“Out of my comfort zone” would be putting how I felt during this process mildly. I don’t mind meeting new people face-to-face, but reaching out to someone new online without having something to offer them creates an uneasy feeling for me. But, I knew there was no way around it, so I did some research on LinkedIn to find people currently working in communication, player development, or scouting to try and connect with them.
By doing this, I was able to find several professionals in the communications field of sports, and sent out a few mildly personalized messages on LinkedIn. At first it did not seem like I was going to come across someone to agree to be my penpal very easily, but luckily I found Jackson Filyo.
Jackson is the Director of Digital Communications with Monumental Sports for the Washington Wizards. During his time at South Carolina while obtaining his degree in Public Relations, Jackson spent time doing PR internships for the Frederick Keys (a minor-league baseball team), the Wizards and Mystics, the 76ers, the Magic, and worked as a communications assistant with the SEC.
Since April of 2017, Jackson Filyo has been back working with Monumental Sports. He started as a a Manager in Digital Communications and has since been promoted twice, to Senior Manager, and again to his current position as Director of Digital Communications.
When I messaged Jackson, he was very easygoing and seemed happy to help me with this project. I did not do the best job of explaining the details of the project, so he thought I only needed to talk to him one time this week, but after I gave the correct information, he was still happy to help.
What made me feel the most relieved about all of this and what helped this process seem normalized to me is the fact that Jackson responded to all of my messages while he was away for work in Japan! So, after doing this and seeing such a good response, it definitely gives me more confidence to go do this on my own and make more connections.