Doing a self-evaluation is never fun, but Emmett Golden knew he had to do it for the betterment of his family. He’d already had several jobs: working at American Greetings in the shipping and receiving department, making plumbing supplies at a factory, even selling treadmills at Dicks Sporting Goods. He needed an actual career.
So at 29 years old with a wife and a family, Golden sat down and asked himself what he was good at.
“I couldn’t think of anything,” laughed Golden. “I thought to myself, well, I think I’m funny, so does that mean I’m going to be a comedian? No.”
The other thing that came to his mind was his ability to easily make friends. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a job title that existed where you just make friends. But then something clicked as he was listening to the Dan Patrick Show. If Golden considered himself funny and outgoing, then that’s exactly what Seton O’Connor, one of his favorite guys on the show, was.
“He’d jump in and crack a joke here and there,” said Golden. “I always thought that was cool. I don’t want to disrespect him, but I was thinking, maybe I could do that.”
Golden listened to ESPN Cleveland his entire life, mainly because of his father’s love for the station. The funny thing is he admits he hated the station when he was young and would often ask his dad to change the station to music. Golden’s dad never complied with the requests. But as the years went by, Golden started to acquire a taste for sports talk radio. When it came time to re-evaluate his options and look for a career, his father had been gone for close to five years. That’s when Golden heard the ad on ESPN Cleveland for a local broadcasting school. He was instantly intrigued.
“I just decided to do it,” Golden said. “I called and I enrolled. I was working and going to school and then I applied for several internships. I didn’t get any calls back.”
Golden followed up via email with ESPN Cleveland and the station invited him for an interview. When he walked in, he instantly noticed there was a vast difference between him and the interns in the building. Golden was a 29-year-old with a family, but everyone else was 20 and 21-year-old kids.
“I was convinced there was no way they were giving me an internship because I was too old,” laughed Golden. “Finally I got an email that offered me an internship.”
He walked into the building thinking he had made it, but what he soon realized is they had already hired their interns for the year, but a couple of people quit and they needed more. That’s why Golden was getting his shot. He didn’t take it personally, instead, he was grateful for the opportunity. He was ready to work harder than anyone else in the building.
For a guy that was trying to find a better financial situation for this family, interning at a sports radio station was probably the most questionable decision he could have made. Thinking about that now makes Golden laugh, but he made every sacrifice to make it work, including riding the bus to work every day.
“Everybody was like, man, he rode the bus to work every day,” Golden said. “To me, it wasn’t a big deal. We only had one car and there was no way in hell I was going to let my wife or kids ride the bus. Those rides were adventurous, to say the least, but it wasn’t a huge deal to me.”
The attitude early on was the same every day. He’d bus to work and ask to do anything and everything he could. It didn’t matter, because he had to make this work. Finally, he got the call he’ll never forget.
Golden went to an empty studio inside ESPN Cleveland and called his wife. When she answered, he had the best news he’d had in a long time. He was just offered a full-time position with the station as a producer for the afternoon show. Golden’s wife couldn’t contain the excitement.
“She was so happy,” Golden said. “I was like, OK, I have to run and get back to work. But my phone kept blowing up and I thought it was hilarious because she was so happy she went and told everyone about it. That was a big moment for us.”
Golden had made it as a full-time employee but he wasn’t satisfied. Just like everyone else, he wanted to be in the host’s chair. Finding your way as a producer to the opposite side of the glass can be one of the biggest challenges in the business, but Golden jokes he had a secret nobody else did.
“It’s a secret and I don’t want many people to know this, but I was just a terrible producer,” laughed Golden.” That’s how I did it. I’m good at coming up with ideas and having a feel for the audience, but I’m not an organized person at all. To be a producer, you have to be organized and I used to forget we were having guests on the show and all kinds of other things.”
Though Golden will joke it was because he was a terrible producer, it was really because Evan Cohen, Content VP at Good Karma Brands, instantly recognized his talent.
Cohen was sitting with Jerod Cherry during an aircheck and heard Golden’s voice because he was the producer of the show. Cohen asked Cherry who this Golden guy was. Cherry told him exactly who he was and what he did at the station. Cohen then asked a question that sounded more like a statement.
