A Talk with with Sports Marketing Intern Mark Miller '19

Mark Miller '19 is spending his summer as an intern in North Carolina with Wasserman, a sports marketing agency. Read about his experience below.

Tell us a little bit about your internship.

 This summer, I am interning with Wasserman in Raleigh, North Carolina. Wasserman is a sports marketing agency that has offices around the world and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. There are three parts to Wasserman’s business – talent, properties, and brands.

Wasserman employs agents to procure and negotiate endorsement opportunities for top athletes in professional sports. They represent athletes including Andrew Luck, Russell Westbrook and Giancarlo Stanton. The second part of Wasserman’s business is properties. Properties include leagues, teams, entertainment studios and broadcast networks. Wasserman works with sports properties to drive innovation and elevate partnership opportunities. The third part of Wasserman’s business is brands. Wasserman partners with many Fortune 500 companies to help achieve the brands’ goals with their sports marketing programs.

Over the past few summers, I worked with motorsports properties on the East Coast. I hope to work for NASCAR at some point in my career, but I have wanted to work with a sports marketing agency for a very long time. Rather than focusing on one sport, Wasserman has allowed me to learn about the business behind many other popular sports in the United States. I hope to use this knowledge of sports business in a full-time role with a sports marketing agency after college and hopefully one day with NASCAR.

Describe a typical day on the job.

I was assigned to work in the brands division at Wasserman on an account with a client that is a Forbes Top 100 list company. The client has partnerships in most professional sports leagues including MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL and the PGA TOUR. They have a significant presence at many major sports events throughout the year and it is my job to support the work on the strategy and activation calendar.

On a typical day, I meet with my manager in the morning to review my progress on outstanding assignments. Many of my projects are research-based and require thorough searches for competitive information that will later be used to advise the client. Throughout the day, I sit in on meetings and conference calls with account managers that work on a specific sport or category to support to overall account. I love being surrounded by professionals that have years of experience in the sports business industry. It’s an industry that I have followed for many years and I still cannot believe that I work in it. In the next few weeks of my internship, I hope to make the most of my time at this company and learn more about the professionals that work here over lunch and coffee.

What’s been your most memorable experience?

I love the culture at Wasserman. They are aggressive, innovative and fun. They truly have the work hard, play hard mentality. In order to be recognized as an innovative company, Wasserman must push what’s possible. This internship has challenged me to broaden my skillset and to think outside the box. I did not expect my work to play such an important role in client deliverables and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to get hands-on meaningful account management experience.

In what ways has a Scranton education prepared you for this internship?

The Kania School of Management and The Center for Career Development at The University of Scranton host informative professional development events on campus throughout the academic year. They teach the basics of dinner etiquette, resume writing and networking.

 What did you learn about yourself through this experience?

I learned that I am not afraid to travel to pursue my passion. I decided in high school that I would not let the distance from home limit my career interests. More opportunities for work are available if you are willing to move. The past two summers, I moved to North Carolina for internship opportunities. I was intimidated by the move both times because I am so used to living in the Scranton area. Moving allows me to get out of my comfort zone. It essentially means new people, new place and new work. When I am out of my comfort zone, I am able to grow both personally and professionally.

What is the most important lesson you learned?

The most important lesson that I learned is to ask questions. Managers do not expect interns to know everything about the way the business works on day one. The way to learn is by shadowing and asking questions about things you do not understand. During the first few weeks as an intern, I was not able to contribute much to the conversations going on in meetings and conference calls. But after every call, I made sure to have a list of questions for my manager in order to get me up to speed on current work and projects.

Do you have any advice for others?

I recommend that college students pursue summer internships as soon as possible. I like to think of internships as free trial periods to full-time positions. If you enjoy your work and the industry your company is in, then you made connections and have relevant work experience for your benefit down the line. If you did not like the company or your work during the summer, the internship only lasts a few months. Once the internship is over, you can re-strategize and pursue another internship the following summer to find work that you enjoy.

 My internship with Wasserman is my third summer internship. In sports, work ethic and relationships are key. If you know individuals at companies you would like to work for, reach out to them during the application process – it will considerably improve your chances of being recognized.

As a freshman, I was inspired by the seniors in the business school who had completed several internships throughout their college career. These seniors were aggressive in their work and with their networking and it is what inspired me to pursue internship experiences every summer.