Max Bronner: A Sports Reporter in the Making

Like most Emerson students, junior broadcast journalism major Max Bronner knows the importance of interning.  After taking Radio Production and TV News Production at Emerson, Max landed an internship with Comcast Sportsnet in Burlington Massachusetts.  As one of those rare sports lovers at Emerson (yes, they do exist!), Max turned his internship into a job as the Associate Producer for the pre-game and post-game shows for the Boston Celtics.  He has been working there for the past two seasons. 
 
Her Campus:What is your role as Associate Producer?
 
Max Bronner:I communicate with the executive producer, David Cherubin, in the TV station in Burlington.  I stack the show segments on the program ENPS and help write the scripts for each show.  The pre-game discusses the previous Celtics game, shows interviews from the locker room, and the thoughts for that day’s game.  During the post-game show, they review and analyze the game.
 
HC:What’s the best part of your job?
 
MB:I love the relationships I have with the host, Gary Tanguay, and the analyst, Donny Marshall, because it’s more than just professional.  It makes working together much more enjoyable.  I’m able to talk to Gary about different ways to get into the broadcast journalism business and ask him about his experience.  He has worked as the host of the New England Patriot Radio Network, co-hosted the mid-day show from 10-2 on 98.5 The Sports Hub, and he is also the host of Uno’s Sports Tonight on Comcast Sportsnet. 
 
The job itself is very fast paced though.  Things can change in an instant.  If the producer doesn’t like the order of the stories or if he has to cut something from the show, I have to make sure I change it in the studio.  It can be hard to execute quickly, but I like that the work I get to do is different every game. 

 
HC:How has your experience at Emerson prepared you for the job?
 
MB:  The classes at Emerson expose you to real TV and radio production equipment and you use the same programs to make a newscast.  It’s nice because you go in with knowledge and some experience.
 
HC:Do you ever get to interact with the players?
 
Well Donny played for four years at the University of Connecticut and was drafted in 1995 by the Cleveland Cavaliers.  He played four seasons with them and them played for one year with the New Jersey Nets.  Some players come to the studio to do a segment for the post-game show, such as Glenn Davis and Cedric Maxwell.  Bruins players come sometimes too.  I’ve seen Shawn Thorton, Daniel Paille and Tim Thomas. 
 
HC:Can you see yourself continuing in this role in the future or would you like to try a different aspect of broadcast journalism?
 
MB:I’d like to see myself take on something like Gary’s position more so than the producing role.  As host, he gets to run the show for the viewer, but he also has a lot of pressure because he’s the one on TV all the time, not the producer. I could definitely see myself being a sports reporter in the future, whether it be on TV or the radio.