 |
Brian Triplett, UI Senior.
Triplett has interned at
ESPN and
The L.A. Times |
By Bobby Loesch
Working for his local newspaper in Davenport, Iowa was a promising start to UI Senior Brian Triplett’s journalism career as a sportswriter. Time spent at the University of Iowa’s Daily Iowan was also beneficial. When it was time to apply at newspapers for internships for the summer after his sophomore year of college, Triplett approached the application process with a very ambitious attitude.
“I applied for 32 newspaper internships,” said Triplett.
However, none of these companies called him back. Fortunately, he was able to land an internship in Bristol, Conn. with ESPN because of a connection he had through a friend. While in Bristol, Triplett filed several stories with ESPN.com.
“I interviewed Anna Kournikova and the Boston Red Sox at Bristol for ESPN,” said Triplett.
After working for such a prestigious company, when it came time to apply for summer internships the next year, Triplett fared much better.
“I had offers from Dallas and New Orleans, but Bill Plaschke was my favorite sportswriter at the time,” said Triplett.
Bill Plaschke is a columnist for the L.A. Times and is a regular on ESPN’s "Around the Horn" television program.
After an over-the-phone interview, Triplett headed out to Los Angeles for the summer. He ended up living with Plaschke’s colleague J.A. Adande. Adande is another sports columnist at the L.A. Times who also appears on ESPN’s "Around the Horn."
Out of his comfort zone
Upon arrival, Triplett discovered that he would not be a sports intern but rather an intern for the newspaper’s Calendar section. Working for the Calendar section involved entertainment writing in art, movies, and television. Triplett was able to meet and interview several famous musicians and actors, like Ben McKenzie, who stars in “The O.C.” on Fox.
Triplett said it was a very interesting summer and he cherished his time writing in Los Angeles.
“Internships are about experience and figuring out what you want,” he said. “Try something new. It makes you a well-rounded person. It’s three months out of your comfort zone.”
Triplett stressed the importance of his writing experience in the field of journalism.
“Internships are crucial if you want to be a writer,” he said. “There’s only so much you can learn in a classroom.”
At the Times, Triplett worked with a large staff, including Randy Hagihara. Hagihara is an Internship Coordinator at the L.A. Times and was responsible for interviewing and hiring Triplett.
“Brian turned in an excellent application,” he said. “It's very competitive. For the 10 summer positions this summer, I received 500-plus applications.”
Despite the limited number of positions at the L.A. Times, Hagihara stressed the value of applying for summer internships.
“Getting internship experience is vital these days,” he said, “With jobs becoming more scarce, newspaper editors are looking for graduates who've spent their summers learning by doing.”
Developing a taste for success
In addition to his internships at ESPN and the L.A. Times, Triplett wrote a piece called “The Sun Also Rises,” which is about his experience in New Orleans helping the rebuilding effort post-Hurricane Katrina. Being there reshaped his view on journalism.
“It’s tasting the world and writing about it,” Triplett said, “It’s not getting stories out of people, it’s doing it through my eyes.”
His story was published in the Daily Iowan and also won first place in the collegiate editorial/column writing competition for the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.
After graduation this May, Triplett plans to freelance as well as put together some book ideas.
Triplett realizes that these internships have given him an edge in the field.
“I’ve been to journalism conventions and seen kids who have graduated with 4.0 GPAs in college but don’t have any actual writing experience,” he said.
Overall, Triplett considers his summer internship experiences indispensable.
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he said. “I would have regretted not doing it.” |
