Interview with Rider University Professor and Electronic Media Professional Neal Slotkin

• Neal Slotkin-Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia


• I went to Professor Slotkin's class one day to meet him face to face and to ask him if he would be able to take part in this interview for the blog post project. He said yes and I immediately sent him the questions that needed to be answered and was able to attain a very quick response from him as well.


• I am not using this interview for my station profile, but instead I will use it to fulfill the requirement for this blog posting
  

1. What does your professional do? Professor Slotkin is a Senior Producer at Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia. His network aims to provide comprehensive and in-depth sports coverage (pregames, postgames, intermissions) breaking news and features with emphasis on the tri-state area (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware). They want to provide thier viewers with exclusive access to the athletes, coaches, and important people in the Philadelphia region as well as catering to the needs and interests of the passionate sports fans in town. They produce and air hundreds of hours of live professional sporting events including the Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, plus more than 100 college basketball and football games mostly in high-definition. Comcast reaches nearly 3 million households in the 4th largest TV market in the country.





2. How did you get started? He began his sports journalism career while attending Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. He did play by play and produced at the college radio station WRSU-FM. During college he also did an internship at WPVI (Ch. 6) in the sports department under Gary Papa. He also did an independent study at WFAN sports radio in New York and five weeks after graduating he landed a job at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where he worked as a production assistant for over 3 years. Professor Slotkin also worked on various studio shows including Sportscenter, Primetime (NFL), Prime Monday, NHL-2-Night, and many more. Along with that, he also worked on some remote locations and covered the Patriots-Packers Super Bowl in New Orleans and a Final Four in New York too. He then went to work at Comcast in August 1997 and helped launch the network and has worked in different roles since then.


3. What experiences led you to this position? He has held various roles at both ESPN and CSN. He has made his way from Production Assistant to Show Producer, Field Producer, Feature Producer, and now Senior Producer. He does a variety of things on a daily/weekly basis, mostly field producing at various sporting events (home or on the road-where he covers every Eagles game and typically all Flyers playoff games in addition to covering Phillies, Sixers, Big 5 Basketball, high school sports, etc.) He also line produces many shows out of the control room and as Feature Producer he writes, produces, and creates long format features for SportiNite programs and specials. Along with that, he also edits his own material and has been nominated for 11 Emmys and has won 3 already.


4. What do you like and dislike most about your job? He likes the variety of jobs he can fill on a daily/weekly basis. He also loves sports and growing up in this area (Cherry Hill) he gets to cover the teams he grew up watching almost each and every day. Professor Slotkin likes the fact that he can cover any sport and feel comfortable interacting/interviewing coaches and players becuase he does what he loves. Along with that, he also likes to write and tell stories which is really the most important part of his job because teamwork is a huge part of the success of CSN. He does feel that communication could be better on the job because covering sports news can be very hectic and the need to do a better job is a always a must for him. One other part worth mentioning is that he feels he is underpaid for his work/experience but then again accepts the idea of it because that is how the world of production is.


5. How do you feel about new technologies will impact the media industry in the future? Professor Slotkin says that since the internet and mobile communication are now dominating the landscape, Comcast SportsNet is making a concerned effort to improve its website. They've budgeted significantly more money and mader several hirings in thier on-line department and intend to make the website the first place viewers go for stats, scores and highlights. They also now have the ability to stream some games live on csnphilly.com, but their next big step to tackle will be the social media websites such as twitter and facebook.


6. What recommendations do you have for students? Professor Slotkin recommends internships, internships, internships, becuase to get a foot in the door, you have to get hands on and practical experience. He also says to find as many internships as you can and the more different they are, the better and it is also important to be well-rounded as well as learning to write well, make contacts in the business, and feel comfortable talking to people because its all part of communication.


7. Where and how can students get started? Professor Slotkins suggests that students should find an area of Journalism/Communications that they like and look into getting an internship or even volunteering there too because most TV/Radio/Marketing departments all hire interns so get out there and find one. He says that one should start by working the internet and calling people and then if you get an internship just don't go in and do what's asked of you, but rather go above and beyond the call of the intern so that you make people remember you there and always remember to ask questions too, but not to the point in which you become annoying.
   
8. How important is experience and what is the best place to get experience? According to Professor Slotkin, there is nothing more important than experience, competence and confidence and you get it from being around people in the business through internships, making contacts, asking questions, etc.


9. What qualities/characteristics are important for someone getting started in the industry? Professor Slotkin says that being a good writer, a better listener, and being hungry to learn goes above and beyond what is required. He also suggests that one should be responsible for thier actions, have a flexible schedule, and be versatile to perform many different types of jobs as well as being a quick learner.


10. Is there an Industry Journal/Trade Publication one would recommend reading? Reading the internet, newspapers and magazines-- and knowing what's going on in the world, in your business and in your specific line of work will greatly benefit you.
    

Doing this interview has now given me a greater sense of what I it is to be a producer which I hope to one day be as well. This has greatly benefited me because I now have an idea of what it takes to get to this line of work in the communications field, and because of this I will continue to work hard in all my classes and such and hope to one day be an awesome producer as well.