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Community Report: Y Achievers Week 2

Jabari Lockhart (Y Achievers guest blogger)Hornets.comJuly 7, 2014

During Week 2, the Y Achievers learned the day-to-day operations of Interactive Media and Technical Operations.  Interactive Media oversees hornets.com, timewarnercablearena.com and all of Hornets Sports & Entertainment’s social media profiles, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more.  Technical operations controls all technical aspects of the organization not related to computers and the internet, such as video and visual boards, audio/sound production, the in-house television network and external television network broadcasts.

We kicked off the week by having a Draft Party recap meeting with Manager of Event Presentation Emily Ladd.  As a group, we discussed the successes of the event and areas of improvement.  Following our meeting, all employees, interns and fellows went to the BB&T BallPark to see the Charlotte Knights take on the Gwinnett Braves, and the Knights won, 3-1. Go Knights!

Interactive Media Director Matt Rochinski met with us on Day 2; he has such a cool job.  Matt directs and manages the content on hornets.com, including articles, videos, photo galleries, graphics and partner advertisements.  You may have even seen him online interviewing Hornets Chairman Michael Jordan, General Manager Rich Cho and/or the players and coaches and posts the interviews on hornets.com.  Interactive Media Coordinator Jace Darling helps to produce most of the videos you see online, while also producing the organization’s podcast and helping with content creation. Social Media Coordinator Eryn Gradwell also works in Matt’s department and oversees all of the Hornets social media content, keeping a detailed calendar of what to post and when, but she’s also prepared for whatever might pop up on a daily basis and driving the conversation around it.

We had a great time taking a behind-the-scenes tour of the Technical Operations studio, as well as other places in the arena most fans would not get to see, with Director of Technical Operations Kevin Baker and Coordinator of Technical Support Evan Manning.  We explored the audio and video control panels for the various cameras on the court and in the arena during games, concerts and other events.

To wrap up Week 2, we met with Executive Vice President of Operations James Jordan. James makes sure all the moving parts of Time Warner Cable Arena operate in unison.  At the top of his list is making sure the arena is fully rebranded by the start of the Hornets 2014-15 season.

We can’t wait to see what Week 3 brings our way. So far this has been a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

About Y Achievers:

Y Achievers is a national YMCA program designed to help teens set and pursue high educational and career goals resulting in graduation and acceptance into a post-secondary institute or adoption of a vocation. Y Achievers is year-round, enrolling new freshmen each fall. During the school year, students participate in weekly afterschool sessions and monthly Saturday Summits. Students also take part in job shadowing opportunities and college tours. During the summer, eligible rising juniors and seniors are provided the opportunity to work paid summer internships or fellowships. Y Achievers serves students from varying academic levels. Students are identified through assistance from Communities In Schools site coordinators, school counselors, teachers and administrators.