Reynolds School of Journalism alumna Gianna Hearn graduated in 2013 with an emphasis in broadcasting and public relations. However, Hearn’s career path wasn’t always clear because her true passion lied in athletics. That was until a knee injury got in her way.
“I always played sports growing up, and that was a big, big part of my life. When I was in high school I had several knee injuries and it got to the point where yes, I could run track in college, but will I walk if later in life?” Hearn said.
With track off the table, Hearn was faced with a big choice when deciding what her focus would be in college.
“I had always wanted to be a Disney Channel star growing up, but living in Reno, that wasn't going to happen. And I love sports. So how can I merge being on TV and sports?” Hearn explained.
It was then that Hearn realized she could be a sports reporter. This led her to joining the Reynolds School and from there “everything fell into place."
Hearn took a variety of journalism classes to find where she felt her passion was as a reporter. She learned about audio reporting and writing but was most excited by the video production courses.
Once Hearn found her reporting outlet, she did everything she could to get her foot in the door of gaining any type of sports journalism experience.
“Any chance I could, I was trying to reach out to someone on campus to shoot basketball, football, just getting my foot in any way I could,” Hearn said.
A sports emphasis wasn’t available at the time, so Hearn approached journalism professor Paul Mitchell, coordinator of recruitment and retention, because of his connection to the University’s Athletics department.
“I remember talking to him for the very first time and it was a very tough, challenging conversation. Because, you know, I was super bubbly and he kind of brought me down to earth and said, like, ‘this is what it's going to take to be successful in this industry,’” Hearn explained.
Hearn walked away from that conversation wondering if she could truly pursue this career.
Despite the hard conversation, Hearn is grateful for Mitchell’s counsel because it made her realize the challenges she might face upon entering the sports industry.
“[Being] a woman in sports is not easy. You're going to come up and face criticism of ‘do you know sports well’, ‘are you relying on your looks’, and he really just challenged me to know sports well,” Hearn said.
Hearn got internships and jobs at local news stations where she was able to practice photography and video. She took every opportunity to attend practices to put her skills to use.
In 2016, PAC 12 in San Francisco hired Hearn as a halftime host. Around that time, when given an opportunity to cover the NBA and WNBA Finals, Hearn’s knee injuries caught up to her and she was forced to take six months off of work due to a knee surgery.
Six months turned into two years of not working in sports.
“It's very hard to take that amount of time off and still be relevant because there's a lot of young people coming up,” Hearn expressed.
Hearn had connections at the NBA G League and was offered a job to be the League’s social media manager.
“Now I'm a live producer for NBA G League Ignite based in Las Vegas,” Hearn explained. “I'm a producer and the host of the Ignite show that we have called the Midnight Takeover. I'm also the face of the G League so anything they need hosting for I do that, as well sideline for the winter showcase on NBA TV.”
Today, students with a passion for sports like Hearn will be able to develop their skills in classes as a part of the Reynolds School’s new sports media emphasis. This new undergraduate emphasis is expected to begin in fall 2024.
