Chris Hirons

I recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication from Virginia Tech and am looking for a full-time job.

EDUCATION

Virginia Tech School of Communication & Digital Journalism B.A. in Sports Media & Analytics

Fall 2020-Spring 2023

S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University

Magazine, Newspaper & Online Journalism

Fall 2019-Spring 2020

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Tech Sideline

Baseball/Women’s Basketball Beat Writer Blacksburg, Virginia

August 2021 – Present

● Responsible for feature and game recap stories & developing relationships with coaches, players and the Sports

Information Director

● Grew my own following by more than 1,000 followers (1,700+ total) with interesting storytelling

● Duties include: Attended all home games (some away), writing post-game recaps, feature stories to share with TSL subscribers & viewers

● Partnered with the team to help with recruiting via my social media brand; developed unique relationship with program’s head coach

DC Grays

Communications Director/Content Manager/Scorekeeping Intern Washington D.C.

May 2021 – Present

● Managed social media.

○ Increased Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok impressions with creative graphics, videos and other engaging content.

○ Developed and implemented a strategic plan for future interns to increase social media engagement for baseball fans in Southeast D.C.

● Managed all media inquires in D.C. media market

● Wrote nightly game recaps and daily feature stories; kept official score

● Volunteered for inner-city baseball camps run by the Grays for underprivileged baseball players aged 6-12.

3304 Sports

Editor-in-Chief Blacksburg, Virginia August 2020 – Present

● Responsible for feature and game recap stories, as well as assigning and editing stories from other student writers.

● Developed and established beat reporters covering Virginia Tech athletics; Established relationships with SIDs

● Molded the editorial direction, planned enterprise stories

● Worked with younger writers to develop their skills & story-telling abilities

● Shaped 3304’s digital strategy and oversaw its social growth on Twitter and Instagram Potomac Local

Staff Writer Fredericksburg, Virginia May 2018 – May 2020

● Reported on Stafford, Virginia’s local government legislation.

● Met and interviewed local elected officials & county staff on a consistent basis.

● Covered the Stafford County School Board as a local beat writer.

● Award winning online-only local newspaper, member of LIONS Publishers.

As a recent college graduate and an applicant that has real-world experience since high school, I bring proven success as an communicator when it comes to collegiate athletics. I have double-dipped as a reporter and a team communications official, so I understand what it takes to tell an interesting story and cover a team(s) from the beginning of the season to the end.

During high school and through college, I developed a passion for storytelling, which landed me an internship with a local paper that served the northern Virginia region. There, I covered local government, but knew my real love was within sports. I started at the Newhouse School in Syracuse before transferring to Virginia Tech during the pandemic, where I grew my personal brand covering the Virginia Tech baseball team for two seasons.

At Tech, I also served as the Editor-in-Chief of 3304 Sports – the multimedia hub for sports journalism at Tech – developing a plan to install beats, crafting young writers’ skills, and oversaw the editorial process for the website and studio shows. That set me up for my internship with the DC Grays – a collegiate summer baseball team in the Cal Ripken League. With the Grays, I grew the team’s social media by nearly 500 followers during my two summers and worked with the Washington D.C. media market that could tell our stories to a mass audience.

Examples of my success include:

• Overhauled the DC Grays’ social media plan that engaged a larger audience, growing the Grays’ Twitter following from just under 1,000 followers to over 1,600. I also oversaw the monthly newsletter for two seasons. And I created the team’s TikTok page that captured some of the team’s charismatic personalities that engaged a younger audience, giving fans an ability to relate to the players.
• Covered the Virginia Tech baseball team during two seasons and developed a unique relationship with the team’s head coach, John Szefc. Szefc saw me as an asset to his recruiting and asked me to help through my personal Twitter account, proving I played a strong part in engaging fans and recruiting interest.
• Proved that I can manage a team of 25-plus writers, while helping those individuals to improve their writing, editing and story-telling skills. Led the organization’s digital growth, increasing engagement among readers and local media as it went from an unknown student organization to a leader in local collegiate coverage.

As a skilled professional with a communications degree, a background in analyzing social media growth and story-telling, I am confident that I will prove an asset to your athletic department and communications staff and respectfully submit my application for your review. I am available for an interview at your convenience, and hope to hear from you soon.

Best regards,

Chris Hirons

Virginia Tech School of Communication