Kent State and PRSSA alumna Jenn Yokley, Corporate Communications Manager for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena, shared insight on sports and entertainment public relations at the September 25 meeting. 

Yokley started as the Cavaliers’ Communications Coordinator and quickly advanced, thanks to her devotion, hard work and knowledge of the public relations field. Her usual day includes monitoring social media, addressing any problems online and creating media kits, press releases and promotional material. 

While speaking at PRSSA, Yokley shared a few tips for being successful in sports and entertainment PR:

1. Network. Yokley expressed how important it is for students to get involved with the people they see and work with every day, including professors, classmates, professionals and alumni. She said networking will help students grow as professionals and meet people in the field who can expose them to new ideas and potential job opportunities.
2. Small tasks make the world of difference. Yokley said when she started as a Communications Coordinator, she did everything from taking fan photos at Cavaliers games to copy editing. She said students should never think they are above anything, and if they have a go-to attitude, it makes the world of difference when a company is thinking of offering them a promotion or trusting them with larger tasks.
3. Let your personality shine.  When Yokley is interviewing potential interns or new employees for the Cavaliers, she looks for people who can “let their true self shine.” She said there is a huge difference between who a person is on a piece of paper and who they really are, “so take a deep breath and be yourself.”
4. Follow your passion.  In sports and entertainment PR, practitioners have heavy workloads, stressful days and long nights. If a student is passionate about this area of PR, then it is all worth it, Yokley said. 

Because entertainment and sports public relations is considered one of the most difficult and stressful fields in PR to break into, Yokley also shared some of the more challenging aspects of her job. She told PRSSA that she must expect the unexpected every day. 

“Sometimes, you think you are so prepared and then a player gets hurt or a concert gets cancelled, and you think of how much work you just did to promote it,” Yokley said. “It’s the little things here and there that you get caught up on.” 

Yokley also said a lot of big problems at work start from small mistakes. To avoid the little mistakes, she advised:

1. Constant communication. Yokley said practitioners must communicate everyday with fans, executives and co-workers. Everyone is headed in a different direction, and that’s when problems arise. Communicating effectively will save practitioners from starting big problems.
2. Realize not everyone is going to like you. Yokley said this was one of the biggest struggles for her during her first year of work. She said PR practitioners will be surrounded by co-workers they may not get along with every day, so they should develop a thick skin, be above it and remember to stay professional.
3. Never think you’re too good. The smallest tasks are the ones bosses remember. Yokley said PR practitioners can never think they are too good to do those smalls tasks. It will pay off in the end. 

To wrap up the meeting, Yokley advised students to avoid pigeonholing themselves into one area of public relations and to keep an open mind so they don’t pass up the job opportunity of a lifetime.

“Talk to people, take chances and get involved.”

Follow Jenn on Twitter at @jennyokley.