Centennial College, in conjunction with The Sports Group and the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) have joined together to host ‘Fast Break’ on Tuesday, a sports journalism panel aimed to teach students and professionals about the opportunities in the sports industry.
Four speakers will discuss their routes to success as well as the difficulties they encountered along the way. They will also lend advice to those whose goal is to work professionally in the sports media.
The event’s four panelists include:
Tas Melas, co-founder and co-host of The Basketball Jones (TBJ) on The Score Television Network. TBJ was listed as one of Time Magazine’s Top 25 blogs of 2011, and Melas appears regularly on The Score during the NBA season. The Basketball Jones has also joined the Grantland Network Podcast.
Chris Jones is the back-page columnist for ESPN the Magazine, and started his career as a writer for the National Post in 1998. He joined Esquire magazine in 2002 as a contributing editor and has two U.S. National Magazine Awards for feature writing in 2005 and 2009 respectively.
Julie Scott is the sports editor of The Canadian Press. Scott began her career in 1998, and was an editor/reporter until 2006, when she became the senior editor.
Akil Augustine is a host and producer for NBA TV Canada. He also has managed web video for Toronto FC, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies.
The Sports Group helps young professionals in trying to enter the sports industry, and members will have access to job listings, networking opportunities, workshops and seminars.
Centennial College is host to one of the only post-graduate sports journalism programs in Canada. Students in this year’s graduating class have had opportunities to cover a wide range of events, including Toronto Blue Jays spring training, NCAA golf, tennis and the London 2012 Olympics.
The one-year program brings in faculty who work as sports journalists in the field. Split into three semesters, the program culminates in a placement that students are responsible for finding.
Students learn web, print, radio and television skills that allow them to become versatile sports journalists upon graduation.
The inaugural event will run from 7-9:30 p.m. ET, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for students, $15 for CAJ members, and $25 for the general public. They can be purchased at fastbreak.eventbrite.com.
Students and CAJ members will be required to present their I.D.