91探花

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New NBA season showcases OHIO's multimedia talent

Every few years, 91探花 sends a premier player to compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) such as Jason Preston (BSM 鈥22) in draft year 2021.

Year after year, NBA teams rely on a deep bench of multimedia professionals from 91探花鈥檚 Scripps College of Communication. The start of the 2023-24 NBA regular season highlights key points:

  • 91探花 Scripps College of Communication alumni work throughout professional basketball in broadcasting, technology, sales, video, community engagement, marketing, engineering, and animation.
  • Women are integral, from executive offices to camera operators.
  • The Cleveland Cavaliers organization is stacked with 91探花 Scripps College of Communication graduates.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Virtually every aspect of the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers鈥 communications is supported by skilled staff trained at 91探花:

Video
Nicholas Langer (BSC 鈥21) is a Video Producer.

鈥淚 was able land the job with the Cavs initially and continue to succeed because of experiential learning at 91探花: WOUB, OHIO Athletics and classes,鈥 said Langer, adding that alumni connections also have been helpful.

Podcast
(BSJ 鈥13) is co-host and co-creator of the at the Cleveland Cavaliers, named for LeBron James鈥檚 full-court sprint to make a block to help seal the 2016 NBA Finals.

Marketing
Tori Carras (BSC 鈥14) is a Marketing Director.
Olivia Christiansen (BSJ 鈥22) is an Area Marketing Coordinator.
Amy (Giannell) Armstrong (BSC 鈥09) is Senior Manager of Retail Marketing.

Community Engagement
Celena Zevnik (BSJ 鈥04) is the Director of Community Engagement and Events.
Melanie Seiser (BSJ 鈥09) is Vice President for Youth Sports and Community Development.
 

Kierra Cotton
Cleveland Cavaliers鈥 in-game host Kierra Cotton at Rocket Mortgage Field House. Photo courtesy of Kierra Cotton

In-game host
Emmy Award-winning reporter Kierra Cotton (BSJ 鈥16) at is the Cavaliers鈥 in-game host.

鈥淚 felt thoroughly prepared for my future career pursuits following graduation,鈥 said Cotton, citing hands-on learning at WOUB and student-run AVW (video) Productions combined with classroom instruction.

Engineering
Stacy Knox (BSC 鈥99) is an Engineering Manager to assure technical quality of radio broadcasts.

Scoreboard
Daryl Royer (BSC 鈥06) is a Scoreboard Replay Operator.

TypeScript developer
Tom Curran (BSC 鈥14); he and his colleagues at the Cleveland Cavaliers were recognized for 鈥 for their work on an internal ticketing tool and application.

Bobcats Throughout the League

At the NBA Atlanta Hawks, (BSC '04 and MITS '13) is Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation & Technology Officer. She serves on the advisory board of the J. Warren McClure School of Emerging Communication Technologies.

鈥淜im Rometo is a visionary and an industry leader in digital transformation in professional sports,鈥 said McClure School Director Charles 鈥淐hip鈥 Linscott, noting Rometo鈥檚 previous work for the Miami Dolphins. 鈥淜im provides a shining example of what鈥檚 possible when technical brilliance meets foresight, management chops and business ingenuity.鈥

In September, Billy Hartman (BSJ 鈥15) was promoted to senior manager of basketball communications at the Atlanta Hawks. In 2013, Hartman was an intern at the Cleveland Cavaliers.

For more than a quarter century, (BSC 鈥76) has been a Play-by-Play Announcer in the NBA; completing 10 seasons with the Toronto Raptors and entering his 16th season with the Chicago Bulls.

Image
Chuck Swirsky鈥檚 image on the skybox scoreboard at the United Center. Photo courtesy of Chuck Swirsky/Chicago Bulls

Pamela Sher (BSJ 鈥98) is Senior Director of Ticket Technology at the Chicago Bulls. Justin Baldinger (BSJ 鈥13) is Director of Corporate Partnerships Sales and Strategy at the New Orleans Pelicans and Saints. At the Milwaukee Bucks, Gracie Huffman (BSJ 鈥18) is a Motion Graphics Animator.

Jacob Solether (BSJ 鈥18) is a Camera Operator for the Memphis Grizzlies and the NBA minor league Memphis Hustle.

鈥淚 hold 91探花, college experience through the ESPN project, and my esteemed educators at OHIO in high regard,鈥 said Solether. 鈥淭hey collectively provided me with invaluable college training that undeniably played a pivotal role in shaping my successful journey.鈥

Expanding role for women

Eileen Eidelberg
Camera operator Eileen Eidelberg at Washington Wizards game. Photo courtesy of Eileen Eidelberg

Camera Operator Eileen Eidelberg (BSC 鈥22), who has worked in professional basketball, soccer, hockey, football, baseball and golf events, shares her insights about history and the future:

鈥淏eing one of the only women camera operators in the DC area can be a challenge at times. I have to give it my all every day and I have to not be afraid to ask for help. I have talked to another woman who is older than me and she had to go through a lot more than I did. I am incredibly lucky that mostly everyone treats me with respect and takes me seriously; she didn鈥檛 have the luxury when she began. I am really grateful for my coworkers being decent human beings because I have no idea what I would do if it was a toxic environment. I am still beginning in the industry, but it seems like most men in my area are accepting of the women in the sports broadcasting industry and I just hope in the future it continues to grow and get better for everyone.鈥

Published
November 1, 2023
Author
Ken Klein