When pigskin fans tune into Sunday Night Football this season, Colgate senior Ryan Meyers is in the center of the fast-paced, behind-the-scenes action of the NBC broadcast watched by millions.
Meyers recently landed a gig as an associate producer with NBC Sports. For the lifelong sports buff and former Raiders quarterback, it’s a dream job.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” said Meyers, describing how surreal it is to be part of a broadcast that he normally watches from his apartment. “Most viewers don’t realize what goes into making a live program look flawless to everyone at home.”
In his role on the production staff, Meyers acts as a “spotter,” the eyes of Sunday Night Football’s producer. That puts him inside the broadcast booth with sportscasters Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth.
“I’m positioned just off camera. My responsibility is to keep a close eye on the field and pick out things that might be noteworthy, such as injuries and formations.”
Through a headset, he relays the information to the producer who decides whether the details should be aired. If Meyer’s talking points make the cut, Michaels and Collinsworth will pass the details onto viewers.
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| Ryan Meyers ’10 poses inside the new Dallas Cowboys stadium. The senior was helped by two alumni in landing a job as an associate producer for NBC Sports. |
“Along with plenty of adrenaline, the tremendous learning opportunity the position presents keeps me motivated, helping me keep up with a busy schedule,” added Meyers, who transferred from Tulane University to Colgate after Hurricane Katrina.
The New Orleans native tackles coursework during the week before catching a flight out of Syracuse on Thursday nights or Friday mornings to that weekend’s game location.
Meyers landed the position with NBC Sports, thanks to a Colgate connection. He met Ken Schanzer ’66, president of NBC Sports, during the Center for Career Services’ A Day in the Life program, which allows students to shadow Colgate alumni and parents in a variety of professions.
Schanzer later offered Meyers an internship position in the executive offices of NBC Sports, where he also developed a relationship with alumnus Drew Esocoff ’79, director of Sunday Night Football.
When the associate producer position opened up over the summer, Meyers said he was honored that Schanzer and Esocoff thought of him.
“If there is one piece of advice I could pass along to students it would be to build relationships with Colgate alumni. They want to help you so much.”
The Colgate connection has certainly opened up a world of opportunities for Meyers.
Once the NFL season ends, he will mostly likely assist in NBC’s coverage of other sporting events, possibly even the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
“As you can imagine, I’m the envy of all my friends,” joked Meyers. “In all honesty, I feel very fortunate.”