Experience Spotlight - Rick Saxe, National Hockey League

In this semester's Experience Spotlight series, the blog will be featuring Cornell ILR SBS members who have excelled in positions in the sports industry. Many talented Cornell students are making impressions all across the sports world, and this is their chance to showcase their experiences.

This week's Spotlight focuses on Rick Saxe '16.  Rick is a junior in Cornell's Industrial and Labor Relations School. He has been a dedicated member of the club since his first year at Cornell, attending numerous conferences and events, as well as contributing to the blog.

This summer, Rick worked for the National Hockey League, serving as a Studio Intern for the NHL Network.  He was kind enough to answer some questions about his experience.
What were some of your day-to-day responsibilities of the position?

I rotated through all facets of production of live programming on NHL Network--in the studio and in the control room--including roles in stage management, audio management, video management, and graphics coordination.

I came up with an idea for a TV Show for the Network, and it was picked by a group executive producers. I was given a team to work on producing the show, and we are essentially done with its production. As long as the final touches are approved, we hope for it to air in the Spring of 2015 before the next NHL Entry Draft.

How were you able to get the internship?

I got word of this internship through a friend, emailed HR, and went through the application process.

How has this experience shaped your career plans?

While I don't expect to go into television production for a career, I learned a lot (especially from my TV show project) about how to both lead a team and to develop an idea. It was tough for me to alter my original idea because I was really attached to what I was pitching to producers. Opening up to new ideas in order to improve the program was difficult at first, but now that I see how much better it made the show, I learned that listening to teammates is invaluable. No matter what field I land in, I want to be a leader in it, as well as revolutionize it through new ideas, so this experienced definitely helped me take a step closer to reaching that goal.

What advice would you give another student interested in a similar experience?

For someone looking for a similar position, I can't really offer anything past the "make as many connections as you can" advice that everyone pitches to you. I only knew about this opportunity through a friend with similar career goals as I have, so just keep one ear open at all times and know that connections that can change your life can come from anywhere and anyone.

Thank you to Rick and the National Hockey League for allowing us to share this awesome experience. We hope you have learned about some of the wonderful opportunities that Cornell, the ILR School, and the ILR Sports Business Society can provide in the sports world. We hope to feature many more stories from students and employers this fall!