Media Playbook™
Media Playbook for Athlete Performance Off the Field Teams Media Pros with Players
Field to Future Sports Media Training combines presentation skills, personal responsibility mentoring with social media, personal marketing support and media career placement
Atlanta— The transition from college athlete to positive role model and media personality is a dream that too often doesn’t materialize for many of today’s star college players. But a team of seasoned media and sports professionals have joined together to help. They are launching a complete athlete training and development program that is being offered to student and alumni players at universities throughout the country.
“These are great kids, who work hard on the field, but are left unprepared for the spotlight and the platform they have,” said Gil Tyree, the veteran television sportscaster who was most recently Sports Director at CBS Atlanta. “They have the potential to give back in very positive ways, to their teams, their schools, their conference… and their peers by gaining the communication and media savvy along with the hands on mentoring and support that this program provides.”
Media Playbook™ Positive Performance Program has been developed by Creative Word and Image, an Atlanta marketing communications and social media strategy agency, along with Talent Dynamics, the Dallas-based firm that is the leading broadcast and corporate media training and development company in the country and Tyree’s PositivePub.com effort to promote the positive contributions athletes and coaches make through the organizations and programs they support. They will be joined by a roster of media personalities and former athletes who have successfully achieved media careers in sports and beyond.
“We have created a single program to help turn great athletes into even greater brand ambassadors,” said former television news executive and media trainer, Michael Shoer, who is now managing director of Creative Word & Image Inc. “The thread that ties all of the disciplines together is the personal mentoring that each athlete will receive directly from a matched professional.” 
The program includes writing, communication, media skills, but also includes personal responsibility, individual athlete brand development and marketing, and after the first year, the opportunity to audition for broadcast, cable, digital network media recruiters and corporate brand marketing agencies.
“These Athletes will be primed for a lifetime of giving back positively, “said Tyree. “And we intend to share all of the knowledge and insights of our collective experience and help these athletes make positive contributions off the field for today and tomorrow.
“Just take a look at what a guy like Kelin Johnson, a former Georgia Bulldog football star who made it through the NFL draft is now doing our mentoring and support. He’s got a sports news site on the internet (www.kelinjohnson.com ), a local television segment (Kelin’s Korner) and come this fall is going to be hosting a weekly radio and internet broadcast show,” adds Tyree.
“Kelin came to our attention well after leaving college, and we’re working with him,” said Shoer. “Imagine where he’d be today if this program had been available to him three or four years ago.”
The Media Playbook™ Positive Performance Program has received initial corporate underwriting, and is seeking additional private benefactors for participating athletes and corporate sponsors and advertisers to fund the media properties that will provide a training ground and real media showcase for each athlete. The Media Playbook™ program launches this fall on the campus of the University of Georgia, before being offered to alumni players at other Universities.
Information for Program Sponsors and Athlete Benefactors: