We recently connected with Alyssia Graves and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Alyssia , thanks for joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
When I came out of college, I wanted to be a sports anchor. It had been my dream since I was a little girl. Quickly I learned that this industry wasn’t as glamorous as it looks. Most people move to a very small town to cover local news and make $30,ooo/year trying to survive and I wasn’t willing to settle. I decided I wouldn’t go the traditional route and would try to get my foot in the door other ways to hopefully reach my end goal. While I had friends getting reps and building their reels, me opting out of that put me in other positions like part-time retail work and behind-the-scenes production internships. I questioned my decision and wondered if I had sucked it up and tried a small market for a few years would it have been a better decision. Luckily, staying true to myself and patience allowed everything to work out the way it was supposed to in due time. When I became a host for both Athletes Unlimited and the PLL, it was the first time in my career I felt like I didn’t have to compromise to fit a mold. They were open to my ideas, embraced my non-traditional reporting style, and allowed me to truly be myself. I think if I had done what everyone else had done, I would’ve compromised my feelings and who I was to fit a standard to try to make it in the industry. Staying patient and doing what I knew was best for me allowed the right opportunities to meet me at the right time and allowed me to do what I love without compromising. To this day I never settle and always trust my gut to take the road less traveled and stay true to who I am and my vision. This will always lead the right people and opportunities to you.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I went to school for sports journalism and always wanted to work in football. Post-college I bounced around in different areas of the sports industry such as community relations and production. During my time in school was when the intersection of sports and social media were greatly intertwining. I took a class specifically dedicated to the sports media industry and how it was growing at the time. Eventually my experience in both video and written journalism with my knowledge in production and social media allowed for me to grow as a freelance Digital Host. One thing that I am most proud of is using my platform to bring attention to sports that don’t get as much coverage. My time covering lacrosse and helping grow awareness to the professional leagues was my most notable experience in adapting and brand building. The thing I am most proud of is as a minority myself, I am able to draw attention in areas that people would least expect. This does not only help in storytelling abilities but also grow the game for non-traditional viewers. Outside of lacrosse I got to tackle covering WWE, years ago I interned in the WNBA, and I only hope to continue tackling other areas to not only expand my knowledge and resume, but draw new fanbases.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Dependability. Always deliver the result that you say you will. I’ve always made sure that in every project or piece of work I do, I also go above and beyond in showing my ability in not just being able to do a good job, but someone who does a great job. When people know they can rely on you for amazing work, they’ll advocate for you.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Authenticity. I’ve always been transparent and never wavered on what I stand for and who I am. While this can cause you to lose followers, it helps to attract the people that are for you and can help you build your brand with your targeted audience. Social media can be a very fake place at times and like most people say it can be a “highlight reel.” People resonate most with the people they can relate to so always stay true to yourself and the right ones will come.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: alyssiagraves & agame.byalyssia
- Linkedin: Alyssia Graves
- Twitter: AlyssiaGraves
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alyssiagraves
