Feature
Sooner Alumni Win Big at ESPN
By Stephanie Turner
As many Sooners know, especially after OU’s last football season, the University develops high-performance student-athletes who advance to the pros like the National Football League, Women’s National Basketball Association or Major League Baseball to name a few.
But what about the behind-the-scenes professionals who broadcast the world’s (and OU’s) top athletes? We’re proud to highlight the ESPN careers of Gaylord alums Keith Hawkins and Sierra Sanders who help make it all possible.
Keith Hawkins: I’ve been an Editorial Graphics Producer on SportsCenter since 2013. I started at ESPN in 2000 as a Researcher, moved to ESPN.com as Mel Kiper Jr’s editor for three years before moving back to the TV side to work on Monday Night Football in 2008.
Sierra Sanders: I’m a Motions Graphics Controller and work at the Bristol, CT main headquarters.
KH: As it pertains to the show I work on, I am responsible for making sure that everything the viewer sees graphically (whether it’s fonts, topic bars, talent resumes, graphics, images) is correct. A lot of other eyes are on graphics, but our department acts as the grammar police, making sure that what the viewer sees is correct.
SS: My primary job is graphics playout. In this role, I’m in charge of the execution of on-air graphics for studio shows and live events. I work closely with graphics producers who are in charge of content on the graphics I play out.
KH: I’ve never thought of working at ESPN as a “job” because for a lot of people, ESPN is their dream job. I stumbled into my first job here and have never looked back. It has been a great company to work for in terms of upward growth if you are willing to make the commitment.
The biggest challenge is getting used to working non-traditional hours. Other than my time at ESPN.com, I have never been Monday-Friday. My current schedule is Tuesday through Saturday, 4 p.m.-1 a.m. That can make for a challenging work-life balance with a wife and kids, but we make it work. Nothing can prepare you for working till 1-2-3 a.m. in the morning and having Tuesdays and Wednesdays off, but it’s one of the sacrifices you have to make to work here.
SS: One challenge is that things in this role and in this industry are always changing. It’s very important to keep up with the latest developments and expose yourself to the changes so that you are always in a position to be valuable. I love that every day at my job is different. I get the opportunity to work on domestic SportsCenter and international productions in the same day sometimes. It’s really cool to work on things that are being watched across the globe.
KH: I saw firsthand, the commitment freshmen and sophomores made to newspaper journalism when I worked at the Oklahoma Daily. I was a graduate student at the time and always the oldest one in the newsroom, but there was a drive/commitment to producing great content that I did not see when I was an undergraduate. Being driven by other to be a good journalists/reporters is what drove me when I got my first job after graduating from OU.
SS: I had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects at Gaylord that gave me a good understanding of the television industry. I worked on Sooner Sports Pad and OU nightly, as well as worked as a graphics operator at SoonerVision and on various projects for Gaylord Hall Productions. All these practical experiences gave me a leg up when looking for real world employment. I was able to come to ESPN, first as an intern (in Content Edit) at the Los Angeles office with a diverse portfolio, and then to the “Mothership” Bristol Campus with years of graphics experience on various events.
KH: February 1995, Oklahoma was on Big Monday Basketball and Kansas had just been ranked No. 1 earlier in the day. I was not covering the game for the paper so I went with some friends to the game (including fellow J-School grad Mark C. Fried), painted in crimson & cream from the waist up. Not only did Oklahoma win the game on an Ernie Abercrombie 3-point field goal, but the game was on ESPN and we were on the pregame broadcast, being hysterical fans. And, at one point during my time at ESPN I was able to get a copy of that entire broadcast and was able to see me and my friends before the game on the broadcast.
SS: As a senior, I had the opportunity to work with a group of students who pioneered bringing NBC’s Today Show to Oklahoma’s campus for Rokerthon. I have never been so exhausted/stressed/excited in my life. However that was experience was very wonderful and I am glad that I had the opportunity to work on a large remote even with a National Network before graduating. I also operated the Big Screens for Oklahoma Football games and I really loved doing that.