We're excited to share the story of sports journalist Danielle Stein. She talked to us about the importance of being a well-rounded journalist, preparing for on-camera presence, and her experience working with a top 20 media market. Danielle also opened up about her diagnosis of MS and how becoming an ambassador for MS4MS revealed a whole new world of opportunities. 

Leverage opportunities

Since college, Danielle knew she wanted to cover sports, so she and her friend started the first sports television show at the University of Maryland, called, "The Left Bench TV", a weekly sports-center type show. Through this venture, she focused on honing anchoring, reporting, and storytelling skills to showcase on a reel. 

"If you don't have experiences in front of you, 

you have to go out and make them yourself."

She advises young journalists to take their cameras to local businesses and talk to people in the community. They should also learn which resources their college provides to enterprise their own future. "Take your opportunities into your own hands," she says. 

Landing that first job

Finding your first job right out of college is a challenge. "It was good to get all the breadth of the experience from college," Danielle explains. She felt confident as a well-rounded journalist with a reel highlighting her expertise. However, an essential part of finding a job in News is networking. It's necessary to make and maintain relationships with peers, professors, and anyone involved with the evolution of your career. 

Being proactive is key to taking advantage of your network. For Danielle, that key came through her adjunct professor from the University of Maryland. The professor's son was a reporter in Charlottesville then, and he passed her resume along in his station. While it's a small market, it's a great market for sports. A number of the NCAA teams in the market won national championships when Danielle was covering the Charlottesville market! 

Through this experience, Danielle learned to leverage opportunities, even in small markets, to become a sports journalist. She gained much experience working with college athletes in Charlottesville before moving to pro athletes in Orlando. 

Preparing for on-camera presence

Everyone has their method of preparing to be on camera. Some practice their anchor voice in front of the mirror or record themselves privately to listen and improve. While those practices are recommended, Danielle suggests avoiding the anchor voice and aiming to sound as natural as possible. "While it's great to watch people you admire, you never want to emulate someone else's style. Take little bits as you're trying to hone your own voice, but you're going to be your best when you can be comfortable," said Danielle. The audience connects more with a story when shared in a confident, natural, and conversational voice.

"Create your own camera presence in your stories."

Sports reporters are skilled at working on the fly, taking information quickly, adapting, and pivoting while being creative. These skills help them stand out in any journalism role and are especially useful during live TV and press conferences. In these situations, and during pre- or post-game recaps, Danielle writes down brief but relevant quotes from people, such as athletes and coaches. She also notes possible trends and things she wants to remember to share in the story.  

Danielle polished these skills while working in a major market like Orlando. One of the biggest challenges when moving to Orlando was hosting a nightly 30-minute show. "I think you're best able to ad-lib when it's a conversation: when you know your peers and the subject so well instead of running lines on the anchor desk," Danielle explains. Another challenge was balancing the stories of the teams from both markets since the show also aired in Tampa. She and her team prioritized the feature stories. 

An ever more significant challenge would arise for Danielle in the middle of one of the busiest work weeks. On September 23rd, 2023, she began experiencing vertigo and fatigue. She thought she was exhausted from traveling from Orlando to Gainesville to Jacksonville for live coverage of two major football games. Unfortunately, her symptoms didn't subside, and Danielle was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a month later. She shares her MS story and advocacy work on the MS4MS site. 

Ambassador for MS4MS

After the initial adversity that came with battling and understanding multiple sclerosis and balancing a demanding career, Danielle knew that she had a responsibility to use her voice and platform as a journalist. Although she didn't know much about the disease at first, she wanted to use her skill set as a communicator to help others with multiple sclerosis. 

MS4MS, a non-profit organization aimed to bring MS awareness through sports and into sporting venues, reached out to Danielle about joining their mission. Everyone in the organization is involved in sports or athletics, from current athletes with MS to athletes whose loved ones may be impacted by MS, and those in the sports sphere like Danielle as a sports anchor and reporter. MS4MS hosts fun events to fundraise for research and provide services such as physical therapy or walkers for those who need it. "This is a great community to be a part of for me." Danielle shares.

Danielle is an exemplary story of resilience. The diagnosis strengthened her ambition and drive to become a better version of herself and give hope to those dealing with their own obstacles in the industry. She's a talented young journalist seeking her next role in sports journalism. Danielle hopes to remain on the East Coast near the teams and market she loves. Check out Danielle's TalentBlvd profile featuring her latest reel, or connect with her via LinkedIn.

Share your story

Would you like to share your story with us? Email us at admin@talentblvd.com and we'll be happy to highlight your experience and connect you with diverse journalists, hiring managers, news directors, and talent agents on Talentblvd.com. Follow founder Mike McNamara and TalentBlvd for up-to-date news and job opportunities in media

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