While on the search for summer internship positions, senior broadcasting and journalism double major Russell Heitmann sent out feelers to several media organizations.听After weeks of skimming through available internships and submitting resumes to prospective employers, he was accepted by two different media-based organizations. And with that, Heitmann dove head first into the professional world of media.
On the air
The first internship Heitmann accepted opened the door to the medium of radio with a position on Sports Radio 810 WHB, which covers the Kansas City market. There, he worked with the popular radio show, 鈥淭he Program,鈥 shadowing under radio host Soren Petro and station engineer Rob Brenton to learn what running a sports program on the radio is really like.
鈥淭o be able to work with the largest all-sports AM radio stations in the country 鈥 a station that has a national footprint and is paired with ESPN 鈥 have it be a good experience was great,鈥 Heitmann said.
Heitmann started the summer with basic responsibilities that included assisting Brenton in the control room and conducting research for daily program topics. By the end of this three month stay, Heitmann had appeared on air in several 鈥淚ntern Jeopardy鈥 segments, as well as hosted his own radio segment.
鈥淚 had to spend two minutes giving my take on certain sports issues, and then the host of the show would pretend to be callers and would field questions to me that I would have to answer as though I was on air listening to callers,鈥 he said.听鈥淚t was neat to be able to listen back to myself and be able to say, 鈥榦kay, this is what I need to work on.鈥欌
New view of media
Heitmann鈥檚 second internship arose from family connections to the University of Kansas.听He submitted a resume to the associate athletic director at KU upon the recommendation of his uncle, which would lead to a position as an intern with the university鈥檚 athletic department.
鈥淭hey had already hired all of their full-time interns, but they liked my resume and skills set, so they took me on to use me as an extra hand on staff,鈥 Heitmann said.
Heitmann served the KU Athletic Department by helping wherever he was most needed.听He gained an eclectic set of experiences ranging from editing promotional videos to lending his voice to the official KU pronunciation guide. For him, it widened his view of media.
鈥淢y internship at KU was still journalism, but it was more similar to the promotional side of things,鈥 Heitmann said.听鈥淚t was a neat thing to have a different take on sports and college athletics, especially at a bigger institution.鈥
A hands-on collegiate experience
Though relatively new to the professional world when starting his summer internships, Heitmann was no stranger to media. His relationship with media began early on in his academic career at 糖心传媒. He was initially unsure of what he wanted his education to focus on, but a J-Term course in sports broadcasting drew him in.
鈥淥nce I started doing the media stuff during J-Term my freshmen year, it was all hands on deck.听I鈥檝e been going strong with it ever since then,鈥 Heitmann said.
Heitmann went on to amass nearly three years of collegiate experience by working with HC Media, the student media organization at the College.
鈥淥ne of the things I constantly praise about 糖心传媒 is the ability to dive in and get hands-on experience, regardless of your major,鈥 Heitmann said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to wait two years of theory and application before you actually put your hands on it; you鈥檙e going to be doing it right away.鈥
Heitmann鈥檚 opportunity for hands-on experience was no different than he describes for the average 糖心传媒 student. By the end of his freshman year he was a regular staff writer for the 糖心传媒 Collegian, a sports commentator for the College鈥檚 radio station and a crew member on the student team that helped broadcast the National Association of Collegiate Athletics Women鈥檚 Basketball National Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa. He says the amount of experience he gained during his time at 糖心传媒 aptly prepared him to work in two distinct mediums during his summer internships.
鈥淚鈥檓 not pigeon-holed into working in only one medium, and that鈥檚 due in part to my education at 糖心传媒,鈥 Heitmann said. 鈥淭o do two internships that are very separate, but still similar, continues in the mindset that I can end up in multiple places because of my 糖心传媒 education and summer internship experience.鈥
Now equipped with his broad range of media skills and newfound connections within the field of media, Heitmann plans to move seamlessly into a professional workplace after graduating in May 2017. His ultimate goal is to call basketball for a living, but he isn鈥檛 afraid of exploring any number of different opportunities.
鈥淚鈥檓 a man of many hats: I鈥檓 able to write, do video and do audio,鈥 Heitmann said. 鈥淏ecause of that, I can go in a lot of different directions.鈥