Providence Bruins Broadcaster
September 2011-April 2017
I got a call-up. No, I’m not headed to the NHL just yet, but after spending the 2010-2011 as a Media Relations Assistant, I became the head honcho on-air for P-Bruins games.
Merrimack College Football Broadcaster
September 2012-November 2015
Worcester Tornadoes Broadcaster, Marketing Manager
March 2011-September 2012
My responsibilities with the Tornadoes expanded as time went by, and my overall workload was considerably larger than it was with any other team I’ve donned a staff polo for. I delved into marketing from more than just a social media level (as I had in the past), meaning more than $50,000 of advertising for the team has come under my control.
One move I suggested before the 2011 season started netted the team 6,000 more tickets sold (and almost as many butts in seats). I’d be happy to share that (not-so) secret with you if you let me know.
I managed a group od media interns all summer in 2012, including my two broadcast partners. We created more in-house content than any other team in the league and had the most easy-to-navigate and comprehensive game notes around. (Creating a system where those two qualities existed wasn’t easy, but it certainly made outside media’s job less stressful.)
St. Anselm College Football Broadcaster
October 2011
Hudson Valley Renegades Broadcaster, New Media Manager
March-September 2010
My time with the Renegades was filled with game calling (though not as a catcher), tarp pulling, social media, funky fan requests and a mascot appearance. I learned more about business in general (and especially in Minor League Baseball) than I ever could have expected.
What does it take to turn a golf cart into a a creative advertisement? How do you engage fans over the internet without boring them with the same material day in and day out? Can you maintain your dignity after lip synching and dancing or wearing a raccoon hat over your face? What’s the best way to keep fans happy and families of the players even happier?
I came across at least some of the answers to these questions and more. There are plenty more answers and a larger amount of questions that I haven’t seen yet firsthand, but I know that whether it’s with the Renegades or another team, I’ll be ready to tackle it.
Brewster Whitecaps Play-by-Play Broadcaster
May 2007-August 2009
For three summers, I announced play-by-play and color commentary for the Brewster Whitecaps internet broadcasts. The Whitecaps are a team in the Cape Cod Baseball League, one of the best invitation-only amateur leagues in the country. Working for the Whitecaps has been one of my most enjoyable experiences outside the classroom.
Two seasons ago, I helped revamp the Brewster Whitecaps Website with many new features, including player and coach interviews, photos, and more. I also created a Twitter page and a blog. I reworked the Facebook group, and also recorded a feature package on the new head coach for the Cape League TV show.
In 2008, I created, produced, and hosted an audio show on the entire league for the All Star Game, as well as a playoff edition. For the shows, I brought on other teams’ broadcasters for different perspectives on the league and its teams. We included interviews of coaches and players, short features, and analysis in the shows, and I even correctly predicted the league winner in the postseason edition.
My personal pre-game preparation consisted of compiling interesting facts and statistics about players and teams. I interviewed players, coaches, and executives (as well as former Major League player Reggie Jefferson) during and after games for the post-game show, and also posted some of those clips on the team website. I wrote player profiles and collected college photos for each player in the yearbook before the 2007 season too.
I was the Media Relations Manager for the team as well, making sure the visiting broadcasters, photographers, and Major League scouts had all the information they needed.
I got plenty of practice calling games, filling time with quality stories and material, and running a branch of the media despite the many obstacles that can appear.
Cape League On Deck Reporter, Writer and Producer
May-August 2009
Cape League On Deck is a magazine show about the Cape Cod Baseball League. It airs weekly on Cape Cod Community Access Television and NESN. I contributed packages and written other segments of the show so far this summer.
My reporting and writing skills earned me a press pass to the Cape Cod Baseball League All Star Game at Fenway Park. I reported for the show and posted footage and print stories up on the Whitecaps site as well.
My story on Brewster Whitecaps Coach Myers was on the first episode of the show to appear on NESN.
WTBU Broadcaster, Host and Producer
January 2007-May 2009
I was a play-by-play broadcaster and color commentator for Boston University sports during the school year. I was also a host, producer and writer of pre-, post-game, and intermission reports for BU athletic events.
I was the color commentator for all men’s ice hockey games covered by the station in 2009, thanks to my dedication to working in-studio.
I co-hosted the Friday Night Sports Block for the last year and a half too. FNSB is a two hour show that covers both professional and college sports.
My time at WTBU earned me the position of Public Address Announcer for some BU games and meets too.
My experience in radio isn’t limited just to hosting and announcing. I wrote and broadcasted weekly updates in 2007 including stories and scores from college and professional sports.
In my time at WTBU, I covered men’s and women’s hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s lacrosse, women’s softball, and men’s and women’s swimming and diving. Luckily, like the swimming teams, I’m not out of breath.
I feel much closer to the sports I have worked now than I ever could have by simply watching them. I know how teams operate on and off the field, and I realize the amount of work it takes to be a great broadcaster, reporter, or producer.
BUTV 10 Host, Panelist and Producer
January 2007-May 2009
I co-hosted the show Offsides, and frequently appeared on it as a panelist to discuss newsworthy sports topics. From those two spots, I learned how to remain objective, but also how to form a well-developed argument.
My work with Offsides wasn’t just in front of the camera. Since I was a producer for it, I organized and spoke at pre-production meetings and edited the show too (using Final Cut). I was responsible for developing and writing new show segments and setting up and running the necessary production equipment (such as the cameras, prompter, switcher, and audio board).
I also worked on the show Terrier Nation as an anchor and assistant producer. I performed readers, presented packages, and done highlight voice-overs for Boston University sports. I wrote and edited the highlights and some packages myself.
NNN Reporter
September 2008-May 2009
Working for Neighborhood Network News, an affiliate of the Boston Neighborhood Network, I wrote and edited packages (using linear editing) on local news topics to be aired on the station and online. My first story was on the ban of Trans Fats in the city of Boston back in September. I covered the press conference where Mayor Menino, the restaurant co-owner, and an expert on Trans Fats spoke.
I interviewed people of interest for the packages (friends of the subjects, experts in the field, and customers/consumers) recorded tracks, selected B-roll clips and sound on tape for the packages and chosen their order within the story.
NNN was the first reporting job I had outside of BU. I learned how to find stories where it doesn’t seem there are any thanks to my time there.
Broadcasting Courses
January 2008-May 2009
I took six Broadcast News courses during my time in college. In two of them, the students create a newscast each week. In those classes, the students fill all of the roles behind the scenes and in front of the camera. Through those courses, I reported, produced and edited packages, written the scripts, been a news anchor and sports anchor, and produced the sports segment of the newscast. Through the stories I reported on, I did a live shot, a few sports packages, and a light-hearted feature to end the semester.
In addition to the classes I took at BU, I also took one at Northeastern University in sports broadcasting. That class was taught by current Red Sox radio play-by-play announcer Joe Castiglione. He explained specifically what it takes in each sport to become an established announcer. He took us to Fenway Park to meet with Red Sox executives about working in sports. We also took a field trip to the T.D. Banknorth Garden to speak with Dave Goucher, the radio voice of the Bruins, and some of the sports broadcasting class alumni who work there as well.
Through the classes I’ve taken, I developed a much better knowledge of how to tell stories, whether they’re good news or bad. I can clearly inform viewers and/or listeners about the day’s happenings and entertain them at the same time. I know it will take dedication, versatility and the ability to remain a step ahead of the competition to make it as a journalist from now on.
Nick Gagalis 
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