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Production camera in hand, Andy O’Brien loves shooting videos of Mississippi Braves players, thousands of fans and funny team mascots like Trusty.
From pre-game ceremonies at Trustmark Park through post-game activities like fireworks shows, O’Brien always hustles to capture the action at the 7,000-seat baseball stadium in Pearl.
The Mississippi College senior experienced a thrill of a lifetime on June 4 when M-Braves pitcher Jake Brigham nearly tossed a perfect game. A dramatic leadoff double in the ninth inning crushed those hopes in the 8-0 M-Braves win over the Jackson (Tenn.) Generals that night.
Working with the M-Braves game production crew during the 2015 season has proven to be an incredible learning experience for the 22-year-old Florida resident.
Filming on the diamond with the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves remains a perfect fit with Andy’s sports media studies on the Clinton campus.
“Taking the skills I learned in the classroom and applying them in a professional sports media production has been a seamless transition,” O’Brien says.
In December, he will make Mississippi College history as the first sports media program graduate at the 5,000-student university.
The lessons learned in professors Reid Vance’s multimedia journalism classes and at one of the best minor league ballparks in America will pay huge dividends. A few months after the M-Braves season wraps up around Labor Day, Andy will go job hunting.
In early December, O’Brien will travel to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Major League Baseball’s 114th annual winter meetings. It’s an opportunity for Andy to interview with major and minor league teams from across the USA.
“My special degree in sports media, paired with my experience with the M-Braves will help me stand out,” O’Brien says.
The Melbourne, Florida resident also brings extensive writing and editing skills to the table. He served as sports editor of the “Mississippi Collegian” last year and this fall moves up as editor of the Christian university’s student newspaper.
His work with the M-Braves draws praise from the front office staff.
“Andy has been quite versatile and learned many various areas of game-production with the M-Braves this season,” says Miranda Black, the baseball team’s media relations manager. “He’s always willing to jump in and do whatever is requested or needed for the team.”
In just a few words, Miranda describes the MC student’s strengths. “He’s enthusiastic and works hard.”
Whether the Colorado native covered the MC Choctaws in Gulf South Conference football games or penned stories on other sports teams, Andy brings a strong work ethic, professor Vance says. O’Brien also polished his skills last year as an intern with the WJTV-12 sports department in Jackson.
“He’s shown an amazing initiative in taking on a variety of responsibilities, gaining broad experience and making many friends through his good work,” Vance says. “He has positioned himself very well to compete for jobs in a demanding industry.”
MC Communication Department professors believe O’Brien will be a role model as the sports media program’s inaugural graduate. Said Vance: “He’s set a great standard for every program student who will follow.”
In August 2014, Vance launched the 18-hour program that teams interpersonal and public communication, journalism, mass media and public relations for students seeking bachelor’s degrees in communication. The sports media concentration focuses on public relations in college athletics, sports broadcasting and reporting.
With millions of viewers tuning to pro and college games on ESPN, CBS, NBC or other networks, athletics is a booming business. A football, basketball and baseball fan, Andy grew up rooting for MLB’s Colorado Rockies and the NFL’s Denver Broncos. “I’ve always been interested in sports.”
Photo: Mississippi College senior Andy O’Brien is picking up valuable job skills with the Mississippi Braves.
