By Brendan O’Hallarn
Old Dominion College of Arts and Letters graduate Malachi Payne has been an employee of ESPN for more than two years. But he frequently feels like he never left university when he walks around the media giant’s Bristol, Connecticut, headquarters.
“ESPN has been a positive environment to work since Day 1,” said Payne ’22, a New Jersey native who earned a media studies degree from the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts. “The campus gives you a college vibe from building to building. You can see somebody new every day, just by going to cafeteria at the right time for lunch rush.”
A content associate for ESPN, Payne produces highlights from sports broadcasts, frequently working hand in hand with senior colleagues in the ESPN control room.
“I certainly knew that I would be working in sports in some capacity, but I can honestly say I did not see myself doing this. I had never edited anything aside from the reel I put together in an effort to get an on-air position.”
Payne’s skills have brought him to college basketball events, the NBA Draft, and a personal favorite memory so far — the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
“Being able to work with the kids in that type of environment where they are there to compete but also to have fun and represent their region or country was an incredible experience,” he said.
The international event, held far from Norfolk, also yielded an unexpected reunion. Moira Olexa ’23, a fellow ODU communication graduate, was working as a freelancer for the production team at ESPN, the third time the Philadelphia native had worked the Little League World Series. Olexa has since been hired as an account executive with Little League’s Partnership Marketing Team.
“Running into (Moira) at LLWS was so funny because I didn’t believe her at first,” Payne said. “It was so interesting both being in the mountains of Pennsylvania working this incredible event and knowing we were both walking the Webb around the same time.”
Olexa, who played for the Old Dominion lacrosse team in her time at the University, said “we were both in disbelief” when she and Payne made the connection. “It was so nice to meet a fellow Monarch in the sports industry and especially at ESPN. We were repping ODU proudly while working.”
The “Worldwide Leader” has another noteworthy Monarch in its ranks — anchor Jay Harris ’87, himself a Communication and Theatre Arts graduate and former member of the University’s Board of Visitors. Payne said he met Harris at a panel discussion hosted by the Department in 2020.
“At the conclusion of the panel, I approached Jay and asked him what steps he was taking when he was in my shoes and got some great feedback,” Payne said. “I took his email down and kept in contact with him. I am still in contact with him from time to time, although he is usually pretty busy.”
Eager to pass on that guidance he received, Payne said Monarchs who aspire to move to a large sport organization like ESPN should take advantage of every opportunity they can while at Old Dominion.
“Find national organizations that are aligned with your career path and get involved with them. If they have a convention every year, try to get to one before you graduate. Get in contact with the alumni association and get to know the professionals who were sitting in the classrooms that you sat in and are walking in the career footsteps that you want to walk in.”
Also, Payne said, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.
“I took my (highlight) reel I created to three different news stations, and they all told me it was really bad. But they saw I was passionate about it and was serious about starting a career in the field, so they gave me feedback and told me keep in contact with them.”
Ultimately Payne took that same reel to ESPN, “knowing it wasn’t good, but also knowing that they could give me feedback that the other stations couldn’t.” The visit led to an interview for the position Payne was hired for in September 2022.
Two years later, “the research that I do in order for me to pitch and produce highlights requires me to be extremely thorough and that sums up my entire ODU journey.”