CE: What made you want to get involved in sports journalism?

AI: Well, what first sparked my interest in sports journalism started back when I was in high school and I attended the Delaware Area Career Center in Delaware, OH from 2018-2020. I was in a program called “Digital Design” where I learned many skills from videography, photography, web design, broadcast news and so much more. I’ve always loved sports. My favorite is softball and I played for about 14 years. I also played volleyball and swam competitively. I always knew I wanted to be involved with sports my whole life and thanks to the Career Center, I figured out sports journalism was the perfect fit for me.

I also would like to add that on top of all of the cool sports stuff I get to do, I also own a production company with my boyfriend Patrick Kenney. We own A.P. Productions LLC (https://www.approductions.info/) where we do all sorts of production stuff but focus primarily in video production. We started this company because we are passionate about video production and wanted to take our skills to the next level. We have worked with one customer so far, but we did just start. We are hoping to gain more customers as we graduate from Ohio State soon and can take more time to focus on our company.

CE: Do you have a different approach for working with OSU Athletics, Big Ten Network and the Crew? Any similarities?

AI: I work for OSU Athletics, Big Ten Network Plus, Columbus Clippers Baseball TV and I technically was put on the Crew but I have not started with them yet. As for similarities, there definitely is. One thing they all have in common is the way we produce an event. So there is pregame stuff that we cover on the videoboards for OSU and the Clippers but Big Ten Network is a little different. There, we focus on the game only. So we will start our production during the national anthem in pregame but for OSU and Clippers, we start well in advance to get what pregame stuff is happening on the videoboard. OSU is different in it’s own way because it is solely a videoboard production but clips can be used for future videos or highlights shared on social media. Big Ten Network and Clippers are streaming their shows on their streams that people subscribe to, to be able to watch. OSU and Clippers not only focus on the game, but the fans in the stands. During timeouts, between innings, sets, any dead period of time, we are looking for fan shots to put on the videoboard but we don’t do that for Big Ten Network.

CE: Most memorable moment you have captured?

AI: I have had a lot of memorable moments captured in my few years doing video production, but if I have to pick the most memorable moment, I would have to say it was the Ohio State vs. Duke Men’s Basketball game in 2021. It was Coach K’s last season as coach with the Blue Devils and my dad, brother and I watched Duke Men’s basketball since I could remember. It is a rare occasion for Ohio State and Duke to play each other and both teams are very talented. It was a close game the whole time and Ohio State fans felt things weren’t going to end their way until the Buckeyes showed up and played their heart out. It was emotional and intense basketball and the feelings rushing through all of us when Ohio State ended up winning was indescribable. Thousands of Buckeyes fans were running all over the court when the buzzer sounded and being able to be a part of that and contributing to the production of an incredible game is something I will never forget.

CE: Any advice for someone looking to get into sports media?

AI: For anyone looking to get into sports media, my biggest piece of advice is NETWORK. There are a lot of important qualities needed in this field from talent to being a good worker, but networking is so so so important. The more people know who you are, the better chance you have at being offered amazing opportunities. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! You don’t have to know everything, but having a good attitude with everyone you work with is so very important. Employers are looking for someone who has talent, yes, but they are also looking for “Who knows you?”, “What are you like as a worker?”, “Can I trust you?”. Making a good impression on everyone you meet is important too because you never know who knows who. You have to be careful because most people in this field most likely know a lot of other people in the field as well.