![]() Even if you haven’t had the beloved Professor Roberts in class, you’ve likely run into him between classes. Despite rumors circulating that he spends his days roaming the halls, Roberts just doesn’t like to sit still. “I teach four classes a semester. However, I am kind of hyper and I do like to take a walk sometimes. Sometimes I do tend to run into students and that's great,” Roberts said. When asked what courses he enjoys teaching most, Roberts began to list things he loved about all of them. “Ethics is always fun, and I have a really good Media Relations class this semester,” Roberts contemplated. “You can see progress students make in WRAP so that’s cool. I would say Law is my favorite. I think a lot of students don’t know a lot about the law so they can learn a lot.” If you’ve ever had a class with Roberts, you know they can be quite interesting. He takes an alternative approach to keep students engaged. “Teaching is a performance art sometimes,” Roberts said. “I know students have so much on their plate. You've got classes. You've got work. Some of you have internships. A lot of you do extracurriculars. That's a lot. So if class time can be a little bit light-hearted, that helps. That way you don't dread coming to class. Come, have a laugh or two and hopefully take away something.” Outside of class, Roberts enjoys watching Dolores Catania on The Real Housewives of New Jersey and Jim Donovan on the Cleveland Browns Red Zone. If he ever got the chance to meet Donovan, Roberts said he’d like to discuss football over steak and potatoes. Roberts likes to dream big and we talked a lot about his plans to travel in the future. “I’d like to go to Italy and Spain one day,” Roberts said. “I would definitely see Rome and Barcelona because those are the two cities I've heard the most about. My family on my mother's side is from southern Italy so I'd like to explore there a little bit. Everybody I've talked to who's been to Spain falls in love with it.” He also dreams of being a recreational runner. Roberts explained although he never really enjoyed it, he ran track in high school and is now considering starting the hobby again. “I enjoyed the camaraderie and being on a team. I never really experienced any kind of runner's high. I couldn't do sprints because I wasn't fast enough. I couldn’t do long distances because I didn't have the stamina. I just could run middle distances pretty well,” Roberts recalled. “But I saw somebody yesterday jogging and said ‘You know what, I'd love to take that up again.’ We have a bike trail by my house and that would be kind of nice.” On the topic of dreams, I decided to ask Roberts what his alter ego would look like. I assumed he would have his answer all planned out, but he could only think of one trait…hair. “Whoever he was, he would have a lot of hair. I mean, nice, wavy hair,” Roberts said. “And not overly styled…just good hair.” As our interview came to a close, I asked Roberts to leave the senior class with some advice. “You want to be the best employee you can be, the best practitioner you can be, but you also want to be the best partner you can be, the best parent you can be, the best friend that you can be and the best neighbor that you can be,” Roberts said with a knowing smile. “In the end, when you get old and wrinkled like me, that stuff really counts. That's important. You just don't want to be defined by what you do for a living. Be defined by who you are as a person and how you are with your family and your friends. That's gonna give you a lot more support than a job." |
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