Jasmine Alexander
Producer
SportsCenter
University of Southern California, B.A.
Jasmine Alexander is responsible for picking the stories, setting the tone and identifying guests and analysts for the 6pm ESTSportsCenter. Alexander didn’t come to this career by chance. Inspired by growing up in a household in which television news was always on and trusted, she knew that she wanted to be a journalist as early as seven years-old. In a Q & A with Made Woman Magazine, Alexander hinted that her first writing gig was the family newsletter for which she interviewed her brother. One of her most cherished memories as a journalist was standing with reporters she admired at President Barack Obama’s headquarters in Chicago, the night of the 2012 election. At ESPN, she enjoys taking SportsCenter on the Road to cover the biggest sporting events in the world ranging from the Super Bowl to the NBA finals.
The Path
Before becoming a producer for ESPN’s SportsCenter, Alexander did stints in San Diego for NBC, Baltimore for CBS, and Philadelphia for ABC. She always wanted to work in sports, but didn’t know how to make the transition from news. That changed at NABJ in 2014, she was presented an opportunity to join ESPN.
“My first professional break in journalism was an internship at ABC News in LA,” says Alexander. “My journalism professor at USC, Judy Muller, recommended me for it and the opportunity helped me create connections that I still have 10 years later.”
Noteworthy
There is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to diversity in the media but I think the industry is aware of its importance and making big steps. I’d like to see more people pursue behind the scenes opportunities, that’s where the decisions about diversity & inclusion are being made.
Advice to writers
“I had a couple unpaid internships, but once I learned there were paid internship opportunities, I did not go back to working for free. My advice is to push for paid opportunities and only work for free if you can afford it.”
@Jazealexander pinned tweet
“One of the highlights of working the NBA finals, seeing Beyonce.” – Alexander
Omg pic.twitter.com/pIk5L04vJC
— Jasmine Ellis (@jazadelphia) June 17, 2016
