By Tyler Chapin
Walking through the doors of the press box, Tad Martinson approaches the desk in front of the large center window and takes a seat. He sets his notes down in front of him, puts on his headset, and looks out the window at the field in front of him. It’s game time.
Who Is Tad Martinson
Martinson is a junior studying Multimedia Communication with a concentration in multimedia journalism. One thing he wants people to know about him is that he considers himself to be extroverted and outgoing. He loves going out and doing fun activities, as well meeting and getting to know new people. He also enjoys anything to do with creativity or exploring.
Another aspect of Martinson’s life is that he is a big lover of sports, whether it is watching sports or even working sports, sports are a big part of his personality. Especially when it comes to his favorite football team, the Green Bay Packers. He has made that team a big part of his life ever since he was a kid.
Comm Background
Martinson has a passion for journalism that started in high school through a class he took called “publications.” In this class he was able to write in his school’s paper and was also able to learn a lot of information about print journalism, as well as journalism in general. He has also learned a lot about journalism in his time here at Olivet through classes he has taken with Dr. McLaughlin and Professor Bishop.
Martinson is also involved, both on and off campus, when it comes to different aspects of communication. One of these areas of involvement is sports broadcasting. This past summer Martinson got a job working video production for The Rockers, a minor league baseball team in Green Bay. During his time working with the team, he directed and produced the team’s broadcast, as well as commentating with the play-by-play announcer. He will be returning to Green Bay this coming summer to continue his work as the team’s play-by-play announcer.
Martinson is also very involved with sports broadcasting through Olivet. Since being back on campus, he has worked with Regional Radio Sports Network and Mike Knezovich during football games, and has also been able to call different games.
Another area of involvement for Martinson is the media services team on campus. He says that through his experience on the media team, he has learned a lot of valuable skills through the hands-on experience involved and has also had a lot of great mentors such as Matt Steinacker, Chase DeMott, Timmy Miller, and Tim Burdine. Martinson said he uses the skills he has learned from media services when it comes to different jobs within the realm of sports broadcasting.
After Graduation
Once graduated from Olivet, Martinson wants to start off by working in production for a network. Whether this network is a TV station where he can cover some sports games or a company or station that has a primary focus on covering different games. For example, a network that is like ESPN. Then from production, Martinson would like to work his way up to doing some forms of writing, as well as other forms of multimedia content. He would also love any opportunities that involve being live and on air. His ultimate goal is to be an on-air broadcaster at some point in his career. Specifically, one for a major league baseball team.
