Anyone who works in the media industry will tell you the most important thing in getting a foot in the door is landing an internship during or shortly after college. The hours are grueling and the pay is usually non-existent, but there's no better preparation for a career in media than the hands-on learning that comes with internship experience.
With a journalism degree from Lehigh University and the experience of serving as a special correspondent for NBA Inside Stuff and a host for Facebook during the last two NBA Finals, CJ McCollum is furthering his education in media with a summer internship with The Players' Tribune this offseason. Founded by New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter following his retirement in 2014, the purpose of the outlet is to share the first-person athlete perspective in a way the traditional mainstream media isn't able. In addition to McCollum, The Players' Tribune has included entries from some of the biggest names in sports including Kobe Bryant, David Ortiz and Russell Wilson.
Even during the season, McCollum keeps his love for jounalism near and dear to his heart with CJ's Press Pass, a program geared toward encouraging high school students' interest and participation in media.
From all of us at Trailblazers.com, we wish McCollum the best of luck during his on-the-job media experience this summer.