{"id":22868,"date":"2022-09-23T09:26:12","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T09:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=22868"},"modified":"2023-07-10T19:53:27","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T19:53:27","slug":"turning-passion-into-a-profession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2022\/09\/23\/turning-passion-into-a-profession","title":{"rendered":"Turning passion into a profession"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"ROOT<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When he was six years old, every Saturday morning like clockwork, alumnus Skylar Lewis Randall \u201919 would run to the front porch to grab the newspaper. He would search frantically for the sports section. Excitement building, he would spread it out across the nearest clean surface \u2014 often the floor \u2014 and read it line by line, memorizing every fact and statistic listed on the pages. \u201cI absolutely loved the Mariners and so did my dad. My family really bonded over sports,\u201d he said. \u201cI was a fanatic from an early age.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same was true for alumnus Andy Townsend \u201916, who has been playing soccer since practically the time he could walk. He started kicking the ball at just 4 years old and played all the way through high school, eventually earning a scholarship to play at Skagit Valley College. \u201cI am a huge sports fan,\u201d he said. \u201cI love watching games just as much as I love playing them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Townsend and Lewis Randall now work at ROOT SPORTS, the television home of the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Kraken, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Seawolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Portland Timbers and Gonzaga Bulldogs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And they both point to their experiences at the University of Washington Bothell for being able to turn their passions into their professions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grand slam event <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After graduating from UW Bothell with a major in Media & Communication Studies in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences<\/a>, Townsend landed a marketing internship at ROOT SPORTS. He had a number of responsibilities including managing social media accounts, writing scripts to read on air and overseeing advertisements. \u201cI wore a lot of different hats and loved all the work I did,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I have to say, I had the most fun organizing the Ultimate Fan competition.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Alumnus
Alumnus Andy Townsend ’16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is also a favorite program of Lewis Randall, who had the same college major but also got a minor in Visual & Media Arts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each year, ROOT SPORTS hosts a competition for residents of Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Alaska. To participate, Mariners fans from across the five states submit a photo and story that states why he or she is the biggest fan of all. Last year, Lewis Randall chose the winners. \u201cA lot went into it, such as organizing flights, hotels and transportation,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a ton of work, but it was so worth it in the end.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest fans, wearing customized jerseys, spend this day each year getting a tour of T-Mobile Park and participating in an opening ceremony before the game, Townsend said. \u201cOne of last year\u2019s winners was an 83-year-old woman who said it was the best day of her life \u2014 and she has experienced more than 30,000 days,\u201d he said. \u201cTo see the genuine, childlike excitement these people experience is pretty dang special.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lewis Randall, now promoted to marketing specialist after serving in the internship, took over the Ultimate Fan competition responsibilities this year. Like Townsend, he has had an extremely positive experience. \u201cGetting to talk with all these super fans who share my enthusiasm for sports is just the best,\u201d Lewis Randall said. \u201cThey send in these photos with so much Mariners paraphernalia you can\u2019t help but smile.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2022 winners were announced this past summer, and Lewis Randall will meet the lucky five on Sept. 30 for the celebration. \u201cI have put in a lot of work to make the day as memorable as possible,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to enjoy it and be a part of such an epic experience.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knocking it out of the park <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lewis Randall took over the marketing specialist role in December and is most excited about running the social media accounts. His interest began in college and was fostered by Matthew Cooley, program manager of the Activities & Recreation Center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Skylar
Alumnus Skylar Lewis Randall ’19<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCooley encouraged me to start a Twitter account for the Mariners,\u201d he said. \u201cI started it my sophomore year and built it up over the years to get practice and grow a following. When I interviewed at ROOT SPORTS, I showed them the account, and they were really impressed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt played a significant part in getting the job as it showed how dedicated I was.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going into his internship at ROOT SPORTS two years ago, Lewis Randall had the goal of growing the station\u2019s social media following by 10% annually, which is an impressive growth rate. \u201cI am proud to report that the first year we hit a 15% growth rate, and this year we are on track for 20%,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Townsend is also making impressive strides in the company, where he is now the production manager. \u201cIt\u2019s very different from what I used to be doing,\u201d he said. \u201cI do a lot of project management work such as handling schedules and corresponding with the sales team to coordinate what to advertise on air and how to feature sponsored posts.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He says that UW Bothell prepared him well for this role. \u201cI absolutely loved every class I took with Dr. Susan Harewood, associate professor in the School of IAS,\u201d he said. \u201cThe work I did in her classes taught me how to work well with others, communicate effectively across company divisions and ultimately, be a leader. She ignited my passion for communication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI use the knowledge I gained at the University daily,\u201d he said. \u201cI am extremely grateful for my education.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sliding into home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Townsend says his favorite part of being a production manager is being on the side of the team that \u201cmakes the magic happen\u201d for fans. \u201cI am in the trenches every day,\u201d he said. \u201cDuring production it can be 14-hour days, but seeing it on the screen \u2014 that makes it all worth it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have to pinch myself sometimes because I can\u2019t believe I get to work in the sports industry.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lewis Randall feels similarly. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible to think of my 6-year-old self, running for the newspaper every Saturday morning to where I am now, working at ROOT SPORTS,\u201d he said. \u201cI went from being a Mariners super fan to working with them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is truly a dream come true.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Andy Townsend ’16 and Skylar Lewis Randall ’19, both alumni from UW Bothell’s School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, used their experiences in college to turn their passion for sports into a profession. They both now work at ROOT SPORTS. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[209,202,197,200],"tags":[],"school":[419],"class_list":["post-22868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-campus-news","category-news-releases","category-profiles","school-school-of-ias"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"Contact Type","email":"sample@uwb.edu","phone":"(206) 999-9999","box":"Box 358500","address_line_1":"18115 Campus Way NE","address_line_2":"Bothell, WA 98011-8246","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nTurning passion into a profession - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2022\/09\/23\/turning-passion-into-a-profession\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Turning passion into a profession - News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Andy Townsend ’16 and Skylar Lewis Randall ’19, both alumni from UW Bothell’s School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, used their experiences in college to turn their passion for sports into a profession. 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