In this episode of the Sports Business Classroom Audio Experience, we had the pleasure of speaking with the Senior Manager of Community at Nike Virtual Studios, Jasmine Watkins. Starting out as a Field Hockey Beat Writer for the Daily Orange, she honed her skills as a storyteller and communicator and quickly established herself as a rising star in the sports media world. After leaving school, she had stops as a content associate at ESPN, Social Media Director at AMG, and Head of Content at Buzzer before settling down in her current role.
In this episode, Jasmine and Andrew discuss:
- Tips and tricks for navigating the sports business world
- Jasmine’s day-to-day responsibilities as Sr. Manager at Nike’s Virtual Studios
- Valuable insights into the daily operations of major media outlets like USA Today and ESPN
- How working in Social Media can lead to many different career paths
Throughout Jasmine’s career, she has remained committed to promoting the transformative power of sports. Her passion for the industry is contagious, and she has inspired countless young people to pursue their dreams and make a difference in the sports world.
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SHOW NOTES
- What first made Andrew fall in love with basketball? (2:50)
- Jasmine talks about her college experience at Syracuse and everything she was involved in (4:20)
- How did Jasmine’s time at Syracuse help prepare her for her current role what were her biggest takeaways? (7:20)
- Has Jasmine ever gone back to Syracuse since graduating to mentor current students? (8:45)
- How does Jasmine navigate through the world of social media? (9:45)
- Does Jasmine have any stories where she’s tweeted something regarding a player and then later has an encounter with the,(12:40)
- When Jasmine worked for USA Today, what were her day-to-day responsibilities? (13:50)
- Jasmine talks about the differences between working in sports and working in a traditional news station (17:30)
- Did the time at USA Today make you miss the sports industry? (18:53)
- What were some of Jasmine’s responsibilities when working at ESPN? (20:38)
- What is Jasmine’s all-time favorite clip she’s seen on ESPN? (22:42)
- (25:08) Does she have any memories of Fist Take at ESPN and did she have an idea of the impact it would have in the media?
- What were some of the biggest lessons that Jasmine took away as a Content Associate at ESPN (27:33)
- Do you think there’s more of an avenue opening up in fields like the gambling industry to create platforms similar to Buzzer? (31:07)
- Do you think the Media Rights deal will have an effect on how Buzzer will obtain NBA media? (33:30)
- Jasmine gives listeners an inside look on what a day in her life as a Sr. Manager of Community, at Nike Virtual Studios (35:36)
- How close are we to being in 2K sports, what does that industry currently look like? (37:10)
- Is it tough maintaining the company’s reputation while trying to push the boundaries? (38:47)
- Is she excited for the new AIR movie to come out? (41:56)
- Jasmine talks about where she is currently in her life professionally (42:45)
- What helps Jasmine balance her work life? (44:00)
- What’s the best book Jasmine has read this year? (45:55)
- If you could choose, out of all the people and her experience, what is the biggest key to success for a sports business professional? (47:50)
- Which state is Jasmine’s favorite? (50:00)
- Does Jasmine see a shift in the marketability levels of the international players versus players in the states? (53:23)
- Where are the jobs going to be in 5 years? Where should students look if they want to break into the industry? (55:30)
- How is Jasmine feeling about the Lakers’ current team? (59:25)
- Who is Jasmine’s all-time “GOAT” player? (1:00:40)