“Why isn’t this guy a host?”
Soon after, Cohen was grooming and preparing Golden to be a host at ESPN Cleveland. Co-hosting opportunities became more and more frequent and he found himself on the opposite side of the glass he was used to.
“Getting behind a mic and talking just came naturally to me. I like to talk to people and have fun. People started telling me to do exactly that, be yourself and have fun. I just try to walk in every day and have a good time.”
Golden is now the co-host of The Next Level with Emmett and Jerod on ESPN Cleveland. There may not be a better example in sports radio of how determination and hard work can create success and opportunities. It’s humbling for Golden to look back on his journey from a 29-year-old intern to a current-day show host, especially since he’s doing it all at his father’s favorite station.
“He’d be blown away,” Golden said. “I just know he would. We’d talk about sports anyway, but I can see him calling me with his sports takes. I can see him calling me before a show and asking what we were going to talk about that day.”
As crazy as it may sound, Golden still feels like an intern at ESPN Cleveland. It shows by the way he treats and builds relationships with the interns in the building. Golden is never too important to talk to anyone and it’s a huge reason why he’s such a valuable commodity to the station. He’s an expert at building relationships with people in the building and it’s why he’s one of the most well-liked media members in Cleveland.
But as genuine and nice as he is, he also shoots it straight with the young interns. He tells them it’s going to be hard. He tells them there’s going to be adversity and he tells them it’s going to be a grind.
“When they walk in I know exactly how they feel,” Golden said. “I know they’re both excited and nervous, especially when they don’t know anyone. I do everything I can to build relationships with them and give them advice.”
One of the most popular compliments Golden gets is how he’s the same guy off the air, as he is on the air. It’s a rare trait in sports media, but no matter the situation, Golden is the exact same guy.
“Why isn’t everybody like that?” laughed Golden. “I’m a guy that likes positivity, to have fun and laugh.”
It’s the reason why he’s been such a success at ESPN Cleveland. Golden is an extremely likable personality on the air that people gravitate towards. He’s authentic and honest, even when he doesn’t necessarily know the answer.
“One of the things I’ve always done is that I have a question about the business, I asked multiple people in the business the same question,” Golden said. “I feel like if I get different answers, there are no real rules on the way to do it, but if everyone tells me the same thing, then maybe that’s the way. I remember a few guys telling me, Emmett, it’s right or left. It’s black or white, you can’t straddle the fence and say I don’t know when you’re hosting a sports radio show. As much respect as I have for those men, that was the first time I really disagreed with something, because I felt like if I don’t know something, then I don’t know.”
Matt Fishman, Director of Content at ESPN Cleveland. has developed a great relationship with Golden. That’s important, seeing as the two need to get along and see eye-to-eye for the betterment of the station.
“I love Fish,” Golden said. “The first time we met it was over lunch and we instantly hit it off. I love that I can be frank and honest with him. He’ll shoot it straight to me and that’s all you want. If we disagree or he tells me no on something I know it’s from a good place. I love working for him.”
It’s hard to take this opportunity for granted when you’ve come from working odd jobs. Golden was able to elevate himself from a factory job creating plumbing supplies into a job where he’s been sprayed with champagne in the Cavs locker room and in the stadium for a World Series. You’ll never hear him be ungrateful or complain about his situation. Golden knows his situation is a great one, especially with the hype of this upcoming NFL season.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” Golden said. “Cleveland is a Browns town. I did a 24-hour show before the playoff game against Pittsburgh and it was sold out. At 3 o’clock in the morning, normally, you’re listening to nothing but promos, but we had every spot sold out for 24 hours and I know it wasn’t because of me. It was because of the Browns. Not only is it a great time for fans, it’s a great time for advertising partners because everyone is listening to sports talk radio. Business is great right now.”
Tyler McComas is a columnist for BSM and a sports radio talk show host in Norman, OK where he hosts afternoon drive for SportsTalk 1400. You can find him on Twitter @Tyler_McComas or you can email him at TylerMcComas08@yahoo.com.
