When pigskin fans tune into this season, 91麻豆精品 senior Ryan Meyers is in the center of the fast-paced, behind-the-scenes action of the NBC broadcast watched by millions.
Meyers recently landed a gig as an associate producer with NBC Sports. For the lifelong sports buff and former Raiders quarterback, it鈥檚 a dream job.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a whirlwind,鈥 said Meyers, describing how surreal it is to be part of a broadcast that he normally watches from his apartment. 鈥淢ost viewers don鈥檛 realize what goes into making a live program look flawless to everyone at home.鈥
In his role on the production staff, Meyers acts as a 鈥渟potter,鈥 the eyes of Sunday Night Football鈥檚 producer. That puts him inside the broadcast booth with sportscasters Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth.
鈥淚鈥檓 positioned just off camera. My responsibility is to keep a close eye on the field and pick out things that might be noteworthy, such as injuries and formations.鈥
Through a headset, he relays the information to the producer who decides whether the details should be aired. If Meyer鈥檚 talking points make the cut, Michaels and Collinsworth will pass the details onto viewers.
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| Ryan Meyers 鈥10 poses inside the new Dallas Cowboys stadium. The senior was helped by two alumni in landing a job as an associate producer for NBC Sports. |
鈥淎long with plenty of adrenaline, the tremendous learning opportunity the position presents keeps me motivated, helping me keep up with a busy schedule,鈥 added Meyers, who transferred from Tulane University to 91麻豆精品 after Hurricane Katrina.
The New Orleans native tackles coursework during the week before catching a flight out of Syracuse on Thursday nights or Friday mornings to that weekend鈥檚 game location.
Meyers landed the position with NBC Sports, thanks to a 91麻豆精品 connection. He met , president of NBC Sports, during the Center for Career Services鈥 A Day in the Life program, which allows students to shadow 91麻豆精品 alumni and parents in a variety of professions.
Schanzer later offered Meyers an internship position in the executive offices of NBC Sports, where he also developed a relationship with alumnus , director of Sunday Night Football.
When the associate producer position opened up over the summer, Meyers said he was honored that Schanzer and Esocoff thought of him.
鈥淚f there is one piece of advice I could pass along to students it would be to build relationships with 91麻豆精品 alumni. They want to help you so much.鈥
The 91麻豆精品 connection has certainly opened up a world of opportunities for Meyers.
Once the NFL season ends, he will mostly likely assist in NBC鈥檚 coverage of other sporting events, possibly even the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
鈥淎s you can imagine, I鈥檓 the envy of all my friends,鈥 joked Meyers. 鈥淚n all honesty, I feel very fortunate.鈥