Chris Brown

Chris Brown is a 1994 graduate of SUNY Geneseo.  Today, he is editor and chief writer of Bills Digest. While attending Geneseo, Brown majored in communication and was interested in pursuing a career in radio and television. Before landing his job with Bills Digest, Brown worked for eight years in radio and TV. Although he now works in print, his education at Geneseo was still able to give him a solid foundation on which he could build his career and experience in media.

Background

"My time in radio really prepared me for almost all there is to encounter in the sports media field, including tight deadlines and developing story ideas." - Chris Brown.

After he graduated from Geneseo, Brown snagged a job in radio in which he:

• Covered news events
• Anchored newscasts
• Was a beat reporter for the Buffalo Bills
• Co-hosted on-air talk shows
• Conducted interviews
• Did live reports from the field

After working in radio, Brown moved to another medium.

"When I moved over to television it was largely the same work, it just entailed performing in front of the camera. I had done a lot of that already as I worked part-time at a local cable access channel in Buffalo. "

Ultimately, the editor position at Bills Digest became available and Brown applied for the job. 

"Though being an editor of an NFL sports publication was considerably different [than TV], the work required to gather the information that appears in the paper was largely the same. I just needed to deliver it to the audience in a different fashion. Fortunately for me my writing hasn't been a weak spot."

School life

"The best thing about Geneseo is the Liberal Arts approach prepares you in the broadest sense for what you're going to encounter in the real world. The well-rounded education I received at Geneseo enabled me to adjust and adapt effectively in my field."

In terms of classes, the ones that were most beneficial to Brown were:

• Radio production
• Public speaking
• Organizational communication.

"The radio class really showed me how brief and concise you need to be in radio where a report is done in 30 seconds in most cases. Public speaking is something anyone in the communication field needs to take. If you can speak effectively in front of a live audience, doing it on TV and the radio is easy. Finally, organizational communication was very helpful in terms of interacting effectively with co-workers in a real world environment. I still remember some of my first places of work where I witnessed some peer-to-peer interaction and thought to myself, 'That person definitely did not take organizational communication in college.'" 

Extracurricular activities

Extracurricular activites that Brown particpated in included:

• WGSU Radio
• GSTV
• An internship in the Geneseo sports communications office - gave him the opportunity to put together press releases, game releases and programs, and assist in yearbook editing, which he now does with the Bills yearbook.
• An internship at Sportsradio 66 WFAN in New York.

Brown's advice for recent college grads

Internships, internships, internships. Take some action, get out there, and do it! No time's like the present to gain experience and knowlege in the field you wish to pursue after you graduate.

"If you're committed to the print side of the field, don't just build up a portfolio with articles from the school paper. If you want to stand out to a prospective employer, you have to do more. Set up an internship with a local daily paper near campus during the school year, or near your hometown for the summer. Articles from a local daily (on paper or online) looks a lot better in your portfolio when you go for a job interview. The first thing editors will ask you for are writing samples."   

What can we all learn from Brown?

The more experience, the better. Although Brown now works in print, all of his experience in radio and TV prepared him for his job today. No matter what field you end up in, you can use experience from any job as a tool to learn and grow for the future. Life is full of surprises, and that's why it's necessary to be ready for anything. 

"Where I've ended up wasn't exactly where I expected to be, but I love what I do and I still get to do some radio during the football season and I do video/tv work as well as the Lead Journalist on Buffalobills.com. With the media world advancing at such a rapid rate in terms of technology, I'm equipped with multimedia experience that keeps me a solid commodity in the field. My work experience is what provided me with that diversity, but my education enabled me to adapt successfully each step of the way."