Full Sail University is starting a Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting, working with the NBC Sports host and other industry professionals.
The initiative, announced Thursday, is expected to open early next year and is being supported by Playbook Inc., a sports agency that represents Patrick and other people in sports media, brands and businesses.
The school’s curriculum will focus on preparing the next generation of sportscasters by embracing storytelling and up-to-date content creation techniques
“The traditional journalism schools have been left behind by technology, and graduates of those schools are arriving unprepared for success in the industry,” said Patrick, who became well known for co-anchoring SportsCenter on ESPN. “Full Sail University is at the forefront of providing experiential-based learning, and for aggressively embracing new communication technology. It is the perfect situation for me to bring both my expertise, and the expertise of many of my colleagues in the industry, and to marry those with Full Sail’s expertise in education, in order to create what will become the best-in-class degree program for the next generation of sportscasting talent.”
In addition to Patrick, participants in the school will learn from Steve Cohen, senior VP of sports programming at SiriusXM; Ed Goren, former president and executive producer at Fox Sports, Jeremy Schaap, a reporter for ESPN; Bill Simmons, former ESPN polymath now CEO of The Ringer, and Sage Steele, co-host of SportsCenter AM for ESPN.
Gus Ramsey, who was producer and coordinating producer at ESPN for 20 years, will serve as the full-time program director for the new degree programs.
Degrees at Full Sail, located in Winter Park, Fla., can be achieved in 21 month on campus and 29 months online.
“By partnering with Dan Patrick, the leading sportscaster and renowned sports broadcast and radio personality on–air today, we further highlight the caliber of education provided to our student body,” said Full Sail University President Garry Jones. “As a seasoned professional with decades of experience, Dan brings an unprecedented knowledge base to the program and we are honored to collaborate with Dan on this important mission.”
Students will learn the traditional foundations of broadcast journalism elements. They will develop skills for presenting sports and e-sports content on multiple platforms ranging from networks to social media outlets including YouTube, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, as well as VR/AR and other evolving emerging technologies.
“By partnering with Dan Patrick, the leading sportscaster and renowned sports broadcast and radio personality on–air today, we further highlight the caliber of education provided to our student body,” said Full Sail University President Garry Jones. “As a seasoned professional with decades of experience, Dan brings an unprecedented knowledge base to the program and we are honored to collaborate with Dan on this important mission.”
