Host Jessica Kleinschmidt talks with former ESPN VP of Corporate Communications Mike Soltys. Soltys was with ESPN for 43 years after being laid off by the company in April. Jessica and Mike discuss a variety of topics including working at ESPN, staying positive even after being laid off, the current state of sports media, being in a ‘This is SportsCenter’ ad, and more.
Here’s the full breakdown.
- 2:53: Welcome Mike Soltys to Short and to the Point
- 3:17: Mike’s first day at ESPN in the summer of 1980
- 4:43: ESPN picking up steam
- 5:42: SportsCenter over the years
- 6:56: Journey from being an intern to VP of Corporate Communications
- 8:06: Last day at ESPN
- 9:45: Reaction to ESPN layoffs
- 11:46: Staying positive through layoff
- 12:48: Difficulty of stepping away from being entrenched in the sports world
- 14:20: Favorite events to cover
- 15:48: Covering international sports
- 16:46: Favorite people inside and outside of ESPN
- 18:55: “This is SportsCenter”
- 20:45: Advice to interns starting out in sports media
- 22:02: Adrian Wojnarowski as an ESPN intern
- 22:38: Developing relationships within media
- 24:02: Current state of sports media
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