It’s not just for baseball players trying to find a new team, or that next job. Baseball’s Winter Meetings are also about young broadcasters looking for that first opportunity. There’s a large gap in the pay scale between the different kinds of “free agents”, with the players well ahead of the broadcasters. You have to figure out if following your dream is worth it. You have to start somewhere, right? The job fair at the “meetings” is usually a good place to do that.
Each candidate has his or her own strategy. How aggressive should you get? How do you stand out? Who should you talk to once you get there? It can be overwhelming to say the least. Just think, there are usually 100’s of people in the same boat, looking for the same thing. A job in baseball.
As I tell my broadcast students all the time. Have a plan. It’s vital that you know what jobs are open, who the decision makers are and what your strategy is going to be. This will require you to do a lot of research ahead of time. Luckily, it’s a lot easier to that now, than it was in prior years. Every team has its own website, so you can get a vibe about that particular club. There’s also a directory readily at hand, so you can figure out quickly the people you need to connect with. Plus, you will see a picture, more than likely, of that individual to make it easier to spot that person in the crowd.
When you go, have your resume updated, your demos ready to go, and the other thing to pack is your patience. While not everyone that attends the job fair will get an interview or a gig out of it, the experience is a good one.
Back in 2019, the Meetings were in San Diego. The set up featured row after row of boards in the posting room. Each board laid out the specifics of each opening, the job description and what is being offered. Those looking for jobs, would check out the postings to see if they were interested or qualified.
If they were, they’d list the position number and title, the team and personal contact info on their resumes and slide them into a drop box. The openings aren’t always for radio, there are team internships, ticket sales, marketing and yes, even a few for the mascot. Don’t laugh, Greg Brown, the television/radio voice of the Pirates, was the backup “Pirate Parrot” for five years!
While the task may seem daunting, with so many people up for only a handful of jobs, some now Major League announcers were once in your shoes. Mets’ broadcaster Wayne Randazzo found himself in Nashville for the Winter Meetings in 2007. He was one of those people that put his resume in boxes along with about a hundred others trying to get into the field.
Randazzo is someone I’ve known for a long time and I’ve always admired. I remember talking to him a few times during those meetings. He was confident and prepared with his own thoughts on how to position himself in the best light.
“It was a strange system, but I noticed the job seekers were in one room and the teams were in another, so I just went around that room and introduced myself to all the different teams and circumvented that whole process,” Randazzo told the New York Post in 2019. “I ended up with a few job offers and the one in Mobile [Diamondbacks Double-A] was at the highest level, so that’s the one I took.”
It certainly helps your case when you’re talented and good. But this is all part of ‘having a plan’ like I talked about earlier. You have to strike a delicate balance, about keeping up to date on the latest openings and working the hallways or lobbies of the hotel. Sometimes these two places are far apart, so time management is key.
Some would be broadcasters have likened the experience to ‘speed dating’, spending a little time to try and get to know a job and then on to the next. Don’t let the speed affect your ‘pitch’, stay focused and be your best with every interaction you have.
So, if you’re an aspiring broadcaster headed to the meetings in search of a job, consider this advice. Although the plan is to get offers and earn a job, the truth is most of the time it won’t happen during the week. There are occasions though when it will. If a team is so impressed with a candidate or feels it’s time to move quickly and fill a role, they may pull the trigger.
Again, be prepared. Resumes, written material if you’re going for a PR or marketing job and of course audio clips of your work. These days, most people have a website that teams can go to and hear what you sound like. Make sure that’s highlighted on your resume. Some more aggressive job seekers have gone through the trouble and expense of getting flash drives to hand out. Whatever it takes to get yourself noticed.
Most of all, be professional. Don’t take that to mean ‘buttoned up’, it’s more a respect factor. Respect the time and space of the decision makers and your fellow job seekers. Don’t interrupt ongoing conversations to pass along a resume. Odds are pretty good that they’ll put it in the circular file. Wait until their done and see if you can ask for a little time at that point.
Put your fandom in your back pocket. Meaning if you see players milling about with their agents in the lobby, don’t go asking for autographs. Look your best too. Professional attire will present you as a serious candidate and separate you in that way from others.
Landing the job is your ultimate goal, but you have to look at this as an experience, a journey and a learning experience. Networking is also one of the best things you can get out of the time you spend there. Comparing notes with peers is valuable, but don’t make it a one-sided relationship. Make sure to give info as much as you receive it. Most everyone is in the same situation you are.
Meeting fellow broadcasters helps grow your network and gives you valuable contacts, if that person you talked to lands a job. He or she can let you know if they are leaving and the job is open again. Or they can introduce you to others that may have information on other jobs. Recommendations from others in the industry gives you credibility. Remember that.
Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at Andy@Andy-Masur.com.
